hydrofoil sailboat speed record

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The Race to Break the Speed Record

• By Kimball Livingston
• Updated: October 26, 2021

If Alex Caizergues succeeds at breaking the speed sailing world record in 2022, it will be his third time around using a kite, but otherwise completely different from his first two records. Those marks—50.57 knots in 2008 and 54.10 in 2010—were set when foiling boards were continually upping the 500-meter mark, sometimes more than once a year. Caizergues’ 2010 run added 3 knots to what the famed trimaran L’Hydroptere had shown us only a year before. But all those efforts ran into cavitation trouble at about 52 knots, that point when flow over the foils boils into vapor—the point at which control vanishes. For his early records, Caizergues used a hydrofoil to lift him above the water. Now, with his Syroco team based in Marseille, France, he intends to use a hydrofoil to hold him down.

We’ll come back to that.

Nine years after Paul Larsen’s record run at 65.45 knots in Sailrocket , the French Syroco team has rivals in Switzerland following what they believe is a more conservative path. The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne is a public research facility where the speed quest caught fire with student engineers and professors, including some who helped develop L’Hydroptere back in the day. SP80 is the team name, taken from the goal of achieving 80 knots, a goal shared with Syroco. They have a kissing-cousin relationship, competition aside.

SP80 envisions hitting 80 knots with a kite pulling a surface-skimming trimaran. A subsurface superventilating foil counters the lift of the kite, and a mechanical interface aligns the forces. Syroco’s purified vision aims to put a kite in the air connected by wires to a pod also in the air carrying two “pilots.” That pod will have a single, tiny-as-possible connection to a supercavitating subsurface foil holding it down. The concept strips the speed problem to its barest fundamentals, exponentially raising the complexity of execution.

Neither concept would pass as a boat in Blue Blazerville. Both owe their origins to Bernard Smith’s book, The 40-Knot Sailboat , published in 1963 . Smith proposed a balance of opposing forces to avoid the ultimate instability that eventually and inevitably develops as power is added, and any ordinary craft will capsize. Sailrocket showed the way and validated the theory—using a canted wing, countered by a superventilating foil in the water. On November 24, 2012, with sponsorship money down to nickels and the weather window closing, Larsen clocked his 65.45-knot run at Walvis Bay, Namibia. These days, Larsen says he appreciates the respect shown by the principals of SP80 and Syroco when they call themselves “children of Sailrocket .” But when we keep this Australian-born Briton talking, we get to the part where he’s saying how the machine was packed away in a container in Namibia after just a few days of finally showing its potential, and there’s still gas in the tank and…

There’s nothing shaking right now, but don’t dismiss the current record holder, 49 years after the catamaran Crossbow set the first official 500-meter record at 26.30 knots. For bonus points, do you know how 500 meters became a standard record distance?

The simple answer: In 1972, when Crossbow was first contending at Weymouth, UK, that length fit the venue. If someone manages 80 knots in 2022, they will cover 500 meters in 12.15 seconds, a football field every 2.5 seconds.

Later, while we’re ­talking records, we’ll update the renovation of L’Hydroptere . First, let’s get up to speed on the essential terms. Supercavitation refers to a regime in which a small, highly loaded, wedge-shaped (­triangular profile) foil builds a stable vapor pocket that bypasses the limits of ­cavitation. Superventilation refers to the principle employed by Sailrocket , with a foil that encouraged ambient air pressure to travel down the entire length and span of the foil.

The SP80 team puts it this way: “A triangular profile allows air from the atmosphere to dive into the extrados side caught by the depression, forming a stable air bubble that will prevent ­cavitation inception.”

Got it? Hey, they’re engineers.

Caizergues is aiming for more than a speed record with his Syroco concept. He knows from experience that when you succeed, you’re done and, “It’s an empty feeling.” This time, he’s ambitiously building a scientific and technical company around Syroco with the aim of reducing carbon emissions in the transportation and energy sectors. Co-founder Olivier Taillard, a Mini-Transat veteran, relates: “We founded the company in 2019 and built a team of 20. That includes three Ph.D.s in physics. To date, we have created 12 innovations, with three in the market. One is a software tool now in use to maximize ­efficiency in shipping routes.”

Other developments are aimed at keeping that critical hydrofoil just barely under the surface of the water, doing its supercavitating thing. Under the rules of the World Sailing Speed Record Council, only ­mechanical systems are allowed. It can’t be computerized or fly-by-wire. To a pointed question about systems, Caizergues responds with a laugh and a cagey hint: “Because of the wire, we’ll have air coming down from the surface, so it’s going to be about managing ventilation along with employing the principles of supercavitation. Not a lot of work has been done in this area, so we’re leading the way.” Prototype testing began in summer 2021, with plans to go for the record in 2022. Alongside more sober developments aimed directly at the marketplace, the team calls this one “the moonshot.”

