fastest 40 ft sailboat

Yachting World

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Ràn VII: On board the Stealth Bomber of the Fast 40+ class

• Helen Fretter
• September 17, 2019

Ràn VII is a latest generation Fast 40+ designed by Shaun Carkeek for renowned owner-driver Niklas Zennström

Hold on to your hats: Rán VII competing at Lendy Cowes Week 2018. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Some boats are the sum of their parts, but Rán VII is really the sum of the parts that aren’t there. It is characterised by a focus on reduction – less weight, less volume, less windage – which has given it a distinctive cut-out profile. The result is an intimidating design that has been ruthlessly successful on the racecourse.

The Fast 40+ fleet is still in its infancy. It was launched in 2016 to fill a gap for really high quality racing in the Solent, UK, where there hadn’t been a serious fleet of matched big boats racing regularly since the Farr 45 revival a decade ago.

But the launch of several new 40-footers – including the GP42 class, Keith Mills’ Ker 40 Invictus and the Carkeek-designed Rebellion – made it clear there was an appetite for racing that was closer than owners could get from mixed IRC Class Zero fleets.

Rán VII was pushed hard by Girls on Film during Lendy Cowes Week. Photo: Paul Wyeth

An owner-driver box rule was created and the fleet was initially made up of GP42s, Ker 40s and Carkeek 40s. Most are still racing three seasons on, after varying degrees of optimisation. Last year founding Fast 40+ owner Peter Morton custom-built Girls on Film , a fourth generation Carkeek 40 which seemed radical at the time.

Then in spring 2018  Rán VII was launched, a boat so angular it calls to mind Darth Vader or a Stealth bomber. Unlike the previous Carkeek 40s, Rán was designed from a clean slate.

“We had the opportunity to start afresh with a blank sheet of paper and relook at the whole rule,” explains designer Shaun Carkeek. “To go: OK, this is the wishlist in terms of the R&D, now that we have the time, opportunity and budget, let’s have a look at absolutely everything.”

Rán VII’s radical hull shape is certainly distinctive. Photo: Ian Roman

The newest Rán marks a step down in size for Swedish tech billionaire Niklas Zennström, who founded Skype and now runs technology investment firm Atomico. Zennström has made a habit of moving into supremely competitive classes like the TP52 and Maxi 72, building new boats, and doing well in them.

Competitive fleet

It is partly a mark of how competitive the Fast 40+ fleet is becoming that Zennström has chosen to spend his time and considerable sums of money to race in the murky waters off Southampton rather than Palma, Porto Cervo, and Key West.

The all-carbon Rán VII was the first boat to be launched out of Jason Carrington’s new yard. Carrington is a hugely experienced raceboat builder and professional sailor who builds custom projects out of the former Green Marine premises in Lymington, where Alex Thomson’s latest Hugo Boss IMOCA 60 was also built.

The angled topsides provide a hiking platform for crew when under way. Photo: James Tomlinson

Benefitting from Carrington’s technical expertise, Rán VII is a precision build. Using carbon moulds shipped over from Persico in Italy reduced the amount of fairing required. Although the Fast 40+ rule bans the use of Nomex, neither the class rules nor IRC rating system measure the quality of carbon used in construction, so Rán VII is made from higher modulus unidirectional carbon for increased stiffness and reduced weight.

While Rán VII ’s keel bulb weight is similar to the rest of the fleet, part of that weight saved allows Rán to carry a solid steel keel fin (instead of a steel strut with foam fairings). Keel bulb weight is measured under IRC, but steel fin weight is not, so this is an optimal way of distributing weight.

The most eye-catching element is her angular reverse sheer, which Carkeek says achieves several things. “It improves the stiffness of the boat, it reduces the area of the overall volume, so we are removing some weight from key areas – like in the bow. And there is an aero component, a drag reduction, and improved flow onto the sails as well.

The moulded bowsprit and pulpit stanchions. These are aerodynamically shaped to minimalise windage. Photo: James Tomlinson

“It’s been done before, you’ve seen it on IMOCA 60s and some other boats out there. So it’s not a new concept. But the challenge was to take a concept that you thought might work and turn it into a working solution.”

