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.

17.09.2002

Gitana X qualifying passage ….

At 13h30 French time (11h30Gmt) Tuesday 17th September 2002, Gitana X left her home port of Trinité-sur-Mer (Atlantic) and, for the first time, with just one person aboard, her skipper Lionel Lemonchois. This is the qualifying passage for La Route du Rhum.

par Gitana

A single-handed race like the Rhum, requires the skippers to be perfectly in sync with their boats. Irrespective of the experience they may have, they have to prove that they are capable of handling the boat with which they are to race in all sorts of weather and on all points of sail. And that they can do so within the limits of the safety regulations.
So, taking into account the weather and the period of year selected, the organisers of La Route du Rhum indicate specific points which the skipper absolutely must respect in order to validate his 1000 mile long minimum qualifying passage (1852 km).

Compulsory course

For Lionel, the first point to reach lies some 420 miles (814 km) to the western tip of Brittany. North-west winds of 20/25 knots (37/46 km/h) generated by an area of high pressure are forecast and Gitana X will be sailing her first leg downwind with the wind blowing from the right. “These are good conditions for my first ocean sail. And the way it’s shaping up now, there’s a strong chance that I will sail the whole course with winds ¾ astern. That’s just what I need to see how she weighs up” , pointed out Lionel this morning before casting off.
Ashore, his weather assistant Richard Silvani confirmed: “When he gets to the first point, he’ll probably keep going a little longer to the west before putting some south in the heading. That’s to stay away form a low which is heading up north from Portugal. So Gitana X will have what are pretty much perfect conditions throughout“.
After the checkpoint off the coast of Brittany, Lionel will head south for around 250 miles (463 km) to find himself west of Cap Finisterre (Spain) before heading back north bound for La Trinité-sur-Mer. At the end of this passage, he will have sailed a loop in the Atlantic in an anti-clockwise direction.
Navigation is monitored ashore by the race organisers who receive a permanent automatic report of the boat’s position thanks to a onboard communication system (Standard C).

The Gitana Team “solo”

Since Gitana X was put back into the water at the beginning of September, she has been out sailing every day but always crewed. Firstly to learn how she handles, but also to make sure that all of the equipment and onboard systems for sailing single-handed do in fact work as they should. Yann Marilley, Team Manager: “This week, together with Olivier Wrocynski, Olivier Staub, Patrick Julien and Jean-Yves Le Govic (Napo), we’ve done a fair number of automatic helm tests, which are imperative sailing solo if Lionel is to manœuvre, sleep, eat, navigate, and so on. Then we set a small jib (staysail) onto its furler. This small jib is specifically for single-handed sailing as it handles easily when the wind picks up. Then we tried out the big balloon jib (gennaker) which Gitana X raises when the wind is ¾ astern. And it worked well ! Lionel will be needing it on his qualifying sail“.
There was no doubting the genuine pleasure for Lionel in setting out to sea after so many rounds of the Bay. “We’ve all worked really hard together over the past 10 days. I’m really pleased with the boat. Her deck layout is really brilliant. I’m starting to get the feel of her“.
ETA in La Trinité-sur -Mer in the evening of Friday 20th September or Saturday 21st the following day.

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