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.

20.11.2002

Assistance Team. To be as autonomous as possible….

This 7th Route du Rhum proves it once more today with Steve Ravussin's capsizing, an assistance team has to be ready for anything, anytime. Technical stopovers, repair sessions remote-controlled by the shore team, rescue squad ready for intervention : the solo sailor has never been so well surrounded ! A closer look at an organisation that has to b…

par Gitana

This 7th Route du Rhum proves it once more today with Steve Ravussin’s capsizing, an assistance team has to be ready for anything, anytime. Technical stopovers, repair sessions remote-controlled by the shore team, rescue squad ready for intervention : the solo sailor has never been so well surrounded ! A closer look at an organisation that has to be perfect even in the slightest details, with Yann Marilley, responsible for that sensible management for the Gitana Team.

“Everything has to be imagined, we have to anticipate as much as possible and determine all the procedures with a maximum of details”, says Yann Marilley. The news of Steve Ravussin’s accident today only came to reinforce that conviction. Damages or accidents can happen anytime, and the assistance team has to be on the edge until the boat has crossed the finish line. “In the Gitana Team, people have a lot of experience individually, which allows us to react very efficiently. For example, Olivier Wrozynski, Gitana X’s boat master, went to help Loïck Peyron in his attempt to tow Fujifilm, and has participated in Laurent Bourgnon’s Primagaz retrieval. The road book I had prepared 2 months prior to the start of the Route du Rhum for Lionel Lemonchois included a list of towboats companies in Spain…

In the starting blocks 24hrs a day

“This said, there are not only these type of extreme cases, and my job is mainly to be ready for all the events and mishaps : in this document I call the road book, all the possible stopovers are listed (in France, Spain, Portugal, Madera, the Azores etc.), each one with the map of its marina, the name and the phone number of the local contact. For each city or port, we have an itinerary ready, taking into account all the means of transportation available : do men and gear have to travel by plane, train, boat, truck ? Everything is planned, almost minute by minute. For each job (sails, fibre, electronics etc.) there’s a box of equipment. Whatever the problem may be, all the boxes leave : the skipper may have called us for a problem on the auto-pilot, and have torn a sail by the time we get there ! Which implies, when the boat is racing, that a team is constantly ready to leave 24hrs a day, and that all the team members remain easy to reach at all times.

Even if we’re not talking about a capsized boat, the intervention has to be quick, because the trimarans sail so fast that a simple stopover can have terrible consequences. Which is partly what happened to Marc Guillemot, who stopped in the Azores for sails problems : he left the archipelago Sunday night, in last position, but it’s true that they also worked on the boat’s structure”.

About the Route du Rhum

www.routedurhum.org
www.france2.fr

Gitana X. Away for the winter

The weather has been compliant : Gitana X’s mast has been un-stepped, and the platform went back inside the Multipole 56 yard in La Trinité-sur-Mer. The boat will stay there all winter long (until early march 2003), allowing the technical team to make all the modifications and settings necessary for the coming season. The boat has completely been emptied, the engine has been wintered, the electronics taken away, along with everything that could be put outside, in order to make the maintenance job easier. Various tasks have to be carried out, and the work has been dispatched among the Gitana Team members, because the three months to come promise to be quite intense.

Retourner aux articles

Heritage