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Wednesday 17th March – 1500 hours UTC
Press release No.1
Objective Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale
Gitana 11 in at the Deep End
Four months to the day since going into her base in St Philibert, Brittany,
for her winter refit, the maxi-trimaran Gitana 11 was relaunched late
afternoon this Wednesday 17th March. The work carried out by the technical
team from Baron Benjamin de Rothschild’s ocean racing stable, focused on
erasing the youthful indiscretions of the giant to improve both performance
and reliability. Back in her element, Gitana 11 is now all ready to attack
the numerous training sessions on the schedule for skipper Yann Guichard.
On shore, when Gitana 11 is being refitted, Yann Guichard entrusts the
technical responsibility for the maxi-trimaran to William Fabulet. Boat
captain for the multihull, William supervises a team of around fifteen
people, ensures the consistency of the work schedule, as well as using his
skills as a composite specialist to gladly lend a hand: “a number of
parameters had changed when Gitana 11 was extended. As such we had to find
the right adjustments so that the boat is as high performance and reliable
as possible with a view to the Route du Rhum. Following last autumn’s test
sails, Yann shared his thoughts on the experience with the architects and
our in-house engineer, Bernard Pointet. These collective considerations
guided the jobs list.”
A review of the studious winter:
Moving the foils forward
These load-bearing planes made entirely of carbon and situated either side
of the trimaran, enable her to reach high speeds whilst limiting the drag in
the water and relieving the stresses on the floats. One of the big projects
over the past four months has been to move the foil casings forward in order
to improve the general equilibrium of the platform: “It was necessary to
move them forward without modifying the shape of the hull. This massive task
kept two technicians busy full-time for three months.” During this period,
new appendages with an identical profile were manufactured at C3 Technologie
to replace those temporarily on loan from Gitana 12.
Adopting of a new image for the central and float rudders
Essential to Gitana 11’s performance, as much through their position as
their profile, the trimaran’s rudders have been considerably modified over
the past few months. A revised shape and a new location have been required
for the float rudders, to increase effectiveness and control of the boat at
the helm. The central rudder, which benefited from a new shape to improve
sensitivity at the helm, is a home-made product fabricated in the boatsheds
at St Philibert.
Setting up of the measuring instruments on the trimming equipment
Pressure sensors have been installed on the hydraulic lines for example. The
aim of this work, initiated by Pierre Bourcier and Benoit Piquemal, is to
acquire and record a whole host of data, which once processed, will enable
Gitana 11’s performance to be enhanced as well as improving safety onboard.
In the nature of refits, weight saving was at the fore once again this
winter and thanks to some new spectra trampolines, the platform has been
slimmed down by nearly 70 kg. Finally, the technical team has made a
thorough revision of the deck fittings, the hydraulic circuits and the
onboard electrics.
From the theory to practice
Though returns to the yard remain essential for fine tuning these fabulous
oceanic multihull prototypes, the team’s delight was evident this Wednesday
when the 77 foot maxi-trimaran’s hit the water: “The timing of this winter
refit was perfectly adhered to by the team. Everyone worked relentlessly for
this to be the case and it’s always a great satisfaction to see Gitana 11
back in the water. On a personal level I can’t wait to put in my first tacks
of 2010” admitted Yann Guichard, just metres from the blue bird.
On Monday, Gitana 11 will cast off with her skipper and members of the shore
crew involved in the main winter modifications. These short-handed test
sails will enable everyone to get their bearings and, most importantly,
validate the choices made on site. Very soon after that the Gitana Team
helmsman hopes to set sail on his own to begin his solo training: “Of the
sailors participating in the next Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale I am
aware that I’m one of the least experienced solo sailors on this type of
boat. However, we’re lucky to be on the water relatively early in relation
to our future competitors, which will enable me to multiply the sessions on
the water so I can discover and tame my steed” admitted Yann Guichard.
Besides his sailing programme on Gitana 11, the Breton sailor will also take
the helm of an Extreme 40 for the second year running. Indeed a 40’
catamaran, rechristened Edmond de Rothschild Group, will rank among those
participating in the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series Europe. The five dates
currently registered in the championship calendar will be a chance for Yann
Guichard and his three crew to confirm the potential expressed in 2009. For
the record, they scored a very fine 2nd place in the final ranking. It
should be noted that on this European circuit, the skipper of Gitana will be
up against one of his future adversaries from the Atlantic, Franck Cammas.
It will be the perfect opportunity to hone his skills in preparation for the
start of the transatlantic race on 31st October 2010.
Gitana 11 in figures: from 60 to 77 foot
Version 2006 -- Version 2009
LOA 18.28 m (60’) -- 23.51 (77’)
Beam 18.10 m -- 18.31 m
Air draft 30.40 m -- 30.43 m
Water draft 5 m -- 5 m
Weight 6.1 tonnes -- 7 tonnes
Mainsail 190 m2 -- 190 m2
Solent 120 m2 -- 120 m2
Gennaker 260 m2 -- 260 m2
Find all the latest news about the Gitana Team on
www.gitana-team.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
15.12.2010 - The Gitana Team and Yann Guichard decide not to renew their collaboration
21.05.2010 - The Gitana Team 2010 to 2014
19.04.2010 - Gitana 11 making a technical pit stop in Dingle
17.03.2010 - Gitana 11 in at the Deep End
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