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.

03.07.2003

Grand Prix de Marseille. Motivated….

After 6 days spent training in La Ciotat (next to Marseille), the Gitana Team are highly motivated as they approach the 3rd Grand Prix of the World Championship. The windy days in store should be favourable to the blue and yellow trimaran and her crew which is making regular progress in its apprenticeship and handling of the boat.

par Gitana

Lionel Lemonchois, skipper : “…we’re moving forwards. We’re getting better all the time. In a steady 20/25 knots (36/42 km/h) wind, we were up there with the others during today’s training session. But we’ll see how things work out tomorrow. Today didn’t count…”. In start of not getting off to a very good start in the opinion of tactician Philippe Durr ” …I wanted to stay over to the right hand side of the course …” – Gitana remained on a level pegging with Tim (Giovani Soldini) and Bonduelle (Jean Le Cam), rounding the windward mark in 4th position. We never the less ought to point out that of the 12 boats entered in this 2nd Mediterranean Grand Prix, only 7 of them lined up on the start of today’s “warm up”.

An encouraging place for Gitana which is starting to see the result of the effort put in to date. Our studious sailing sessions of last week were not in vain. Marc Guessard, navigator : “…we’ve worked hard on crew cohesion in our manoeuvres. We’ve also sailed a lot with our new dagger board, to discover optimum markers for speed at different angles of orientation. Ditto for the foils whose angel of incidence in the water have also been modified…”.

A wonderful course

With a steady Mistral blowing at 22/25 knots, brilliant sunshine and a short choppy sea very specific to the bay of Marseille, almost ideal conditions for these big multihulls. In perfect unison the Gitana Team said : “…great day’s sailing. Wind, sun, perfect temperature and beautiful, superbly handled boats…”. Conditions which should hold out over the three days of the Grand Prix which gets off to its official start tomorrow at 10h30 on Friday 4th July, with the starting shot of the first round. But all the science of the tacticians will be required to sail the right way to win, be it hugging the islands or out in the open sea.

It certainly looks as thought he crews will be keeping a sharp eye out indeed on the fickle winds in the roads and particularly the America’s Cup hounds on board the multis. Marseille has been pre-selected by the organisers as one of the 5 towns in the running to host next Cup.

Return

Absent form the Grand Prix de Cagliari (Italy), as he was taking part in the Bol d’Or, the Swiss Nicolas Engel is back on board in the pit. He can be forgiven for his little escapade as he won the Bol d’Or in the monohull category on the family boat. This year’s Bol d’Or saw almost 550 sail boats racing on Lake Geneva (Switzerland).

Grand Prix de Marseille Métropole / Programme

Friday 4th July
10h30 : First warning signal for the multihulls. Several windward-leeward loops.
At approx. 16h30 : Baume&Mercier runs.

Saturday 5th July
10h30 : First warning signal for the multihulls. Coastal course – Grand Prix de la Communauté Urbaine and windward-leeward loops, depending on the weather.
At approx. 16h30 : Baume&Mercier runs.

Sunday 6th July
10h30 : First warning signal for the multihulls. Two to three windward-leeward loops.
17h00 : Prize-giving ceremony on the race village podium (Old Harbour).

Everything about the Grand Prix :

www.multis-online.com

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