Sailing Photo of the Week - l’Hydroptère Flying all Hulls

Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, France - While 50 knots remains elusive to anything but two kite-sailors, the massive hydrofoil trimaran l’Hydroptère has just established two new sailing records while they attempt to break the 50kt barrier over 500 meters:

• an average of 42.98 knots over one nautical mile*
• an average of 46.30 knots over 500 meters*

With these two new records under their collective belt, the l’Hydroptère and crew (Alain Thébault, Jean-Mathieu Bourgeon, François Brillant, François Cazala, Damien Colegrave, Jérémie Lagarrigue, Adrien Lombard, Sébastien Stéphant and Jacques Vincent) have come that much closer to their final goal: beating the current 50.57 knot speed over 500 meters, held by Alexandre Caizergues these last few weeks.

It looks like it's only a matter of time to the crew, who set these last records in 28 knots of wind, and are still learning what the right conditions will be to push them to their goal.  “We have had good weather conditions to improve our own records, but unfortunately they have not been sufficient to take on the absolute speed record over 500 meters. What is more, the swell has forced us to rein in the boat,” said l'Hydroptère skipper Alain Thébault.

 - YP Crew exclusively for YachtPals.com

* Pending ratification by the WSSRC

Read more about Sailing Records:

• l’Hydroptère Flying Trimaran - Setting Speed Records (article, photos and videos of l’Hydroptère sailing)
• Extreme Sailing - The Speed Barrier is Broken
• l’Hydroptère (all news, photos and videos of l’Hydroptère)
• Trimarans (all news about trimarans)
• New Transatlantic Speed Record
• World Record Sail at 49.09 Knots - Windsurfing Photos and Videos
• Thomas Coville sets new Transatlantic Sailing Record on Sodeb'O
• World's Largest Racing Trimaran Sailing in France - Banque Populaire V
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