In practical terms it also makes the foredeck area a little smaller (and getting on board a little less dignified), and means that the jib foot can perfectly align with the camber of the foredeck to bring the foresail foot flush with the deck.

The systems and deck layout were the result of collaboration between Carkeek and Tim Powell, Zennström’s long-time project manager and skipper, using the Rán team’s experience from the TP52 and maxi fleets as well as Carkeek’s knowledge of the Fast 40+ class.

The lightweight jib car system replaces the need for tracks. Photo: James Tomlinson

Systems and structures were closely integrated. For example, rather than having jib tracks and cars, Rán VII has jib car slots, which connect to an anchor point on the floor of the boat. The car slots offer a narrow band of less than 2ft lateral adjustment, and have a slight curve to reduce the amount of vertical adjustment needed. It all adds up to a significant weight saving, although Powell admits: “it took a bit of working out”.

Spinnaker sheets are on ratchet-driven spinners that suck the sheet tails under deck. “Otherwise you end up with metres and metres of rope lying on the deck,” explains Powell. “So if you have to do two quick gybes it’s easy to suck it all away, the deck’s clean and ready to gybe straight away.”

One of the repercussions for all the string-line systems is water ingress. The Fast 40s are notoriously wet anyway, both above and below decks, and keeping the weight of water out of the boats is a challenge. Rán VII is not the only yacht to have added inflatable seals to the cockpit and foredeck hatches.

Pneumatic seals lock the hatches closed and prevent water ingress through the foredeck and main hatches. Photo: James Tomlinson

Operated by a small electric pump, the seals look like bicycle inner tubes and prevent the hatches from being opened whilst inflated, whilst locking out water from waves over the deck.

Finely balanced

Weight distribution is also key – Powell says when the boat is fully powered up downwind only the mainsheet trimmer and bowman will be in front of the helmsman. The pedestal is far aft, and can drive the spinnaker takedown system, pit winch, mainsheet, primaries or a rotary hydraulic pump.

To get the most out of her demands skill. Powell says that he was surprised by how finely balanced she is. “That’s been quite an adjustment for most people who sail on this boat as to how on the ball you’ve got to be about your mainsail twist, jib twist and sail trim, because it’s very easy to trip out. It’s the same on any boat but on this boat it’s more extreme.”

Many systems have bare through-deck fittings. The boat has to be pumped dry each day. Photo: James Tomlinson

Rán VII is indisputably very quick. She won every event in the 2018 season, although not with complete dominance – at Lendy Cowes Week Girls on Film led until the final day of the series.

Is there more to come? Powell points out that none of the Fast 40s are really worked up to the same degree as the TP52 fleet. “A lot of the TPs are doing 20 days of sailing before they even sail up to the first race,” he says. “Here we have pretty much the same sails as everybody else in the fleet and it’s just about trying to learn as much as you can from the short times you go sailing.”

Carkeek also feels it would be hard to make another performance leap. “ Rán is a very well researched boat across every area of the design. So, as the Mark V boat, it would be very difficult to improve upon.”

Conscious of avoiding an arms race, or turning the class, as one owner put it, “from a millionaires’ club into a billionaires’ club”, Carkeek and Zennström have made the moulds of Rán VII available to use free of charge for anyone wanting to build a new Fast 40+. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone takes up the offer.

Specification

LOA: 12.60m (41ft 4in) Beam: 4.20m (13ft 9in) Draught: 3.00m (9ft 10in) Weight: 3,950kg (8,708lb) Upwind sail area: 112m 2 (1,205ft 2 ) Downwind sail area: 375m 2 (4,036ft 2 ) IRC rating: 1.270 Construction: Carbon prepreg Electric propulsion system: eelpropulsion.com

Fastest Cruising Sailboats

If you're looking to buy a sailboat, getting a cruising sailboat may have crossed your mind. So, what are the fastest cruising sailboats out there?

Like everything else in life, not all sailboats are created equal. Cruising sailboats have a lot to offer if you are looking for a reliable boat that allows you to take a long getaway and is easy to navigate.

