Swiss sailing team seeks new speed world record: When the sail starts flying

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Ever since the Swiss sailing yacht Alinghi became the first European ship to win the famous America’s Cup in 2003 and successfully defended it four years later, we Swiss like to call ourselves a sailing nation.

A team of around 50 people from Western Switzerland, led by three keen water sports enthusiasts Mayeul van den Broek, Benoit Gaudiot and Xavier Lepercq, now wants to underline this reputation. In their youth, the trio were inspired by the Hydroptère, a sailboat that broke the legendary speed limit of 50 knots (92 km/h) in 2009. They eventually studied mechanical engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and met at a design competition for radio-controlled boats in 2016.

We were inspired by kite sports

Three friends with the same interests, avid kitesurfer Benoit, sailor Mayeul and engineer Xavier, quickly came up with the idea of ​​a joint speed record project on water. They started the project in 2018 and equipped the kiteboards with ventilated carbon fiber blades. The first attempts were promising: Benoit managed to reach a speed of 41 knots (75.9 km/h) in the south of France. “We were confident at the time that our profile winglets offered enormous potential in combination with the kite sail,” says Xavier Lepercq. He concluded that with the help of a self-programmed simulator, a sailboat with a speed of 80 knots would be possible, in which the current speed record from 2012 (65.45 knots or 121.21 km/h) could be significantly exceeded. The SP80 project was born.

Theoretically everything was clear. Now the fastest sailing boat had to be built “only”. The first step was a scale model. Various forms of kites and super-ventilated fins have been designed and tested. After months of development and modifications to the original concept, a four-metre-tall scale model made its way to Lake Geneva for the first time in 2020. The first feeling of accomplishment.

Well-known sponsors step in

The project continues to gain momentum thanks to well-known sponsors such as Swiss watch brand Richard Mille and Munich car manufacturer BMW. The Swiss team commissioned the famous Italian shipyard Persico Marine to build the small sailboat rocket. In spring 2022, the main body with cockpit will be delivered to the SP80 workshop in Lake Geneva. The speedboat, whose shape resembles a stealth bomber, will be completed here and launched into Lake Geneva for the first time in August 2023.

This opens a new chapter for Swiss record hunters. After theory now comes the practical part. After a week of towing tests on Lake Geneva, the boat is transported to the French surfing spot of Leucate on the Mediterranean for its first kite sailing trips. The Swiss record boat SP80 is undergoing further testing here before aiming to break the current world record of 65.45 knots at 80 knots next year.

Container shipping should provide benefits

Of course, the speed record is important for the SP80 team from Western Switzerland. “But it’s not just about the record, it’s also about new technologies that make sailing more efficient,” the team explains. In fact, the experience and data gained from the record attempt under extreme conditions could ultimately help commercial shipping be less climate damaging. Kites and similar supporting vehicles are already being trialled, aiming to reduce fuel consumption in container shipping by up to 20 percent.

Three sailing-loving inventors from French-speaking Switzerland are hoping to make a successful record-breaking voyage with the SP80, but they also hope they can commercialize their idea later.

Source: Blick