When these people talk to each other, they toss around stuff like “turbulent viscosity formula in the Standard K-Epsilon model.” It’s not “let it out till it luffs, then pull it in.” SP80 co-founder Mayeul van den Broek observes: “Like Sailrocket , both of the current record efforts are based on the concept of aligning opposed forces, but then you prioritize either efficiency, power or stability. Syroco chose ­efficiency as a top priority. We chose stability, which is why we are producing such a different realization of the same concept.”

The SP80 principals witnessed L’Hydroptere ’s stunning record run in 2009 and never quite got over it. Then, during a university competition to design the most efficient radio-controlled boat, they developed a hankering to try a superventilating foil on a kiteboard. When Benoit Gaudiot easily hit 41 knots, van den Broek says: “We saw that the rider was the weak link, and if we wanted to go faster, we would need a rigid link between the kite and the foil. Then, well, we might as well go for the record. We will use inflatable kites, even though a wing might be more efficient, because new-­generation kites will serve at 80 knots. We can be versatile, launching kites from 20 to 50 square meters for different conditions.”

Their superventilating foils, Gaudiot says, “will have water flowing on one side and air on the other. Sailrocket used similar superventilating foils. That is less efficient than a supercavitating foil generating vapor, but it’s a lot more stable. A superventilating foil at low speed will develop more drag than a conventional foil. At high speed, it has no limits.”

SP80′s link between airfoil and hydrofoil depends upon a module that is, “mechanical but automatic,” according to van den Broek. “It will be close to the controls of a conventional kite.” Gaudiot adds, “Having one line carry all the power allows you to know exactly where that power will be coming from, and you can advance it into the window ahead for best ­performance, like any kite.”

In theory, there is no ­heeling and no capsizing because the power of the kite is countered by the force of the foil. As with Syroco, 2022 is the target record date.

Last year, we wrote in these pages about an ambitious plan to rehab the 60-foot ­foiling trimaran L’Hydroptere and put the old girl to work as a point-to-point record hunter. Gabriel Terrasse and Chris Welsh partnered to buy the legendary campaigner, once left derelict in Hawaii. They patched it up and had it sailed to San Francisco, where it was taken apart with an intent to rebuild it better than ever. Work was well along when Welsh—who would have carried on with or without sponsorship—died suddenly, and all bets were off, save for Terrasse’s persistence.

“We’re looking for ­sponsors,” Terrasse says, “and we have engineers studying how to add ground effect to L’Hydroptere 2.0 along with new foils, a longer and lighter main hull, a wingsail, global aerodynamic optimization and much more. It was hard to lose Chris. We shared the dream. But L’Hydroptere has great potential to serve science and catalyze innovation.”

L’Hydroptere ’s 51.36-knot run in 2009 represented a last shot at setting speed records on water through pure muscle. Paul Larsen’s nine-year quest to solve the problem at a technical level culminated in that 65.45-knot run in 2012. Today the beast is still in a dark container in Namibia where Larsen packed it away. And yes, considering that Sailrocket had only a handful of runs in what turned out to be record-setting mode—fat foils, not thin foils, and according to the team’s VPP, 65 knots was a worst-case outcome; everything was structured to go 80 knots—it’s tempting to imagine putting Sailrocket 2 back on the track. What would change is the safety regime. It’s not hard to find videos online of early-­version Sailrocket 1 going aerial.

“In any future scenario, I’d want a roll cage and oxygen,” Larsen says, “and maybe I’m at a point where I’d be happy to see someone else sitting there.”

“Tell Paul he’s getting soft,” was the joking comeback from Richard Jenkins when I mentioned that to him. Jenkins holds the land-speed sailing record at 126.2 knots, which took him “only” 10 years of trying as his various iterations developed. As far as we know, no one is challenging that record today. Jenkins’ story speaks to the difficulty of these endeavors in any medium. He says: “I’m often asked if I would try to break the record again. If I had unlimited funding and built a new vehicle, based on my ­cumulative ­knowledge, it might take me five years or more, and then we’d probably see an increment of 1 or 2 percent. It takes being in the right place at the right time, with certified observers, which is hard to put together. You then have to be technically perfect, at the right moment, with virtually no testing because wind might come suddenly. It takes a great deal of time and experience—and then you shoot from the hip. I have better things to do.”

Running his company, Saildrone, for example, with which Jenkins does his own part to care for the planet by fielding autonomous surface vehicles for ocean research. Having built a kite-powered ­trimaran 20 years ago, Jenkins worries the Swiss are “barking up the wrong tree.” But technologies evolve, and 2022 bids to be a fascinating time. Of Syroco’s moonshot, Taillard says: “Half of our brain power is spent making it safe. If a foil breaks, or if it comes out of the water—which isn’t going to ­happen—all safety systems have to work perfectly.”

