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.

23.06.2005

Skippers’ point of view.

Having spent three days training out in the Bay of Marseille, the seven trimarans are ready to get down to business on a highly technical course where strategy and crew cohesion will be extremely important. In the 4th Grand Prix Marseille Métropole, Gitana 11 may well be able to shake Groupama-2's domination. Gitana X is there to confirm the progre…

par Gitana

Having spent three days training out in the Bay of Marseille, the seven trimarans are ready to get down to business on a highly technical course where strategy and crew cohesion will be extremely important. In the 4th Grand Prix Marseille Métropole, Gitana 11 may well be able to shake Groupama-2’s domination. Gitana X is there to confirm the progress she made in Calvi. A word from the skippers.

Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (Gitana X) :

« Curiously enough, we are not quite so ease in the run-up to this Grand Prix de Marseille as we were for Corsican. Perhaps we have just put ourselves under a little more pressure than we did in Calvi. We were getting the feel of what level we were at in Corsica and assessing the boat’s progress after the winter refit. There is also the wind factor as we have sailed every day since Monday in a 12 to 18 knot breeze, precisely the wind range which requires crew coordination to be spot on. We’ve still got quite a bit of work to do on our manoeuvres and in rounding the marks. We’ve improved a lot since Monday but we’ve not got it perfect yet. There have been a couple of changes up on deck too, swopping the trimmer and pitman around. Caroline Vieille is on the sheets for tacking and gybing and Antoine Carpentier is now foredeck / N°2 – a very physical job. He has to take care of the dagger board, mast angle, foils … Jochen Krauth has fitted in perfectly to the crew of Gitana X since La Giraglia. He’s already had fair bit of multihull experience with Frédéric Le Peutrec, apart from his windsurfing achievements. »

Frédéric Le Peutrec (Gitana 11) :

« We’ve had a great three days with thermal breezes : Gitana 11 and her crew are fine. We’ve often been right on the heels of Groupama-2. We’ve got to try and nab her once and for all now ! At least on one round, and why not even several … We’ve greatly improved the way we run things on board since the Grand Prix de Calvi. Our speed is in place thanks to the ideal conditions which should continue for the next couple of days. SE 10-18 knots, perfect for this type of boat as we sail fast. These trimarans are highly reactive and tactical choices are important, manœuvres have to be fluid. Today we opted for the port tack in the first training race and even though we had three boats behind us at the start, we put on the pressure straight away and latched onto good windshift. Franck Cammas was the only one to have done a good job in setting off left. But he did a really fast tack just off our bows at the windward mark ! His boat sails like no other… but he’s not going to pull off things like that each and every time. »

Trimarans – Grand Prix de Marseille Métropole

Foncia : Armel Le Cléac’h
Banque Populaire : Pascal Bidegorry
Géant : Michel Desjoyeaux
Gitana X : Thierry Duprey du Vorsent
Gitana 11 : Frédéric Le Peutrec
Groupama-2 : Franck Cammas
TIM-Progetto Italia : Giovanni Soldini

Crew – Gitana 11

Frédéric Le Peutrec (skipper), Yann Guichard (tactician), Baron Benjamin de Rothschild (performer-navigator), Jean-Baptiste Levaillant (trimmer), Daniel Souben (trimmer), Jean-Baptiste Epron (mainsheet), Alex Quiblier (wincher), Loïc Le Mignon (wincher), Antoine Mermod (pit), François Denis (foredeck / n°2), Christophe Lassègue (bowman / n°1)

Crew – Gitana X

Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (skipper-helm), Erwan Le Roux (tactician), Mayeul Riffet (pit-navigator), Jochen Krauth (trimmer), Mathieu Tatibouët (mainsheet), Yann Le Govic (mainsheet), Jacques Guichard (trimmer), Caroline Vieille (trimmer), Xavier Dagault (wincher), Antoine Carpentier (foredeck / n°2), Léopold Lucet (bowman / n°1)

Provisional ranking ORMA Multihull Championship

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

1-Pascal Bidégorry (Banque Populaire) 5 points (0+3+2)
2-Michel Desjoyeaux (Géant) 11,5 points (6+4+1,5)
3-Frédéric Le Peutrec (Gitana 11) 14,5 points (9+2+3,5)
4-Armel Le Cléac’h (Foncia) 20 points (12+7+1)
5-Franck Cammas (Groupama-2) 21 points (21+0+0)
6-Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (Gitana X) 22,5 points (15+5+2,5)
7-Giovanni Soldini (TIM-Progetto Italia) 60 points (51+6+3)
8ex-Thomas Coville (Sodebo) 78 points (51+18+9)
8ex-Yvan Bourgnon (Brossard) 78 points (51+18+9)

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