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Over the past 130 years or so, “Gitana” has immediately conjured up images of a line of boats which convey the passion of a family who have always been driven by a taste for excellence. The Rothschilds are carrying on a tradition based on social etiquette and innovation, performance and beauty; a story where each generation has left its own unique mark. Before being embodied in the swiftest trimarans of the 21st century, the Gitana saga was born from a wild enthusiasm for making good speed across the water.
1876, a year of elegance and adrenalin on the shores of Lake Geneva. In the Franco-Swiss branch of the Rothschild family, one incredible lady earned herself the nickname of Gitane… Indeed Baroness Adolphe de Rothschild was certainly a woman of character but most importantly she enjoyed an immoderate taste for speed, provided that it was tied in with a boat. At the helm of the first Gitana, a very chic 24 metre schooner, the great-great-aunt of Baron Benjamin de Rothschild broke the first barrier of 20 knots and in so doing won the title of the fastest Yachting Lady on the water. At the time the industrial revolution was in full swing and innovation was combined with the powerful inspiration behind the steam engine. In a fabulous alpine setting, Gustave Eiffel himself raced against the Gitanas aboard his famous Walkyrie. Renowned for being very quick, the French ‘destroyers’ were soon to put a dent in the record set by Baroness de Rothschild. Keen not to be outdone, she launched the larger and above all faster Gitana II. Aboard her new steed, Gitane set a new record of just over 26 knots, which is close to 50 kilometres an hour. The Gitana saga had begun and was soon to get a taste for the sea as Lake Geneva was no longer enough.
1963, was a key vintage for a family passion which was to go down in the history of yachting and soon that of ocean racing. Baron Edmond de Rothschild definitively transformed the family’s taste for boats into a passion for sailing. His predilection was monohulls and he was to create some of the best examples of his time. From Gitana III to Gitana VIII, his boats scoured the English Channel, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, monopolising the winners’ list along the way: RORC races, the Giraglia and the legendary Fastnet, where Gitana VI beat the record and held onto it for 19 years! Though Baron Edmond de Rothschild loved these big boats where the crew could really pull together and show what they were made of, he also had a taste for the 6mJI. The latter were real jewels of excellence and sprightliness and went by the names of Gitana Senior, Gitana Junior I, II and III.
2000, saw the creation of the Gitana Team, an offshore racing stable dedicated to the family passion for making good speed across the water and the hatching of talent. Edmond de Rothschild passed on the sailing bug to his son Benjamin and the Gitana saga was then etched out by multihulls, just a stone’s throw from the French sailing Mecca of La Trinité-sur-Mer. Decidedly “Gitana” was a name synonymous with daring and freedom. The Rothschild signature perfectly adheres to the competition on these magnificent machines, which fly just as easily as they float. Even more stunning than their prestigious elders, and entrusted to some talented sailors, the Gitanas were from then on familiar with 40 knots of boat speed using the power of the wind alone. Since then Gitana IX, like so many chapters in a constantly changing story, Gitana X, Gitana 11, 12, 13, Gitana Eighty as well as Gitana Extreme, have traced ever longer wakes across all the seas of the globe. From the unremitting teamwork a host of unforgettable human adventures and resounding wins have been accomplished. In 2006, in the sultry climes of a night in Guadeloupe, the winner of the Route du Rhum shone out as the pinnacle of this nautical saga.
An historic multihull protagonist on a global scale, Benjamin de Rothschild has transformed a family passion into a school of excellence. 134 years after the first Gitana and 10 years after the creation of the Gitana Team, the next Route du Rhum will certainly be a fresh chapter in this salt-encrusted tale of heritage.
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