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The Hydroptère is an experimental sailing hydrofoil designed by French yachtsman Alain Thébault. Her 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 the late Eric Tabarly since the 1990s. On 2008-10-05 she reached a record speed of 52.86 knots (97.90 km/h), however this was over a shorter distance than the 500m necessary to qualify for an official world record.[1] On 2008-12-21, the Hydroptère briefly reached 61 kn, but capsized shortly thereafter.
On September 4, 2009, the Hydroptère broke the outright world record, sustaining a speed of 52.86 kn (97.90 km/h) for 500m in 30 knots of wind.[2] In November 2009, she broke the 50 knot barrier for a nautical mile with a speed of 50.17 kn (92.91 km/h) in Hyères, France.[3]
See also
References
External links
de:Hydroptère
fr:L'Hydroptère
