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.

09.09.2005

A tactical headache.

Light air is making the course in Fécamp tough to negotiate, together with offshore winds perturbed by the cliffs and fairly strong tidal currents. Judging by the training runs, Gitana 11 appears to be rather at ease from a tactical point of view and Gitana X in difficulty when it comes to speed.

par Gitana

Since 1995, the Grand Prix du Port de Fécamp has been one of the highlights of the Multihull Championship. This year France is basking in an idyllic Indian summer. Stifling heat hung over Fécamp during the last training sessions on Thursday before races get underway on Friday morning. Winds were fickle in strength and in direction (SW to W then NW) with fairly strong tidal currents along the Normandy coast. The Gitana Team has been in Fécamp since last Sunday and has had the time to fell their way around the course and to become familiar with the specific details of the course here. Compared with this time last year, there were strong winds and Gitana 11 finished third behind Sergio Tacchini and Groupama-2. Easterly offshore winds are highly disturbed by the cliffs in Fécamp. Tactics and strategy members of the crew – Yann Guichard and Daniel Souben (Gitana 11), Erwan Le Roux and Mayeul Riffet (Gitana X) – have their work cut out for them so they avoid getting caught out by light shifting winds which are not easy to anticipate !

Daniel Souben (Gitana 11) :

« Weather forecast is for a little more wind this weekend. That suits us ! We cannot keep up with the rest of the fleet in light air. With an offshore wind, the course here in Fécamp is not easy combined with the currents and the wind corridors. On Thursday we saw how Groupama-2 crossed the line too early and had to start again. She never quite made it back into the race. We won the round on Gitana 11 – fifty centimetres ahead Foncia and with Banque Populaire hot on our heels ! We have a fight on our hands. We’re also going to have to keep our eyes out for Armel Le Cléac’h and his crew who are very much at home here. But if the wind drops then we’re in trouble. »

Mayeul Riffet (Gitana X) :

« Gitana X has always had problems with speed in light air, except between 0 and 5 knots where our hull forms have little wetted surface. But between 5 and 12 knots, there’s no point deceiving ourselves – we’re short in terms of performance. On Thursday here in Fécamp, we were less at ease than we were in the Grand Prix in Calvi, Marseille or Vigo where the breeze was really light. Why ? We’re not that sure to be honest. Are the other boats really that much faster than we are ? or are we really that slow to find out how to sail her fast ? We are working hard on that point and are determined to find out why. Crew changes cannot explain everything away. This course is tough and with a 2-3 knot current, close-hauled sailing angles change. The electronics cannot keep up with what is going on. The boat is not so reactive and does not need to rely upon recorded data so much. We simply need more wind ! »

Crew for the Grand Prix de Fécamp (Gitana 11) :

Frédéric Le Peutrec (skipper)
Baron Benjamin de Rothschild (performer)
Yann Guichard (tactics)
Franck Citeau (trimmer)
Daniel Souben (trimmer)
Jean-Baptiste Epron (mainsheet)
Alexandre Quiblier (wincher)
Loïc Le Mignon (wincher)
Antoine Mermod (pitman)
François Denis (foredeck – n°2)
Christophe Lassègue (bowman – n°1)

Crew for the Grand Prix de Fécamp (Gitana X) :

Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (skipper-helm)
Erwan Le Roux (tactics)
Mayeul Riffet (pitman-navigator)
Jochen Krauth (trimmer)
Mathieu Tatibouët (mainsheet)
Yann Le Govic (mainsheet)
Eric Péron (trimmer)
Arnaud de Boringer (wincher)
Xavier Dagault (wincher)
Antoine Carpentier (foredeck – n°2)
Léopold Lucet (bowman – n°1)

Provisional rankings in the ORMA Multihull Championship:

After the IB Group Challenge (weighting 3), the Grand Prix de Corse (weighting 1), the Giraglia Rolex Cup (weighting 0.5), the Grand Prix de Marseille Métropole (weighting 1) and the Grand Prix de Galice (weighting 1) :

1-Pascal Bidegorry (Banque Populaire) 11 points (0+3+2+4+2)
2-Michel Desjoyeaux (Géant) 17 ½ points (6+4+1,5+3+3)
3-Frédéric Le Peutrec (Gitana 11) 20 ½ points (9+2+3,5+2+4)
4-Franck Cammas (Groupama-2) 21 points (21+0+0+0+0)
5-Armel Le Cléac’h (Foncia) 30 points (12+7+1+5+5)
6-Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (Gitana X) 35 ½ points (15+5+2,5+7+6)
7-Giovanni Soldini (TIM-Progetto Italia) 83 points (51+6+3+6+17)
8ex-Thomas Coville (Sodebo) 113 points (51+18+9+18+17)
8ex-Yvan Bourgnon (Brossard) 113 points (51+18+9+18+17)

Retourner aux articles

Heritage