Lift-off for speed record

According to legend, when the mistral wind screams down the Rhone valley in winter, it turns people mad. Once a source of fear, the elemental force of this torrent of air flowing south to the Mediterranean, will this year be harnessed in an attempt to break the world speed sailing record.

The goal is to smash the 50 knots (58mph) barrier but, like the most famous water speed records, this exploit is not without danger or a touch of madness. One leading vessel preparing for the attempt will literally fly above the waves, risking destruction without warning.

Hydroptere is a 60ft trimaran which, on reaching a speed of about 12 knots, is designed to lift all its hulls out of the water simultaneously to reduce drag; it planes along 5m above the surface on two hydrofoils that extend at an angle down into the water from the outer stabilisers.

The ‘flying yacht’, as it has come to be known, was conceived in 1975 by a team of French aeronautical engineers, aircraft part manufacturers and sailors. Since then, with the support of a range of engineering companies and in collaboration with the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, the project has gathered record-breaking momentum.

After crossing the Channel in 34 minutes and 24 seconds in 2005, the yacht set two world speed records last year: a category record for speed over a distance of 500m with an average of 44.81 knots, and a new all-category record of 41.69 knots for the nautical mile.

Led by skipper Alain Thébault, the team has been modifying the boat in Brittany for an attempt on the absolute sailing speed record. Until earlier this month this was held by the Irish windsurfer Finian Maynard, who reached 48.7 knots on the Canal des Saintes Maries de la Mer in 2005. But on March 5, on the same canal built for the purpose, Antoine Albeau set a time of 49.09 knots, also on a sailboard.

This month final preparations were being made to transport Hydroptere down to Vieux Port, Marseille. The team has chosen a stretch of “flat” water nearby at Port Saint Louis du Rhone, where the mistral blows constantly at 30 knots-35 knots off the land, as the place where it will try to win the title of the fastest vessel on the planet and be the first to break the 50- knot barrier, a goal likened to breaking the sound barrier in yachting circles.

Hydroptere’s website proclaims: One thing is certain, 2008 is the year of the absolute sailing speed record… There are too many contenders and there is too much motivation for the record to remain at its current level. The whole community is dreaming of sailing at 50 knots.

That community includes two other contenders making serious bids for the record this year. SailRocket, a two-hulled, UK-designed boat, has been in Walvis Bay, Namibia, since the end of February, hoping to capitalise on favourable conditions, which have not yet materialised. And Macquarie Innovation, a multi-hull Australian yacht, reached top speeds of 44 knots last year and will try again this year.

Both yachts are extremely lightweight and intended solely for breaking speed records in calm waters. If either breaks the 50-knot barrier they will do so with at least one hull firmly in the water.

By comparison, Hydroptere claims to be the only yacht in the race capable of sailing at speed offshore in rough waters as well as taking part in pure speed trials. In calm waters, the team claims it has already reached speeds of more than 45 knots.