Caizergues, who will be in Syroco’s control pod with a co-pilot, adds: “One of the goals is to produce a craft that will be safe for me to drive. And to crash. Helmets, oxygen, padding, quick-release mechanisms for sure, and we’re not committed to air bags, but maybe.”

Syroco and SP80 intend to run in the south of France, where the Mistral roars down to the Med. It worked for L’Hydroptere , but these new efforts place ever more extreme demands upon managing the interface between air and water, which at sea level is 784 times the density of air. The world will be watching, and perhaps I speak for many when I say, “Gentlemen: May the alignments of force be with you.”

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SP80 aims to have the fastest sailboat in the world next year. See photos of the futuristic craft poised to break records.

• Company SP80 is trying to break the world record for the fastest sailboat.
• The fastest sailboat speed is currently 65.45 knots — SP80 is gunning for 80 knots, or 92 mph.
• The SP80 boat was displayed at this year's Monaco Yacht Show.

With its slender frame, white exterior, and extraterrestrial vibe, SP80 is looking to break the record for the world's fastest sailboat.

Although the SP80 boat, displayed "ready-to-sail" for the first time this year's Monaco Yacht Show , looks like it would be powered by rocket fuel, a giant kite pulls the vessel along with the wind, Laura Manon, a spokesperson for SP80, told Insider.

"We talked to hundreds of people over the week, and they were all amazed that it was a sailboat with no engine on board," Manon said of the yacht show.

Manon continued: "People in Monaco said it looked more like a submarine or an airplane, and someone even thought it was a drone!"

The French company, started by pals Mayeul van den Broek, Xavier Lepercq, and Benoit Gaudiot in 2018, hopes to use its analog tech to reach 80 knots, or 92 mph, and shatter the 65.45-knot record held by Paul Larsen and his Vestas Sailrocket 2.

Luxury watchmaker Richard Millie, known for its collaborations with Formula 1 , became SP80's title partner to support the venture.

However, despite the team's four-year investment in the project, the boat itself is still in early testing phases. The boat touched water for the first time in early August at Lake Geneva and could withstand being pulled by a speedboat at 30 knots, per a press release on the site — still a far cry from the 80 knots the team is looking to hit.

Related stories

The SP80 boat is 34 feet long, 25 feet wide, and weighs about 330 pounds, per the company's site . In the front is a cockpit for two: One pilot controls the kite, while the other steers the boat. The carbon fiber build is reinforced with Kevlar for added protection in case of a collision, and pilots are strapped down and given helmets and emergency oxygen masks.

The SP80 appears ready to blast off; however, every detail of the boat is designed to ensure it doesn't actually fly.

"At the very high speeds we are targeting, we don't want to fly but to stay really flat on water, kind of like Formula 1," Manon told Insider.

Underneath the boat is a uniquely slanted hydrofoil , built to keep the vessel in the water as the attached kite pulls it to top speeds.

"The boat has three contact points with the water: the main hull and two side floats. At the rear the power module constantly aligns the kite's ascending force, which pulls the boat up, with the foil force that pulls it down," Mayeul van den Broek, CEO of SP80, explains in the video.

As for what's next for the team, the company says the boat is headed to the south of France for further testing as they race for the world record — which they hope to attempt in 2024.

Manon said the team will attach a smaller kite, allow the pilots to start feeling comfortable with the vessel, and gradually increase the speed using larger kites. The goal, Manon said, is to first break the 65 knot record and "then to continuously accelerate until 80 knots."

Watch: The eFoil surfboard lets you fly above the water

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Laird Hamilton Sets New Hydrofoil Boarding World Speed Record

Posted: Jul 25 2012

When I accepted the invitation from Captain Jacques Vincent to go for a sail on the experimental multihull hydrofoil and speed-sailing world record holder Hydroptere, I didn’t fully realize the experience I had signed up for, but it was an epic adventure I will never forget. For those of you unfamiliar with the sport of speed sailing, Hydroptere is a one of a kind, ultra-extreme trimaran, that doesn’t ride on the water but fly’s above it on 3 giant hydrofoils. Just the kind of yacht you would expect to attract foil-boarding expert Laird Hamilton.

Extreme Athletes Attract Each Other 

This once in a lifetime chance to ride on the fastest sailboat in the world was possible because the crew of Hydroptere is currently training out of Long Beach Harbor preparing to set a new record for the fastest crossing of the Pacific Ocean. As you might expect, extreme athletes attract each other, and with a shared passion for hydrofoils, it was only natural for Laird and the Hydroptere team to hook-up.

