Retractable Y-shaped foils, adjustable in three dimensions

Inspired by the appendages of the America's Cup foiling monohulls, these Y-shaped foils have a wingspan of over 5 metres. They are designed to generate powerful lift, increase power and offer a wide range of adjustments to optimise flight at every point of sail and in all conditions. Beyond their impressive size, these foils feature many unique innovations.

Revolutionary U-shaped rudders

These are probably the most visually striking innovations on the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. To fly high above rough seas while maintaining control, the team wanted very long rudders that would remain in contact with the water. The challenge is that longer rudders tend to flex under load, severely affecting steering and the efficiency of their lifting surfaces. A new geometry was needed to give these appendages maximum stiffness, resist cavitation and ultimately improve control of the boat and make better use of its power. The result is a set of U-shaped rudders over 4 metres long, a metre longer than those on Gitana 17. Their shape, reminiscent of a tripod or an inverted π, is only the visible part of what makes them so distinctive.

A daggerboard optimised to stabilise the boat and limit cavitation

With its wide span, the daggerboard resembles an aircraft tail assembly, with two adjustable flaps: one on the vertical section and the other on the horizontal section, the distinctive “manta-ray wing”. On Gitana 18, the innovation is to position this wing behind the vertical part of the appendage, rather than directly beneath it, to minimise flow disturbance and cavitation.

Rig: adjustable spreaders to control mainsail power while sailing

Gitana 18’s mast is 1.50 metres taller than its predecessor’s. The boom is also shorter, creating a more slender sail plan. The major innovation is a set of spreaders that can be adjusted while sailing to bend the mast fore and aft. Actuated by hydraulic rams, these spreaders can pivot through 35 degrees to adjust the bend in the middle of the mast. This unprecedented system allows the sailor to control mainsail power: adding depth in light winds to take off sooner, or flattening the sail to reduce power at high speed or in strong winds. Adjusting the depth, and therefore the power, of the mainsail can also save a solo sailor time and energy by reducing the need for risky manoeuvres or headsail changes.

Central hull:
an integrated, structural coachroof

The naval architects and Gitana design team wanted an exceptionally stiff, structurally robust platform. This applies both to the floats, which must withstand heavy loads from the foils and rudders, and to the central hull, which is subject to torsion. The enclosed coachroof is integrated into the hull and contributes to its structural strength. Inside, the cockpit brings all sail-handling controls together, with ergonomics shaped by many hours of design and development. The coachroof also stands out for the number and size of its windows. This configuration meets the visibility requirements of the Ultim class rules and gives sailors the best possible view to keep a visual watch.

11.04.2007

Good old-fashioned sailing.

While the majority of the BPE Trophy fleet is still flying along either to his south or ahead of him, Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, in 16th position on Domaine du Mont d'Arbois, is wrestling with contradictory weather info and sailing conditions that are unstable and random.

par Gitana

While the majority of the BPE Trophy fleet is still flying along either to his south or ahead of him, Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, in 16th position on Domaine du Mont d’Arbois, is wrestling with contradictory weather info and sailing conditions that are unstable and random.

In the midday radio chat, the skipper, calm as ever, offered us an objective update of the situation:

“I’m trying to keep my spirits up! Even though it’s really hard to sail under these conditions. All the weather info for the last 4 days has been off the mark! I can’t make head nor tail of it… I don’t really know what’s in store, so I’m staying on the direct route. But the problem is, this weather could well last until the finish, whereas I’d initially planned to pick up the established trade winds after the transition phase. I’m spending a lot of time making minor adjustments, but the winds are so unstable that I’m getting tired out very quickly. Last night was really hard work because about every 45 minutes, I kept radically changing the weather pattern and therefore the sail configuration due to the large storms that were literally swallowing up the wind. In these conditions, you do a lot of manoeuvring for next to no results! The hardest thing is to see those ahead disappear off without any real hope of catching them … the wind’s dying down behind me and in the meantime, they’re increasing the gap. I need to watch those behind me in order to contain them, but as they are also more to the south, it’s no foregone conclusion. The current scenario is not very encouraging, but when I look at how I started the race, I’m quite satisfied and really enjoying myself on Domaine du Mont d’Arbois.”

