With this massive maxi foiler, Gilles Vaton’s idea was to create a racing vessel capable of flying on its foils: as wide as it is long.
By abandoning aluminum for composite materials, it goes without saying that Gilles Vaton was 30 years ahead of the competition when he designed Charles Heidsieck IV.
This revolutionary trimaran for its time broke new ground in the challenging and exciting world of foilers. From its first outings, it impressed with its speed peaks (between 27 and 30 knots)!
Originally equipped with the first adjustable and wind-tiltable wing mast in sailing history, its career was compromised by a dismasting at the end of the first season. Following questionable expertise, it was fitted with a new, conventional mast that was far too heavy, resulting in significant weight gain due to the exaggerated reinforcement of its structure (yet, 28 years later, it is still sailing).
Unable to benefit from modern carbon composite manufacturing techniques at the time, its weight, deemed excessive, prevented it from achieving the expected performance. However, its behavior fully validated the concept, which would be significantly improved by its successor. Unfortunately, its evolution was quickly halted by the size limitation of racing multihulls.
Specifications
- Length: 85.30 ft.
- Beam: 85.33 ft.
- Floats length: 34.45 ft.
- Construction materials: Nomex sandwich / polyester glass.
- Mast height: 101.70 ft.
- Draft: 13.12 ft.
- Upwind sail area: 3,724.71 ft²
- Downwind sail area: 8,568.07 ft².
Press Article by Dominic Bourgeois on the Launch of Charles Heidsieck IV
The immense sea bird spreads its wings: fantastic! Leaning on its foils, relieved by its wing arms, propelled by nearly 300 m² of sail area, the central hull lifts its bow. Charles Heidsieck rises about twenty centimeters, the bow wave licks the magnificent hull soaring at over twenty knots, the forward third of the hull clears the waves: the giant albatross has taken flight.
In the eyes of the observers shines a surprised and admiring gaze, for what we have just witnessed has won over the hearts of all skeptics. The wildest project in offshore racing has succeeded in its gamble from its very first outing. Charles Heidsieck planes, soars, rises; the maxi-foiler skims the waves with its 26-meter wingspan. Perfectly horizontal on its foils, the flying fish leaves in its wake only three thin trails of foam, already seeking to disappear on the horizon.
Boldness Rewarded
Going against the tide of giant catamaran projects, Alain Gabbay’s team took on a huge technological and financial gamble by building a foil trimaran. For the characteristics of Charles Heidsieck are surprising indeed: 26 meters long, 26 meters wide, a tilting wing mast, inflatable sails, foils, a 95 m² crossbeam, a central hull shaped like a torpedo; architect Gilles Vaton integrated all the parameters favorable to speed to design the most elegant sailboat ever built. Because even at anchor, Charles Heidsieck flaps its wings, alternately relying on its foils.
But this immense concave beam, which links the small floats in one piece, has not only a structural role. The architect wanted to create a lift effect. Positioned about 1.30 meters above the water surface, the beam acts as an increasingly efficient aircraft wing as speed increases. The cambered shape of this crossbeam induces a “ground effect” that relieves the trimaran by about twenty centimeters. The wetted surface area of the sailboat is then significantly reduced.
The crew keenly felt this effect, accompanied by a gradual acceleration and the lifting of the central hull up to the forward third. Because Gilles Vaton’s very original approach primarily relies on reducing the wetted surface area. The less the hulls are submerged, the more efficient the power developed by the sails becomes.
So the architect designed a very fine central hull (2.50 meters at the waterline) with taut stern lines and a low freeboard, offering better penetration through the air and lower weight. A small keel improves the foiler’s performance, especially in light upwind conditions. Equipped with two fins, similar to Langevïn’s Y-foils, this appendage also has a stabilizing function, particularly reducing pitching and preventing the stern from sliding.
That’s why two rudders inclined at 9° to the vertical have been installed. Charles Heidsieck’s sail trials showed that the approach was successful.
Extremely sensitive and responsive at the helm, Alain Gabbay’s foiler is certainly the most maneuverable of large multihulls. Moreover, although the chop of Quiberon Bay does not reflect the navigation conditions of a Transat, Charles Heidsieck seems little affected by pitching.
The combination of the actions of the appendages, foils, but probably also the wing arm, makes the maxi foiler extremely stable on its course and almost horizontal on a close reach. It should be noted that the less the sailboat is affected by waves longitudinally and laterally, the more positive the aerodynamic effects of the wing and sails will be.
An Inclining Rig
The most revolutionary technological innovation on this multihull undoubtedly lies in its rigging. Built by J.P. Mréchal, the 31-meter rotating mast consists of a 29 kg per meter profile extended by a 2 mm aluminum fairing. With 1.15 meters of chord and 34 m² of area, this wing mast already allows Charles Heidsieck to maneuver without sails. The fixed masthead, equipped with reverse bearings to allow rotation, is held by a forestay, a backstay, and two shrouds. Tacking or gybing maneuvers are therefore extremely easy.
