Coolest hydrofoil in the world

Wired reports: [edited]

Most sailboats get airborne when seas are rough – and that's usually a bad thing. But l'Hydroptère (Greek for "marine wing") soars by design, rising 4 feet out of the water (the crew attains an altitude of 15 feet) thanks to three state-of-the-art hydrofoils.

The 60-foot trimaran was conceived and built using principles from both the maritime and aviation worlds to reduce drag – the velocity-killing bane of most boats. Not surprisingly, its creators have the sailing world's speed records in their sights.


L'Hydroptère recently navigated 19 miles across the English Channel in an unprecedented 34 minutes and 24 seconds – that's an average speed of 33 knots (around 38 mph). Now the boat's designers are crafting a long-distance model, l'Hydroptère Maxi, with the goal of shattering a whole new class of sailing record – circumnavigating the globe.
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