Some of the fastest cruising sailboats include the Beneteau Oceanis 30.1, which can travel at 20 knots; the Grand Soleil 34, which touches 20 knots; and the Italia 9.98, which can reach up to 40 knots. Of course, there are many other high-speed cruising sailboats that you can choose from.

If you love to cruise but still want to reach your destination fast, then a fast cruising sailboat will be your best option. After asking many sailing experts and cruising sailboat owners, we finally have the skinny on the fastest cruising sailboats.

As avid watersports enthusiasts and sailboat owners, we can help guide you through the process of choosing between some of the fastest cruising sailboats in the world.

Table of contents

‍ Fastest Cruising Sailboats

The boat you buy should be influenced by your local waters or where you plan to travel. Because many portions of the coastline are exposed to the ocean, if our coastal cruising grounds were in New England, we’d want our boat to be able to manage offshore conditions Due to the logs and debris floating about in the Pacific Northwest, we’d want a sturdy rudderpost and a shielded prop; a tall rig would be a godsend in the light airs that are common during summer. It would be pointless to buy a boat without a centerboard if I lived near the Florida Keys.

Because her cruising gear makes up lesser of the overall displacement than a bluewater liveaboard yacht, a coastal boat can be a relatively light design. However, going offshore does not require sacrificing sailing performance. The classic Valiant 40 by Bob Perry is a wonderful example. Its low displacement, strong sailing ability, and comfortable layout make it an excellent candidate for long-distance cruising; many other recent designs are the same.

Italia 9.98

Italia Yachts created the Italia 9.98 Fuoriserie, which won the ORC - C - 2015 World Championship. She is a racing yacht that may also be used for cruising. However, the design is intended to race and win, and the mast and boom are composed of carbon fiber. The interior features include two double bedrooms, two sleepers in the saloon, a kitchen, and a chart table.

The 34-foot Italia 9.98 was clearly the most striking of the five boats that made up the Performance Cruiser class in terms of pure look. The boat comes in two versions: the 34 Club, designed for cruising and is distinguished by its twin wheels, and the 34 Fuoriserie, designed for racing.

Both versions have the same interior, which is extremely welcoming and modern for cruising. A wide trimmed in a teak cutaway that can also be used as a ring frame lead to the spacious double-berth forward, which virtually beckons you to climb in and kick far back. The drop-leaf table, crossed by the keel-stepped spar, is flanked by two huge center settees.

The galley and the navigation station, located to port and starboard, are welcome surprises. The galley contains a huge fridge and a two-burner stove gimballed, while the navigation station is bigger than you could anticipate for a boat this size.

Innovative, detachable cloth lockers may be offloaded while in race mode. Cabin doors encased in metal for durability are among the many appealing touches to this vessel. There's a large double stateroom to port and a tiny double cabin to starboard. Except for some teak trim, all furnishings and fixtures are sleek, white composite constructions that appear more aeronautical than nautical. Overall, the entire design and aesthetics are very nice and contemporary.

The cockpit is roomy on the inside; the molded-in bench seats may be enlarged with specialized storage bins, which can be left at the dock for racing and reinstalled when cruising. A large lazarette locker is located aft of the beam-width traveler, which is located aft of the tiller.

The open transom gives the impression of being aboard a larger boat. The German-style double-ended mainsheet is led below deck, adding to the modern motif; sheet leads are, of course, changeable. The genuinely exceptional nonskid is molded into the deck.

The boat has an optional sprit that could be used to fly, reaching, and off-wind sails. Another version of the sprit incorporates an anchor roller; the boat we were on did not have a windlass, but one is available. It would be simple to adapt this boat from racing to cruising mode.

The Grand Soleil 34

When the Italian boatyard Grand Soleil was established in the 1970s, its first model was a 34-footer designed by Finot. It was an instant success, with over 300 units sold. It set the firm on the path to success that lasted decades, mainly with a succession of considerably bigger, more complicated racer/cruisers. The maker opted to go back to its origins with the Grand Soleil 34 for 2020, and it's a fantastic boat.

