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.

17.02.2004

The “power of 2” team.

Baron Benjamin de Rothschild enthusiastically flaunts his passion for top-level competition multihulls. After buying the ex-Belgacom, he has entered two trimarans into the ORMA 2004 Multihull World Championship race.

par Gitana

A new challenge is added to the Gitana legend

The name Gitana in the Sailing world immediately conjures up the Rothschild Franco-Swiss branch, which for the past 100 years and more, has stood for a life style nurtured by passion, team spirit and the quest for excellence. It all started in 1876, when Benjamin de Rothschild’s great grand aunt used the first Gitana to beat a 25m steam boat, a world speed record on Lake Leman in the French/Swiss Alps.

As a young child, Benjamin de Rothschild was introduced to the family tradition by his father. He rapidly turned to the Open 60-footer multihulls which as he is fond of repeating «are the most beautiful sailing machines ever imagined and designed by man». The Gitana trimaran saga, under Benjamin de Rothschild, took off with the Gitana IX (ex-Elf Aquitaine III) which participated in the Québec – Saint Malo 2000 transat, continued with the conception and birth of the Gitana X, inaugurated in June 2002 and continues in 2004 with the advent of Gitana XI, ex-Belgacom, into the Team. One of the most powerful trimarans of the circuit, the Gitana XI took to the waves in 2001.

As a firm believer in the notions of technological exploration and performance, Benjamin de Rothschild intends to let both Gitana X and Gitana XI compete in the 2004 race. First, just like Lionel Lemonchois, he feels that the tuning of « X » must continue in order to complete the innovative approach which was instrumental to its birth. Secondly, the Gitana Team has been enriched with one of the most technologically advanced trimarans of the circuit, the now Gitana XI.

A team with the “power of 2”

By putting up two boats to race in the same Championship, Benjamin de Rothschild has demonstrated his commitment to top-level competition sailing and has joined in the collective memory of this sport, the only two examples of the « Power of 2 » teams which the international ocean race has ever known, EF and Amer Sports, in the Volvo Ocean Race.

The 2004 Gitana Team now comprises two 60-footer trimarans, Gitana XI, under the care of the Norman skipper Lionel Lemonchois, and Gitana X under Breton skipper Marc Guillemot, who used to be skipper for La Trinitaine trimaran for 7 years. The two men will be responsible for the technical and sports programmes of each of the boats entrusted to their care. Yann Marilley will coordinate the entire Gitana Team operation now comprising nearly 30 people who will be responsible on land and at sea, for keeping the Team’s overall performance in the line of sight. The famous « One for all and all for one» applied to high tech sports.

A common style and diversified backgrounds for a common cause

One of the strengths of the Gitana Team is a common style shared by all its members, based on competence, discretion and a keen sense of humour. The other is the diversity of backgrounds. In addition to Lionel Lemonchois and Marc Guillemot – two yachtsmen who have accumulated a unique maritime and technical experience in the past 25 years – the two crew lists feature such « ocean-racers» as Olivier Wroczynski, François Denis, Nicolas Raynaud, Jean-Baptiste Epron, Dominic Bourgeois and Yvon Daniel; pure regatta competitors like Yann Guichard and Frédéric Le Peutrec; pillars of the French Olympic sailing team; Frederic Brousse, a rugby player; some talented and motivated young people; and finally others with the two fold ocean sailing and regatta culture like Marc Guessard, Yann Marilley, and of course… Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, admittedly owner of the two Gitana X and XI, but especially full-fledged member of the Gitana Team since its creation in 2000.

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