On Saturday 16th January 2021, the Gitana Team - which is outfitting the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild - announced the death of the founder and owner of the Gitana Team, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild. Born on 30 July 1963, he died at the age of 57 following a heart attack at his home in Pregny, Switzerland, on 15 January.
The son of Edmond and Nadine de Rothschild, Benjamin took over as head of the group created by his father in 1997, which he has continued to develop over the years. Passionate about sailing, he continued the Gitana saga, initiated by his great-grand-aunt Julie de Rothschild and his father. Thus, at 2?000, with his wife Ariane de Rothschild, he created the Gitana Team.
In just a few years, he was able to transform this family passion into a real ocean racing team, dedicated to performance: victory in the Route du Rhum, the English Transat, the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Transat Jacques Vabre, or even in the Orma Grand Prix or the transatlantic races where he sailed with his teams.
For many years, the Gitana Team has enabled numerous sailors to sail on various supports, the latest being Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier, on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, who set off in an attempt to break the Jules Verne Trophy record.