There are a few key rating criteria that racing boats compete under these days, plus a rising movement of doublehanded classes in several major regattas. Since conditions vary dramatically depending on where you plan to sail, the Grand Soleil 34 doubles as a cruiser. The need for a versatile vessel has been taken into account by Grand Soleil and is evident in its exquisite design. The Grand Soleil 34 does this by offering a variety of keel, rig, and deck options, allowing owners to tailor their boat to their specific location or events.

The shallower of the two keel choices, which is also the ideal cruising configuration, draws under 6 feet and is equipped with a lead bulb; a deeper 7-foot-2-inch foil is also available. A conventional aluminum stick or one of two alternative carbon spars are available as rig options. The boat has dual rudders and wheels, but you can alternatively have a single rudder with a tiller. The power unit on our variant was a 20 hp diesel with saildrive, which was an option. The boat design has the optional 30 hp diesel with saildrive, with a 20 hp auxiliary as standard.

The accommodations are essentially the same regardless of the performance package you choose. You still have options, though. In cruising mode, the open layout features a wide double berth in the bow, but while racing, you can remove the cushions and their base to transform the area into massive sail stowage. For competitive sailors concerned with keeping weight to a minimum, most of the oak furnishings and floors may be replaced with composite materials or even carbon.

A pair of settees flank a drop-leaf table in the middle of the boat, and there's a wide double cabin aft, to port, and a capacious head on the opposite starboard side, via which you can reach a large storage compartment beneath the cockpit seat. The great news is that there is also plenty of storage space for sailing.

Impression 45.1

The Elan Impression 45.1 now features a longer and broader cockpit, defined by dual wheels, a split cockpit table, and a folding sunbed, as inspired by the Elan GT5. A contemporary vertical transom was built, and two big cockpit storage boxes that may be furnished with a grill, sink, or refrigerator. Because of its hull design and recognizable deck saloon windows, the Impression 45.1 is light and airy. The saloon has a big settee that completely surrounds the table without blocking the path.

The galley has been moved forward to provide greater space for living and navigation. You also get solid iroko wood for the interior furniture material after months of testing because it was discovered to have the best endurance characteristics, a lovely traditional aesthetic, and an acceptable pricing point. The Elan Impression 45.1 will be offered with two cabin configurations, one for friends and family and the other for demanding charter parties.

Customers may now select between an open transom for a sportier look and a closed transom with a wide swim platform for safety and comfort. One of the more noticeable improvements is a new window, which illuminates the back cabins and adds to her instantly identifiable appearance.

It's no wonder that many would-be bluewater cruisers have this German Frers design on their wish list. The hull is well-built, featuring a sturdy masthead sloop sail plan—200-mile days are not out of the question—and the deck arrangement is ergonomically efficient. Belowdecks, no two boats are alike, thanks to the builders' willingness to experiment with layout and finish. The RS (Raised saloon) model expands on the already spacious interior. The new Hylas 56 has a similar streamlined hull. It is no wonder that its owners praise the boat's seakeeping and maneuverability.

With the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, more Lagoons than any other brand of a catamaran have crossed

the Atlantic and more 440s have participated than any other Lagoon. It's simple to understand why

this yacht is so popular among visitors visiting the tropics. The saloon, the spacious cockpit, the broad trampoline forward, and the flybridge provide plenty of opportunities for the crew to have quiet time on passage or assemble for meals and socialize in port. The 440 is not a Sportster when it comes to

sailing, but it is capable of decent trip times while keeping its crew safe and comfortable.

The Meta 50' is a strong and comfortable long-distance cruising sailing yacht. This beachable twin-keel offshore sailing yacht has a 1.80m draught, lovely sunbathing places, and a garage big enough to fit the semi-rigid tender with an outboard motor.

This enormous sailing boat has two double bedrooms in the back, a spacious saloon with an open kitchen and panoramic views, a chart table, a bathroom, and a large owner's stateroom with a dressing room and separate bathroom. In the forepeak, a skipper's cabin with an attached bathroom is also available, which is just one of the many comforts on the Meta.

