In A World Full of Zooty Things, French Hydrofoil Trimaran Takes the Cake
When I started this column – and that’s what it really is, I suppose – the thought of writing about, reviewing, or otherwise discussing zooty things was foremost. And what could be zootier, I might suggest, than a French trimaran, sailing on hydrofoils at about the same velocity you speed down the local expressway?
The sport of ultra-yachting is for the uber-rich, no doubt. Cup racing is typically not for the purse, but for pride in the winning of the cup itself, the bragging rights, the special table at the club reserved for champions. Frankly, at this level of extravagance, nothing is too good for the participants and the patricians.
At an even higher level in this very limited field are the dedicated hull boats, the playboys of a playboy world. Among those are the unlimited-class catamarans and trimarans – and, in an even more rarified atmosphere, the hydrofoils. These are the true speed demons of the sailing world, reaching unparalleled speeds ripping across ocean swells.
Within this stratosphere, one particular craft is, for those involved in the sport, the most well-known of the bunch, a particular French beauty, the l'Hydroptere, http://www.hydroptere.com/_en/. It is truly a magnificent purpose-built boat of monumental numbers in every respect, from total sail area, to length, to beam, to what is in, or out, of the water at speed. And speed it does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_w3k5PuJOA&feature=related It holds the “unofficial” speed record for a wind-powered sailboat at over 61 knots, or approximately 71 mph. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRuLpZoTIoQ&feature=related This is a truly staggering number if one thinks about it for a moment: recall that this boat is gargantuan by any measure, but that it is powered by nothing other than wind, and wind alone. That monumental structure, that full crew, the huge array of electronics and oceanics, and it still flies along at expressway speeds powered by just the wind. Al Gore only wishes he had the ability to harness this kind of power.
Sadly, although this phenomenal craft among phenomenal craft showcases all that can be currently wrung out of the wind, sailboat-wise, what it can do on water does not easily translate to land-based disciplines. While the ocean may offer limitless options for mega-yachts, the same can not be said for terra firma and the vehicles that ply our roads and rails. While we can hope that some of the technology might find its way into and onto our roads and rails, we won’t, anytime soon, see ultra-sleek land yachts whisking across the Great Plains.
And that’s, frankly, too bad. What a joy it would be to rip across, say, eastern Kansas, the breeze to your back, the wind in your sails, cutting an eastward tack. For now, however, most of us mere mortals will have to allow others exploits to serve as our entry into the sport – and, for most, that’s not a bad thing.
The sport of ultra-yachting is for the uber-rich, no doubt. Cup racing is typically not for the purse, but for pride in the winning of the cup itself, the bragging rights, the special table at the club reserved for champions. Frankly, at this level of extravagance, nothing is too good for the participants and the patricians.
At an even higher level in this very limited field are the dedicated hull boats, the playboys of a playboy world. Among those are the unlimited-class catamarans and trimarans – and, in an even more rarified atmosphere, the hydrofoils. These are the true speed demons of the sailing world, reaching unparalleled speeds ripping across ocean swells.
Within this stratosphere, one particular craft is, for those involved in the sport, the most well-known of the bunch, a particular French beauty, the l'Hydroptere, http://www.hydroptere.com/_en/. It is truly a magnificent purpose-built boat of monumental numbers in every respect, from total sail area, to length, to beam, to what is in, or out, of the water at speed. And speed it does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_w3k5PuJOA&feature=related It holds the “unofficial” speed record for a wind-powered sailboat at over 61 knots, or approximately 71 mph. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRuLpZoTIoQ&feature=related This is a truly staggering number if one thinks about it for a moment: recall that this boat is gargantuan by any measure, but that it is powered by nothing other than wind, and wind alone. That monumental structure, that full crew, the huge array of electronics and oceanics, and it still flies along at expressway speeds powered by just the wind. Al Gore only wishes he had the ability to harness this kind of power.
Sadly, although this phenomenal craft among phenomenal craft showcases all that can be currently wrung out of the wind, sailboat-wise, what it can do on water does not easily translate to land-based disciplines. While the ocean may offer limitless options for mega-yachts, the same can not be said for terra firma and the vehicles that ply our roads and rails. While we can hope that some of the technology might find its way into and onto our roads and rails, we won’t, anytime soon, see ultra-sleek land yachts whisking across the Great Plains.
And that’s, frankly, too bad. What a joy it would be to rip across, say, eastern Kansas, the breeze to your back, the wind in your sails, cutting an eastward tack. For now, however, most of us mere mortals will have to allow others exploits to serve as our entry into the sport – and, for most, that’s not a bad thing.
posted by zzoott at
11:56 AM
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