The Hydroptere crew arrived safely in the USA
Alain Thébault and the Hydroptere team would like to thank the teams who have helped with the launch
Alain Thébault and Hydroptere will conquer the Pacific
Stopover of Alain Thébault in Tokyo
Hydroptere is back to the study table
The search for partners is open
Lanson champagne strengthen their partnership with Hydroptère
Tuesday 24th July 2012
First flight in Los Angeles
On Friday afternoon, Hydroptere carried out her first sea trials in the United States. The flying trimaran initially put in some tacks offshore of Long Beach before heading towards Catalina Island. It proved to be a gentle first outing in perfect weather conditions.
Jacques Vincent, co-skipper of Hydroptere, Luc Alphand, the latest member of the team, and the programme’s four technicians, François Cazala, Warren Fitzgerald, Jeff Mearing and Pierre Tocny, were able to put the flying trimaran through her paces on the water on Sunday in her definitive record configuration.Having set off from Gladstone’s pontoon in Rainbow Harbor Marina at around 1300 hours local time, the team on Hydroptere enjoyed a great day on the water, with 15 to 20 knots of breeze over the course of their first American sea trial.
On the programme, the six men aboard began by testing the various configurations of the new sail plan. On the boat’s stern section, a wind generator has been fitted to the mainsail traveller with the aim of providing additional power to the crew during the record attempt.
After this first series of operations, the fastest sailboat on the planet set a course for Catalina Island and the bulk of the afternoon was devoted to trialling the servo-control of the aft stabiliser. Developed by’ engineers, this system, a pioneer in its own way, enables the trim of the flying trimaran to be controlled more responsively, particularly in heavy seas.
The new carbon skeg (the part which supports the stabiliser on the boat’s aft section), which was dry-fitted a few days ago, is working perfectly. It replaces a previous heavier version, which was made of aluminium.“We’re going to be able to continue with our sea trials whilst we wait for a weather window to take shape. We’re satisfied with this initial outing and everyone worked well. The servo-control of the lift surface, a modification introduced with, could be a major turning point in the improvements to the boat. We’re starting from scratch here so we’re moving forward a step at a time, but the initial results are very encouraging”, concludes François Cazala, the boat’s technical manager.
The technical team also tested its new onboard desalinator, which is a symbol of the flying trimaran’s transition to offshore racing.
NB: no favourable weather window appears to be shaping up within the next week at least
Jacques Vincent, co-skipper of Hydroptere, Luc Alphand, the latest member of the team, and the programme’s four technicians, François Cazala, Warren Fitzgerald, Jeff Mearing and Pierre Tocny, were able to put the flying trimaran through her paces on the water on Sunday in her definitive record configuration.Having set off from Gladstone’s pontoon in Rainbow Harbor Marina at around 1300 hours local time, the team on Hydroptere enjoyed a great day on the water, with 15 to 20 knots of breeze over the course of their first American sea trial.
On the programme, the six men aboard began by testing the various configurations of the new sail plan. On the boat’s stern section, a wind generator has been fitted to the mainsail traveller with the aim of providing additional power to the crew during the record attempt.
After this first series of operations, the fastest sailboat on the planet set a course for Catalina Island and the bulk of the afternoon was devoted to trialling the servo-control of the aft stabiliser. Developed by’ engineers, this system, a pioneer in its own way, enables the trim of the flying trimaran to be controlled more responsively, particularly in heavy seas.
The new carbon skeg (the part which supports the stabiliser on the boat’s aft section), which was dry-fitted a few days ago, is working perfectly. It replaces a previous heavier version, which was made of aluminium.“We’re going to be able to continue with our sea trials whilst we wait for a weather window to take shape. We’re satisfied with this initial outing and everyone worked well. The servo-control of the lift surface, a modification introduced with, could be a major turning point in the improvements to the boat. We’re starting from scratch here so we’re moving forward a step at a time, but the initial results are very encouraging”, concludes François Cazala, the boat’s technical manager.
The technical team also tested its new onboard desalinator, which is a symbol of the flying trimaran’s transition to offshore racing.
NB: no favourable weather window appears to be shaping up within the next week at least
L'HYDROPTÈRE at full speed in the long beach bay - COPYRIGHT T. LESAGE
JEFF MEARING, FRANÇOIS CAZALA, JACQUES VINCENT ET PIERRE TOCNY in command - COPYRIGHT T. LESAGE
JEFF MEARING, JACQUES VINCENT, WARREN FITZGERALD ET LUC ALPHAND went 30 knots for their first run - COPYRIGHT T. LESAGE
