Gitana Team and Charles Caudrelier intensify offshore training with Maxi Edmond de Rothschild as the Route du Rhum countdown begins.
For Charles Caudrelier and the members of the Gitana Team, these past summer weeks have been intense and productive. But let’s not forget the goal is a highly ambitious one: to be competitive on the start line of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, at the helm of a next-generation giant launched just eight months earlier. Turning thousands of hours of onshore work into concrete offshore sensations takes time, method and commitment. Between sailing sessions, testing different settings and weekly technical adjustments, the team’s schedule is mapped out right through to the end of October.
Equipped with its two Y-foils since late July, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild has stepped up training sessions to 100% of its potential, gradually shifting from exploratory and fine-tuning sails to what the team calls performance outings. This marks a key stage for the team, allowing them to better understand the boat’s behaviour – and for the sailor, to project himself into the solo challenge awaiting him in just a few weeks’ time.
This new episode of Flying Offshore takes you inside a busy summer for the Gitana Team, as preparations intensify. In this sixth instalment of our series, we bring you aboard Gitana 18’s first offshore sailing sessions, with stunning footage from the open sea shot by Yann Riou. Charles Caudrelier and Sébastien Sainson, design office director and a key figure in the design of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, share their insight into this pivotal period. In two months’ time, the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe fleet will set sail from Saint-Malo. It’s a big challenge, and the countdown is well and truly underway.