The Meta 50' is constructed of ultra-resistant prestressed Strongall aluminum and may be customized to meet your exact requirements. Thanks to the ballastable dual keel system, the TurboKeels version will have performance comparable to a 3.50m draught keelboat while simultaneously reducing the list by 15-20°.

Domani introduces the S30, a one-of-a-kind sailing experience that combines sportiness, elegance, and design in a single exquisite sports boat. Less is more, and free time is valuable; that is what you get with this cruiser. The design also uses a back-to-basics approach, with fewer components and less upkeep. It's all about disconnecting from shore power and sailing away in minutes. With electronic sail propulsion, it's light and green, and its manageable size makes it easy to carry or store.

Summer in the Fjords is unlike any other, as is summer in St Tropez. Explore new beaches and seas, meet new people, and expand your sailing horizons beyond the neighborhood harbor. Isn't it true that the goal of every journey is to learn something new? It is easy to see what the brand is all about. The Domani is about Gran Turismo-style sailing: quick, exciting, and elegant.

The Beneteau Oceanis 30.1

The Beneteau Oceanis 30.1, a 31-foot-3-inch tiny yacht that was best-equipped and spec'd out as a specialized cruising boat, was also given the title of Best Performance Cruiser for 2020. But don't be fooled by her modest internal amenities; she is a lively small ship.

The sail layout emphasizes power aloft with a single-spreader fractional number rig with a square-top main. Our test boat has an optional bowsprit and a lap-streak genoa; the normal version features a self-tacking 100 percent headsail. Although dual wheels make handling straightforward, old-school men (like me) can choose a tiller.

A boarding ladder and a small fold-down boarding step are included on the transom. Also, a Facnor headsail furler is stationed alongside the Lewmar windlass on the opposite end. The overall level of attention to detail is outstanding.

The adaptability of the 30.1 was a strong selling point for the judging panel. There are four keel variations, as well as a centerboard. A tabernacle may be added to the deck-stepped mast for simple lowering and trailering to a new location or navigating waterways. It was also the most affordable option in the category, at $160,000. The benefits just kept on coming.

The forward V-berth is undoubtedly spectacular, and the deck-stepped spar described before freed up the space below, especially in the center saloon and eating area. The entire galley is to port at the foot of the companionway, and the enclosed head is to starboard, where there is also a practical tiny navigation station. A large aft double cabin may also be found to starboard. This is an ideal solution for a small family or a couple of couples.

There's plenty of natural light below deck thanks to the coachroof windows, and overhead hatches, which are supplemented by energy-efficient LED lighting. The eye-catching hull decorations grab attention, and the well-executed dodger is an excellent spot to get out of the rain.

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Jacob Collier

Born into a family of sailing enthusiasts, words like “ballast” and “jibing” were often a part of dinner conversations. These days Jacob sails a Hallberg-Rassy 44, having covered almost 6000 NM. While he’s made several voyages, his favorite one is the trip from California to Hawaii as it was his first fully independent voyage.

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Best Cruiser, 40 to 49 feet: Dufour 45e

• By Bill Springer
• Updated: December 9, 2010

Dufour 45e BOTY winner

When it came time to pick a winner in the 40-footer category, the BOTY judges had to decide between three relatively similar performance-oriented boats; two were actually built by the same company.

But when they got down to the nitty-gritty of deck layouts, accommodations space, and, in particular, sailing performance, the Dufour 45e rose to the top with ease. Unlike some boats that really made an impression on the judges at the dock, the 45e caught their attention out on the water as soon as they started taking turns at the helm. During deliberations, they all agreed that it was one of the best sailing boats they evaluated during their four days of sea trials. One judge described the helm as feeling “dreamy,” and they all appreciated the easily driven hull’s clean wake and a sail plan that’s both powerful and easy to control. The test sail illustrates this point beautifully: The judges recorded 7.5 knots of boat speed while sailing in a mere 10 knots of breeze. Judge Tim Murphy found he had no trouble trimming both the main and the jib while steering, and tacking the boat singlehanded was straightforward, thanks to the double-ended mainsheet led back to winches at the wheels. The judges noted that the jib telltales were also clearly visible to the helmsman. The wide cockpit has good backrests and brace points so the crew remains secure in a seaway. And there’s plenty of room to lounge when not working. When it’s down, the drop-down swim platform provides a wide space from which to board the boat from the water; when it’s up, it provides a secure feeling in the cockpit.