When I got my first sight of Hydroptere, I knew that I was in for a major adrenaline rush. Just one look at the massive foils extending some twenty feet into the water under the boat, and I knew that things on this boat had the potential to get pretty crazy. Then when I saw Laird carrying his foil-board, I knew for him this had the potential to be an exceptionally adventuresome day. It was one thing to go out in heavy winds on an experimental flying sailboat, but to be towed on a foil board behind this powerful and largely unpredictable beast of a sailboat was undoubtedly going to be way extreme. It was clear, that none of the French crew knew exactly how things would turnout, but there was huge excitement about the possibility of pairing up with Laird to set a new foil-boarding world record. Up until this day, the foil-boarding record for being towed behind a sailboat was held by Alex Thomas who successfully foil-boarded behind his Open 60 Hugo Boss at almost 20 knots.

Flying Above The Water Like A Giant Waterbug

So off we went, literally. Within just seconds of hoisting the mainsail and unfurling the jib, the boat lifted above the water and took off accelerating to 40 knots in just a few seconds. Given this huge boat must weigh around 20,000 lbs., when it starts flying above the water like a giant waterbug it is a completely crazy sensation. My reaction was to just hold on with both hands and see what would happen as captain Jacques attempted to maneuver this 60 foot long by 80 foot wide maxi-yacht through the large fleet of spectators gathering around us. Fortunately, once Hydroptere lifted out of the water, every boat around us intelligently headed in the other direction.

After a brief “shake-down” in the harbor to make sure everything was working properly, the next step was to head out to sea towards Catalina Island to practice for the upcoming Pacific crossing attempt. With 5 to 7 foot waves and 20 knot winds outside the harbor, all the crew made a quick dash for foul weather gear, but without question I would have also worn a crash helmet if offered one.

The ride to Catalina was an epic sailing experience like nothing I had done before in over 20 years of ocean racing. It only took roughly 30 minutes to cross most of the channel to Catalina, and we gave the tourist a thrill as we sailed passed the high performance turbine powered Catalina Express, flying over the water at a steady 35 knots plus. Of course Laird was compelled to climb out on the bow of the boat as it periodically dove into the water to get a firsthand look at how the foils where functioning under the multihulls’ wings. You could see he was analyzing the amount of turbulence, and determining how his foil-board would react in the aerated water spraying out from behind the boat.

Go As Fast As You Want, I’ll Just Hang On Until I Crash Or Have To Let Go

After the quick practice run, Laird was convinced he could find calm enough water behind the boat to support his foil-board, so it was time for the big moment. The question for Laird was, “how fast do you want to go”. Off course in Laird’s typical unconcerned fashion he responded, “go as fast as you want, I’ll just hang on until I crash or have to let go”. Not much of a plan, but that was the plan.

It didn’t take much organizing, Laird strapped on his foil-board and jumped in behind Hydroptere. Within seconds, the boat jumped out of the water and accelerated to 22 knots, immediately setting the new world record. Captain Jacques slowed the boat and applause broke out all around. However, the question still remained how fast could Laird go if we really pushed it.

Ready For An All-Out Run

The captain swung the boat around and asked Laird if he was ready for an all-out run, Laird gave a thumbs up and off we went. Again Hydroptere jumped out of the water and hit 20 knots in no time, but instead of backing-off the crew began to push the boat closer to its limits, and within a few seconds the boat was traveling well over twenty knots. You could see the aerated water coming from Hydroptere’s huge foils was affecting Laird’s board and at any time he could possibly lose control and come crashing down. Just as the boat exceeded 32 knots Laird decided that was enough, let go and carved away from Hydroptere. Then in true Laird fashion, he launched himself off the boats’ massive wake into a full back flip while going over 40 miles an hour.

Another Day With Laird Is In The Works

With a new world speed record for hydrofoil-boarding behind a sailboat clearly established, everyone on board was excited to be in a small way involved. Ironically, Laird’s reaction to the whole event was to only focus on the next Hydroptere sailing session, promising to come back with a higher performance foil-board which would possibly be capable of handling Hydroptere’s top speed. In fact, he even had a few thoughts for how Hydroptere’s team could get a little more out of their own foils. So as the French crew waits for the right wind to propel them across the Pacific on their record setting voyage, another day with Laird is already in the works. Of course the crew must first subject themselves to a Laird Hamilton pool workout, but these extreme sailors are of course up for anything.

Written by John Wildman

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Foiling: the history of the hydrofoiler

• Matthew Sheahan
• December 9, 2021

Foiling has taken the watersports world by storm in recent years, but the history of the hydrofoiler goes back further than you might think

The biggest revolution to hit watersports in general has been foiling , and it’s easy to view the use of hydrofoils as a relatively recent phenomenon.

In truth, although foiling has really taken off (if you’ll forgive the pun) in recent years in everything from surfing to sailing, paddleboarding , and beyond, the history of the hydrofoil goes back far further than many might assume.

