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  • Gitana 18
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    • 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.

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    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.

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    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.

    Gitana 18’s daggerboard

    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.

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    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.

    Gitana 18’s coachroof

    29.09.2011

    Edmond de Rothschild Group reaps the rewards of its consistency.

    A long day of racing has just drawn to a close in the Nice Grand Prix. For the very first time in the Extreme Sailing Series, the race committee opted to shuffle about its usual programme by offering two periods of racing to the eleven competing teams. In this way, the fleet was able to contest two races this morning between 0900 and 1030 hours, be…

    par Gitana

    A long day of racing has just drawn to a close in the Nice Grand Prix. For the very first time in the Extreme Sailing Series, the race committee opted to shuffle about its usual programme by offering two periods of racing to the eleven competing teams. In this way, the fleet was able to contest two races this morning between 0900 and 1030 hours, before competing in a further six races in the afternoon. At the end of this second day of competition, contested in a still timid, albeit more cooperative, wind, the crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group confirmed its second place in the provisional standing. As such, Pierre Pennec and his men are nicely geared up for the stadium races which await them during the next three days of competition.

    Despite the fatigue etched across the faces of the sailors from Gitana Team, all of them welcomed the decision taken by the organisers. Bowman Hervé Cunningham was the first to have his say: “I think it was a very good move to have us race this morning. We’re the first to get frustrated when there isn’t enough racing. It makes for a long day and we’re certainly happy to see the end, but it’s the light wind conditions above all that make things tiring.” These sentiments were echoed by Pierre Pennec: “We’re here to go sailing and the committee had the intelligence to adapt to the weather conditions and the wind variations throughout the day, to enable us to rack up the maximum number of races. For my crew, the physical dimension is under more pressure on days such as this. Indeed, even if there’s five knots of breeze, the multiple manœuvres require a good dose of energy. Our group is working very well and the atmosphere on board is relaxed, which I’m sure will be a real bonus with five days of racing.”

    For the past two days, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the crews, among the best on the circuit, have been struggling to tame the race zone here in Nice. Philippe Mourniac, sports coach for the men of Gitana Team, explains his approach to the playing field:“Nice is a relatively open race zone, but overall it’s pretty random, which naturally makes things complicated. The wind conditions are very changeable between the morning and the afternoon, which is something we could testify to today. The wind varies and fluctuates in direction and intensity throughout the day. Even though you can still read it, this playing field still has its pitfalls because it’s a rather complex issue knowing how to determine with any degree of precision or certainty, how long the gusts will last or the extent of the less windy zones, which move about the race zone.”

    In these timid and often very random airs, the crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group decided to opt for a rather conservative strategy. This evening it is evident that this choice has borne fruit because, thanks to some consistent results throughout the day, Pierre Pennec and his men have held onto second place in the provisional standing and gained a few precious points in relation to the current leader, Red Bull Sailing Team. “Today’s score is satisfactory, though given our results you couldn’t describe it as excellent. We didn’t get off to the best starts of the fleet and we didn’t win any races today, but that wasn’t our objective either. What we wanted was to put up as consistent a performance as possible to tackle the three ‘stadium’ days from a position amongst the lead boats. We’ve managed to pull that off and that’s where we’ve got a positive result”, admitted the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild Group. However, Pierre Pennec remains very cautious and has no intention of considering this ranking to be a done deal. The level of the competition observed on the water over the past two days is such, with the top five separated by just six points, that nothing’s set in stone and there’s everything to play for.

    This is especially true given that tomorrow it’ll be a whole new ball game in the Bay of Angels! Indeed the race format will change and the catamarans will move closer to the celebrated Promenade des Anglais, to the great delight of the local public. The courses on offer will be shorter and the intensity of the races will go up a notch. In such a setting, Pierre Pennec’s men know that they’ll have to be more aggressive and more opportunistic. As regards the weather, the wind gods are likely to be just as undecided, but the organisers of the Extreme Sailing Series have opted to return to the traditional pattern of races for the circuit, with the jousting scheduled in for 1400 to 1700 hours. However, it’s already been announced to the crews competing in the Nice Grand Prix that they’ll be sailing in the morning on Saturday and Sunday.

    Ranking for the Nice Grand Prix after the 2nd day

    1. Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT) – 90,5 points
    2. Edmond de Rothschild Group (FRA) – 89 points
    3. Luna Rossa (ITA) – 88 points
    4. Alinghi (SUI) – 85,5 points
    5. Artemis Racing (SWE) – 84 points
    6. Team GAC Pindar (GBR) – 74 points
    7. Oman Air (OMA) – 60 points
    8. The Wave, Muscat (OMA) – 59 points
    9. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZ) – 56 points
    10. Niceforyou (ITA) – 54 points
    11. Team Extreme (EUR) – 52 points

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