After a particularly lively night spent negotiating a cold front, which had actually enabled him to make up a few precious miles in relation to his direct rival, Charles Caudrelier had high hopes of a better day in the Atlantic. However, shortly before 04:00 GMT, the skipper noticed that the maxi-trimaran was no longer handling as she should. Despite the conditions being conducive to flight, the latest Gitana was not taking off or posting the expected speeds. Still dark with rough seas – 3-metre swell and a 20/25 knot N’ly breeze – the sailor carried out an inspection of the large Y-shaped foils and there was no denying the verdict. Gitana 18’s port foil is seriously damaged. The external surfaces on the appendage’s trailing edge (the aft section of the foil shaft) have ripped away, pulling with them the hydraulic hoses connected to the foil.
“Thanks to Charles’ account of events and his initial photos, we very quickly noted the substantial damage. The scale and location of it, at the top of the foil shaft, mean that there is absolutely no way it can be repaired alone at sea, nor is there a quick and effective fix possible by our shore team along the course. One thing we are able to clarify at this stage is that it did not happen as a result of colliding with an external object. These appendages are innovative and the accompanying systems are unprecedented on our type of offshore platforms. This is the route innovation takes you sometimes. For the time being though, there are no detailed explanations. We need to regroup with the team and with Charles, once he’s back on land, to go over what happened and gain further insight into the sequence of events,” stated Cyril Dardashti, General Manager of the five-arrow racing stable, who went on to say: “This morning, our primary focus was on Charles’ safety first and foremost and that of the boat. He carried out some work in the float to isolate the hydraulics associated with the damaged foil so he could continue to use the other functions on the boat.”
03.11.2026
Charles Caudrelier and the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild divert to Lorient.
Forty-eight hours ago, on Sunday 1 November at 12:02 GMT off Saint Malo, the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild set sail on her first major race just eight months after her launch. Getting such an innovative maxi-trimaran to the starting line with such a short amount of time to prepare, particularly in solo format, was not a choice in itself, rather it was a technical and human challenge fully embraced and accepted by Charles Caudrelier and Gitana Team. Today, having suffered major damage to the port foil of the 32-metre giant, the defending champion of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe has been forced to turn back and make for her technical base in Lorient, Brittany. As such, any hopes of pulling off a double victory in this 2026 edition of the race have had to be shelved, but the few hours spent in the Atlantic have certainly prepared the ground for the future. Following a slightly lacklustre start to the race due to conditions, which did not enable the skipper to showcase the true potential of his new machine, Charles Caudrelier still managed to pick his way through the fleet and up into the top four.
Damaged port foil
Return to Lorient and Gitana’s hangar
As ever, and despite a substantial amount of fatigue as a result of a trying start to the race due to the frenetic pace set by the leaders, Charles Caudrelier demonstrated determination and a cool head to quickly make the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild secure and get her back up and running so that she can safely make the journey back to her Breton port of registry.
As a result, Erwan Israël and Julien Villion, Gitana Team’s weather routers, were very quickly able to offer up two options. To set a course for the Azores, which were 400 miles to the south of Gitana 18 at that point, or head back to Lorient and the technical base, which is around 1,500 miles away: “Following the diagnosis, once the boat had been made secure and the foil inspected, we opted to return to Brittany. The weather forecast for the coming days persuaded us that this was the right direction to take,” explained Cyril Dardashti, before concluding: “Inevitably it’s bitterly disappointing for our owner, Ariane de Rothschild, and all our team, but that’s par for the course with our projects, which require daily commitment and a huge amount of perseverance. Gitana 18 is only at the very start of her life on the water.”
Right now, it’s hard to give an accurate ETA as it all depends on how quickly the maxi-trimaran can make headway now that she is deprived of her ‘wings’, but the team hopes to be able to welcome their sailor home this weekend.