As this machine is impressionnante?! However, I am not totally disoriented on this Ultim thanks to Yves le Blevec and Team Actual who allowed me to accompany them during the Ultims race of the Armen Race .
However, today the weather conditions are very different. In the courtyards of Groix Island, we have a westerly flow of 15/20 knots, which is ideal for flying the Ultim Gitana
Ready to tuck in, on décolle?!
Franck Cammas is at the helm, he orchestrates the starting manoeuvre while Charles Caudrelier joins the life cell and his chart table which resemble the dashboard of a fighter plane.
No time to waste on such a sailboat in the wind. The 4 crew members are positioned opposite the 2 coffee grinder columns, ready to grind thoroughly. Franck launches his instructions, it unrolls the solent and tucks flat in the process. The listening carriage is slightly shocked, as if to release the boat. The Cunningham was retaken to stretch the immense luff of the GV along the 34m mast.
At that moment, the Ultim reminds me of an albatross. Perhaps a little woozy to start, but once in the air, the science and beauty of flying is incomparable.
Gitana is accelerating, and my eyes are creasing irrepressibly. We are still in the Archimedean world, but the foils are starting to grow. Gitana 17 is still accelerating and is honestly pitching up, something is not right. After a few adjustments by playing on the rake (incidence) and depth of the foil rudders and foil derivatives, Gitana is finally able to regain a good longitudinal trim.
The trimaran seems to be sailing on rails, leaning on 4 points: at the rear the foil rudder of the central hull and that of flotteur?; and in the middle, the "ray wing" daggerboard (foil-like bearing plane) of the central hull and the leeward float foil.
Charles Caudrelier takes a step back and analyses the sail settings, he asks a little more twisting on the solent to allow acceleration . Indeed, we are still gaining a few more knots, the wind is whistling in the carbon shrouds, the drift is resonating, the appendages are squeaking quietly in their wells.
In flight, only 4 m2 of contact with water
The foils lift the float downwind, it is out of the water. From 60° real with 15/20 knots of real wind, Gitana is propelled at more than 30 knots. At this "cruising" speed, the wet area is only 4 m2 (20 m2 in static). Sailing on a foil is a bit like releasing the hand brake.
For the moment, we're looking to windward and we're making a closer close-hauled wind, but still at 52° to the wind, the speed is between 22 and 25 knots. For the average sailor, this VMG is completely indecent.
You want barrer??
I'm standing against the nacelle to make the most of the wind sensations. I turn to Franck in the cockpit, whose head only comes out of the cap. I don't know if it's the magic of non-verbal language, but he smiles at me and says, "Do you want barrer??"
Moi?? Uh, yes, no, probably, obviously, without déconner?? My brain is wondering if he really just heard Franck Cammas offer him the helm of Gitana 17 in mid-air, while he goes to do something else.
Franck, relaxed, asked me to follow an angle at 55° to the real wind. I position myself and take control of the wheel of the Ultim Gitana launched in flight at over 20 knots.
Let's be clear, this quarter-hour bar is the most fascinating of my life. For those who have already driven them, it reminds us of flying carpets, for others imagine. It may seem unstable from a distance, but it's not that difficult to control.
The helm is very precise and perfectly multiplied, there is real feedback and apart from the gigantism it looks a lot like a boat in fact. I'm greedy and I'm taking advantage of a little laughing stock to drop a few degrees, we're climbing to 27 knots and we're climbing a little higher, it's magical.
Sailing at the dawn of a new era
I am well aware that the flying conditions are optimal and that there is still a lot to clear before we can sail calmly in all sea conditions. But frankly, the control that seemed to reign over this flight is convincing. The technology is ready and the boats will soon be flying around the world. And above all, we must not forget to congratulate Sebastien Josse who led this project to a very high level of achievement.
