Ya falta menos para llegar a Mach 1
The boat that FLIES: Exhilarating images of the world's fastest yacht racing at speeds to up to
60mph
Hydroptere can reach speeds of 60mph using its giant 'wings' to lift most of its frame above the
water
Mast is 28m high - almost as tall as the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
It can reach 50mph in ten seconds and has broken world records with its aeronautic design
By Anna Edwards
PUBLISHED: 09:29 GMT, 30 April 2013 | UPDATED: 11:44 GMT, 30 April 2013
With its wings skimming across the water, this super yacht soars above the competition.
Its state-of-the-art design means the world's fastest yacht can clock an amazing 60 miles an hour -
and reach 50mph in just ten seconds.
The Hydroptere, which uses marine and aeronautic technology, relies on giant wings to almost fly
across the water.
Pictured in these gorgeous photos taken off of the French coast the yacht, which weighs 7.5 tons, it's
easy to see why the powerful boat has broken so many world records.
The super yacht is an experimental sailing hydrofoil designed by French yachtsman Alain Thibault
and in full flight only 2.5 square metres of the boat are in contact with the water.
This means that it can shoot from 20 to 45 knots (23mph to 51.5 mph) in just 10 seconds.
Named after the Greek words for water and wing (hydros and ptere) the yacht uses the same
principles as an aircraft to give it flight.
To take off, Hydroptere has 'marine wings', the foils, which are placed under each of the floats of the
trimaran.
Once the boat reaches 10 knots, these immersed 'wings' deploy at 45 degrees in the water and
generate an upward thrust which raises the boat like the wing of a plane.
Then the hull and the floats of Hydroptere fly five metres above the sea surface and as in the air, the
higher the speed, the greater the lift.
When fully extended, its carbon fibre sails and mast reach 28m high - the same height as the Christ
the Redeemer statue (minus the feet) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Over years of trial and error the designers came up with a unique shape to optimise the sail
efficiency and minimise air friction.
The boat is made strong by the use of carbon fibre impregnanted with epoxy and titanium parts.
It's overall length is 74.7ft - three times longer than the average one bedroom British flat.
It's sail area in flight measures 560 m² - much bigger than new UK one bedroom flats, which
measure on average 76m.
They also installed a hundred sensors which measure the pressures, the twisting or the speed which
is analysed in a flight simulator to make minute adjustments.