Powered by a kite, it is not flying but it has a foil pulling it down (inspiration for a Tow booggie ?)
The team was formed in October 2019 with the aim of breaking the record in 2022, with a target speed of 80 knots. As of April 2023, the speed record attempts were pushed back to 2024 and are scheduled to take place in Leucate France on the “Mondial du Vent” beach.
As of April 2024: “The first real tests are scheduled over the next few months between Leucate and Port-la-Nouvelle [south of France], before the world record attempt scheduled for early 2025”.
Leucate is the ideal place in Europe for record-breaking sailing: There’s a steady wind, plenty of sunshine and, above all, the sea is often flat, [north Tramontana]."
Call me a sceptic, but I don’t see that getting anywhere near 80kn.
They’ve already run into a whole bunch of structural hull issues and the design doesn’t look right when it runs in the water.
All the improvements to the foil will involve creating an air bubble around this major part so that there is no room for any vapour to escape. As a result, the foil will perform less well at low speed, but more at high speed. The one we want to develop is theoretically limitless. That’s the key.
The real tests start this spring.
You know what hapenned to Vestas Sailrocket 1, don’t you ?
Record setting is a type of racing.
If you’re not breaking things, you’re not racing hard enough!
Even if the budgets are totally different (8M€ for SP80, more than 150M€ for Alinghi), the Swiss have a long tradition of innovation in yachting: 3 participations and 2 victories in the America’s Cup, a foiling boat in 2024 at the 37th AC edition in Barcelona…
The SP80 was introduced to the public today 12th April at 4pm during the 5th day of the “Mondial du Vent” sail event.
