Hydroptere-61 knots(70.15mph) Peak

Thanks Doug, very interesting.

 

Hydroptere!

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Forgot to mention: "Stingray" posted the url on SA where I saw it. Got to remember part two tomorrow...

 

It's interesting that Hydroptere has reached an area where too much sail area restricts performance; hence the often seen reefed main, small headsail - they do not need draggy airfoil fighting water foils situation, equals ploughing, equals slow.
Now we are entering a period where the macho BS times, "pile on the sail area" has turned to, "how dumb can you be?" - efficiency is king now, power to fly and no more. Interesting times, eh?
And check out the leading element airfoil twist on NZilla ... times are rapidly changing.

 

When you look at their rig it would seem that the extra mast length is a drag penalty but I gather when their not foiling in very light conditions they need the extra sail area to keep going. A pipedream I know but it would be great if they could "borrow" an AC72 wing once the AC is over and done with. It would be great to see them have another crack at their short course record with one of those on the boat maybe the foils would become the new limitation and require reworking?

Not sure if this has been mentioned but this is the record they are attempting to improve on.

Transpacific crewed record/multihull, Los Angeles – Honolulu

Set on Nov-2005
Trimaran Geronimo
Olivier de Kersauson
FRA
4d 19h 31m 37s
Kts (average) 19.17

 

Doug,

In that BPT link may be an answer to a question you have asked:

"With the auto turned on and the pitch control kicking in, the helm occasionally transmits the odd sensation that someone else is also driving".

 

Hydroptere

Not sure I get it, Paul......

 

More in a later Blue Planet Times article http://blueplanettimes.com/?p=9481:

l’Hydroptere has a steering wheel on each “wing,” port and starboard. On each, there is a stick to the right of the wheel for manual pitch control. To get through an ocean crossing, however, there’s a lot to be said for automatic pitch control, which has been developed in this latest iteration of a project first modeled in 1984. Mearing explains, “The inertial unit feeds a constant stream of information to the processor, which makes calculations in real time. It’s the same system that is used in submarines and such, where you can’t tolerate delay.”

While automatic pitch control worked well on the day that I was aboard, (Vincent made what I believe was one manual pitch adjustment while I was driving.) I hear from Transpacific Yacht Club Commodore Dave Cort that, two days earlier, there had been teething issues in the form of porpoising and, um, sudden stops. I’m glad I got my ride, not Dave’s ride.

As you might imagine, it takes a strong electric motor to automatically control pitch via that very large, pivoting rudder-with-winglets. “We’re hoping the wind generator will turn out enough power to drive the shaft,” Mearing said. “It’s not as though you don’t have plenty of apparent wind on this boat, and we’re very happy with our new Air Breeze. It’s the lightest generator on the market, and it likes 25 knots.”

 

The Hydroptere team explain what they are looking for in terms of a weather window for the record attempt in this article from sail-world

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/lHydroptere-DCNS---Jacques-Vincent-talks-about-the-weather-holdup/100872

 

While the Hydroptere team await a decent weather window they have made a short passage to San Francisco to test their systems, so far so good it seems.

http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=107670

 

Hydroptere on San Fran Bay:

 

Nice one Dougls !

 

Fastest Sailboat on the planet!

Found on SA-great shots by Christophe Launay: http://sealaunay.photoshelter.com/gallery/HydroptA-re-DCNS-in-San-Francisco/G0000.5V1hnChuVo/

 

The Hydroptere DCNS team are looking to set a speed record in San Francisco while they are there. Should give the AC72's something to chase.

http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=108071

 

Not really ideal conditions for the Hydroptere crew for their speed record attempt with not enough wind for the boat to really show what it can do but they set a preliminary one mile record of 37.5knots average speed.

http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=108187

 

Its a pretty amazing boat when 37.5 knots is considered below average

DAVE