Speed sailing and hydrofoil sailing

A very good impression of the fastest sailboat of the 1990's

 Speed sailing record

The speed record is momentarily held by the Australian Yellow Pages endeavour. This product of some lateral thinking and quite some years of global development (I have seen a similar craft already 15 year ago in Holland). In october 1993!!! They sailed the record of an incredible 86.122 km/h (46.52kn)!!!.

It was designed by Lindsay Cunningham of C-class catamaran fame and sailed of the 500m course by Simon McKeon and Tim Daddo. The estimated dimensions of the yellow Pages endeavour are Pilot extension 8m, both other floats extend about 6m from the mast. Mastheight 11m, estimated wingarea 22m2, empty boatweight 200kg?! The sailers steer with the front hull and by winch control the sailangle. Their combined weight is estimated at 170kg The Yellow pages have been replaced bij Macquire innovations and although teh areodynamic efficiency allows it to sail a 3 times the windspeed. Teh team so far has been unluckiy in landing the speed record, which now again lies with the windsurfers. Visit their website sometime.

Swedish speed record

Thes guys are trying something completely different. The wingsailed craft is supported by a windward hydrofoil, clever. This idea has been proposed for a long time. A pity that their pictures on the website are quite unclear. There also is a little video of teh craft showing great speed, even in conditions which most speedsailors would deem completely unsuitable for speedsailing.

The windward Small main hull, leeward float.

Vecteur Vitesse.

As with many sailing projects the French have a very serious challenger for the Australians. The rigid wing catamaran leans on a leeward hydrofoil.

Statistics: empty weight 370 kg, Weight of each sail 55kg; width 8,0m Lenght 10,5m sailarea 27,89m2

Vecteur Vitess is built of a carbon fibre sandwich using NOMEX and cured at 120C.

ENSTA is a advanced technology university which curiously enough the French government is sponsoring (DGA and DCN). An example which other countries should follow!! Visit their website and see many more pictures.

Vecteur Vitesse the serious 1998 challenger already has sailed 42 kn

Objectif 100.

I know nothing about this ship except what can be seen from the photograph.s It seems to approach the ultimate speed machine very closely.

Who know's more??

MONITOR.

As with many other hydrofoils sailing enthusiasts, my keen interest started by seeing the two well know photographs of the MONITOR. She was designed and built by Mr. J.G. Baker for the US Navy over the years 1950-1956. She is reported to have sailed 38 knots. That is incredible, because it took another 25 years before another sailboat, was able to sail that fast. Imagine what a combination of Yellow pages wing-sail an the monitor type foils should be able to do!. The monitor project was US Navy funded and had amazing money available. Maybe the Navy expected to make some kind of stealth reconnaissance craft. The hydrofoils were made reportedly made from welded stainless steel, which is extremely high tech for the mid 1950's

MONITOR at speed in the late 1950's, look at mr Baker? With his hat on!!

Photograph scanned from the out of print book "Hydrofoil Sailing"; Alan Alexander, James Grogono, Donald Nigg; Juanita Kalerghi; ISBN 0 903238 00 4; 1972

Both James Grogono (a famous hydrofoil enthusiast, read his ICARUS, the boat that flies, ISBN0-229-11803-8, no website I can find) and C.A. Machaj (Aero-hydrodynamics of sailing ISBN 0-229-98652-8) and David Pelly (Faster Faster ISBN 0-688-02389-4) , describe the MONITOR.


MONITOR is of such sifgnificance to hydrofoil sailing that I have made a special webpages for her, most of what I know now presented. have a look at the movies and rememeber that this is mid 1950's!

ICARUS

This is the most sailed and sailing hydrofoil which won most records.

Click here for larger image.

James Grogono and a team of enthousiasts, started experimenting with a hydrofoil equiped Tornado as soon as the Tornado appeared. In a continual experiment they refined ICARUS.

ICARUS is the most successful conversion to hydrofoil sailing. During the pre-windsurfer speedtrials at weymouth,ICARUS has always been there and played an important role.

 ICARUS the boat that Flies;.James Grogono,

ISBN 0-229-11803-8, by ADLARD Coles lLtd, London