The world of powered foilers kicked things off early but even sail-powered foiling craft are much older than you may realise.

The history of foiling

The early development of hydrofoils started over 100 years ago when Italian Enrico Forlanini achieved 36.9 knots with his 60hp airscrew-driven boat in 1906. Several engineers took notice, among them the Wright Brothers and Alexander Graham Bell, both of whom experimented with foilborne craft.

Within a few years speeds moved briskly into the 50-knot range for power boats, but it wasn’t until 1938 that a sailing boat got up onto foils with Americans Gilruth and Carl who managed to foil at five knots. Here are some key moments:

1869 – First patent for hydrofoil was for a rowing boat, French application made by Emmanuel Denis Fargot.

First hydrofoil boat built by Enrico Forlanini

1906 – First hydrofoil boat designed and built by Enrico Forlanini. It had a ladder-type construction with multiple struts supporting multiple wings. It achieved 36.9 knots.

Alexander Graham Bell’s HD-4

1918 – Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin launched their HD-4, a five-tonne vessel powered by two liberty aircraft engines of 350hp each and reached 52 knots. The HD-4 Hydrodrome later set a new world record of 61.58 knots.

1938 – First known sailing hydrofoil was produced by Americans R. Gilruth and Bill Carl.

Gordon Baker’s Monitor

1955 – Monitor clocked at 25 knots. She was designed by Gordon Baker and built by the Baker Manufacturing Company of Evansville, Wisconsin. The US Navy shared part of the cost of construction.

In October 1956 she was recorded at 30.4 knots and was later said to have sailed close to 40 knots.

David Kelper’s Williwaw

1970 – The first hydrofoil cruiser. David Keiper’s Williwaw cruised throughout the South Pacific clocking up 20,000 miles.

1974 – Mayfly foiling cat established world record for A Class in Weymouth at 19.38 knots. In 1977 she set the bar higher at 23 knots.

Icarus, a modified foiling Tornado Photo: Claude Breton

1976 – Icarus , a modified foiling Tornado (above), set a new world record in B class at 20.70 knots. By 1985 Grogono and Fowler had raised their speed to 28.14 knots.

Offshore foiler Paul Ricard

1980 – Eric Tabarly beat the schooner Atlantic ’s transatlantic record by more than two days in offshore foiler Paul-Ricard .

1990 – Hobie Trifoiler, a twin-sail trimaran with a mainsail on each outrigger, capable of 30 knots, making it the fastest production sailboat in the world. The prototype, Longshot , was developed by Dan and Greg Ketterman with Russell Long.

1992 – Russell Long broke his own world records for the fourth time in the Trifoiler clocking 43.55 knots.

1994 – Alain Thébault’s L’Hydroptère foiling tri launched.

Techniques Avancées, a foilborne proa

1997 – Techniques Avancées , a French foilborne proa, set a new world speed record in the D class, at 42.12 knots

2005 – Rohan Veal wins the International Moth World Championship sailing a Moth class dinghy with hydrofoils fitted.

L’Hydroptère, former speed record holder. Photo: Christophe Launay

2009 – L’Hydroptère set new outright world speed record over 500m 51.36knots.

SailRocket2 clocked an unprecedented 64.45 knots

2012 – Sailrocket II broke L’Hydroptère ’s record to set new outright world record over 500m of 65.45knots.

2013 – The America’s Cup goes foiling as Oracle Team USA beat Emirates Team New Zealand both sailing foiling 72ft catamarans, the AC72s.

The G4 foiling catamaran

2015 – Gunboat launch the Gunboat G4, a foiling high performance cruising catamaran

IMOCA 60 Banque Populaire VIII, sailed by Armel Le Cléac’h wins the 2016/2017 Vendee Globe on a semi-foiling design

2016 – The Vendée Globe sees semi-foiling IMOCA 60 keelboats on the startline for the first time.

2017 – Emirates Team New Zealand win the America’s Cup in a foiling AC50 catamaran

Emirates Team New Zealand racing in the 2021 America’s Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo: ACE / Studio Borlenghi

2021 – Emirates Team New Zealand defend the 2021 America’s Cup in a brand new foiling monohull, the AC75

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Rail & marine, lift-off for speed record.

A trimaran using advanced hydrofoil technology will attempt to break the world 50-knot sailing record. George Coupe reports.