In addition to the boat’s superior sailing performance, the judges felt its stylish and functional accommodations plan could work well for a family. The saloon settees are spacious, comfortable, and also provide two long sea berths. There’s also copious stowage space in cabinets along the hull in the saloon and under all the seat cushions. The owner’s cabin forward has a good-size double bunk, an en suite head, and plenty of stowage, and the C-shaped galley has the gimbaled stove and the counter and storage space you’ll need to comfortably prepare meals during voyages of a week or longer.

**Winning Details **

• The boat’s overall sailing performance is outstanding.
• It’s easy to sail singlehanded since both the double-ended mainsheet and jib sheets lead to winches near the wheels.
• The accommodations plan is spacious and comfortable.
• More: Boat of the Year , coastal , dufour yachts , keelboat , monohull , sailboat , Sailboats
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World’s Fastest Sailboat: Quantum Leap

• By James Boyd
• Updated: June 18, 2013

Vestas SailRocket 2

Last November, in southwest Africa, a landmark moment occurred in the history of sailing when Paul Larsen pegged the outright world sailing speed record. In recent years the record was eclipsed in small increments, usually a fraction of a knot, but the Australian’s innovative Vestas SailRocket 2 flew down the 500-meter course at an average speed just over 75 mph, almost 10 knots faster than the previous record held by American kiteboarder Rob Douglas.

Tim Colman’s asymmetric Crossbow established the first 500-meter record in 1972 with a heady 26.3 knots. Windsurfers took hold of the record in 1986 and held it until 1993 when Simon McKeon’s asymmetric yacht Yellow Pages took it and held it until 2004. Windsurfers reigned again for a few years, but it was the kiteboarders who shattered the mythical 50-knot barrier in 2008. In 2009 Alain Thebault’s foiler L’Hydroptère managed 51.36 knots. But the kiteboarders quickly won it back when Douglas pushed the record to 55.65 knots.

With the latest record Larsen not only reclaimed it on behalf of “the boats,” but set a benchmark—65.45 knots to be precise—that will be hard to surpass.

Despite the stunning margin of increase, the record did not come easily. The feat was the culmination of 10 years of hard graft, fiscal uncertainty, and severe setbacks.

The Australian-born Larsen had been best known in the sailing world for his offshore adventures. He crewed on Pete Goss’s ill-fated Team Philips , then ended up sailing around the world in The Race with Tony Bullimore. He completed another lap aboard Doha 2006 , winner of the Oryx Quest.

In 2002, he and his Swedish girlfriend, Helena Darvelid, herself an accomplished offshore sailor, teamed up with English naval architect and speed sailing junkie Malcolm Barnsley.

The catalyst for the SailRocket project was the book The 40-knot Sailboat written in 1963 by American rocket scientist and yacht design visionary Bernard Smith. At a time when yachts still had long keels, Smith described the idea of a sailing vessel dubbed the “aero-hydrofoil” with neutral stability: where the heeling moment from the rig is completely offset by a foil located to windward. Smith built models to prove his concept, but it was only when the first Vestas SailRocket was launched in the spring of 2004 that his concept was proven at full scale.

Initial progress was slow. In 2005, after two seasons getting to know the platform, they replaced its softsail rig with a wing. The first trials with the boat were on Portland Harbour, close to Larsen and Darvelid’s home in Weymouth, Great Britain. In 2007, the duo decamped to Walvis Bay, Namibia, a venue with perfect characteristics that offered more opportunity to carry out runs: a gently sloping beach, regular winds, and a 1,000-meter stretch of obstruction-free water. In recent years, Namibia has taken over from The French Trench in Saintes Maries de la Mer, France, as the preferred location for breaking sailing speed records. All the speed records set by kiteboarders were done in Luderitz, Namibia, some 250 miles south of Walvis Bay.

