Transat Jacques Vabre in position in Le Havre

by Gitana on 27 Oct 2017 The delivery trip between Lorient and Le Havre required a great deal of patience from the Gitana Team duo. Having set sail from their base in Brittany’s Morbihan region late afternoon on Wednesday, Sébastien Josse and Thomas Rouxel reached Normandy early afternoon this Friday.

300 nautical miles, a mere drop in the ocean compared with what the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is usually able to cover, but here persistent light airs punctuated the whole of their journey. Now, with some nine days until the start of the 13th Transat Jacques Vabre, which sets sail on 5 November at 12:35pm, the latest addition to the Gitana fleet is now safely in position and her two skippers are ready for the pre-start festivities.

Making it to the start line, the first success
Launched on 17 July 2017, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is about to compete in her first official competition and her first sporting challenge. For Sébastien Josse, the racing stable’s skipper, and co-skipper Thomas Rouxel, with whom he has chosen to share this debut transatlantic race, the past few months have been intense and action-packed in a bid to make the start line of Transat Jacques Vabre in tip-top condition.

“The Gitana Team has been loyal to the event since 2001. We’re very pleased to be at the start of this latest edition with the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. It was an ambitious programme! Three months to fine-tune and make such a machine reliable was a challenge in itself and it’s been the first success for the team, which has spared no effort once again. The boat’s ready to go and the duo is trained up and keen to extend its offshore experience!” admitted Cyril Dardashti, Director of the Gitana Team on his arrival in Le Havre.

In fact, it’s interesting to note that the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is the pioneer of a new generation of oceanic maxi-multihulls and the first giant designed to fly in the open ocean to take the start of a transoceanic race.

Outside the basin
An exceptional steed of extraordinary proportions... Due to her width and her foils in particular, the latter extending out from either side of the platform, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is all on her own outside the Bassin Paul Vatine. Through until the start, she will be moored alongside the Quai de Marseille in the Bassin de l’Eure, at entrance No.1, just a few minutes’ walk from the official race village. From Bassin Vatine, visitors wishing to come and admire this latest generation maxi-trimaran with her resolutely innovative profile will have to head along the Pont des Docks and then Rue Jean Maurel; the latter a lovely nod to the famous sailor and Race Director who the five-arrow team was very close to.