France

Benjamin Muyl

The 32-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Maxi Edmond de Rothschild trimaran Gitana 18</a> has completed its first stable foiling sea trials following the fitting of her first hydrofoil.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/395216/image/large-9a68e0e8588ebef79bc90f6b3e6a32d4.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/395216">The trimaran was launched in February this year following her construction at <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/6882" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="CDK Technologies (Company)">CDK Technologies</a> in Lorient, Brittany. Her recent sea trials took place off the coast of Belle-Île in light wind conditions, with winds between 10 and 13 knots. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/395219/image/large-a63ff96529e4c181b222a61bc4465e6b.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/395219" style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; position: relative; max-width: 100%; margin: 1rem 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 13.6px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Read:&nbsp;<a data-gid="gid://syiq/Article/65174" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild trimaran Gitana 18 launched (2026-02-16 09:45:00 +0100)">32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild trimaran Gitana 18 launched&nbsp;</a>With only five months left until <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a>’s first major sporting event, the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, preparations are intensifying for defending race champion Charles Caudrelier, who steered the yacht through her first successful test flights earlier this week.According to the team, <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a> departed Lorient at dawn as Caudrelier and the <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana</a> crew headed offshore in search of the breeze needed for the 32-metre, 19-tonne trimaran to take flight for the first time. A few hours later, the trimaran successfully lifted into stable flight.The milestone followed the installation of the trimaran’s starboard hydrofoil, a massive Y-shaped pendulum appendage, developed with a total wingspan exceeding 10-metres, inspired by America’s Cup monohulls.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/395222/image/large-4f56e5ad9c1f32462d6a00b6305a6703.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/395222">Developed as the successor to the 2017-launched Gitana 17, the new trimaran introduces a more aerodynamic platform capable of transitioning from hybrid operation into full-flight mode. Naval architecture has been developed by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/4347" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Guillaume Verdier Architecture Navale (Company)">Guillaume Verdier Architecture Navale</a> and <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/8650" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Benjamin Muyl (Company)">Benjamin Muyl</a> in collaboration with the Gitana design office.“We knew Gitana 17 inside out. Here, everything is new. From Gitana 17 to <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a>, the feel is completely different. The boat is very stiff and responsive, which is exactly what we expected.”The recent trials build on the yacht’s earlier sea trial programme, which focused on checking the vessel’s mechanical systems, steering configuration and sail-handling arrangements before adding the hydrofoil.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/395218/image/large-fce28bd8c9558d3c7daab5d7d7fa5179.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/395218">Read:&nbsp;<a data-gid="gid://syiq/Article/65623" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild trimaran Gitana 18 on sea trials (2026-03-13 10:00:00 +0100)">32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild trimaran Gitana 18 on sea trials</a>Beyond the new hydrofoil configuration, <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a> also introduces several revised technical systems, including an electric steering system, spreader mast arrangement and a newly developed autopilot created in partnership with WDS.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/395220/image/large-e3526ab19d5d817a51c8339007b31594.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/395220">“Our foils are truly the finishing touch to <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a>, one of the major innovations,” added Caudrelier. “We’ve pushed the design to the limit. These are highly technical components, unprecedented at this scale.”According to the Gitana Team, the yacht’s port-side hydrofoil will be installed over the coming weeks ahead of continued performance trials before her competitive debut later this year.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/395223/image/large-c91b0531a460261bfe72c9acf46e607f.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/395223" style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; position: relative; max-width: 100%; margin: 1rem 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 13.6px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">

32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild trimaran Gitana 18 first foil flight

The 32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild trimaran Gitana 18's debut flight following the installation of its starboard hydrofoil.


