Maxi Edmond de Rothschild's debut flight

by Gitana Team 28 May 23:51 NZST

Launched on 14 February, the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild reached a decisive milestone in its development phase this week. Fitted with its first foil - a Y-shaped pendulum appendage of unprecedented dimensions inspired by America's Cup monohulls - the 32-metre giant completed its first runs in full flight.

The performance is all the more remarkable given that on Monday conditions were particularly light, with winds of between 10 and 13 knots off the coast of Belle-Île. With five months to go until Gitana 18's first major sporting event, the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, preparations are intensifying for the defending race champion Charles Caudrelier.

Highly anticipated first flights

On Monday in Lorient, Charles Caudrelier and the members of the Gitana Team cast off at dawn, heading out to sea in search of the breeze that would allow the 32-metre, 19-tonne giant to take to the air and make its first flights as the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild.

The latest addition to the Gitana fleet had received its first hydrofoil - the starboard one - last week. Since then the whole team had been hard at work finalising its installation and testing this revolutionary appendage, with a total wingspan of over 10 metres, as quickly as possible.

A few hours later, it was off the coast of Belle-Île that Gitana 18 took to the air.

Charles Caudrelier reflected on those first moments at the helm of the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild: "In the life of a boat, three months after its launch, we're really in the phase of discovery and fine-tuning, but in my mind I'm already focused on performance and competition.

We knew Gitana 17 inside out. Here, everything is new. From Gitana 17 to Gitana 18, the feel is completely different. The boat is very stiff and responsive, which is exactly what we expected. On Monday, although it's always difficult to measure the wind precisely as several factors come into play, readings off Belle-Île showed between 10 and 13 knots... after a few minutes finding the right settings, the Maxi took off and 20 minutes later our flight was stable!

"Our foils are truly the finishing touch to Gitana 18, one of the major innovations. We've pushed the design to the limit. These are highly technical components, unprecedented at this scale and with all the systems that it entails. These parts are arriving later than expected - we won't hide that - but we haven't wasted any time since the launch.

"Everything on board is so new and different - beyond the appendages that everyone's talking about - that this period without foils has allowed us to take things step by step, without rushing things, whether it's getting to grips with the spreader mast or the electric steering system, or even the autopilot specially developed with WDS for this boat.

"The Route du Rhum starts in five months. The deadlines are tight; we know that, and every moment counts. To be in a position to win races, Gitana 17 required two years of fine-tuning. But today we can also draw on the team's experience and expertise, and all the planning and virtual sailing carried out using the digital twin on the simulator.

"The coming months look set to be busy, but every day I realise what a privilege it is, thanks to our owner, Ariane de Rothschild, to be where we are."

For his part, Cyril Dardashti, director of the five-arrow team, wanted to take advantage of this key moment to once again pay tribute to the work of the team behind the project: "The week has got off to a great start for us!

"Finally being able to carry out the boat's first flights is another significant milestone for the team, which has been putting in a colossal amount of work for months. We were eager to experience this together. And more than the flight itself, it is the way in which this first took place that gives us a great deal of confidence for the future."

"The foils were a long time coming due to their highly complex design, but outings like Monday's are bound to be a source of satisfaction.

"Gitana 18's ambitious objective, right from the design phase, was to aim for the perfect flight. But despite the Gitana Team's 10 years of experience in offshore sailing, it remains a daring gamble.

"On Monday, in less than 30 minutes, the crew managed to find the right mode and make the initial adjustments to achieve stable flight. It's a process that took us nearly two years with Gitana 17... That boat led the way for 10 years; Gitana 18 is taking over in the finest possible manner.

"On a day-to-day basis, Charles and the whole team are committed and focused on St Malo and Gitana 18's first major race: La Route du Rhum. There is still a long way to go until 1 November, and we must tackle each stage with humility, but one thing is certain: Charles will not be on the starting line just to make up the numbers."

Over the next fortnight, the port-side hydrofoil will be fitted to the Gitana 18 platform, and from then on, Charles Caudrelier will be undertaking more offshore sailing and training sessions.