L’Hydroptere`
the next stage
On 17 April during a press conference in Lausanne, on
the campus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
(EPFL), Alain Thébault and his team unveiled the drawings
of l’Hydroptère.ch. This new lab boat will be a reduced scale
trial platform for the future Hydroptère maxi that aims to set
oceanic records.
The building of the new boat will be Swiss-French, shared
between the shipyards B&B in La Trinité sur Mer, which has
already started the manufacture of the centreboard and the
cross beams and Décision SA in Ecublens, where work will
start in June (presumably after they have finished Alinghi's
giant AC multihull).
As the objective of the Hydroptère team in the medium term
is the quest for oceanic records in the Atlantic and Pacific,
followed by a circumnavigation on l’Hydroptère maxi, it was
necessary to develop a versatile platform.
Thus the design of l’Hydroptère.ch focuses on the desire to
maintain and optimise the equipment related to the boat’s
speed and behaviour 'in flight', already proven following
the years of sailing sessions on the 60ft l’Hydroptère, while
developing points such as manoevurability and light wind
performance essential for l’Hydroptère maxi to attempt
oceanic records (Atlantic and Pacific) or Jules Verne’s
Trophy around the world. The geometry of l’Hydroptère.ch is
innovative as she is a 35ft catamaran with a central structural
peak and v-shaped foils.
She will be equipped with a centreboard to sail with the
foils out of the water when conditions are not favourable
for “take-off” and no more with only one rear tail unit as on
l'Hydroptère but with two rear tail units known as rudder-
elevator. This will improve the balance in flight. The rigging
was designed so as to meet a wide range of weather
conditions.
More details from:
www.hydroptere.com The team are going to develop a 35ft prototype L’hydroptere.ch
from which the design will evolve to l’hydroptere.maxi
OSTAR –
The 36 singlehanded entrants set off from Plymouth on
25 May 2009 on their way to Newport, Rhode Island. We
wish them fair winds and kind seas. There are only two
multihulls this year: Reine Gelder sailing Light for the World
singlehanded
a Lock Crowther 40ft trimaran and Anne Caseneuve sailing
Croisières Anne Caseneuve her one off 50ft trimaran. We
across the Atlantic
hope thay have a great trip.
More details from:
www.ostar2009.co.uk
JUNE 2009 : MULTIHULL REVIEW 49
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