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.

21.06.2005

Starting afresh.

After a Grand Prix in Giraglia with fickle winds where not an awful lot was learnt, it is hoped that the Marseille competition will be more fruitful in terms of the strengths of our two trusty steeds. Gitana X and Gitana 11 have more than one strong to their bow.

par Gitana

La Giraglia was not that instructive. Sailing in winds of less than 5 knots over a course of 250 nautical miles from Saint-Tropez to Genoa via Cape Corsica, was more of a lottery than a daggers drawn battle. The gaps at the finishing line in no way reflected the day-long battle which had taken place, hindered further by the windless zones. The situation should be altogether different for the Grand Prix de Marseille-Métropole. A light westerly flow has been forecast for the end of the weekend, picking up in the afternoon, with the onset of thermal breezes. Ten knots in the morning should rise to 15-18 knots by the time the last rounds are being raced in the three day long competition. Perfect conditions for the Gitana Team, as shown a fortnight ago in Calvi.
As a result, Gitana X has moved up a rung or two in terms of potential with a crew of young talents on board. Most of the bright young things were competing in their first Grand Prix. They never the less managed to put several more experienced teams behind them from time to time, finishing fifth, sometimes even being the third to round the windward mark ! This means that the trimaran is more at home in steady winds than in light top medium air. There is plenty of room for progress. After La Giraglia, the boat went back to La Ciotat, before rallying Marseille on Sunday evening and sailing on Monday with the whole team on board, including Jochen Krauth windsurfing champion, who has joined the nine men and one woman crew on board, replacing Alex Marmorat.
For Gitana 11, the pitstop in La Ciotat lasted one day longer as the boat was delivered on Monday afternoon. Gitana Team’s shore crew did not have that much work to do on the boats after the number of races run since the middle of May : Lorient-Nice, then Calvi and La Giraglia, one after the other ! Last weekend, both trimarans were put into a Grand Prix configuration (shedding as much gear weight as possible) and are engaging upon their training sessions with the Port La Forêt training centre on Tuesday afternoon with five other multihulls already in Marseille.
Gitana 11’s objective is to grab as many points as possible to climb back up through the rankings in the ORMA Multihull Championship – to get ahead of Géant (three points ahead), to try and break Groupama-2’s run of good luck, to reduce the gap with current leader Banque Populaire. For Gitana X, the aim is first to confront the crew in reshuffling the job sheet on board to coordinate the manœuvres in the best way possible, to destabilize Foncia to whom he only concedes one and a half points and to continue keeping TIM-Progetto Italia in her rear view mirror.
The crews have more than one string to their bow – now is the time for them to exploit their assets !

Crew – Gitana 11

Frédéric Le Peutrec (skipper), Yann Guichard (tactician), Baron Benjamin de Rothschild (performer-navigator), Jean-Baptiste Levaillant (trimmer), Daniel Souben (trimmer), Jean-Baptiste Epron (mainsail trimmer), Alex Quiblier (wincher), Loïc Le Mignon (wincher), Antoine Mermod (pit), François Denis (foredeck / n°2), Christophe Lassègue (bowman / n°1)

Crew – Gitana X

Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (skipper-helm), Erwan Le Roux (tactician), Mayeul Riffet (pit-navigator), Jochen Krauth (trimmer), Mathieu Tatibouët (mainsail trimmer), Yann Le Govic (mainsail trimmer), Jacques Guichard (trimmer), Caroline Vieille (trimmer), Xavier Dagault (wincher), Antoine Carpentier (foredeck / n°2), Léopold Lucet (bowman / n°1)

Provisional rankings – ORMA Multihull Championship:

After the IB Group Challenge (weighting factor : 3), le Grand Prix de Corse (weighting factor : 1) and the Giraglia Rolex Cup (weighting factor 0.5) :

1-Pascal Bidégorry (Banque Populaire) 5 points (0+3+2)
2-Michel Desjoyeaux (Géant) 11.5 points (6+4+1,5)
3-Frédéric Le Peutrec (Gitana 11) 14.5 points (9+2+3,5)
4-Armel Le Cléac’h (Foncia) 20 points (12+7+1)
5-Franck Cammas (Groupama-2) 21 points (21+0+0)
6-Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (Gitana X) 22.5 points (15+5+2,5)
7-Giovanni Soldini (TIM-Progetto Italia) 60 points (51+6+3)
8ex-Thomas Coville (Sodebo) 78 points (51+18+9)
8ex-Yvan Bourgnon (Brossard) 78 points (51+18+9)

Retourner aux articles

Heritage