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The Supreme Soloists of the Ultimes

• By James Boyd
• January 9, 2024

On January 7, ocean racing will take another evolutionary step with the mind-boggling feat of six brave Frenchmen who will set off from Brest in northwest France on board their giant 105-by-75-foot foiling trimarans—around the world, nonstop. Singlehanded. The new event is the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest, a sprint marathon that is expected to take 45 days or less at an ­average of 20 knots.

The present record for a solo lap of the planet stands at 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes, 35 seconds, but when this was set in 2018, skipper François Gabart had the luxury of departing with an optimal 10-day forecast (covering the first quarter of his voyage all the way down to the Southern Ocean). Competitors in the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest will have to leave on the designated start date and make the best of whatever Mother Nature offers them. However, while Gabart’s MACIF trimaran is going again (in new livery as Anthony Marchand’s Actual Ultim 3 ), it is now one of the older of the six trimarans that will set out. The newest Ultims, which harness the latest offshore foiling technology, are much, much faster.

Two of the biggest names in solo round-the-world ­record-breaking will be missing from the lineup; Gabart has passed over the helm of his Ultim to “the next generation” in Tom Laperche. Francis Joyon, who demolished the record for the solo lap on two occasions, bringing it down from 125 days to 72 days in 2005 and from 71 days to 57 days four years later, is now 67. While all six starting skippers are highly experienced, they range in age from 55-year-old Thomas Coville, skipper of Sodebo Ultim 3 , to 26-year-old Laperche.

Coville is the race titan. When it comes to racing large trimarans around the world singlehanded, his experience is unprecedented. He’s been attempting circumnavigation records on large trimarans since 1997 and as a skipper since 2008. On his fifth attempt in 2016, he finally set a new record only for it to be broken a year later by Gabart. He also has raced in the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race (winning it with Franck Cammas on Groupama in 2011-12) and was twice part of crews claiming the Jules Verne Trophy (fully crewed, nonstop around-the-world record). He has completed circumnavigations eight times—four times solo and six times on trimarans.

The most hotly tipped skippers, however, are Armel le Cléac’h, 46, on Maxi Banque Populaire XI, and Charles Caudrelier, 49, on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild . While Caudrelier is best known for being a two-time Volvo Ocean Race winner (with Groupama , then as skipper of Dongfeng Race Team in 2017-18), both cut their teeth solo racing in the French one-design Figaro circuit. But when it comes to solo offshore credentials, Le Cléac’h knocks it out of the park. He’s won La Solitaire three times, most recently in 2020, and crucially for the upcoming Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest has also raced in three Vendée Globe races, finishing on the podium in all and winning in 2016-17.

Le Cléac’h’s trimaran was launched in 2021 as a replacement for his ­previous Banque Populaire-backed Ultim, which broke up terminally in the 2018 Route du Rhum. Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is unique in the race for being designed by Guillaume Verdier, while the rest are from VPLP (although in every case, the team itself offers substantial input). While Caudrelier has won most Ultim silverware in recent seasons, including the singlehanded Route du Rhum trans-Atlantic race in 2022, Le Cléac’h ended his run by winning this fall’s Transat Jacques Vabre race between Le Havre in northern France and the French Caribbean island of Martinique.

Tom Laperche has taken over as skipper of Francois Gabart’s SVR-Lazartigue for solo races. This is Gabart’s second Ultim trimaran and is considered the most advanced of the six. Laperche won La Solitaire du Figaro in 2022 and has raced with Gabart on the Ultim ever since the boat was launched. He gained his round-the-world experience on the IMOCA Holcim in The Ocean Race.

Also inheriting his Ultim campaign is Anthony Marchand, who took over the helm of Actual Ultim 3 from Yves le Blevec in January. Launched in 2015, Actual Ultim 3 is Gabart’s former MACIF ­trimaran, which is the present holder of the solo round-the-world record. Marchand, 38, sets off with vast experience on ORMA 60 trimarans, in the Figaro class, the Volvo Ocean Race (competing in 2015-16 on MAPFRE ) and in the IMOCA.

