Hydroptère

Hydroptère is a French experimental sailing hydrofoil trimaran imagined by the yachtman Éric Tabarly. The Hydroptère project was managed by Alain Thébault, the design done by naval architects VPLP design[1] and the manufacturing by a group of French high-tech companies. Its multihull hydrofoil design allows the sail-powered vessel to reach high speeds on water. The design is based on experience from a range of hydrofoil sailcraft that Thébault built in cooperation with Éric Tabarly since the 1980s. On 5 October 2008 she reached a record speed of 52.86 knots (97.90 km/h; 60.83 mph), however this was over a shorter distance than the 500m necessary to qualify for an official world record.[2] On 21 December 2008, the Hydroptère briefly reached 56.3 knots (104.3 km/h; 64.8 mph)[3] near Fos-sur-Mer, but capsized and turtled shortly thereafter.[4][5]

Launching Hydroptère

Hydroptère
Experimental sailing craft Hydroptère
Designer(s)VPLP design
Launched1994
Owner(s)Chris Welsh & Gabriel Terrasse
Specifications
Length60ft
Beam74ft

On 4 September 2009, the Hydroptère broke the outright world record, sustaining a speed of 52.86 knots (97.90 km/h; 60.83 mph) for 500 m (1,600 ft) in 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) of wind.[6] In November 2009, she broke the 50-knot (93 km/h; 58 mph) barrier for a nautical mile with a speed of 50.17 knots (92.91 km/h; 57.73 mph) in Hyères, France.[7]

Abandonment and sale

During July 2015, the Hydroptère sailed 2215 nautical miles from Los Angeles to Honolulu and docked in Kewalo Harbor.[8] On 15 March 2016 the Harbor Master posted an "Abandoned Vessel" notice on the Hydroptère[9] which was subsequently sold at auction.[10][11] In June 2019, L'Hydroptère was bought by Chris Welsh (USA) and Gabriel Terrasse (FRA).[12][13] In November 2019, l'Hydroptère was sailed from Honolulu, Hawaii to San Francisco, California by professional sailor Mike Price and a delivery crew so that she could undergo an extensive re-fit.[14]

See also

References
  1. "Projects - VPLP Design".
  2. Matthew, Campbell (12 November 2008). "Flying yacht in battle to crack 50-knot barrier". The Times. London.
  3. Though it was first announced that the ship reached 61 kn: "Pointe de l'Hydroptère à 61 noeuds". YouTube (in French). Archived from the original on 14 July 2012.
  4. "Les données officielles ont été récupérées". L'Hydroptère (in French). 14 January 2009. Archived from the original on 8 October 2010.
  5. "Hydroptere: 61 knots and huge crash with 35-38 knots, gusts over 45". Catamaran Racing. 22 December 2008. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  6. "WSSR Newsletter No 177. Hydroptere World Records. 23 September 2009". Sail Speed Records. World Sailing Speed Record Council. 23 September 2009.
  7. "Nautical Mile Records". Sail Speed Records. World Sailing Speed Record Council. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  8. "Finesse Sponsored Hydroptère Arrives in Honolulu".
  9. "Sailing Anarchy Forum post: Hydroptere abandoned - Available for $20,000".
  10. L'Hydroptère sold
  11. "L'hydroptère abandonné, vendu 20.000$". Course au Large (in French). 15 April 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  12. "L'Hydroptere Le Phoenix". L'Hydroptere 2.0 official website. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  13. "it lives!". Sailing Anarchy. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  14. "you say you want a revolution?". Sailing Anarchy. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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