From Superinnovators 04/07/24
The SP80 project, led by a team of Swiss engineers and sailing enthusiasts, aims to break the world sailing speed record using a kite-powered boat.
Last week, the team resumed testing in Leucate, South of France, following extensive modifications to their boat which resembles the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, only on water.
Initial tests began in autumn 2023, in the designated record spot 10 nautical miles (18 km) away from the harbour.
The SP80 achieved a speed of 5.2 knots using a 12m² kite in 15-20 knots of wind, before transitioning to a 25m² kite in February.
Now, the team are back at sea with their updated boat and progressing towards deploying a giant custom-made 55m² kite.
This size kite is anticipated to unlock speeds of 80 knots (150 km/h), surpassing the current record of 65.45 knots set in 2012.
In contrast to the SP80, this was chalked up in a single-sail vessel: the Vestas Sailrocket II.
The Sailrocket’s V-shaped hull is almost as wacky as the SP80’s thunderbird-esque body, the latter constructed by the Italian shipyard Persico Marine – 7 metres long and 6 metres wide.
It’s made entirely from Carbon TPT, a material supplied by Swiss company North Thin Ply Technology.
This material uses very thin sheets of fibres impregnated with a special resin, aligning the fibres in a specific direction for enhanced strength and lightness.
Last August, the carbon fibre hull was first launched on Lake Geneva.
This debut outing saw the boat towed by another boat instead of a kite, allowing the company to assess the hull’s performance over 30 knots.
After 7 years of development, this event signalled the transition from concept to practical application.
The co-founders, Xavier, Benoît, and Mayeul, came up with the idea in 2016 after meeting while studying mechanical engineering at EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne).
They officially unveiled the SP80 project in October 2019, along with a miniature mock-up.
Today, SP80 is a 40-strong company with EPFL as R&D partner and watchmakers Richard Mille and BMW Switzerland among their sponsors.
Looking ahead, the team will continue to optimise the boat’s performance in Leucate, though they remain tight-lipped about current speed performance.
They plan to gradually increase the kite size over the coming months, aiming to make a world record attempt later this year.