Fundamentally, the rule limits length to 32 meters and width to 23 meters, and the complex foil configuration on all six Ultims is fairly similar. 

Éric Péron, 42, is the race’s last-minute entry, and as a newcomer to the Ultim class, he will likely back marker. Péron has a strong background in the Figaro and Ocean 50 trimaran classes, and his trimaran Adagio was previously Sodebo Ultim , on which Coville set both his solo round-the-world and west-to-east trans-Atlantic records.

While there is an Ultim 32/23 rule, the design parameters of these incredible machines is a work in progress. Fundamentally, the rule limits length to 32 meters and width to 23 meters. The complex foil configuration on all six Ultims is fairly similar. Each of the boats has six appendages, including the giant, retracting rake-adjustable J-foils (of varying shapes) in the floats. The latest-generation foils have grown larger, enabling the trimarans to fly both downwind and upwind in less wind. Among the three front-runners, the most recent edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre demonstrated that SVR-Lazartigue has the lowest take-off speed, while Maxi Banque Populaire XI ’s foils work best in waves. Maxi Edmond de Rothschild lies somewhere between these two positions.

Unique to the Ultims is the T-foil pioneered by Caudrelier’s team on their MOD70 (now Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati ). Located in the center hull, this is effectively a daggerboard with a trim tab (to aid pointing ability upwind) and an elevator. This foil is used in a similar fashion to how AC50 catamaran crews negatively raked their windward rudder elevator to produce downforce, sucking the weather hull down. When a gust hits an Ultim, the crew can drop the traveler, but a more energy efficient response is to increase pitch on the T-foil’s elevator to create additional downforce. Then there are three rudders (one on each hull), each with an elevator. The rudders in the floats can be raised (typically the windward one) to reduce drag.

Aside from the significant developments to the foils, especially to reduce cavitation at high speed, teams have been focusing on improving aerodynamic efficiency. The Ultims now have low-drag vinyl fairings for the aft side of their crossbeams, and on some boats, the deck itself forms an endplate for the foot of sails. Living quarters have improved dramatically and, like modern IMOCAs, are becoming increasingly enclosed. The most extreme among them is Sodebo Ultim 3 , where the front of Coville’s “bridge” is forward of the mast step.

Autopilots have transcended beyond being able to steer to course, apparent wind angle or even true wind angle. Depending on the point of sail, the pilot will now automatically head up or bear away when a gust hits. 

The rigs are the same as those that have been fitted to French multihulls for the past 30 years—a rotating wing mast with each shroud terminating in a giant hydraulic ram, permitting the rig (and its center of effort) to be canted to weather. This reduces the downward force on the leeward bow, which can cause multihulls to pitchpole. Whether this is still required is a moot point because today’s foils effectively keep the leeward bow from immersing.

Due to the sheer physics of an Ultim, aided by the canting rig and the mast being stepped so far aft, the risk of capsize is almost ­nonexistent, Caudrelier says: “The Ultims are the safest multihulls because they fly, because they are big, but also because we have made huge improvements to the pilots with safety functions, and also we have a nice automatic ­system to ease the sails. It is quite safe. I don’t worry too much about capsizing, but I have in the back of my mind that it can happen.”

Thanks to teams working with such companies as B&G and Pixel sur Mer, Ultim autopilots have transcended beyond being able to steer to course, apparent wind angle or even true wind angle. Depending on the point of sail, the pilot (using what’s referred to as its “safety overlay”) will now automatically head up or bear away when a gust hits, which it can detect by the wind instruments or an inclinometer. In extreme circumstances, they have systems to dump the sheets, although these too seem to be near-redundant. 

An interesting point of dispute between the Ultim teams is how much automation should be permitted. Caudrelier’s team is pro automation, while other teams are less so. As a result, the autopilot can perform these functions but cannot, for example, adjust the boat’s flying mechanism, to automatically set ride height, pitch, etc.