According to legend, when the mistral wind screams down the Rhone valley in winter, it turns people mad. Once a source of fear, the elemental force of this torrent of air flowing south to the Mediterranean, will this year be harnessed in an attempt to break the world speed sailing record. The goal is to smash the 50 knots (58mph) barrier but, like the most famous water speed records, this exploit is not without danger or a touch of madness. One leading vessel preparing for the attempt will literally fly above the waves, risking destruction without warning. Hydroptere is a 60ft trimaran which, on reaching a speed of about 12 knots, is designed to lift all its hulls out of the water simultaneously to reduce drag; it planes along 5m above the surface on two hydrofoils that extend at an angle down into the water from the outer stabilisers. The ‘flying yacht’, as it has come to be known, was conceived in 1975 by a team of French aeronautical engineers, aircraft part manufacturers and sailors. Since then, with the support of a range of engineering companies and in collaboration with the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, the project has gathered record-breaking momentum. After crossing the Channel in 34 minutes and 24 seconds in 2005, the yacht set two world speed records last year: a category record for speed over a distance of 500m with an average of 44.81 knots, and a new all-category record of 41.69 knots for the nautical mile. Led by skipper Alain Thébault, the team has been modifying the boat in Brittany for an attempt on the absolute sailing speed record. Until earlier this month this was held by the Irish windsurfer Finian Maynard, who reached 48.7 knots on the Canal des Saintes Maries de la Mer in 2005. But on March 5, on the same canal built for the purpose, Antoine Albeau set a time of 49.09 knots, also on a sailboard. This month final preparations were being made to transport Hydroptere down to Vieux Port, Marseille. The team has chosen a stretch of “flat” water nearby at Port Saint Louis du Rhone, where the mistral blows constantly at 30 knots-35 knots off the land, as the place where it will try to win the title of the fastest vessel on the planet and be the first to break the 50- knot barrier, a goal likened to breaking the sound barrier in yachting circles. Hydroptere’s website proclaims: One thing is certain, 2008 is the year of the absolute sailing speed record… There are too many contenders and there is too much motivation for the record to remain at its current level. The whole community is dreaming of sailing at 50 knots. That community includes two other contenders making serious bids for the record this year. SailRocket , a two-hulled, UK-designed boat, has been in Walvis Bay, Namibia, since the end of February, hoping to capitalise on favourable conditions, which have not yet materialised. And Macquarie Innovation , a multi-hull Australian yacht, reached top speeds of 44 knots last year and will try again this year. Both yachts are extremely lightweight and intended solely for breaking speed records in calm waters. If either breaks the 50-knot barrier they will do so with at least one hull firmly in the water. By comparison, Hydroptere claims to be the only yacht in the race capable of sailing at speed offshore in rough waters as well as taking part in pure speed trials. In calm waters, the team claims it has already reached speeds of more than 45 knots.

The 60ft trimaran Hydroptere is designed to lift all its hulls out of the water simultaneously to reduce drag when it reaches a speed of about 12 knots Hydroptere is not the first yacht to be equipped with hydrofoils that lift the boat out of the water. The concept dates back to before the Wright Brothers, who used booster planes to lift a catamaran clear of the waves in 1907. While there have been many attempts at the ‘flying yacht’ since, it was only with the advent of composite materials, that combine extreme lightness with extreme strength, that larger-sized boats such as Hydroptere could be built. Hydroptere remained an idea for many years, only making its first flight in 1994 as a viable prototype, nearly two decades after its inception. The boat’s foils, which produce the vertical thrust as they move through the water, could only perform if they were made from carbon and titanium composites. Conventional materials such as aluminium could withstand the extreme stresses involved in lifting the boat, but would make it too heavy to clear the water in the first place. Meanwhile, with the aid of specially developed simulation software, the geometry of the foils was conceived to limit the increase in lift so the boat stops rising and stabilises a few metres above the water. ‘As soon as the wind speed is over 11 or 12 knots l’Hydroptere works like a plane,’ said Jean-Mathieu Bourgeon, the boat’s research and development manager. ‘Her foils are like wings that generate lift as soon as she increases her speed. The floats come out of the water and the drag is reduced, which permits it to reach a very high speed. ‘At that point the boat is flying on the support of only three points, the main foils at the end of each crossing arms, and the rudder at the rear of the boat, with the horizontal foil at the end of it. This T-foil permits us to control the pitch of the boat, exactly like the rear wings of a plane.’ After setting two speed records last year, the team has decided to reconfigure the boat solely for speed to make an attempt on the 50-knot title. Much of this work was done in collaboration with EPFL. Bourgeon, who leads the joint Swiss-French design team, said they have made changes to the yacht’s rigging and sails, but most importantly the design of the hulls and foils. ‘We have worked on several points to achieve our goal,’ he said. ‘We have streamlined most of the parts of the deck and principally the arms. But we have also modified the full rig of the boat. We have a new mast and sails which are designed specially for the wind speed we need to make the record.’ This has meant shortening the mast and boom to lower the centre of sail thrust. But most important, the team has focused on optimising the boat’s hydrodynamics, its special ingredient. And at boat speeds close to 50 knots, a new challenge appears: cavitation, which occurs when the low pressure around the foils transforms water into a stream of bubbles. Bourgeon explained the problems caused by this phenomenon: ‘We first have a reduction of the lift, which could be very dangerous because it could destroy the stability of the boat, and we have an increase in the drag of the boat. This phenomenon could be considered like the sound wall was for aviation. ‘We have done important work to change our profiles in order to delay the onset of the cavitation. This modification of our foils and rudder should permit us to break the 50-knot barrier. Our new potential is even higher than 50 knots. We will see that in May.’ Onboard stress monitoring has greatly helped in the boat’s development and its capability to sail at speed in heavy seas. Bourgeon said: ‘The analysis of our measurements taught us that we could always meet stronger seas, which could break the boat even if the structure is made stronger and stronger. So in 2004 we set in place shock absorbers on our foils, and this permits us to sail in very rough seas at high speed without having to increase the strength of the boat.’ Bourgeon firmly believes boats such as Hydroptere are the future of sailing. ‘Thanks to the work of all the team and the willpower of Alain, we are now very close to our goal. More and more people recognise the values of this concept. No other project could bring such satisfaction to me. It’s so interesting to imagine solutions, to set it in place on the boat, to test it during extraordinary sailings, and then maybe to write a new line in the history of sailing.’ The collaboration with EPFL has given birth to other variants of the Hydroptere, aimed at developing a vessel capable of taking part in the great ocean races and even circumnavigation. The Hydroptere maxi, as it is known, would be larger (30m) in order to cope better with rough seas. It is being designed with the goal of slashing the round the world record from 50 days to 40. Alinghi, the America’s Cup-winning team, has reportedly shown interest in using the Hydroptere in future races.

