T-foil rudders for Gitana MOD70

First sets of mods complete going into this autumn's Route du Rhum

Gitana Team has completed a three month long refit of its MOD70/Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild, which its skipper Seb Josse will campaign in this autumn's Route du Rhum. The boat will be one of the smallest entered in the 'Ultime' class in the solo transatlantic race between St Malo and Guadeloupe, but the outcome of this race could prove to be a David v Goliath contest depending upon the weather.

The refit has included making Edmond de Rothschild suitable for singlehanded ocean racing. The MOD70s were originally built for fully crewed racing and it was in this configuration in which Seb Josse and Charles Caudrelier won their duel against Oman Sail in last autumn's Transat Jacques Vabre.

Cyril Dardashti, Gitana’s Team Manager explains: “The team has done a remarkable job over countless hours as the timing was tight given the boat’s late return from Brazil. In the ensuing three months, we knew we couldn’t launch into a major transformation where the boat would have been extended for example. As such the idea was to use the existing 70-foot base, thus retaining the boat’s key potential, then optimising anything that could be improved within this deadline in readiness for a single-handed transatlantic race.”

Weight saving was one of the main focuses for the refit team led by David Boileau. Hunting down any surplus kilos led to the installation of a new motor, the removal of interior fittings, as well as the creation of a new sail wardrobe by North Sails.

Ergonomics, particularly in the cockpit, were also development to make it easier to sail the 70ft trimaran singlehanded. Josse explains: "The Route du Rhum is a 10-day solo sprint. On these boats, you can never be very far from the helm as you can spin off the race track in an instant. That’s why we decided to shift the chart table (satphones, computers, electrics panel…), which was originally down below in the central hull, up on deck beneath the cuddy. The chart table has been reduced in size, but the cockpit has been effectively increased in volume so I can live there throughout the race.”

The existing automatic pilot system has also been doubled up for improved safety and redundancy.

Seb Josse will now have to familiarise himself with these changes during the numerous training sessions scheduled.

Significantly, learning for the technology from last year's America's Cup, the Gitana Multi70 has now been equipped with T-foil rudders in her floats. Josse explains: “The aim of these new float rudders is to reduce the boat’s pitching. This increased stability should enable us to make significant gains in terms of average speed and boat handling. The idea isn’t to get Edmond de Rothschild to fly…not yet anyway!

Antoine Koch, head of Gitana’s design office expands on this: “The time available to us this winter was too short to complete all the modifications we’d previously planned: rudders, foils, work on the sail plan… These new appendages are only the first stage of the modifications we hope to implement further down the line. The aim is to develop the Gitana XV platform even more.”

These new rudders are the fruit of what is a close collaboration between Antoine Koch, naval architect Guillaume Verdier, New Zealander Jamie France and American Bobby Kleinschmit, as well as the company, Pure Design, all members of Emirates Team New Zealand. The new were manufactured in New Zealand at Oracle Team USA's builder Core Composites and arrived in Europe a few weeks ago.

Josse continues: “I’m very keen to get out on the water to test the modifications we’ve made. I’m really going to go at it hard with my preparations for the Route du Rhum, with some shorthanded sailing to start with before I really get started singlehanded. Six months is quite a short space of time to prepare for a race like this, but I’m lucky that I can devote my full attention to it.”