If capsize is less of a concern, then the skipper’s biggest worries are technical failures on their giant boats, as well as collisions. They have tried to overcome the former through sheer time at sea, testing and failing to improve reliability. Le Cléac’h, for example, says that in the past year, he has sailed Maxi Banque Populaire XI some 20,000 miles, or half a circumnavigation. This has been solo and crewed, in a mix of races, private sea trials and the Ultim fleet training en masse. To avoid collisions, the Ultims have all available kit from radar to AIS alarms to the latest tech such as SEA.AI, which uses a masthead-mounted camera array to see objects—floating or semisubmerged—in the water ahead of the boat. These are compared in real time with the SEA.AI’s huge and ever-growing database of objects to identify them as threats.

In the recent Transat Jacques Vabre, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild suffered rudder issues soon after the start (later found to be a delaminating starboard rudder) and then damage to its port J-foil, but it still finished the race. It seems, therefore, very likely that this level of attrition can be expected in the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest. Caudrelier says that this proved to be a wake-up call for his team as well as valuable practice for how to deal with midrace technical issues. For example, the J-foil damage occurred after a small impact. “But while we were sailing, the damage increased,” he says. Perhaps it would have been faster in the long term to stop, fix the issue, and then continue, he muses. For bigger issues, race’s sailing instructions permit skippers to pitstop where their teams can join them to effect repairs, but in this case, they are obliged to spend a minimum of 24 hours in port as a penalty.

To help reduce risks, OC Sport Pen Duick, the race’s organizers, are ­imposing a movable virtual ice barrier as we have seen in other round-the-world races. Competitors must stay north of this, regardless of whether it drives them into high pressure or storms. Interestingly, they are also imposing exclusion zones around known breeding grounds for whales (yet to be defined at the time of writing).

The Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest may be a solo race, but each campaign is genuinely a team affair. Ultim teams today are giant, some the scale of America’s Cup teams two or three decades ago, with their own in-house designers, engineers, hydro and aerodynamic specialists, and electronic and hydraulic experts. In the event of a technical issue during the race, skippers can now get immediate support using reliable satellite communications. The most consistent remote support each skipper gets is with their routing. In the Ultim class, shore-based routing is permitted. Le Cleac’h, for example, is using Dutch legend Marcel van Triest and French skipper/navigator Nicolas Lunven to provide round-the-clock routing assistance.

Ultims are fast—50 knots is very possible—but skippers are less interested in top speed and entirely focused on maintaining high averages of 30 to 35 knots. They don’t need much wind to achieve such a pace, however. An Ultim’s optimal conditions are broad-reaching in 20 to 25 knots. Any more wind than that, and the sea state gets too large to foil safely. Even in optimal wind conditions, skippers must back off if sea state and wave direction is not ideal. Understanding this is vital to the routing process.

The Ultims are potentially so fast that their routing team can go a long way in ensuring that they stay in optimal conditions. For example, in the Southern Ocean, if they can get into the optimal reaching conditions in flat water ahead of a front, they can potentially ride this for days. But the biggest limitation is the solo skipper. The Ultims typically carry a mainsail and four headsails, including two gennakers and a permanently hoisted J2, all set on furlers. Tacking and jibing requires the sails to be released and sheeted in, the mast to be canted and tacked, and foils and rudders to be raised and lowered. It’s a process that typically takes 20 to 30 minutes. Le Cleac’h says that the most time-consuming sail change is going from the J0 to the J1 because the sails are heavy (around 120 kg), and this can take up to an hour. Factoring all this into the routing is vital because the skipper on his own can do only so much.

“If reaching 95 percent of the boat’s potential requires making three jibes and four tacks and to change two sails, it will be difficult to do that if you are tired,” Le Cleac’h says. His routers offer him three options—from the one offering optimal performance to the easiest for him to achieve—which can be decided based on his energy level and capabilities.

One positive for the skippers is that the required endurance is comparably short compared with a Vendée Globe effort, but still, so much remains unknown as they embark on this extreme test of man and machine. 

