L’Hydroptère Record Attempt

One of the most prestigious passage records in the sport of sailing is being challenged this week: The 60-ft foiling trimaran L’Hydroptère sprinted west from San Pedro’s Point Fermin Monday in an attempt to break the 2,215-mile L.A.-to-Honolulu record, established in 2005 by Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson and crew aboard the 110-foot trimaran Geronimo, 04d, 19h, 31m, 37s.

Aboard L’Hydroptère are Frenchmen Alain Thébault and Jacques Vincent as well as four American crew members. Although the ultra-fast tri covered 408 miles in the first 24 hours, reports yesterday noted she had not yet reached a record-smashing pace. But that could easily change. As Bay Area sailors may have observed in 2013, she is capable of traveling considerably faster than the AC72 cats that wowed spectators in America’s Cup 34. 

We should clarify that this attempt, of course, is not affiliated with next month’s Transpac race record, set on the same course in 1997 by the 86-ft maxi cat Explorer: 5d, 9h, 18m, 26s.