SP80 breaks the mythical 50-knots barrier
by SP80 13 Mar 2025 14:30 UTC
13 March 2025
SP80 breaks the mythical 50-knots barrier © Guillaume Fischer
With a new top speed of 51+ knots (95 km/h), the SP80 boat joins the exclusive group of sailboats capable of surpassing the mythical 50-knot barrier.
The team continues to make significant progress and aims to break the world sailing speed record before the summer of 2025. To achieve this, they must exceed the current 500-meter average speed record of 65.45 knots (121 km/h), set in 2012 by Paul Larsen aboard Vestas Sailrocket II.
THE 100 KM/H CHALLENGE
By surpassing 50 knots, the SP80 team has reached a key milestone. Exceeding this speed is an obstacle similar to the sound barrier in aviation. The fastest sailboats encounter an underwater physical phenomenon called cavitation. To date, only one has completely shattered this mythical threshold Vestas Sailrocket II, the current world record holder.
To get closer to their record-breaking objective, SP80 is relying on its custom designed foil, engineered to propel the boat past 100 km/h.
"This run above 50 knots allowed us to finally observe the behavior of our foil in a speed range that remains largely unexplored in the world of sailing," explains Benoît Gaudiot, kite pilot aboard the SP80 boat. "We deliberately slowed the boat down just before reaching 52 knots as a precaution, but our analysis of the data indicates that it did not encounter any major barriers. This is extremely promising for the future!
FROM 34 TO 41 KNOTS OF AVERAGE SPEED IN JUST A FEW RUNS
Beyond peak speeds, SP80 is intensely focused on optimizing trajectories and improving average speed - a crucial factor as the absolute sailing speed record is measured over 500 meters.
"The boat is now close to its full technical potential," says SP80 pilot Mayeul van den Broek. "The challenge for Benoît and I now is to sail as much as possible to master the boat's behavior from 0 to over 70 knots (130 km/h). We need to fine-tune our trajectories, improve our synchronization, and push the machine even further."
In February, SP80 achieved an average speed of 41.358 knots (76 km/h) over 500 meters, marking remarkable progress in just five days of sailing since January.
"Since the boat's relaunch at the start of 2025, the weather has not always been favorable, with winds often too light to accumulate significant sailing hours. But with each outing, we can feel itthe logistics are running smoothly, the boat wants to go faster... all we need now is more time on the water to unleash its full potential!"
TOWARDS A FIRST RECORD ATTEMPT IN SPRING 2025
With an additional 25 knots of average speed needed to surpass Paul Larsen's record, the SP80 team is aiming for its first official record attempts as early as spring 2025. They are expected to take place at its usual sailing spot in Leucate, Occitanie.
Team website: sp80.ch