“It is a bit like the first Vendée Globe,” Caudrelier says. “It is not quite the same because we know where we are going, but it is the first one, so it is a bit of an adventure. Usually you push to the maximum constantly, but for me, this is the first time I can’t do that. We will have to find the good balance between good performance and safety of the boat. That is an interesting exercise.”

• More: Arkea Ultim Challenge Brest , Print January 2024 , Racing , Sailboat Racing
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Video: Flying on the world’s largest foiling trimaran

Sailing team Gitana has released an on board video showing its new 32 metre maxi trimaran Edmond De Rothschild flying on her hydrofoils. As the footage below shows, all three hulls were lifted clear of the water on her sea trials despite weighing a total of 15.5 tonnes.

Speaking after a successful day on the water, Sébastien Josse of Gitana said, “We immediately saw that the boat was keeping her promises: stiff and safe and begging to unleash her power. The first time the boat took off was an incredible moment.

“We had 15-17 knots of breeze and flat seas, with waves of less than a metre — everything was in place to fly. Aboard the boat there was a mixture of excitement and surprise, as well as pride,” he added. “Even though we're only at the start, it's hugely satisfying to see that we're heading in the right direction.”

Launched back in July in the French port town of Vannes, Edmond De Rothschild has spent three years in development. Continuing their family’s sailing legacy, namesake descendants Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild were involved in the fit-out stage.

Built for speed, she lacks the creature comforts found on a multihull superyacht , but with an LOA of 32 metres, Edmond De Rothschild is the largest purpose-built foiling trimaran in the world — and more than double the length of the AC45 racing catamarans that competed at the America's Cup in Bermuda earlier this summer.

The ultimate aim is that Edmond De Rothschild will singlehandedly circumnavigate the globe in 2019-20. Before then, the team has set the intermediary goal of racing in the 2017 Transat Jacques Vabre, which departs from Le Havre on November 5.

Foiling technology was thrust into the global spotlight in 2013 during the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco and with the format of the 36th America’s Cup still undecided it is likely that the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will be watching these developments with great interest.

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103ft maxi upgrades to full foiler for singlehanded race

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TF10 Foiling Trimaran

Ultra-modern, morrelli & melvin design, craftsmanship, wij bouwen uw nieuwe foiling boot, the tf10 trimaran: the foiling flying machine.

After the foiling revolution, the TF10 foiling trimaran is now the evolution of foiling sailing. With the TF10 foiling trimaran, sailing and foiling can be reached by any sailor. The TF10 is an 11 m long one-design foiling trimaran, designed by the famous yacht designers Morrelli & Melvin . The TF10 is built and sold by DNA Performance Sailing.

The TF10 is suitable for a crew of 4-5 persons and can handle a wide range of sailing conditions. The construction consists of pre-preg carbon fibers with a Nomex honeycomb core. This provides a lightweight, yet safe and robust construction. The foiling TF10 trimaran is the perfect foiling boat for both pleasure trips and sailing fast in races.

The transport of the TF10 is also revolutionary: when folded, it is easy to transport. We supply the TF10 with a specially designed road trailer, launching by boat ramp or crane are both possible.

Foils create sailing comfort

Thanks to the sophisticated design, every sailor feels comfortable on the TF10 foiling trimaran. Regardless of age, gender or muscle strength. And regardless of the speed, which can quickly reach up to 30 knots! Safety and comfort were the two main focuses of the design. This is reflected in a number of elements:

• The bow is designed to cut through the waves. This results in less hits on waves, which greatly increases sailing comfort.
• The carbon benches with back support provide a comfortable seat for crew and helmsman.
• The wishbone boom (half windsurfer boom) provides the decksweeper mainsail layout to perform at its best. An additional advantage is that in a manoeuvre the sail is now the lowest point and not the carbon boom.
• A ‘Semi-ridged’ carbon fibre trampoline cloth has been specially designed to make the boat’s construction torsional stiff. It makes it easier to walk on and block’s splashing water from the foils.
• The TF10’s foils and T-rudders minimize pitch and roll movements. The rake angle of all four foils is adjusted with electric actuators. This system improves comfort and safety during sailing and foiling.

