Thanks to the foils, the Ultim Gitana passes the sea admirably well, the platform does not seem to deform in each wave as is often the case in multihulls. Moreover, after the first tack, we are forced to sail "the old-fashioned way", as the port foil is under repair.
It is no longer the same boat at all, it seems to be drowning on the waves and the tremors spread throughout the structure into the rigging. With the arrival and generalization of foils, this has disappeared, it is a real revolution and the planetary times will continue to panic.
We unroll the gennaker and it grows even more
Already well off the coast of the island of Groix, Franck suggested to the crew to prepare the sending of the gennaker. We lower to the tailwind to unroll the huge downwind sail and tuck it in more easily. The forces involved are unimaginable until we share the coffee grinder column with a crew member.
Charles is at the helm of the Ultim Gitana, he luffs at 135° from the real wind. The mainsail is lined up, the GV trolley is shocked, the gennaker guide is slightly windy. The speed is impressive even for the body, one leans forward to stand up and the movements on the trampoline are similar to those of a drunk astronaut.
The flight mode is total, the 32 m Ultim is now supported by its appendages. We are at 35 knots and almost flat, leaning on our foils, the only contact between the power of the wind and the sea. Charles confides: "It's quite magical to develop such a boat, 3 years ago we couldn't fly like that, now we have very high flight averages". What is certain is that Gitana aims to be the first to fly around the world.
We literally drop off an Imoca on the spot
The place is familiar to me, but at 35 knots I lost all my maritime landmarks. Still under gennaker, the speed is exhilarating and I miss the superlatives to describe the sensations.
In the distance, we see an Imoca, it seems to come towards us and we can see like a bull drawn in the sails. In fact, he is on the same route as us, but in these conditions we are sailing twice as fast as him. Going by his side, he seems small, it's incredible how relative the proportions are.
We are already back in Groix and flown over by a military plane in low ground, we pass at the foot of the semaphore of Pen Men. The gennaker is rolled at considerable effort and we unroll the J2 for a very fast navigation, crosswind.
A peak speed of 42 knots
Charles is at the helm, only his head protrudes from the cap with a small grin on his lips that says a lot about his temperament. At 100° to the wind, we cross yet another level. The apparent wind is phenomenal.
The sea is perfectly flat to the lee of the island of Groix, Charles takes the opportunity to let go of the horses, the trimaran no longer seems to be held back by the water, but only in contact with it.
The wind is up to 20 knots, the skipper stalls his sailing boat flying at 100° from the wind. 38, 39kt, we pass 40kt and the helmsman offers us a peak at 42kt.
Back to the paddock, as in F1
The lake is definitely too small for these planetary couriers and we are already at the entrance of the southern pass of the Lorient channel. The J2 is furled and we are sailing under mainsail alone. Thank you to the signallers for their kindness, because we are still passing at more than 20 knots before their eyes. It's not easy to brake such a machine.
Two semi-rigid boats and the assistance team join us and deliver fenders, hawks and covers before the wharf. Holiday walkers flock to the pontoons to take pictures and selfies in front of this colossus, half boat, half plane at the cutting edge of technology.
This experience is absolutely fantastic, because in addition to the extraordinary sensations I know that I have the chance to sail on a pioneering sailboat. Gitana is probably the first version of the flying oceanic multihulls. A new era is opening up for sailors and we understand their enthusiasm. Thanks to the pioneers who pioneered the unknown, the next generation will really enjoy it.
