hydroptere sailboat to set transpacific fastest speed record

hydroptere sailboat to set transpacific fastest speed recordimage © francis demange

inside the parisian workshop of french architect jean nouvel, alain thébault and his teammates jean le cam and yves parlier announced the continuation of the ocean program for ‘hydroptere’ – the fastest sailing boat in the world. over the coming weeks, the voyage will attempt to set the record of the transpacific crossing between los angeles and honolulu.

combining advanced technology and aeronautical engineering, the ‘hydroptere’ rises above the surface from buoyant thrust caused by the water’s dynamic lift. the sailboat floats five meters over the sea using ‘marine wings’ or foils, which enables the vessel to travel from 20 to 45 knots (37 to 83 km/h) in 10 seconds with reduced drag. because the foils must resist pressures twice as high as those exerted on the wings of a jet fighter, the sailboat uses composite materials for its main construction; such as carbon fibers impregnated with epoxy and associated with titanium parts. to meet the laws of hydrodynamics, the shape of the boat has been optimized to ensure a greater efficiency of the sails while minimizing air friction on the structure of the craft.

the ‘hydroptere’ rises above the surface from buoyant thrust caused by the water’s dynamic liftimage © guilain grenier

the sailboat floats five meters over the sea using ‘marine wings’ or foils, enabling the vessel to travel from 20 to 45 knots (37 to 83 km/h) in 10 secondsimage © christophe launay

to meet the laws of hydrodynamics, the shape of ‘hydroptere’ has been optimized to ensure a greater efficiency of the sailsimage © guilain grenier

the foils resists pressures twice as high as those exerted on the wings of a jet fighterimage © francis demange

video courtesy thesailingnewstv