TF10 hydrofoils

The TF10 foiling trimaran flies with a 4-point foil setup:

• The T-rudders with horizontal elevators generate lift and/or downforce.
• The so called Z-type daggerboard foils provide the necessary lift to be able to foil.
• The advantage of the 4-point-foil setup is that the crew does not have to pick up the daggerboards during manoeuvres. This significantly reduces the crew’s actions.
• In addition, we have electric actuators that change the position of the foils and rudders with a single push on the button.
• The design of the Z-foils has already been very successfully applied to other foiling multihulls, such as the A-cats and the Olympic Nacra 17.

Specifications

Length incl. bowsprit: 10.94 m Length waterline: 9.97 m Beam: 6.8 m Beam incl. benches: 7.65 m Beam (folded on trailer): 2.5 m Minimum draft: 0.4 m Maximum draft: 2.55 m Height center hull: 1.78 m Mast length: 16.1 m Displacement leightship: 1400 kg Displacement max. load: 1900 kg Outboard engine: 6pk, retractable Mainsail: North Sails 3Di 45 m2 Jib: North Sails 3Di 28 m2 Gennaker: (on furler) 71 m2 LED Navigation lights

Fast and pure one-design racing Easy shipping Created by owners for owners

See and feel the future of sailing. The TF10 foiling trimaran is here!

This special foiling trimaran was designed at the end of 2015. The idea was to make a foiling multihull that anybody can sail and foil with. A foiling boat equipped with the same technology as the boats at the America’s Cup.

The TF10 and its sailing class is the result of initiatives by a group of five sailing friends on the East Coast of America (Newport, RI). They have joined forces and created the TF10 sailing class.

The members of the TF10 Class Association have lot’s of experience in various one-design racing series. The goal is to create a racing series that is as exciting, honest and fun as the boat itself.

Morrelli & Melvin designed a trimaran to combine the specific characteristics of a trimaran with foiling. The trimaran’s center hull offers important advantages here: its buoyancy and pitch stability eliminate the risk of ‘nose diving’ or ‘pitch poling’. In the design briefing, wind range and sea state (short sea shipping) were important. The design of the TF10 is based on this.

For all information, competitions and the latest news, please visit the TF10 Class website: www.TF10class.com

It is possible to make a trial run with the TF10. We do this on the IJsselmeer, just a few kilometres from DNA’s shipyard. Here the sailing and foiling conditions are perfect: There is always wind and you can fully enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The IJsselmeer lies between the cities of Lelystad, Almere and Enkhuizen. The new island area “Markerwadden” can also be seen and possibly visited here. Mail us at [email protected]

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A maxi trimaran for Edmond de Rothschild

Construction: 2016 Launch date: July 2017 Shipyard:  Multiplast / Lorima / Persico  Architects: Team Verdier (Guillaume Verdier, Morgane Schlumberger, Hervé Penfornis, Romaric Neyhousser), Bobby Kleinschmit (Team New Zealand), Bureau d’études Gitana (Antoine Koch, Marine Villard, Sébastien Sainson, Armand de Jacquelot, Julien Marcelet), Pure Design Skipper:  Sébastien Josse Racing program: solo-racing

@gitana-team.com

A trimaran measuring 32-metres in length and 23 metres in width, this ‘Ultime’ once again bears witness to the passion for innovation and performance, that serves as a daily guide to Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild and the rest of the Gitana Team. They created the offshore racing stable in 2000, ensuring continuity with the team that has undertaken research and assisted with the development of the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschildl, since 2014.

Designed by Guillaume Verdier, alongside his team and the Gitana design office; the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild will be partly Archimedean boat (submerged hull) and flying craft. Gitana Team’s game plan is to develop the first flying maxi-multihull in offshore racing, by 2020.

