The Ultimates category includes multihulls over 60 feet with no size limitations. This category will be the most crowded in the history of the race with six giants of the seas, cut out for records and challenges. The two most recent boats in the fleet (2017), the Maxi Banque Populaire IX and the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, designed to fly, will be present. The others are old maxis reconfigured (Sodebo Ultim', Idec Sport, MACIF). In all cases, all of them have had to relearn how to sail, master flight and discover new sensations, as Thomas Coville explains.
"We are living in a period of technological disruption confides. It's magical. It's a universe that everyone is discovering."
Of these six maxi trimarans, five are over 100 feet long and are equipped with foils. And the crossing promises to be exciting with average speeds of 30 knots and a course of less than 7 days!
"Today, nobody has ever crossed the Atlantic hoping to fly solo on a multihull. Clearly, we are going to do something that no one has mastered. We are going to launch ourselves into the void. And that's wonderful!" summarizes Sébastien Josse.
Sébastien Josse on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild ©E.Stichelbaut / Gitana SA
This is the first time that five Ultimates equipped with lifting appendages (foils, bearing surfaces on the three rudders and on the daggerboard) are together on an Atlantic crossing. These multihulls, 32 m long and 23 m wide (as specified by the Ultime rule), are capable of flying from 13/14 knots of wind and reaching the extreme speed of 45 knots!
While Loïck Peyron euros, who will make his crossing the old fashioned way in 2018 euros set a new record in 2014 with a reference time of 7 d 15 h 8' 32". Four years later, this record could still be improved with a crossing in six days, perhaps less if conditions are very favorable.
The sixth euro, Ellen MacArthur's former Castorama euro, now called Remade-Use it Again euro, will be in the hands of Romain Pilliard (Editor's note: Tour de Belle-Ile organizer). The latter, a rookie in the race, will take the plunge on his 75-foot trimaran.
Romain Pilliard on Use It Again ©UseitAgain