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Hydrofoil sets world speed record

It's official. MIT's Decavitator has won a $25,000 prize as the world's fastest human-powered hydrofoil.

It was the second such prize won by MIT human-powered craft. In 1984, the Monarch B, a predecessor to the record-breaking Daedalus human-powered airplane, won a $30,000 speed prize offered by a British industrialist.

The new prize was offered by E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company for the first pedal-powered watercraft to maintain an average speed of 20 knots, or 23 miles per hour, over a measured course slightly longer than a football field.

The MIT craft never reached that speed-its best run over a 100-meter (110-yard) course was a record-setting 18.50 knots, or 21.27 mph, on the Charles River on October 27, 1991-but the contest rules stipulated that the prize was to go to the holder of the world's record at the end of 1992.

Other entries had one last chance to top that mark, and MIT had an opportunity to reach 20 knots, at a final mid-December meet in California. However, the previous record held, according to MIT Professor Mark Drela, Decavitator's pilot and the faculty advisor for the project.

Professor Drela said that a 20-knot run will be difficult in the near future. It has not been decided whether to continue the project at MIT, he said.

Some of the prize money will go to the undergraduates, graduate students and alumni who made up the Decavitator team, he said, and the remainder will go into a fund for similar projects.

Dr. Drela, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics, was a senior design engineer for Daedalus, which set several world records on a 72.44-mile flight between the Greek islands of Crete and Santorini in 1988. He also did the aerodynamic design for an unmanned lightweight plane, Perseus, built by a private company for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the purpose of taking scientific measurements in the upper atmosphere. (See Tech Talk, January 6, 1993.)

The Decavitator, whose propulsion system is similar to that of Daedalus, is powered by bicycle-type pedals that turn a rear-mounted 10-foot air propeller. As it accelerates, the boat enters its intermediate-speed configuration by lifting off its pontoons onto two hydrofoil wings about the size of yardsticks, enabling it to skim over the surface of the water. One of the wings then pivots out of the water, giving the boat its final high-speed configuration.

The 45-pound twin-hulled craft weighs about the same as an average 6-year-old child. It is made entirely of lightweight materials such as thin-walled aluminum tubing (the frame), carbon fiber (the hydrofoils), Kevlar and foam (the propeller) and Nomex/fiberglass (the pontoons).

Dacavitator's name is a pun. It's a coined antonym for cavitation, a phenomenon of hydrodynamics that creates drag on underwater propellers. The air propeller sidesteps the problem-thus, decavitation.

Dr. Drela's team came largely from the departments of aeronautics and astronautics and mechanical engineering. Sponsors included the MIT Sea Grant Program; MIT; the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity; the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics; the Charles Stark Draper Lab, Inc.; and Composite Engineering, Inc., a company owned by an MIT alumnus, Ted Van Dusen.

A version of this article appeared in the January 13, 1993 issue of MIT Tech Talk (Volume 37, Number 18).

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New electric boat record as hydrofoiling Candela C-8 crosses Baltic Sea

Hydrofoiling boat manufacturer Candela has set a new electric boat record, taking their C-8 model 150 nautical miles (172 mi / 275 km) across the Baltic Sea from Stockholm, Sweden to Åland, Finland. It is the first time an all-electric boat has crossed the Baltic, and the team took the record one step further by returning to Stockholm the same day.