The first big speeds came in 2007, with SailRocket hitting an instantaneous speed of 42.4 knots during one run. It was well short of the record at the time, but fast enough to prove Smith’s concept. That number also enabled Larsen and Darvelid to gain vital sponsorship from wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.

With such a groundbreaking boat, teething problems were inevitable. They were getting faster, but the boat, rather than the pilot, was still mostly in control. A significant issue was the steering. “The back of the boat looked like Edward Scissorhands,” says Larsen. “We had three rudders hanging off the back; one system was confusing the other. It was a mess.”

After nearly destroying the boat in a crash, Larsen and Darvelid, along with Barnsley and engineer George Dadd, set out to create a better steering system. With this fitted, and_ Vestas SailRocket_ rebuilt, they set off again, as Larsen says “on one of the wildest runs I’ve ever had in that boat.” The steering was better—the boat would bear away to some degree—but far from perfect. On one run, Vestas SailRocket ran onto the beach at 35 knots.

But despite the troubles controlling the boat, Larsen knew they were on the right track. After tweaking the rudder over the next few days, they did one run, in big winds and relatively rough conditions, where Larsen felt for the first time that he was in control of the beast. It was a landmark moment.

“After that run, we booked the WSSRC for the first time,” he says, referring to the World Speed Sailing Record Council, which administers and validates all sailing speed records.

While the boat continued to get faster, a more fundamental design issue became apparent. With the pilot’s seat in the rear of the main hull, trying to keep the boat pointed in the right direction was a challenge. It was, Larsen describes, “like trying to fly an arrow backwards. It would try to turn around and fly the proper way with the weight at the front and the feathers at the back, by turning laterally into the wind, or vertically if it had to.”

On one memorable occasion, Vestas SailRocket took off and performed a complete backflip, leaving Larsen upside down in the water and the boat once again in pieces. The video of this crash went viral on YouTube and has been played more than 400,000 times. But this was one of many incidents: “We had rounded up into the wind, smashed the wing, and folded up the beam at least four times before we even got to the flip,” he recalls. “Each one of those was a big crash, big repair, damaged wing, broken struts; once we got the boat going really quick, then she started to somersault.”

Amid all of this, the world record was being pushed further down the track by the kiteboarders with Douglas stealing it from the windsurfers and then Frenchman Sebastien Cattelan being the first sailor to break the 50-knot barrier. But Vestas SailRocket also made its mark. The same day as the backflip, SailRocket became the world’s fastest boat, as opposed to board, at a speed of 47.3 knots.

The following season Larsen and company realized time was running out for Vestas SailRocket . They had an unofficial run of 49.38 knots and a peak speed of 52.78 knots, but the runs were still very much do or die. Larsen endured another full backflip and a separate catastrophe when the forward beamstay broke, causing the beam to fly back into the main hull and the boat to fold up, putting the pilot in the hospital. “It went from over 47 knots to a standstill, and the beam came back at me like a cricket bat,” says Larsen. “I still rate that as the most violent crash in yachting yet.”

With Vestas SailRocket reaching the limit of its potential, the team was already deep into the design of Vestas SailRocket 2 , harnessing all the knowledge they’d learned from the first boat.

While Barnsley spearheaded the design of the first boat, the principle designer of the second was Chris Hornzee-Jones, a structural engineer and aerodynamicist, who heads the company AeroTrope and designed the wingsail for the first Vestas SailRocket .

Launched in March 2011, Vestas SailRocket 2 incorporated all the fundamental features of the first boat: a hull to windward incorporating the all-important foil, a single crossbeam, and a wingsail inclined to weather by 30 degrees. In other ways, however, it was a significant step forward. At 40 feet long by 40 feet wide, it was slightly bigger, and the hull was now more like a glider fuselage sitting on two short floats at the bow and stern, with the rudder mounted on the forward one. To leeward the wingmast sat atop a third float.

