{"id":161670,"date":"2026-01-19T06:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T06:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/?p=161670"},"modified":"2026-02-10T08:35:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T08:35:43","slug":"anahita-100-first-look-the-worlds-fastest-cruiser-is-in-build","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/news\/anahita-100-first-look-the-worlds-fastest-cruiser-is-in-build-161670","title":{"rendered":"Anahita 100 First Look: The \u2018world\u2019s fastest cruiser\u2019 is in build"},"content":"When the Rothschilds and Gitana team unveil a new boat, they do it properly \u2013 and last night the huge team base in Lorient, France, became the theatrical backdrop to the grand unveiling of Gitana 18<\/em>, the highly anticipated new foiling Ultim<\/a>.\r\n\r\nIn a dramatic \u2018reveal\u2019 a silk curtain dropped mid-press conference and the gathered guests \u2013 a couple of hundred media, technical partners, and the great and good of French ocean racing \u2013 realised they were underneath one of the most top secret boat building projects of recent years.\r\n\r\nBut perhaps even more dramatic was the boat itself \u2013 or certainly the appendages that will be fixed to it.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161324\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The radical new foils for the Ultim Gitana 18 - the flaps on the trailing edge can be trimmed independently, while the arms can also be lifted, and the rake adjusted.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe L-shaped foils of the current ocean-going trimarans have been replaced with what the team refer to as \u2018Y\u2019 foils \u2013 giant appendages with 5m span set on enormous swinging arms, that show a clear lineage from the America\u2019s Cup<\/a>.\r\n\r\nThe central \u2018wing\u2019 beneath the boat is a sculptural 3m of metal (they won\u2019t disclose which one).\r\n

Radical rudder design<\/h2>\r\nBut the rudders are unlike anything seen before - an inverted \u2018U\u2019 or A-frame design. Unlike a conventional rudder, which itself turns, the double chords of the rudder are fixed, while flaps at the trailing edge control direction \u2013 all designed to overcome the deformation that the hugely loaded rudders would experience, and apparently with no drag penalty.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161326\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"226\"]\"\" The rudders of the new Gitana 18 are a revolutionary A-frame or 'U' shape, with twin fixed stocks or chords, but adjustable flaps.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nMeanwhile the rig is not only a canting wing mast, but is designed to bend to allow the crew to control the mainsail\u2019s power - particularly in the shift between take-off and flight, and in squally conditions where the trimaran could become overpowered. It\u2019s another element which is entirely new on this scale, and is the first Ultim mast made by Southern Spars in New Zealand.\r\n\r\n\u201cWith this new boat, we hope to achieve as close to perfect flight as possible. Ideally, we\u2019ll be able to fly very high without ever touching the waves. We hope to be able to fly in 3m waves and reach an average sailing speed bordering on 40 knots\u201d, explains Charles Caudrelier<\/a>, the skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild Gitana 18.<\/em>\r\n\r\nThe team told me that top speed potential is over 55 knots.\r\n

Gitana 18: designed to fly<\/h2>\r\nThe project was designed by known out-of-the-box thinker Guillaume Verdier<\/a> with the 30-man in-house team at Gitana. Its primary goal is to foil for 100% of its sailing time, achieved by both decreasing the wind strength at which it can foil, while also sustaining higher average speeds at flight.\r\n\r\nIt builds on much of the knowledge, data and experience the team have gained from their previous Gitana 17<\/em> (now Actual Ultim 4<\/em><\/a>), which was launched eight years ago and became the most optimised and successful of all the 100ft trimarans, winning the Transat Jacques Vabre, Route du Rhum, and Arkea Ultim Challenge, while covering over 200,000 miles of ocean.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161323\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"600\"]\"\" The new Gitana 18 in the team base in Lorient[\/caption]\r\n\r\nOwner Ariane de Rothschild also spoke at the launch, which she attended with her daughters. They are represented on the boat\u2019s spectacular livery, designed by French artistic duo Florian and Micha\u00ebl Quistrebert, in collaboration with the Palais de Tokyo. Gitana 18<\/em> is the 28th boat in the Rothschild\/Gitana stable, which next year celebrates 150 years in the sport.