Under the skin of Gitana X

The latest Rothschild yacht is the first 60ft trimaran to have come from Gilles Ollier & co in almost 15 years.

Looks-wise her hulls seem very different to this observer. While the van Peteghem/Prevost floats tend to be brutally straight, Gitana's have considerable rocker aft and are angled such that the bows appear to be higher than the centre hull. "The distribution of buoyancy between the mainhull and floats is different because the purpose of the main and the floats is not the same at all," says Franck Martin. "The mainhull - we want this one to go fast when the boat is going slow. And we wants the float to go fast when the boat is going fast." In other words when the main hull is in the water is likely to be in a lower wind range when there is not enough power to get it lifting.

Another unusual feature of the boat are the fore and aft beams which pass through the aft beam. These are to provide a secure sheeting point for the headsails. Extending as far aft as possible within the boat's 60ft overall length, they will in particular allow for the use of impressively large gennikers which will certainly give Gitana X an edge in lighter conditions.

In the interests of saving weight aloft Gitana's rotating wingmast is the only one of the 60ft tris these days to have anything other than the maximum cord of 850mm. Hers is believed to be around 600mm.

As is the way in this class these days, Gitana's deck layout has been optimised for Grand Prix racing. At present there is no limit on crew number in the class and it is rumoured that she may be sailing with as many as 14 crew on board (the norm is 11-12). While most of the 60ft tris have two coffee grinders in their dramatically enlarged cockpits, Gitana is expected to have three.

One important point we have forgotten to mention is her crew. Gitana is the only boat in the fleet to be funded by a 'private' backer in Benjamin de Rothschild. While he will crew on board, skipper will be Lionel Lemonchois. The mild-mannered Lemonchois, for years was well known as one of France's top 'preparateurs' and worked with both Isabelle Autissier and Catherine Chabaud on their singlehanded round the world campaigns. As a sailor himself he has raced in the Mini Transat and sailed with Cam Lewis on The Race, but came to the fore when he won the Figaro class' Transat AG2R in 2000 with Karine Fauconnier. Both he and Fauconnier now have 60ft trimarans.

It has taken 10 months for Multiplast to build Gitana X and following her recent launch she has been undergoing sea trials in the Golfe du Morbihan. On her first outing she hit 24.8 knots. "My first impression is rather good; I've got a good feeling for her, her trim seems to be sound," commented Lemonchois.

Gitana X will lock horns with her 60ft trimaran competitors for the first time at the Zeebrugge multihull grand prix in Belgium later this week.

More of Christian Fevrier and BlueGreen 's photos on the following pages...

Now that's what I call a roach... Note the rocker in the floats, the strut extending aft through her aft beam which allow huge gennikers to be sheeted and the incredible shape to the foil in her port float.