Most noticeable was that while the floats pointed in its direction of travel, the fuselage was offset to starboard by 20 degrees to point into the direction of the apparent wind in order to minimize drag at high speed. They also “reversed the arrow,” putting the cockpit in the bow of the fuselage. They enlarged the wing from 172 sq. ft. to 193 sq. ft., added a hooked section at the bottom of the wing (giving it a hockey stick profile), which acts as an endplate for the wing and also provides some control over how high the leeward float flys.

In the cockpit, in addition to the steering wheel, the controls Larsen uses during a run are the mainsheet and the control for the flap on the outboard extension of the wing. There are also controls for raising and lowering the main foil and the low-speed skeg, and controlling the wing when stationary.

During the 2011 season, the team made solid progress. Vestas SailRocket 2 proved more controllable and stable than the previous boat, and in two seasons of use it experienced none of the same catastrophes that afflicted the first boat. However, regardless of the wind speed, the new boat couldn’t surpass the low 50-knot range. By this stage, Douglas had pushed the record to 55.65 knots.

The culprit proved to be the foil, mounted on a bracket well aft on the windward side of the fuselage.

In 2011, the team trialed two foils. Both were L-shaped, one a conventional asymmetric teardrop shape—with a similar section to an IMOCA 60/Volvo 70 daggerboard—the other a ventilating foil. With the former both the low- and high-pressure sides of the foil are put to use, but when traveling at speeds approaching 60 knots the foil cavitated. This is a common problem for propellers, caused when pressure on the low-pressure side of the foil becomes so low it causes the water to vaporize, effectively detaching it from the foil. With only one side of the foil working, the performance of the foil drops suddenly, with potentially disastrous effects.

A ventilating foil with more of bullet shape (a sharp leading edge, and a blunt trailing edge) is, in hydrodynamic terms, much less efficient: Its effective working area is much reduced, and it creates more drag. However, this shape theoretically removes the cavitation issue and allows the foil to operate smoothly at speeds well in excess of those where a conventional foil starts to struggle. During the 2011 season Vestas SailRocket was mostly being sailed with this foil, only it failed to ventilate properly. In desperation the team took out the grinder and progressively shortened the foil in 6″ chunks, down from 3’3″ to 1’9″, before returning to base to consider the data.

Back in Great Britain, the team planned to build a new foil, but was unsure what exactly to build. Talking to the experts only caused more confusion. They were advised a ventilating foil shouldn’t be able to get beyond 30 knots, but they had achieved speeds in excess of 50 knots with it. So they reverted to their original concept of a ventilated foil, only a depth of around 2′ submerged and a chord of 10″ at its maximum—about 60 percent of its original area. They also fitted Cosworth data loggers to the foil to establish where cavitation or ventilation was occurring.

The eureka moment came not with the new foil on its own, but when they added a strategically placed fence to prevent ventilation in an area of the foil that shouldn’t have been ventilated. And the rest, as they say, is history. Initially they set a new record of 59.23 knots, and 10 days later Larsen managed 65.45 knots with a peak speed of 67.74 knots.

What’s it like at 60 knots? “It depends on how close I get into the beach,” says Larsen. “If I stay out of the rough stuff, it is a short, sharp, bumpy ride, like on a high speed powerboat. This thing doesn’t knife through the waves, it skips over the top of the small chop. At the back of the boat it is pretty good, just riding on a foil, it is pretty civilized. The visibility is brilliant. I have got no sunglasses or visor on. There is no spray coming into the cockpit, compared to the last boat. I only feel a little bit of spray just when I start up.”

At present there are no plans to progress with Vestas SailRocket . The point has been proven. From the heavens Bernard Smith, who passed away on Feb. 10, 2010, can smile. Larsen is adamant the concept will go faster; in theory there is nothing to stop this genre of boat from hitting 100 knots. But it will require another foil. With his offshore background Larsen is intrigued to see if the neutral stability concept can be developed for more practical applications, but only if it makes boats like the 131-foot Banque Populaire maxi tri [the outright ’round the world record holder at 45 days] look like pedestrian dinosaurs.

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