@Gitana-team.com

Vannes le 17 juillet 2017, chantier Multiplast, sortie et mise à l’eau du Maxi Edmond de Rothschild.

@Eloi Stichelbaut/ GITANA SA

Specifications:

• Length: 32 m
• Draught: 37 m
• Displacement (weight) : 15.5 tons
• Appendages  : T-Foil Float Rudders (2) / L-Shaped Foils (2)/ Daggerboard on the central Hull (1) / T-Foil rudder on central hull (1)
• Sail area upwind: 450 m²
• Sail area downwind: 650 m²

Related articles: 

“Gitana 17, it’s intense”

A maxi trimaran of a new generation

More projects ULTIMATES :

2018 – trimaran multi 70 – maserati, 2016 – maxi trimaran – gitana 17, 2016 – foiler – easy to fly, 2014 – 100 feet – comanche, 2012 – multi 50 pieds – arkema.

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The foils of the FIGARO BENETEAU 3

At some speeds foils reduce the boat’s weight under sail by nearly 30% in relation to a Figaro BENETEAU 2. 

Production built for the first time to fit out the new  Figaro BENETEAU 3,  foils improve the performance of the Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro one design, by increasing its power and stability at more points of sail, while reducing the effect of drag.

40 YEARS OF PROGRESS

The first attempts at fitting out offshore  racing boats with foils  dates back to the 1970s, with Paul Ricard, Eric Tabarly’s trimaran. At the time, the concept was developed on the Formule 40, equipped with straight foils angled at 45 degrees. Then they were adapted with a curved version on ocean-going trimarans.

There was a major development in 1994, when the Hydroptère was launched. It sailed airborne on three foils at 45 degrees and had a T-rudder. Its success was confirmed in the America’s Cup in 2010, when USA 17 was equipped with J-shaped foils. Then in 2013, the AC72 raced on L-shaped foils at over  40 knots . Shortly afterwards, the Imoca monohulls of the Vendée Globe and then the Ultimes maxi-trimarans and the Multi50s converted to foils.

THE FIRST PRODUCTION FOIL ON A RACING BOAT

BENETEAU has broken new ground by being the first boatyard to install foils on a production offshore racing boat. To build the Figaro BENETEAU 3, they set up a dedicated production site at Cheviré, near Nantes.

“ This project is a real industrial challenge, because foils were a complete unknown to us” , said  Marc Vaillier , in charge of the programme at BENETEAU

“CHISTERA” GLOVE GEOMETRY

The  Figaro BENETEAU 3   foils were produced by Multiplast, each weighing  38 kilos  for a full length of  3.3 metres . Their “chistera” glove shape prevents leeway when close-hauled, assisting the keel fin, of limited width. Their geometry also reduces the drag of the hull and the appendages. 

“TURBO EFFECT”: FASTER AND GREATER STABILITY

In more points of sail, such as reaching and downwind, the Figaro BENETEAU 3’s foils create vertical lift, which takes the strain off the boat and increasing righting moment.

"Instead of making her heavier with ballast windward, we decided to make her lighter downwind by opting for foils”, said Vincent Lauriot-Prévost,  who runs the VPLP design office that designed the Figaro BENETEAU 3.  

The result is higher speed averages and a more stable boat that is roughly 30% lighter than the Figaro BENETEAU 2. With her “turbo effect”, racers can push her harder, particularly in a breeze.

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Launch of the new Maxi Trimaran Banque Populaire XI: the Ultim class epitome of audacity!

Wednesday, 28 april 2021

16 metric tons, 32 meters in length, and 23 meters wide: the Banque Populaire XI is the fruit of 24 months of construction work performed by 150 mostly French and locally based companies.

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The construction of this new 16 metric ton, 32m long, 23m wide, and 37m high ‘Ultim’ class racing trimaran to be skippered by Armel Le Cléac’h  required the expertise of 150 companies to ensure its completion in 24 months despite the health crisis!