But Gilles Vaton wanted to push the experimentation further since the mast can be inclined laterally up to 15°. The aim is to obtain, as on a windsurfing board, a vertical thrust that will relieve the foiler of a weight equivalent to that of the rigging (about 1.5 tons). Only tested in port for now, the inclination system is ensured by two immense hydraulic cylinders in a closed circuit. Coupled with coffee grinders, the crew at the winches automatically pumps the windward cylinder while releasing the leeward one.
If this system is appealing in concept, it will need sea trials to determine whether the gain from buoyancy outweighs the increase in weight and risk to the mast base.
In addition, Charles Heidsieck will soon test a new inflatable sail. Developed by Zodiac-Espace, the mainsail and jib will consist of two fabric panels held in shape by battens. But in fact, it is the apparent wind created by the foiler’s speed that will give the sails a thick and aerodynamic profile. Several slots will be made on the leading edge of the jib and mainsail, the air pressure and tension of the battens giving an asymmetrical shape and significantly increasing the efficiency of the sail area. However, Charles Heidsieck will sail during its trial period with “conventional” sails.
Foils for Champagne Sailing
But while Gilles Vaton worked extensively on the boat’s aerodynamics (rigging, crossbeam, freeboard), the overall design of Charles Heidsieck relies on its foils. Although similar in principle to those of Paul Ricard, the foils inclined at 45° on Alain Gabbay’s yacht are both submerged. In addition, a supporting leg returning to the wing arm ensures a dual structural and anti-ventilation role. Supported by its foils, Charles Heidsieck maintains a very low wetted surface area during navigation, especially as increased speed increases the lift of the foils and enhances the lift effect. The first sea trials have shown the effectiveness of the foils, as at close reach, the windward supporting leg is barely submerged.
The maxi foiler therefore has a core of airex, carbon, Kevlar, and aerospace glass fabric have of course been used, but the extreme stiffness of the assembly is due to the longitudinal bulkheads running from bow to stern. On the sides of this immense corridor, cells open onto small berths. At the rear, a roof with a large plexiglass window protects the navigation table where Loran, radar, facsimile, radio… are piled up. On deck, the helmsman’s cockpit, open like a half-tonner’s transom, houses the magnificent laminated and carbon fiber steering wheel.
Ahead of the roof, a bolted aluminum cockpit houses the maneuvering winches and the hydraulic unit that controls the tension of the shrouds, mainsheet, and backstay. The simplicity of the deck layout makes maneuvers particularly fast, with tacks and gybes being executed with an ease uncommon on a multihull of this size.
Launched too late (early August), Charles Heidsieck will not participate in the Transat Quebec-St-Malo. As with all prototypes, fine-tuning such a machine will require numerous sea trials. But after the first glance in Quiberon Bay, Alain Gabbay’s maxi foiler proves convincing and formidable. The confrontation with its competitors, the giant catamarans, will take place in September at the Multicup in La Baule. Will the giant albatross Charles Heidsieck outpace the dragonflies Fleury Michon, Tag, Charente Maritime, Elf Aquitaine, or Royale? Whatever the initial verdict, the realization of this project is already an aesthetic, technical, and innovative success.
Dominic BOURGEOIS
With this massive maxi foiler, Gilles Vaton’s idea was to create a racing vessel capable of flying on its foils: as wide as it is long.
By abandoning aluminum for composite materials, it goes without saying that Gilles Vaton was 30 years ahead of the competition when he designed Charles Heidsieck IV.
This revolutionary trimaran for its time broke new ground in the challenging and exciting world of foilers. From its first outings, it impressed with its speed peaks (between 27 and 30 knots)!
Description (1983)
1) GENERAL CONCEPTION
The original idea behind the first FOILER – effectively realized and sailing on the high seas “PAUL RICARD” – is to use a windward foil to ensure stability and anti-drift plan. This boat designed by Alain de Bergh has been entirely satisfactory, despite a penalizing construction in aluminum and a short waterline length.
The original concept of the new MAXI FOILER “Charles HEIDSIECK” is to be the first multihull to achieve overall semi-suspension through several effects:
- Using a lifting surface to balance the lateral force on the rig instead of the immersion of a hull subject to Archimedes’ thrust, bringing about a reduction in drag and a decrease in wetted surface.
- Using the hull/float link arm for buoyancy purposes, the static pressure obtained by slowing down the air in a divergent-convergent nozzle, the nozzle being constituted by the underside of the link arm, the water surface, and the vertical edges of the float and hull.
- Using a central hull different from that usually used in multihulls, which currently does not use high-speed flow for lift; the planing.
