Defending champion Charles Caudrelier has secured his qualification for the 13th Route du Rhum aboard the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, completing a 1,200-nautical-mile solo voyage north of Ireland to validate his entry for the Saint-Malo to Guadeloupe classic.
The Gitana Team skipper completed the mandatory qualification run on 1 September, sailing solo for the first time on the 32-metre flying trimaran. After more than 48 hours at sea, Caudrelier returned to Lorient with the rating certificate required for the Ultim class.
The Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, launched just eight months ago, will make its race debut with fewer than two months until the transatlantic start. Caudrelier described the compressed development schedule as "a huge challenge" given that boats of this complexity typically require two to three years to reach full potential.
"No one has ever managed to develop a boat like this in so little time," Caudrelier said. "Every day we're ironing out teething problems."
Unlike rivals who plan to spend the coming weeks training and racing head-to-head, Gitana Team has prioritised technical development and data gathering. The boat now enters an in-water refit period to implement modifications identified during three months of crewed and solo testing.
"Winning the Route du Rhum in the Ultim class is like winning in Formula 1: you need the best car," Caudrelier said. "What I need most is a boat prepared as well as it can possibly be."
Sailing is scheduled to resume in late September for approximately two weeks of final preparation before the fleet gathers in Saint-Malo.
Technical Specifications — Maxi Edmond de Rothschild
Length: 32 metres
Beam: 23 metres
Nets: 170 m²
Area of aerodynamic covers: 73 m²
Cockpit floor surface area for manouvering: 9 m²
Living area (floor surface area): 4.8 m²
Displacement: 19.5 tonnes
Number of appendages: 6
Height of float rudders: 4 metres
Foils span area: 10.4 metres
Foil bulb length: 2.4 metres
Sail area upwind: 450 m²
Sail area downwind: 630 m²
Aerial draft: 38.4 m
Electrical cables: 8 km
Number of sensors: 500
Total decorated surface (hulls and sails): 2,000 m²
The new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is the twenty‑eighth boat in this legendary maritime saga, which will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in a few weeks.