 A synthesis of high technology and fine craftsmanship, this giant of the seas was recently launched on April 27 in Lorient (Brittany). An epitome of audacity, with its S-shaped foils about twice the size of those fitted to previous generations (an application of advanced research in aerodynamics as used in Formula 1 racing cars), Banque Populaire XI  is the result of a technological, technical, human and logistical feat  that makes it the latest jewel in the crown of the nautical industry and of competitive sailing in general.  

Team Banque Populaire drew on the expertise of no fewer than 150 mostly French and locally based companies for the vessel’s design and construction . As a major player in ocean racing both as sponsor and ship-owner, Banque Populaire used this opportunity to support craftsmen, engineers and architects, true to its DNA as a bank working closely with all types of entrepreneur. This initiative also enables the bank to demonstrate its active involvement in promoting the status of all those contributing to the ‘blue economy,’ a sector embracing all economic activities related to the marine environment.

Another challenge now awaits the team with the first trial runs for Armel Le Cléac’h and his co-skipper Kevin Escoffier in preparation for the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandy Le Havre race in November later this year.   THE BANQUE POPULAIRE XI MAXI TRIMARAN IN FIGURES

• 32 meters in length, 23 meters wide, weighing 16 metric tons
• 24 months in the making4,500 hours of preparatory work (design, architecture, plan, simulation carried out by the VPLP firm of naval architects) 
• 300 production blueprints
• 150 companies involved
• 150,000 hours of work (including more than 100,000 hours for the CDK Technologies shipbuilding facility alone) 

@PHOTO / Vincent Curutchet

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Maxi-trimaran

Release date : 26th August 2008

Architect : VPLP

Weight: 21 tonnes

Number of crew aboard: 11

Maximum speed: 90 km/h

4th fastest round the world reference time in 47d, 10h

Length : 37 meters

Width : 23 meters

Air draught : 40 meters

Water draft : 5,5 meters

Mainsail : 351 m2

Size J0 : 461 m2

Size J1 : 284 m2

Size J2 : 179 m2

Size J3 : 80 m2

Central daggerboard : 1

Rudders: 3, including 2 lateral T-rudders

Her history

An extraordinary trimaran

Brought into the world in 2008, the largest racing trimaran ever built teamed up with Spindrift in 2013, having secured the round the world record in the hands of Loïck Peyron and his crew of 13 sailors. Renamed and repackaged, this giant of the seas would quickly smash the Discovery Route record between Cadiz – Spain and San Salvador – Bahamas (2013) and gain renown in several legendary races including the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Route du Rhum and the Transat Québec – Saint-Malo. Designed for crewed sailing, the Maxi was transformed for solo configuration in 2014 to enable her skipper Yann Guichard to line up for the start of the Route du Rhum, which ultimately saw him take second place. This was one of the most ambitious sporting challenges of the 21st century, just a single man at the helm of the world’s largest offshore racing trimaran originally designed to be sailed by 14 sailors. A demonstration of technical and human wizardry, the performance has since gone on to become part of the legend that colours the queen of transatlantic races.

Objective Jules Verne Trophy

In crewed configuration, the major goal centres on the legendary Jules Verne Trophy, whose course the crew managed to complete in 2016 with the second fastest time in history (third fastest time today)*, making crew member Dona Bertarelli the fastest woman to sail around the world in the process. In 2019, the maxi-trimaran bagged the new record for the Ushant – equator section of the course in a time of 4 days 19 hours and 57 minutes, on her third attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy. Between June 2020 and March 2021, countless improvements were made to the maxi-trimaran at the Multiplast yard with the aim of maximising her future performance. In this way, she returns to the record hunting fray in her most optimised form ever, in readiness for a fourth attempt in the winter of 2021.

*fourth best time ever, including the solo record attempt posted by F. Gabart.

Yann Guichard

President, co-founder.

