Gitana Team IMOCA 60 by Thierry Martinez

All images Thierry Martinez / Gitana Team . These sets of photos are some of the most spectacular sailing shots I’ve seen. Check full gallery at Gitana Team website www.gitana-team.com –
Also check 180° Test video below with skipper Seb Josse.

Gitana Team is leading the Offshore racing R&D. Fitting their MOD70 with foils & now doing the same with the IMOCA60 Mono.  The team seems focused to win every major incoming Ocean crossing like Vendee Globe & Jacques Vabre.

Regarding the Mono development I think designers are reaching a point where they better just split the hull in two.. having a boat with two rudders, two side foils, a canting keel which tries to replicate a Multi righting moment, is becoming rather ‘awkward’ in in the sense if you want to achieve more performance & speed you just have to go Multi as the Americas Cup did.

Of course they are trying to win its own Class but imagine an AC90 going this way? It would be hilarious. Don´t get me wrong, these developments are great, and new Mono foil assisted designs looked tremendous weapons, I just would focus on less complicated solutions needed for Gitana MOD70 than having such a reliability critical aspects like canting keels, and else mentioned above.

Next IMOCA oceanic race might not be won by the most extreme and fastest design in the end but  by the those finishing in one piece…

Techinal Data sent by Gitana-Team Press:
Longueur hors tout : 20.10 m
Longueur flottaison: 18.28 m
Largeur : 5.70 m
Tirant d’air : 29 m
Tirant d’eau : 4.50 m
Déplacement (poids) : 7.6 tonnes
Poids du bulbe de quille : 3 tonnes
Surface voilure max au près et au portant : 290 m2 / 490 m2
Nombre de voiles autorisées à bord : 8 ( 1 grand-voile, 7 voiles d’avant)
M2 d’espace de vie : 10 m2
Nombre et type de dérives : 2 dérives foil
Source de production d’énergie à bord : génératrices couplées au moteur diesel + hydro-générateurs

Architectes : Guillaume Verdier / VPLP Yacht Design
Chantier : Multiplast (Vannes)
Safrans: C3 Technologies
Dérives : Heol Composites
Quille : AMPM (La Mothe-Achard)
Mât : Lorima (Lorient)

Début de construction : Septembre 2014
Mise à l’eau : 7 Août 2015