\r\n\r\n\u201cWithin my family, we\u2019ve always enjoyed a passion for competition, performance and also one of technological disruption. It\u2019s about being disruptive, knowing how to take risks, gauging them and managing them. This is fully in line with our philosophy,\u201d said Ariane de Rothschild.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161325\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The Rothschild family and Gitana team hosted a spectacular unveiling of the newest Ultim, Gitana 18, \u00a0on Wednesday 3 December.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nYou can\u2019t rush perfection, and the boat is definitely launching a little later than anticipated, but a project of this magnitude will take months to work up. Its first event will be the 2026 Route du Rhum<\/a>, which skipper\u00a0Caudrelier will be looking to defend his title in, before taking on solo around the world and crewed Jules Verne record<\/a> bids.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019ll take an in-depth look at this incredible creation in the February issue of Yachting World<\/em>, out January 8th.","excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to \u2018cruise\u2019 aboard an Ultim in comfort? This audacious new project, which is already being built for an owner, could be the closest thing yet. While the odd maxi cat has previously been retrofitted for minimalist fast cruising, this 100ft trimaran is designed from scratch to set a new bar of luxury performance sailing. The tri platform is also a more powerful, stable and safer one than a cat, its development team argues. Anahita 100 is a project born in, and utilising the high-performance skills of, Brittany\u2019s famed Sailing Valley. Designed by VPLP, it is being built at CDK in Lorient, led by Global Yacht Technology (GYT), a brand formed to help owners develop such projects. We were given a sneak peek of these renders by GYT\u2019s co-founder Ulysse Harin, during the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. \u201cWe wanted to create the fastest cruising multihull in the world,\u201d Harin stated. To put that in context, imagine crossing the Atlantic in six days in comfort! Anahita will be 60% lighter than most yachts this size, and is predicted to sail at twice their speed. While capable of 40 knots, it is geared more for cruising at 20-25 knots. The central hull is designed not to lift, and it can\u2019t capsize, we are told. Today\u2019s new age of reliable AI-enhanced pilots means an autopilot will be in control most of the time. The project team use Ultim (and IMOCA) solo racers as examples as they almost constantly rely on pilot control during circumnavigations. The Anahita 100 is race-inspired \u201cIt\u2019s not a racing boat, but it looks like one,\u201d adds a man who really knows: Lo\u00efck Peyron. He also confirms CDK is the best yard for such a project, having built leading Ultims such as the Banque Populaires and SVR Lazartigue. \u201cThis is a logical evolution of our work,\u201d agrees Lucien Boyer, CDK Group\u2019s CEO. He highlights their 40 years of winning ocean races, including producing six out of the top 10 IMOCAs in the last Vend\u00e9e Globe. \u201cWe know what it takes to make fast, reliable yachts. We believe this is a new approach, using a pro crew to provide owners with new adventures, those who want to go fast in a safe environment.\u201d This particular environment can run independently of fossil fuels, can anchor in shallower water than most 50ft monohulls, and offers 160m2 of trampoline area (or \u2018marine garden\u2019) and over 120m2 of living space. The Christophe Chedal Anglay-designed interior is superyacht style, with all accommodation in the main hull, centred around the area of least pitching. Three or four double cabins are offered on the main deck, the former with the option for a vast owner\u2019s suite forward. This looks set to create a new definition of a room with a view at speed. Crew quarters for four are situated on the lower deck, while the outriggers are only used for stowage. A hybrid build of prepreg and infused carbon …Continue reading »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":447,"featured_media":161674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3117,20,159],"tags":[3116,552,1633],"review_manufacturer":[],"acf":[],"introduction":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161670"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/447"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161670"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161676,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161670\/revisions\/161676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161670"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=161670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}