Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, a delayed unveiling
by Gitana Team 11 Sep 10:24 PDT
Maxi Edmond de Rothschild - Construction Gitana 18 © Guillaume Le Corre / polaRYSE / Gitana S.A
We shall have to wait a touch longer before we get the chance to discover the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. The future five-arrow giant was originally due to exit the yard at the end of September at the latest in a bid to take the start of the Transat Café l'Or (formerly known as the Transat Jacques Vabre), which is due to set sail from Le Havre on 26 October 2025.
Despite the desire and above all the energy expended to keep to this ambitious and very tight schedule, Gitana 18 will unfortunately not be able to make her debut in this major transatlantic race. Indeed, in a project like this, the last few weeks in the yard are crucial in achieving a state-of-the-art finish and rushing things is always best avoided. As such, a new date has now been set for early December.
A complete platform for the end of September
In order to break new ground and push the boundaries, it is important to be ambitious and aim high. Wanting to launch in late September to enable the boat to compete in her first transatlantic a month later was very much in line with this mindset, as Cyril Dardashti explains: "We knew the timing was tight and ambitious from the outset. To draw up a build plan for Gitana 18, we had a solid base to work from in Gitana 17 but the new route we are carving out architecturally with this novel boat, particularly regarding the rudder and the foils, are worth spending the time on. As ever, our team has really stepped up to the plate and all the companies supporting us in this incredible project, starting with CDK Technologies, have done a colossal amount of work since construction started in January 2024, to meet the late-September deadline. Over 200 people have played their part in bringing Gitana 18 to life. The platform will be completed in the next few weeks but there is also a lesser-known aspect, which is integral to our sport and the innovation choices we have defended at Gitana for over 15 years. There is still some significant work to do on the systems for all the appendages and this element will not be completed as we first envisaged when we planned to take the start of the transatlantic race."
Charles Caudrelier, sailor and philosopher
"I have every confidence in all the work that has been done by our team and you have to be able to look at the bigger picture with such projects," says Charles Caudrelier. "As a competitor, I felt a sense of frustration at not being able to compete in this race but that soon passed. Launching a new and such an innovative boat a month before the start we clearly wouldn't have been able to race the machine at her true potential."
A land-based sailor for the past year almost as the old Maxi Edmond de Rothschild's last race dates back to October 2024, the winner of the Route du Rhum naturally made no secret of his eagerness to put in his first tacks at the helm of Gitana 18. However, he also admits that he is enjoying getting involved in such a design: "This is the first time in my entire career that I've had the opportunity to follow a design project in this way from start to finish. It's fascinating and extremely motivating. Of course, the days on land are a far cry from when I'm sailing and preparing for a course but the richness of this work is fantastic! It requires a massive amount of teamwork, which I adore, and we have to come up with solutions every day to put our highly innovative ideas and concepts into practice. There is absolutely zero chance of getting bored."
Assuming the mantle of a legendary boat like Gitana 17 is not easy but the future Maxi Edmond de Rothschild has some very strong arguments in her favour and Charles Caudrelier cannot wait to showcase her innovations and her assertive character: "There was a very clear road map entrusted to us by our owner Ariane de Rothschild: do things better and differently! Aside from the beams, which come from Gitana 17's former moulds, I confirm that everything is very different! Gitana's team has gone to great lengths to try to challenge norms. Beyond the design, which is fundamental, we're developing our own automatic pilot and our own electronics systems for this new boat. Gitana 18 is not a simple evolution and that will be obvious once the doors of the CDK yard finally open."
Exit from the yard before Christmas
With the Transat Café l'Or no longer the objective as its racing debut, Gitana Team has managed to quickly revise its plan to get the best out of the situation and turn it into an opportunity. "Since we are not in a position to take the start of the Transat Café l'Or on 26 October, we're going to use the next few months to finish off the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild and add the options we hadn't initially envisaged being able to incorporate in the first version of the boat due to lack of time. She's a new boat so the tweaking will be key and will need to be done as quickly as possible with a view to the main 2026 race meet: the Route du Rhum. However, we're fortunate to be in a position to benefit from these additional innovations from 2026. Charles is keen to defend his title and Gitana Team is aiming to make history in the race," notes Cyril Dardashti, director of the Gitana racing stable.
As such, a winter launch is now planned for the 28th boat in the Gitana Saga. She is due to emerge out of Lorient in early December and, weather permitting, the big reveal of the latest addition to the Gitana fleet is scheduled for Saturday 6 December.