32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild trimaran Gitana 18 completes first foil flight

The 32-metre offshore racing trimaran <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Maxi Edmond de Rothschild</a> has been launched by French sailing team Gitana, following her build at <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/6882" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="CDK Technologies (Company)">CDK Technologies</a> in Lorient, Brittany. Also known as <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a>, she becomes the successor to the 2017-launched Gitana 17.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/385711/image/large-0c7e33e8c3af48262619a0985d5e556b.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/385711">Everything aligned today,” said skipper Charles Caudrelier at the end of the launch. “The weather window was almost unexpected, but it allowed us to launch the platform and step the mast straight afterwards. It all went perfectly!”<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/385705/image/large-44abb2b639b2079d71967a87c1a17b6c.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/385705">Built as the 28th yacht in the Gitana lineage, <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Maxi Edmond de Rothschild</a> is expected to enter competition later this year as the team celebrates nearly 150 years of sailing under the Rothschild family banner. <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a> features naval architecture by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/4347" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Guillaume Verdier Architecture Navale (Company)">Guillaume Verdier Architecture Navale</a> and <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/8650" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Benjamin Muyl (Company)">Benjamin Muyl</a> in collaboration with the Gitana design office. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/385719/image/large-5497a23a6e48fbbdde792275c03817dd.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/385719">She features an exterior vision crafted by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/8649" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Florian & Michaël Quistrebert (Company)">Florian and Michaël Quistrebert</a> in collaboration with the Palais de Tokyo. The Gitana team describes the new trimaran as a marriage of “intelligence, art, engineering and cutting-edge technology.”<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/385716/image/large-7b8517a6e072542a660c7040b3367d60.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/385716">"We are not starting from a blank page, thanks to the experience gained with Gitana 17, but with <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a> we are stepping into another dimension," added Caudrelier. "Everything in the systems that have been conceived is new."<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/385709/image/large-9bef1b8cd34c113fe5ad0171700495fa.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/385709">With a beam of 23-metres, <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Maxi Edmond de Rothschild</a> adopts a more aerodynamic design than her predecessor. Unlike Gitana 17, which operated in hybrid mode, the new build can switch from hybrid mode to 100 per cent flight. <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/6882" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="CDK Technologies (Company)">CDK Technologies</a> completed her platform with major contributors by C3 Technologies for the rudders, Re Fraschini for the foils, <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/2447" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Southern Spars (Company)">Southern Spars&nbsp;</a>for the mast and boom, and <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/758" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="North Sails (Company)">North Sails</a> for the sail wardrobe.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/385732/image/large-c05ac8ee411f6bbf8667a54b59a9a22e.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/385732">A standout feature is her set of retractable Y-foils. Each with a span of more than five-metres, they allow for multiple trim configurations to warrant optimal full-flight stability across every point of sail. According to a team simulator testing, <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a> is expected to deliver a 10-15 percent gain in speed over Gitana 17.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/385710/image/large-bb7d43a3cdea8378c64e3053c8eb9f99.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/385710">Construction on the new <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Maxi Edmond de Rothschild&nbsp;</a>began in January 2024 and mobilised the expertise of more than 200 specialists. Her development is rooted in the nearly 200,000 nautical miles logged by her predecessor, Gitana 17, underscoring the Gitana family’s hardened pursuit of competitive innovation.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/385715/image/large-1e562e9222ba7cce39cc4d60c72e5fa3.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/385715">"With the launch of <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/16828" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Gitana 1832.0m (104'12&quot;)CDK Technologies2026">Gitana 18</a>, a new chapter opens in the Gitana lineage," concluded Ariane de Rothschild, CEO of Edmond de Rothschild and owner of the Gitana fleet. "For 150 years, my family has expressed its passion for the sea and sailing performance through these legendary yachts, always with a spirit of innovation. The new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is the embodiment of that vision."<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/382861/image/large-5ee4fdc5c7525cb82d6556b5acb7b9ea.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/382861">

32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild trimaran Gitana 18 launched

The new 32m Maxi Edmond de Rothschild offshore racing trimaran Gitana 18, successor to Gitana 17, has launched in Lorient, Brittany