Unveiled in Lorient, the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild marks a decisive shift in ocean-racing multihull design.
The great doors of the Lorient build hall slid open just after first light. Inside, a tall, angular silhouette waited in stillness. As the crew rolled her into the open air, the shape resolved into something striking. Gitana 18, the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, looked less like a conventional ocean racer and more like a creature shaped for another realm. The long, flat underbodies, the powerful rig, the extended fairings and the sculpted appendages all hinted at a machine designed to fly rather than sail.
The atmosphere around the unveiling reflected more than pride. It carried the weight of eight years of accumulated experience. Since her launch in 2017, Gitana 17 had flown more than 200,000 nautical miles. She became the first offshore multihull to achieve sustained oceanic flight and the first to complete a full circumnavigation while foiling. Her victories in the Fastnet Race, Brest Atlantiques, the Transat Jacques Vabre and the 2024 Arkea Ultim Challenge validated a decade of bold thinking inside the Gitana stable. They also provided a technical foundation that was richer than any other programme in the class.
“Gitana 17 brought us to the edge of what was possible,” says design office director Sebastien Sainson. “Gitana 18 required us to step beyond it.”
From hybrid mode to continuous flight
The brief for Gitana 18 began with a clean page. The team wanted a boat that would not simply rise onto foils in the right conditions. The goal was continuous flight from the moment the boat reached take off speed. This meant rethinking almost every part of the platform. The team drew on the enormous database collected from Gitana 17 but approached the new trimaran as a completely separate concept.
Architect Guillaume Verdier describes the project as a rare opportunity. “It is not often in an architect’s career that a client encourages so many innovations at this scale. We asked ourselves what would be possible if we questioned everything.”
The result is a stiffer, cleaner, and more aerodynamically efficient platform. The floats and beams carry sculpted Oratex fairings that double the chord of the structure, reducing drag where the air meets the boat at high speed. On deck, the team removed all unnecessary projections. The mainsheet traveller is concealed behind the aft beam. Lines disappear into enclosed conduits. The coachroof blends into the central hull in a single flowing form. Every decision serves a single purpose: remove resistance, both in the air and in the water.
Below the waterline, the hull shapes are flat and sharp. They are intended to rebound cleanly when the boat re-enters the sea state, delaying deceleration and allowing the foils to re-engage quickly. The boat has not been designed for theoretical top speeds on flat water. The goal is stable, controllable flight in real offshore conditions, including steep ocean waves.
The Y foils: configurable lift for every point of sail
Gitana 18 carries two giant Y foils mounted on the deck of each float. This is one of the biggest departures from previous Ultim design practice. By placing the foils on articulated arms outside the hull, the team created the ability to swing the foils inward for centred lift or retract them entirely to remove drag. The foils carry horizontal wings with independent flaps, allowing sailors to adjust lift and leeway forces separately. This level of control is crucial for reliable offshore flight.
Inside the mounting system is a built in shock absorber. If the foil hits debris, the structure can give slightly, reducing the risk of catastrophic failure. Each foil is controlled by five hydraulic rams that adjust angle, depth, and trim. The forward brace is engineered to withstand more than 200 tonnes of load.
Skipper Charles Caudrelier describes the system simply. “We want to fly very high without touching the waves. Stability is speed.”
U shaped rudders: stiffness without distortion
Foiling boats demand long rudders that remain fully immersed in rough seas. The problem is that long rudders tend to bend under load, which reduces elevator authority and makes the boat less predictable. The Gitana team solved this by creating U shaped rudders that form a continuous structural loop. This geometry increases stiffness and reduces cavitation at high speed.
The float rudders lift vertically on tracks for safety and shoreline access. The central rudder uses a kick up mechanism similar to those on IMOCA yachts, providing protection if it strikes a submerged object. Each rudder carries a horizontal elevator with an adjustable flap, giving precise control of pitch and ride height.
A centreboard shaped like a tailplane
The centreboard on Gitana 18 functions more like an aircraft tailplane than a traditional foil. Its horizontal skate wing sits aft of the vertical fin, not at the base. This reduces disturbed flow, delays cavitation and improves directional stability. Two flaps, one vertical and one horizontal, allow further trimming. Together, the board, the rudders and the Y foils create a three dimensional control system similar to an aircraft’s flight surfaces.
A dynamic rig that tunes its own power
Above the deck, the innovation continues. Gitana 18 carries a mast that is one and a half metres taller than that of her predecessor, paired with a shorter boom for improved efficiency. The key development lies in the dynamic spreaders that allow the mast to bend fore and aft under load.
In light air, sailors can add camber to the middle of the mast to power up. In stronger wind, they can flatten the sail dramatically without a full reef or headsail change. This saves time and energy, especially for solo racing. The spreaders can articulate up to thirty five degrees, giving the boat a versatile and highly responsive sail plan.
A platform shaped for the realities of offshore flight
The coachroof is not just an aerodynamic cover. It is a structural component that stiffens the central hull and reduces torsion. Inside, the cockpit has been designed through thousands of hours of ergonomic study. Large windows provide wide visibility.
Inside the boat’s hidden spaces lies an intricate network of hydraulics, electronics and control systems. Technical director Pierre Tissier says, “You open the access panels and realise it is a living machine, incredibly complex but very refined.”
Performance and expectations
Simulation work suggests a performance increase of ten to fifteen percent compared with Gitana 17. The team expects average speeds close to forty knots in racing conditions. They believe that peak speeds above fifty knots are possible, although this is not the aim.
“Brute speed is pointless if you cannot hold it in a real sea state,” says Caudrelier. “This boat is designed to attack.”
Artistic identity
The Quistrebert brothers, in collaboration with the Palais de Tokyo, created the visual livery. Their graphic patterning follows the curvature of the hulls and emphasises the dynamic lines of the platform. It gives the trimaran an almost kinetic appearance even when motionless.
Specifications
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Official name | Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (Gitana 18) |
| Length overall | 32 m |
| Beam | 23 m |
| Air draught | 38.4 m |
| Draught | 4.20 m |
| Displacement | 19.5 tonnes |
| Sail area upwind | 450 m² |
| Sail area downwind | 630 m² |
| Appendages | 6 total |
| Y-foils (2) | 10.4 m span, retractable, independent flaps |
| Centreboard | Vertical fin with 3 m span tailplane (“skate-wing”) |
| Rudders | 2 U-shaped float rudders + 1 U-shaped canting central rudder |
| Foil loads | Forward foil brace engineered for loads > 200 tonnes |
As the trimaran settled outside the hangar in Lorient, the team stood back for a moment of quiet satisfaction. “We wanted a boat that would reset the standard,” says general manager Cyril Dardashti. “Looking at her now, I believe we’ve done it.”
Gitana 18 will launch in early 2026, just months before Charles Caudrelier returns to defend his Route du Rhum title. By then, the team will know whether this new creature of air and sea has achieved its aim, not only to fly, but to redefine what offshore flight can be.
