The Maxi Edmond de Rothschild sets off in the Route du Rhum without ever having raced

According to TV5Monde, this boat, the 18th of its name for Gitana, has been docked in Lorient since mid-February. It belongs to the Ultim class, trimarans 32 meters long by 23 meters wide. It required two years of construction.

A disrupted schedule

It did not finally make its first tacks until the beginning of the spring of 2026. The team director, Cyril Dardashti, explains that implementing the foils took longer than expected: they are complex parts, time-consuming to manufacture, with some setbacks. These Y-shaped appendages are inspired by those of the America's Cup. The U-shaped rudders are among the other innovations announced.

Cyril Dardashti assures that all systems are functioning, including the hydraulics and electronics. He indicates that the boat is not being operated at 100% capacity and that modifications will follow the race, as priority was given to reliability for a solo crossing.

Limited preparation

The boat has only covered 7,000 miles (13,000 km), a large part of which was with only one of the two foils installed for the race. Charles Caudrelier has had little solo training. The Maxi Edmond de Rothschild also did not participate in the 24 H Ultim at the end of September in Lorient, which was won by Tom Laperche on SVR Lazartigue, ahead of Banque Populaire.

Cyril Dardashti notes that no boat launched a few months before the race has ever won it. He compares the situation to arriving at the Olympic Games with much less training and no competition. Tom Laperche, presented as the favorite, finds it strange to face an opponent he will have seen very little of, but says he is focusing on his own team.

The view from competitors

Anthony Marchand, who sails on Actual, the former Gitana 17, considers the boat magnificent, both visually and technologically, and states that it is making the design offices of rival teams think.

What an Ultim costs

According to RCI Guadeloupe, building a new Ultim costs between 20 and 25 million euros, compared to about 1.2 million for a Class 40, 5 million for an Ocean Fifty, and 10 to 12 million for an Imoca. The fleet for this 13th edition will line up eight Ultims, eleven Ocean Fiftys, twenty-two Imocas, forty-nine Class 40s, thirteen Vintage monohulls, and thirteen Vintage multihulls.