- Using a mast/sails inflatable engine much more powerful at equal surface than the classic battened sail.
- Using the upward component of the wind force thanks – for the first time in sailing history – to the windward inclination of the mast-sails assembly (up to 13°, ensured by hydraulic jacks).
- Achieving a very centered longitudinal balance of the assembly by the rearward location of the mast/sails engine and thus of the link beam. This semi-suspension of the assembly allows for a reduction in wetted surface (already low), cancellation of pitching movements, and better operation of the sail engine.
2) SIDE AND CENTER FOILS
The relative positions of the side foils and the sail are important both for steering balance, and for adjusting the depth of the windward foil.
For steering balance, the thrust on the sail must be equal and opposite to that exerted on the windward foil, referring to a horizontal plane. The forward thrust of the sail explains the advanced position of the foils relative to the sail center. By arbitrarily placing the mast above the center of gravity of the assembly from the start of the concept, the position of the foils and thus that of the link arms is obtained. The centering is optimum.
Adjusting the depth of the windward foil is difficult to balance. The ideal corresponds to a hull immersed by twenty centimeters, avoiding ventilation of the upper part of the foil. If, in a plane perpendicular to the boat’s axis, the resultant of the thrust on the sail passes above the center of thrust on the sail, the vertical component is too strong, the foil exits, ventilates, and the boat skids. If this resultant of the foil thrust passes below the center of thrust of the sail, the foil sinks until the immersion of the float restores balance with a loss of efficiency. It’s a lesser evil… A safety margin is taken in this direction to take into account the difficulty of determining the exact position of the sail thrust center. The windward foils are calculated for an average thrust of 5,160 kg at 20 knots and 7,600 kg at 25 knots.
The foils will be slightly ahead of the center of the waterline area to counteract pitching by a slight pitch of the assembly.
These thin-profile foils (7 to 8% relative thickness) are unaffected, thanks to their particular profile design, they support very high speeds without cavitation (over 35 knots).
The stern keel, in a very rear position, supports a reverse “V” foil function with a slight lift from the rear (1.5t at 20 knots), This rear lift compensates for the pitching due to speed. Furthermore, since the boat’s horizontal hold is stabilized, the work of the foils is facilitated, the keel fin itself having an anti-drift holding function for the rear part, the side foils pushing the front middle part of the boat. At downwind speeds, the boat will be held in line and the energy usually lost by slipping will be recovered.
Finally, this keel protects the rudders from significant shocks, wrecks, and others…
3) LINK ARMS WITH HYPERLIFT EFFECT
The concept of the wing arm being to favor the lift due to the intrados in ground effect, the “nozzle” is constituted by the underside of the wing arm in wing and the water surface; the problem relating to aeronautical techniques, it is a problem of ground effect hypolift.
The goal is to determine the profile giving the best Cz, without being at the expense of drag. The height of the wing would be less than the wing chord. The main interest of the formula is the high finesse (ratio between the lift coefficient Cz and the drag coefficient Cx); the main unknown is the behavior on choppy water.
Hypothesis:
- The flow is permanent and two-dimensional (the floats, side foils, and central hull realizing infinite elongation in the first approximation), turbulent.
- The air is considered incompressible (maximum conceivable speed: UO m/s).
Increased net divergence; two possibilities:
– Increase the angle of attack.
– Increase the camber.
– install an adjustable flap according to the apparent wind.
– approach the intrados of the non-deformed net to infinity: it is the ground effect.
Indeed, the ground represents an undeformed streamline, therefore the net to infinity. In fact, the closer the ground, the less divergence downstream on the intrados. The combination of the two previous effects leads to ground effect hyperlift.
– Cz being proportional to the camber, encourages choosing as a base profile already cambered (Gottongen n° 652). The upward thrust should be around 2,500 kg with 40 knots of wind.
Aerodynamicists will proceed as follows: given the specifications which will give the desired characteristics for the profile (lift, drag, and moment coefficients), they will determine a pressure distribution on the wing taking into account the effect of the hull panel of the float. These pressure parameters constitute the data of the program which, by virtue of the laws of fluid mechanics, calculate the coordinates of the profile.
Once the exterior shapes are defined, it remains to find a way to fill the volumes, i.e., to calculate the structure according to the mechanical efforts of the righting moment. The beam will be in carbon, epoxy, and NIDA calculated by the finite element method (CEA calculations from Cadarache).
Regarding the plan geometry of the wing-arm turned forward (30° with respect to the axis), it is made necessary by the obligation to favor the efficiency of the windward profile, knowing that the most followed routes are between 22° and 44° of the apparent wind.
Furthermore, this configuration allows for maximum weight centering, a setback from waves and spray, generated at the front of the boat, and better mechanical integration
