Transat Jacques Vabre – Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, pioneer of its kind

by Gitana on 1 Nov 2017 On 17 July 2017, after a twenty-month build and over 35,000 hours of studies, Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild launched the latest addition to their offshore racing stable.

The Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, a large oceanic trimaran measuring 32 metres long and 23 metres wide is now part of the long and rather illustrious line of Gitanas. This Sunday in Le Havre, Gitana 17 will be the first multihull designed to fly offshore to set sail on a transatlantic race. On-board will be two oceanic pioneers, Sébastien Josse and Thomas Rouxel.

Paving the way

Featuring an aggressive and sleek outline with smooth lines, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild forces admiration. Indeed, this flying ‘fighter plane’ is a one-off in the looks department thanks to her unique floats and central hull and to the underwater sections of her beams, which are reminiscent of a plane wing. With flat hull bottoms for the maximum lift, a very high freeboard to thwart the torsion stresses of the float foils and rectangular beams for optimum stiffness, her streamlined wing-style sail plan and boat profile blend into one.

Hydrodynamics and aerodynamics have been the key points in the development of this ‘two in one’ craft according to her architect Guillaume Verdier. From the design to the construction, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is the result of a mastery of innovation and new technologies, shaped by the strictest quality control. A precursor, this giant of the seas is paving the way forward for a new generation of large multihulls, designed to negotiate heavy seas in the open ocean.

Video – It was a rather odd carbon bird that was tied to the dock in the Bassin de l’Eure last Friday for the opening of the Transat Jacques Vabre race village. The locals weren’t impervious to her charm!



Objective: apprenticeship and fine-tuning on the finest of playgrounds!

Since the launch of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, the timing has been tight and every session on the water has been carefully optimised by the members of the Gitana Team to enable the Edmond de Rothschild duo to set sail from Le Havre with the optimum amount of preparation under their belts. The estimated eight to ten days for the crossing and the numerous associated miles in race configuration are an accelerated learning experience that greatly appeals to Sébastien Josse: “Gitana 17 is a highly specialised prototype, which brings together a series of innovative technologies where there is no shortcut to the discovery and fine-tuning phase! Naturally I’m thinking here about the foils and the various appendages and systems necessary for flight, but that’s not all. Innovation has a place all over the boat. In fact, we’re developing some unique solutions with Pixel sur Mer regarding all the on-board intelligence. With Gitana Team we’re pioneers, we’re preparing the way forward and what we learn from these miles in race configuration is extremely precious for the next stage of the programme and particularly for the single-handed racing in 2018 and 2019.”

The Edmond de Rothschild duo has had a short yet intense period of preparation. However, the two men fully intend to benefit from the 4,350 miles that lay ahead of the latest addition to the Gitana fleet to fine tune her and show off her exceptional potential.

Video – On 17 August 2017, just one month after exiting the yard, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild enjoyed her debut flight. See the images of this intense moment that is sure to remain etched in our memories.