“The aim was to demonstrate that zero-emission sea travel is not only possible today, but that foiling electric ships and boats are so much cheaper to operate than fossil-fuelled vessels,” said Gustav Hasselskog, CEO and founder of Candela. The proof is in the crossing: the Candela C-8 had 85% lower costs than a fossil-fuel-powered boat.

Fossil fuel chase boat had range anxiety

It wasn’t just 15 times cheaper than gas/petrol, there was also less range anxiety, continued Hasselskog, “We did have anxiety, but not for the Candela. The irony is that the photographer’s gasoline-powered chase boat had to refuel six times during the trip, while we only charged three times!”

The record trip was made Thursday, September 12 in the latest version of the Candela C-8, equipped with a Polestar battery. The trip was made mostly with the existing charging infrastructure, and in partnership with Kempower, a charging solutions provider.

Starting out at 6 a.m. from the Stockholm Frihamn port authority in Candela’s hometown, they made a charging stop in Kapellskär – roughly the halfway point of the journey – and reached Mariehamn, the capital and largest town of the Åland Islands, an autonomous region of Finland, at lunchtime.

Kempower has been working with various charging companies like Aqua superPower and utilities like Norways’s Plug Power to provide high speed marine charging stations in Nordic countries.

Check out the Plugboats map of high speed chargers.

The Baltic trip was made mostly with the existing, non-high speed charging infrastructure. In Kapellskär, the Candela charged with a Kempower Movable Charger, a 40-kW wheeled charger connected to the existing power grid at the harbour.

In Finland the boat was plugged into the marina’s standard three-phase outlet, which took a few hours while the team met with local officials and refuelled themselves. In the evening at 6 p.m., the hydrofoiling speedboat started flying back to Sweden, topped up in Kapellskär and returned home in dense fog at 11.30 p.m.

Not Candela’s first electric boat record 

“Kempower is proud to contribute to the electrification of boating and help create greener waterways. Electric boats combined with hydrofoiling offer the best possible efficiency. Kempower’s DC fast charging solutions are ideal for electric boating, and our Kempower Movable Charger is a plug-and-play solution that integrates seamlessly with the electrical grids already available in many marinas,” says Antti Vuola, Director, Market Segments, Kempower.

This isn’t the first time Candela has set distance and endurance records and challenged preconceptions about electric boats. About a year ago they covered 420 nautical miles in 24 hours. That is approximately the distance between London and Amsterdam but it was done going back and forth between two points in Stockholm 40 nm apart.

In that case the power did not come from the onshore grid, but from a Voltpack mobile battery storage system by Northvolt, which is owned by Volvo and Swedish EV maker Polestar. The 281 kWh battery packs are about 250 x 170 x 90 cm (4′ x 8′ x 3′) and were coupled with a DC charging station from Plug. The idea was to showcase how DC charging networks for boats could work in archipelagos and remote coastal areas.

Read about the 420 mile thing

The Voltari 260 electric boat actually went further on a single charge than the C-8 did in this trip, but that was at a speed of 4.4 kt (5 mph / 8kmh) when it did the 79 nm (91 mi / 145 km)  journey from Key Largo, Florida to Bimini, Bahamas in 19 hours.

The Voltari is standard planing boat where the boat has to constantly overcome the resistance and friction of the hull against the water, while Candela’s hydrofoiling technology lifts the boat above the water, enabling it to achieve both speed and distance. This ability is one of the reasons the C-8 won the  2022 Gustave Trouvé Electric Boat Awards  in the Up to 8 Meter/26 Feet category.

Massive cost reductions for sea transport

Hydrofoiling is a great advantage for pleasure boats, but it also enables massive cost reductions for sea transport, which was proven on the Baltic Sea ride when the electric costs were tallied up. The similar size gasoline-powered chase boat on the trip had to pay 750€ ($835 US) to fuel up, while the Candela C-8 consumed 213 kWh of electricity, at a cost of about 45€ ($50).

That’s makes a huge difference for public transport boats that are operating constantly, and governments around the globe are adopting Candela’s 30 passenger P-12 electric hydrofoiling ferry.

This fall the P-12 will begin operating on the Ekerö-Stockholm City Hall route, where it is expected to not only save money but also halve travel times as its minimal wake allows it to travel in the inner city where standard ferries have to slow down dramatically to adhere to no-wake zones.

In Berlin, private operator Reederei Riedel has purchased a P-12 that will connect the East Side Gallery, near Ostbahnhof, with the cultural hub Funkhaus. Candela also recently announced a deal to electrify the water transport network in Saudi Arabia’s giant NEOM project, as well as ferries sold to a protected national park in New Zealand.

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