Ranking – Wednesday 11 April at 03:00 pm :

Rank	Boat / Skipper	Latitude	Longitude	Speed.	Cap	Dist. arrival	Dist. 1st
1	Défi MousquetairesThomas Rouxel	13 30.74′ N	49 11.22′ W	8.8	253	723.8	0.0
2	BostikCharles Caudrelier	13 31.30′ N	49 07.05′ W	8.9	253	726.1	2.3
3	SojasunLiz Wardley	15 25.82′ N	48 06.79′ W	7.8	248	767.1	43.3
4	A.ST GroupeMarc Emig	19 39.13′ N	48 22.33′ W	9.1	249	778.2	54.4
5	GedimatArmel Tripon	20 20.69′ N	48 18.78′ W	8.9	236	794.7	70.9
6	FinancoNicolas Troussel	11 19.57′ N	48 35.92′ W	9.6	269	795.8	72.0
7	Groupe CéléosRonan Treussart	18 52.92′ N	47 31.94′ W	9.2	243	814.7	90.9
8	LuisinaEric Drouglazet	19 27.70′ N	47 38.04′ W	8.8	244	815.4	91.6
9	Les MousquetairesBertrand de Broc	18 41.92′ N	47 22.88′ W	9.1	247	821.9	98.1
10	TheoliaRobert Nagy	21 54.40′ N	48 22.85′ W	8.0	249	824.1	100.3
11	Aquarelle.comYannick Bestaven	16 49.59′ N	47 07.11′ W	8.8	249	824.4	100.6
12	Banque PopulaireJeanne Grégoire	14 18.24′ N	47 02.94′ W	9.3	245	831.1	107.3
13	Cercle VertGildas Morvan	18 03.02′ N	47 00.36′ W	9.0	248	835.7	111.9
14	LenzeFranck Le Gal	12 29.36′ N	46 28.08′ W	9.0	237	892.9	169.1
15	Le Comptoir ImmobilierGildas Mahé	18 54.78′ N	46 01.64′ W	8.7	240	899.3	175.5
16	Domaine du Mont d’ArboisT Duprey du Vorsent	23 13.89′ N	46 42.65′ W	7.3	244	941.6	217.8

Rank Boat / Skipper Latitude Longitude Speed. Cap Dist. arrival Dist. 1st

1 Défi MousquetairesThomas Rouxel 13 30.74′ N 49 11.22′ W 8.8 253 723.8 0.0

2 BostikCharles Caudrelier 13 31.30′ N 49 07.05′ W 8.9 253 726.1 2.3

3 SojasunLiz Wardley 15 25.82′ N 48 06.79′ W 7.8 248 767.1 43.3

4 A.ST GroupeMarc Emig 19 39.13′ N 48 22.33′ W 9.1 249 778.2 54.4

5 GedimatArmel Tripon 20 20.69′ N 48 18.78′ W 8.9 236 794.7 70.9

6 FinancoNicolas Troussel 11 19.57′ N 48 35.92′ W 9.6 269 795.8 72.0

7 Groupe CéléosRonan Treussart 18 52.92′ N 47 31.94′ W 9.2 243 814.7 90.9

8 LuisinaEric Drouglazet 19 27.70′ N 47 38.04′ W 8.8 244 815.4 91.6

9 Les MousquetairesBertrand de Broc 18 41.92′ N 47 22.88′ W 9.1 247 821.9 98.1

10 TheoliaRobert Nagy 21 54.40′ N 48 22.85′ W 8.0 249 824.1 100.3

11 Aquarelle.comYannick Bestaven 16 49.59′ N 47 07.11′ W 8.8 249 824.4 100.6

12 Banque PopulaireJeanne Grégoire 14 18.24′ N 47 02.94′ W 9.3 245 831.1 107.3

13 Cercle VertGildas Morvan 18 03.02′ N 47 00.36′ W 9.0 248 835.7 111.9

14 LenzeFranck Le Gal 12 29.36′ N 46 28.08′ W 9.0 237 892.9 169.1

15 Le Comptoir ImmobilierGildas Mahé 18 54.78′ N 46 01.64′ W 8.7 240 899.3 175.5

16 Domaine du Mont d’ArboisT Duprey du Vorsent 23 13.89′ N 46 42.65′ W 7.3 244 941.6 217.8

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