In the world of sailing, the name Gitana is inseparable from the French-Swiss branch of the Rothschild family. It conjures up century-old images of a particular lifestyle where passion, team spirit and the quest for excellence come together.

As early as 1876, Baroness Adolphe de Rothschild became the fastest yachting lady on the planet aboard the first Gitana, a 25-metre steamboat, on Lake Leman. She repeated this feat in 1898 with Gitana II, reaching the hitherto unrivalled speed of 26.03 knots! The preface to the Gitana story was being written…

During the 1960s, it was Baron Edmond de Rothschild who made a deep impact on monohull history, first with Gitana IV in races like the Giraglia, and then with Gitana VI, a 65-foot aluminium sloop launched in 1975. This legendary boat was withdrawn from competition in 1979 after having crossed all the oceans of the earth and clocked up numerous successes, most notably in the legendary Fasnet. In 1980, Baron Edmond tasted victory in the Two Town Cup with Gitana VII, an aluminium Two Tonner designed by German Frers.

Having been initiated in the family tradition by his father from a very young age, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild quickly developed a particular interest in multihulls. Each generation may invent their own sailing universe, but the passion remains undimmed. The trimarans chapter of the story opened with the acquisition of Gitana IX (ex-Elf Aquitaine), which then took part in the Quebec / Saint-Malo 2000 and the Jacques Vabre 2001. It continued with the design and construction of Gitana X, launched in June 2002. Later, the team welcomed the arrival of Gitana 11 (Ex-Belgacom), 2nd in the Jacques Vabre in 2005. In 2006, the newcomer Gitana 12 (Ex-Bonduelle) replaced Gitana X and carried on with her mission: the training of young sailing talent.

But 2006 would also turn out to be a coronation year, courtesy of the triumph of Gitana 11 skippered by Lionel Lemonchois in the Route du Rhum / La Banque Postale. Not content with simply winning the race, the skipper demolished the former record held by Laurent Bourgnon by more than 4.5 days, setting an unbelievable time of 7 days, 19 minutes and 6 seconds. Unanimously acclaimed by his peers, Lionel Lemonchois also lifted the title of 2006 Sailor of the Year.

Having achieved its objective thanks to the exploits of Lionel Lemonchois backed by a close-knit and professional team, the Gitana Team led by Loick Peyron since early 2006 now has an opportunity to explore new paths… So in addition to a race schedule for Gitana 11 that will end with the Jacques Vabre, 2007 also sees the arrival of Gitana 13, a 33-metre maxi-multihull devoted to initiation and discovery.

For Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, 2007 will also be marked by a return to his roots, as after successfully completing a debut Route du Rhum on Gitana 12, he is now turning his attention to monohulls. He will be starting the season on the Figaro circuit, with a boat named after the Domaine du Mont d'Arbois, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild's property at Megève.

So there's a packed programme in store for a team that, more than ever, will be driven by the same passion for sailing…