Dona Bertarelli

Benjamin Schwartz

Jacques Guichard

Xavier Revil

Duncan Späth

Thierry Chabagny

Grégory Gendron

Julien Villion

Jackson Bouttell

Yann Jauvin

Best performance

Foiling maxi trimaran, active foils, sailing upwind

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based on the foiling maxi trimarans. trhottle for sail control, vtol for steering, trim for foil height adjustment, sails best with 15-25 mph wind

Specifications

General characteristics.

• Predecessor Sail Trimaran (REAL SAILING)
• Created On Windows
• Wingspan 128.5ft (39.2m)
• Length 173.1ft (52.8m)
• Height 235.7ft (71.8m)
• Empty Weight 13,595lbs (6,166kg)
• Loaded Weight 13,595lbs (6,166kg)

Performance

• Wing Loading 0.8lbs/ft 2 (4.1kg/m 2 )
• Wing Area 16,165.5ft 2 (1,501.8m 2 )
• Drag Points 211
• Number of Parts 246
• Control Surfaces 4
• Performance Cost 1,017

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May 17, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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Controversial floating beach unveiled off French Riviera

A controversial private floating beach anchored off the French Riviera has entered service despite opposition from local politicians and environmental groups, its backers said on Friday.

"Canua Island", a 1,750 square-meter (18,800 square feet) motorized platform boasting a restaurant, bar lounge and freshwater swimming pool, was inaugurated Thursday night off Mandelieu-La Napoule on the Cote d'Azur in southeastern France.

The luxurious two-story platform set on a trimaran and anchored 600 meters from the seafront can accommodate up to 350 people.

Opponents of the 16-million-euro project have denounced it as "an ecological aberration".

Environmental groups have long battled for increased protection for sea life and the coastline of the highly developed Cote d'Azur, long considered a playground for the rich and famous.

The owners were denied permits to operate last year, but they took the case to court and were granted authorization to launch the project.

The project had initial support from just one local commune, Mandelieu-La Napoule, but was contested by the head of the broader Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region, Renaud Muselier, a member of President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party.

On Friday, around 20 mayors, including those of Nice and Toulon, signed a letter denouncing "this commercial exploitation of the marine environment".

But the owners stress that the project is safe, with the engines running on biofuel, a desalination system producing freshwater and all waste being recycled on land.

Due to the controversy, the floating beach will not be open to the public this season.

Based at La Seyne-sur-Mer, near Toulon, it will be available for private events such as weddings on the Cote d'Azur. The owners have already received around 30 booking requests.

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• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

World’s coolest yachts: Maxi Trimaran MACIF

• September 3, 2021

We ask top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our times. Dee Caffari nominates the Maxi Trimaran MACIF

The round the world record breaking sailboat , MACIF was launched in 2016 for French solo sailor and Vendée Globe winner François Gabart.

He set a solo round the world record of 42d 16h in it in 2017.

The Ultime was then re-fitted with more advanced and powerful foils to keep the boat competitive with the rest of the Ultime fleet. It has since been sold with François Gabart launching a new, super-high tech Ultime in 2021 .

“This is a boat only a handful of people have ever been aboard but it’s a boat all the cool kids would really love to sail,” says Dee Caffari .

“It’s the coolest yacht in the world because it’s very, very fast and because François Gabart set the 24-hour record of 851 miles all on his own.

“And he is very cool himself!

“My first step in these boats was when I was working as a nipper for Mike Golding.

“I had a chance to go sailing on Club Med [Grant Dalton’s 110ft cataraman, winner of The Race round the world in 2000/1] in the Solent.

“It was all a bit beyond me. I didn’t understand what was going on, but I thought that was the coolest boat ever.”

Make sure you check out our full list of Coolest Yachts.

Maxi Trimaran MACIF stats rating:

Top speed: 45 knots LOA: 31m Launched: 2016 Berths: 1 Price: €15m Adrenalin factor: 100%

Dee Caffari

Dee Caffari, 45, is the holder of the record for the first woman to sail non-stop round the world in both directions.

She finished 7th in the 2008/9 Vendée Globe and has raced round the world six times in total, most recently as skipper of Turn the Tide on Plastic in the 2017/8 Volvo Ocean Race .

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