Gitana X - in the flesh

James Boyd took a tour around one of the newest and most radical of the 60ft trimarans

Above: her floats have considerably more rocker and more freeboard forward than the other tris. The floats also ride much higher in the water than the Irens or van Peteghem/Prevost designs. But the most interesting part are her curved retractible foils that have a hook at their end.

Below: the main sheet tackle - this is cranked in by a large hydraulic pump located in the mast


Hydraulics control box situated in the cockpit. The hydraulic systems on these boats are complex and used on the mainsheet, vang, shrouds (in order to cant the rig to weather) and forestays (when the rig is canted fore and aft). The hydraulics can be operated by one of the three coffee grinders.