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.

20.11.2016

Reconciliation at the head of the race.

par Gitana

After setting sail from Les Sables d’Olonne on 6 November at 12:02 GMT, those competing in the Vendée Globe have entered their third week of racing this Sunday at noon. After a fortnight at sea, over 2,600 miles already separate leader Alex Thomson from the Spaniard Didac Costa, who is bringing up the rear, and the fleet is now split into four very distinct groups. On the racetrack, Edmond de Rothschild is still lying in 3rd place and at 17:00 GMT this Sunday he was 89 miles astern of Hugo Boss and just three miles shy of Banque Populaire VIII. This trio is leading the way down to the Cape of Good Hope, on a beam reach in a N’ly breeze of around thirty knots.

For the past 48 hours, it’s been a case of gritting your teeth and slipping along as quickly as possible towards the South-East in a bid to stay ahead of a cold front rolling across from Brazil, which is propelling the leaders towards the first major cape of this round the world, that of Good Hope.

To keep up these high speeds and rack up the miles, total commitment is required of the sailors. And even though the temperatures are still high at 25°C, the decks of the monohulls are being swept by big waves and inside the carbon machines, the noise is still just as deafening. Added to that, the sea, which has become heavier over the past few hours, is making life aboard just that little more complicated. Most importantly, the lumpier sea state means that the foilers and the classic daggerboards are on an equal footing once more in terms of the speeds achieved.

24 hours of jockeying for position
In this way, observers who were hoping to see the solo 24hr speed record for 60-foot monohulls tumble this weekend are still waiting. Indeed, for now the 534.48 miles covered by François Gabart during the Vendée Globe 2012 has yet to be beaten. Briton Alex Thomson came very close yesterday morning, but impact with a UFO (Unidentified Floating Object) cut short his bid for the new record. In the collision, the leader damaged his starboard foil, which is the one currently in use since the solo sailors are sailing on port tack. The skipper explained over a video sent this afternoon that the appendage was seriously damaged and that he’ll have to do without it for the rest of the race.

“This type of damage inevitably makes you mull things over and yesterday I raised the foils for a few hours when I learnt about Alex’s news. However, once I’d taken stock I saw reason because objectively I was already a notch lower than Alex in the way I was driving the boat. As such, right now I’m sailing the boat to her true potential again,” explained Sébastien Josse this evening.

The numbers on Edmond de Rothschild
These first two weeks of racing are an opportunity to analyse the numbers from the 14:00 GMT ranking this 20 November. Since leaving Les Sables d’Olonne on 6 November 2016, the Mono60 Edmond de Rothschild has covered 4,953 miles along the great circle route (direct route) at an average speed of 14.7 knots so Sébastien Josse has covered 20% of the total distance. It’s worth noting that over the ground, which means the actual distance over the water, the skipper of Gitana 16 has devoured 5,356.85 miles at an average speed of 15.9 knots. Finally, this morning the five-arrow sailor recorded his greatest distance covered over 24 hours after racking up 497.38 miles at an average speed of 20.7 knots.

At the start of the third week of racing, twenty-eight of the twenty-nine boats that made their way down the canal out of Les Sables d’Olonne are still racing. Indeed, yesterday evening, Bertrand de Broc announced his retirement from the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, where he moored to inspect his damaged keel fairing. For his part, Tanguy de Lamotte, victim of damage to his masthead last Saturday, hasn’t yet reported his retirement, though it’s only a matter of days now. He’s remaining in the race until he makes landfall, which will most likely be this coming weekend in Les Sables d’Olonne.

Ranking on 20 November at 17:00 GMT

Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) 19,341.8 miles from the finish
Armel Le Cleac’h (Banque Populaire VIII) 86.6 miles behind the leader
Sébastien Josse (Edmond de Rothschild) 89.6 miles behind the leader
Vincent Riou (PRB) 157.4 miles behind the leader
Morgan Lagravière (Safran) 182.0 miles behind the leader
Paul Meilhat (SMA) 222.6 miles behind the leader
Jérémie Beyou (Maître CoQ) 313.1 miles behind the leader
Yann Eliès (Quéguiner Leucémie Espoir) 703.6 miles behind the leader

…

Retourner aux articles

Heritage