Season 3 of the Gitana Team's documentary series

Maxi Edmond de Rothschild © Eloi Stichelbaut / polaRYSE / GITANA S.A

Already, a year has passed since the resounding victory posted off Brest by Charles Caudrelier and the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild in the Arkea Ultim Challenge - Brest.

At the end of an epic voyage stretching across nearly 29,000 miles upon the planet's largest oceans, the sailor, having just turned fifty, becomes a trailblazer: the first solo sailor to race around the world aboard a flying multihull. Season 3 of the Gitana Team's documentary series 'Flying Offshore' gives viewers the low-down on this 50-day epic and enables us to get up close and personal with Charles Caudrelier and his team throughout the adventure.

Announced several weeks ago, the sale of Gitana 17 to Team Actual completed on Tuesday. Indeed, the members of shore crew handed over the five-arrow giant to a location just a stone's throw from their base, definitively entrusting her care to Anthony Marchand and his men. Full circle: Gitana 17 will be adorned in her new livery just a few metres from her successor, Gitana 18, currently in build at CDK Technologies in Lorient. And so as one chapter closes, with its share of emotion, the next, which is set to be just as exciting as the last, is already well under way.

Flying Offshore, season 3

Flying Offshore is the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild's signature from the moment she comes into the world on 17 July 2017. Indeed, upon the launch of the project, the aim of Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild and the Gitana Team is to build and fine-tune the first offshore flying maxi-trimaran capable of pulling off the incredible technological challenge of circumnavigating the globe. Naturally, this label becomes the obvious choice to encapsulate Gitana Team's documentary series.

A 3rd opus at the heart of the Arkea Ultim Challenge!

Flying Offshore is back and for season 3, the concluding sequel given that Gitana 17 is inextricably linked to the series, the action spans seasons 2023 and 2024, culminating with the Arkea Ultim Challenge. From the preparations for this pioneering race, which prove more turbulent than one might wish, to the 50 days at sea punctuated by almost daily technical issues and unforgettable moments like rounding Cape Horn, a first for a flying boat, to a delayed consecration in Brest due to the weather giving our solo sailors a hard time... This final season is opening the doors to Gitana Team even wider, inviting us to navigate the thrills and tribulations of offshore racing.

Episode 1: a date with history

On 7 January 2024, in a new first in the history of offshore racing, a solo round the world race reserved for ULTIMs sets sail from Brest: the Arkea Ultim Challenge! It's a radical departure from the norm and the most demanding, full-on, solo sailing adventure imaginable.

Six pioneers take the start, five of them at the helm of a giant 32-metre flying maxi-trimaran. Charles Caudrelier is the race favourite in this top-flight line-up.

Despite a third place in the Transat Jacques Vabre a few months earlier, the sailor clearly ranks among the main contenders for victory. A solo round the world rookie, Charles does boast a wealth of experience of crewed circumnavigations of the globe thanks to his three participations in the Volvo Ocean Race. He also benefits from a very polished and reliable machine thanks to years of meticulous tweaking, which remains a reference having carved out a unique track record since her launch.

Beyond the racing aspect which this born competitor inevitably craves, Charles Caudrelier dreams of a planetary adventure.

In this first chapter of season 3, the skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild shares with us his doubts and the pitfalls that marked his preparation for this round the world on both a sporting and personal level. He also harnesses his joy and his eagerness to single-handedly helm Gitana 17 around this planetary Ultim course: the three main legendary capes, the Southern Ocean and over 24,000 nautical miles ahead of their bows.

We also get to discover the mighty technical challenge undertaken by the members of Gitana Team, who had just two months to turn the Maxi around following a major transatlantic race and the start of the solo round the world. With all the team stepping up to the plate to miraculously make it happen, this feat is all the more impressive when you consider the technical complexity of a prototype like the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild.

Episode 2: Duelling down the Atlantic

From the first few hours out on the racetrack the sailors set an impressive pace. One and all agree that the start of this circumnavigation of the globe is more reminiscent of a transatlantic sprint than a long-haul bluewater passage around the planet. Everyone is keen to make an impression and despite the fluky conditions, which call for long hours at the helm and the utmost vigilance from the solo sailors, the giants lengthen their stride and devour the initial miles at high speed in a tightly bunched group. It's game on in this planetary match and it promises to be a breathtaking ride.

This second episode of season 3 retraces the first quarter of the Arkea Ultim Challenge. During these first days of racing, Charles Caudrelier could have seen his dreams of a solo round the world come to an abrupt halt due to material damage. However, using the utmost discretion so as not to alert his rivals and guided by the members of Gitana's shore crew, he demonstrates his talents as a DIY laminator; essential qualities for such a mission, where adaptation and autonomy are part of the daily routine for these extraordinary athletes.

We'll also get the chance to discover the thrilling duel between the skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild and Tom Laperche in this descent of the Atlantic. Indeed, the youngest contender in the event proved to be a formidable adversary from Brest down to the Roaring Forties. Though his race is sadly cut short in South Africa, there is no doubt that he spiced up proceedings and fired up Charles Caudrelier's instinct as a racer and competitor. The sailor on the Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue is the expert witness in this second chapter.

Episode 3: Part of a chain reaction

Monitoring progress from land 24/7 during single-handed races, Gitana's shore crew anticipates and keeps a close eye on any potential problems that Charles Caudrelier may encounter along the way. What is less well known though is that another cell, in charge of weather routing, also has its finger on the pulse of any developments and on-board data in order to help the skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild plot the best possible course according to the vagaries of the weather. Prohibited during crewed races, this valuable tool is generally permitted in solo sailing, essentially for safety reasons.

This third episode explores behind the scenes of the work of Erwan Israël, Benjamin Schwartz and Julien Villion; a trio who are as integral to daily performance as they are to the end result. Throughout Charles' fifty days out on the racetrack, these experts in weather analysis work out of a house rented for the occasion close to Gitana's base so that they can work at the same rhythm as the skipper. Akin to a crew, they effectively take it in turns to be on watch to support him throughout his circumnavigation of the globe.

Venturing beyond the stories of trajectories and the expert negotiation of weather systems, this third episode allows us to probe a little deeper into the personality of Charles Caudrelier, a hard-working sailor who is very demanding and hard on himself at the helm of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. It also shows us how vital the trusting relationship forged between the routing team and the sailor is to the success of the project. Behind any individual sporting achievement there is always a collective success, a fact brilliantly highlighted by this dive into the routing cell, a key component in this chain reaction.