The new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild has already shown its full potential. The giant 32-meter oceanic multihull has successfully completed its first flight tests off Brittany, providing spectacular images and confirming the Gitana Team’s enormous ambitions for the upcoming Route du Rhum.
What made the achievement even more extraordinary were the weather conditions: the trimaran managed to rise steadily on the water in just 10-13 knots of wind in Belle-Île waters. For a 19-ton boat, this is an exceptional technical demonstration, achieved just three months after the official launch in February.
Revolutionary appendages derived from the America’s Cup
Underlying the performance of the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is a radical technological solution: the first of two new appendages installed on the starboard hull. It is a huge “Y”-shaped pendulum foil, developed taking inspiration from the most recent evolutions seen on America’s Cup monohulls.
The appendage, with a span of more than ten meters, represents one of the most complex components ever built by the technical team coordinated by Cyril Dardashti. Despite the inevitable difficulties associated with construction and integration of on-board systems, Charles Caudrelier and his crew were able to quickly find balance and flight stability.
The most surprising figure concerns precisely the adjustment time: less than half an hour of sailing was enough to achieve a convincing trim, whereas the previous Gitana 17 had required nearly two years of continuous development and adjustment to reach the same level of accuracy.
Invisible technology and the role of the digital twin
Behind the futuristic appearance of the foils is a concentration of innovations distributed throughout the boat. During the initial outings without full appendages, the team worked intensively on fine-tuning the spreader wing mast, the electric power-assisted steering system, and the sophisticated autopilot developed together with WDS specialists.
Also crucial was the contribution of the so-called “digital twin,” the virtual simulation system that allowed Charles Caudrelier to accumulate many hours of simulated navigation even before the real debut on the water. A technology that greatly accelerated the platform’s learning and optimization processes.
Maxi Edmond de Rothschild: heading for Saint-Malo.
Now all attention is on Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, the famous solo transatlantic that will start from Saint-Malo on November 1. Caudrelier will arrive at the rendezvous as defending champion and with the declared ambition to confirm himself as the absolute protagonist.
In the coming weeks the team will complete the assembly of the second wing on the port side and begin an intensive offshore training program to further refine the trimaran’s behavior in extreme sailing.
The project also represents the 28th chapter in the long nautical tradition of the Rothschild family, which is celebrating 150 years of history in the world of ocean sailing this year. An important anniversary that Ariane de Rothschild wants to accompany with a new technological and sporting challenge at the highest level.
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