At 18h00 French time (GMT + 2) yesterday, Monday 19th May, Gitana moored up at the quayside in La Ciotat (next to Marseille), coming from Cadix (Spain), after having retired from the Challenge Mondial Assistance.
Lionel Lemonchois : "No problem underway. We left Cadix (Spain) in westerly winds, passing Gibraltar downwind. But afterwards, the wind dropped. We crossed the Alboran Sea under engine power (as far as Cap de Gato / Almeria). Then the southerly wind picked up and we almost always sailed at 20 knots (37 km/h) wuith the big gennaker (foc ballon) up. The piece of the dagger board which had remained stuck in the casing and was down as far as it could go. We were sailing with 1.50 m less. But that's perfect downwind. We still have no explanation as to why the dagger board broke..."
Back into the shed
Whilst the Multiplast yard and the Gitana Team build a new dagger board so that Gitana can take part in the Cagliari Grand Prix in Sardinia from 12th to 15th June, the trimaran will be hauled out in La Ciotat.
The main work will consist of checking that the dagger board casing was not damaged when the dagger board broke. The foil wedges have to be changed to modify their angle of attack and make them more efficient. Lastly, apart from the usual maintenance work for a competition prototype, a complete check-up of the new past stepped for the Grand Prix de Lorient at the end of last April.
The Gitana Team has therefore set up its Mediterranean base, with the aim of getting her back in the water as soon as possible to get down to some intensive training with a view to the Cagliari meeting.