Heritage
Season 26
Types de médias
  • Photos
  • Vidéos
  • Sons
Années
  • 2026
  • 2024
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
Afficher les résultats (121)
supprimer tous les filtres
  • News
  • Gallery
    •
  • Gitana 18
  • Team
  • Heritage

    • 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.

    1 / 2

    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.

    1 / 2

    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.

    1 / 2

    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

    28.04.2012

    Gitana Team’s double in the Tour de Belle-Ile.

    By securing a win in the fifth edition of the Tour de Belle-Ile, the 70-feet trimaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, has snatched her first victory against her adversaries in the Multi One Design class. Sébastien Josse and his seven crew sailed a blinder and on the finish line they were one minute forty seconds ahead of Michel Desjoyea…

    par Gitana

    By securing a win in the fifth edition of the Tour de Belle-Ile, the 70-feet trimaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, has snatched her first victory against her adversaries in the Multi One Design class. Sébastien Josse and his seven crew sailed a blinder and on the finish line they were one minute forty seconds ahead of Michel Desjoyeaux’s team. Spindrift Racing completed the podium by crossing the finish line one minute ten seconds after Foncia. A victory which augurs well for the upcoming season and rewards the work carried out by the Gitana Team since they received their boat last October.

    Fresh out of the yard, the crew of the multihull Edmond de Rothschild Group chose to kick off the 2012 racing season with the Tour de Belle-Île; a race which each year gathers together small and large boats on the same course, thus enabling professionals and amateurs alike to rub shoulders and set off as one. Labelled in 2011 as the number one sailing event in France, due to the number of participants, the Tour de Belle-le boasted a packed line-up once again. And this morning, the total number of boats setting off for the Baie de Quiberon amounted to 502 in all. In the conditions on the racetrack, it wasn’t easy to carve a way through the crowds or to time the start right, as Sébastien Josse reveals: «It’s always impressive to take the start of a race with so many boats on the line and with some very different craft, each with their own speed potential. In fact we narrowly avoided colliding with a small multihull!»

    Author of the best start to the right of the line, Foncia quickly powered to the front of the fleet. Leading as the boats exited the Baie de Quiberon and then drove hard to the Pointe des Poulains, Michel Desjoyeaux and his men couldn’t help but notice the crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group catching up with them below Belle-île: «We got off to an average start but the crew was fairly at ease in terms of speed. After that we managed to exploit the transition zones behind Belle-le in our favour and gradually made up ground on Fonçia. To the South of the island, as far as Teignouse (which marks the entrance to the Baie de Quiberon), we were involved in some real match racing which called for a lot of manuvres. We were within two to three boat lengths of one another. At the entrance to the channel, we were able to shake them off. They didn’t accompany us in a change of tack as Spindrift, benefiting from our battle to cover each other, was coming up fast. At that point, we were able to come to our own compromise. The results were essentially decided 40 minutes from the finish, in the final few miles. I rediscovered the automatic reflexes from my Figaro days. On paper, the boats have the same performance potential and the slightest mistake costs very dearly. In fact the one who does least, wins», explained the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild Group.

    Though the Tour de Belle-Île wasn’t one of the major objectives for the season, Sébastien Josse and his men couldn’t disguise their delight at finishing ahead of their two future rivals in the Multi One Championship: «The Tour de Belle-le was our first confrontation in race mode and we were keen to do well and thus validate the work we’ve done as a team throughout the winter. It was a good introduction, even though we still have a way to go to develop our power and be race fit for the New York start on 7 July 2012».

    Last year, the maxi-trimaran Gitana 11, also skippered by Sébastien Josse, beat the event record by completing the 44-mile circuit in a time of 2 hours and 42 minutes. This time will remain in Gitana Team’s hands for another year at least as the boisterous conditions of the 2011 edition, gave way to a rather more timid wind this year, though it did build over the course of the day: «We took nearly five hours to complete the course (4 hours 48 minutes exactly), but that’s no surprise. We knew that the conditions wouldn’t enable us to improve on our previous time. However, that record time remains with the Gitana Team and that’s the main thing!» concluded Sébastien Josse.

    Standing for the Tour de Belle-le (MOD 70 category)
    1. Edmond de Rothschild Group, finished at 14h58’10’’
    2. Foncia, finished at 14h59’50’’
    3. Spindrift Racing, finished at 15h01’00’’
    The crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group
    • Sébastien Josse (skipper, helmsman)
    • Antoine Koch (navigator)
    • Christophe Espagnon (tactician),
    • David Boileau (Pitman)
    • Olivier Douillard (trimmer)
    • Cyril Dardashti (grinder)
    • Thomas Rouxel (midbow)
    • Florent Chastel (bowman)
    The dates for the 2012 programme
    • Tour de Belle-Ile: 28 April
    • Grand Prix de Douarnenez Guyader: From 3 to 6 May
    • ArMen Race: From 18 to 21 May
    • SNSM Trophy: From 1 to 3 June
    • Krys Ocean Race (Crewed transatlantic race): start on 7 July from New York estimated finish in Brest on 14 July
    • European Tour (Crewed configuration): start from Kiel (Germany) on 2 September

    Retourner aux articles