The Hydroptère is an experimental sailing hydrofoil designed by French yachtsman Alain Thébault. Her multihull hydrofoil design allows the sail-powered vessel to reach high speeds on water. The design is based on experience from a range of hydrofoil sailcraft that Thébault built in cooperation with the late Éric Tabarly since the 1990s. On October 5, 2008, she reached a record speed of 52.86 knots (97.90 km/h; 60.83 mph), however, this was over a shorter distance than the 500m necessary to qualify for an official world record. On December 21, 2008, the Hydroptère briefly reached 56.3 knots (104.3 km/h; 64.8 mph) near Fos-sur-Mer but capsized shortly thereafter.
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