Suspended from the crane, the carbon bird packs quite a punch. This emotional moment has been eagerly awaited by all those who have worked on her, not to mention those working in the background, in the big push to take offshore sailing into a whole new era. At 08:30 GMT this Monday, the first oceanic trimaran designed to fly offshore was launched in Vannes, south-west Brittany, under the proud gaze of her owners, Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild, her designers and builders, and of course the whole of Gitana Team supporting skipper Sébastien Josse.
Crédit : Y Zedda
The public was also out in force, curious and enthralled about the opportunity to discover this unique boat, which is a precursor of the latest generation multihulls that plane and fly. Her sleek, ethereal forms as well as her appendages, all equipped with trim tabs (even the central daggerboard), are an invitation to voyage, at speed, along the long oceanic swell. Indeed, this maxi-trimaran embodies the offshore racing universe and that of foiling, which is predominantly practiced within harbours, as is the case in the America's Cup. In fact, it was Guillaume Verdier and his associates who worked in collaboration with the Gitana Team design office to create this new prototype. This French naval architect, who has just secured the silver ewer with the New Zealand team, was also behind the first foiling monohulls from the last Vendée Globe. This same challenge was also taken up by the Gitana Team in 2015-2016 with the Mono60 Edmond de Rothschild. Indeed, the ambition of flying offshore is part of a long-term strategy within the racing stable, as much in terms of research and development as on the water, where Sébastien Josse has been flying for a long while, on various craft.
The spectacle of the genesis of this extraordinary boat has taken 170,000 man-hours and a build process lasting over 20 months. Following her launch, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, a craft measuring 32 metres in length and 23 metres wide, then made for her home port of Lorient. This is where her mast was built and awaited her arrival, surrounded by all the people who manufactured the 35-metre spar capable of carrying up to 650m2 of sail area with precision, patience and expertise.
Sails which, together with the hulls, form a genuine original work by American artist Cleon Peterson, which is totally unique. Indeed, under the impulse of Ariane de Rothschild, Gitana 17 has today become the largest off-the-wall work of the Lasco Project, an artistic project organised by the Palais de Tokyo as a dedication to urban arts.
In sporting terms, Sébastien Josse can now really get the chance to come face to face with this new machine. The skipper will now try to get his bearings, step by step, with humility, before setting sail across the Atlantic, on 5 November 2017, accompanied by Thomas Rouxel. This journey will be the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre yacht race between Le Havre and Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. Over the next two years, the skipper will notably participate in the Route du Rhum (2018) and then the first ever single-handed round the world race created for these Ultime multihulls (2019).
As with a work of art, there is great emotion and meaning in this project. Deciphering the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild universe is synonymous with entering into a technological, human and creative story where everything matches, like a completely coherent kaleidoscope. This boat forges a link between the universe long perpetuated by the Rothschild family. When in 2000, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild founded the offshore racing stable Gitana, he intended to continue the family's 100-year-old passion for competition, the sea and above all for innovation. A taste for speed and the risk involved in committing oneself outside the normal boundaries takes on its true meaning once more. This boat also illustrates the Rothschild's business spirit, the ability to gather together skillsets and work together, as much in its complex calculations as in the workshop, where the very best in their field take things to a whole new level. Finally, this vital lead naturally extends as far as the art universe and the missions supported by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations. From the moment this new trimaran was designed, Ariane de Rothschild was keen to enter into a dialogue between the world of the sea and that of Street Art, urban expression becoming a must, outside the usual codes, like sailors pushing back the limits.
Devise, transpose, innovate
Today's multihulls fly, which means that they are held up out of the water thanks to appendages equipped with lifting surfaces, which act like the wings of a plane, albeit in the water. At the heart of this new mode of sailing, stability and reliability are key parameters in performance. Already, on 31 March 2016, the Gitana Team managed to get its Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild airborne. A first success on this one-design come test platform, which was followed up by today's foiling Imoca monohull and the Maxi.
No fewer than 250 people from all manner of specialist trades across Europe, New Zealand and the United States have played their part in the creation of the maxi-trimaran. Team Verdier combined all its expertise with that of the members of Gitana Team's design office, as well as an incredible network of service providers, particularly those from engineering and construction. Among them, Pixel Sur Mer (servo-control), C3 Technologies (bulkheads and appendages), Re Fraschini (foils), Lorima (mast), Multiplast (platform) and also Persico (cockpit). Leaving the yard is the first major step, but there is a long road ahead to discover her potential and learn to tame her. Over the coming weeks, there will be a series of tests for resistance under load, sail trials and debut flights. Like a bird that takes off alone away from the nest, prudence will be the order of the day.
A collective work of art and craftsmanship
Aboard this boat, man has had a hand in everything. Laminators, hydraulics specialists, painters, experts in top-level ropework and many other professions make up this team of high-tech craftsmen and women, who rank among the world's elite, and who have given their all in the bid to realise a common goal. As such, when the street artist Cleon Peterson designed his work on this immense canvas, Jean-Baptiste Epron adapted the original design so as it could be expressed in various weather conditions, namely under every sail configuration. The graphic artist-navigator has interpreted the livery of the Gitana boats since 2000, all based on the family coat of arms. In this way, the work by Cleon Peterson is very much in line with tradition, with the notable integration of the five Rothschild arrows brandished by its warriors. The ‘Gitane' is present too, embodied as a Greek goddess carrying the globe to reflect the round the world journey, which the boat will soon embark on. Finally, another powerful symbol, the four warriors represent Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild's daughters and convey the much cherished family notion of passing things down.
Cyril Dardashti, General Manager of Gitana Team "We've had a very emotional and important day in Gitana Team's history. The team has been working flat out to launch this boat within the original timeframe and it hasn't been easy day in day out as the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is an exceptional and extraordinary craft. The last few weeks have been particularly intense for everyone and I'm very proud of the team as together we've managed to overcome all the challenges to conclude this chapter of the build and set this Maxi in motion. It's the start of a new story, but already its realisation has been exemplary. I repeat this over and over, but we're incredibly lucky that Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild honour us with such trust, which enables us to be daring in our innovation. Such passion and commitment are what drives the Gitana Team on a daily basis."
Sébastien Josse, skipper of Gitana Team
"Inevitably I'm itching to get going but I'm keeping a low profile, in absolute awe of all the work put in by the whole team. We won't sail the same in solo or crewed configuration, and the same is true in record or race configuration. Today, records are broken by teams who have been working away at them for a long time. There is a large unknown element and lots of things are being trialled here for the first time. We're going to have to become ever greater, come face to face with this boat and listen to each other in order to get a full grasp of what's going on. In due course, the race around the world in 2019 will bring to the fore the pressure of competition, which will thrill us, not only through the technological element but through the incredible human adventure in what is a truly pioneering ambiance."
From Gitana Team
