L'Hydroptere Bound for the West Coast?

[Photoboy]

Not sure what the excitement is all about....

Although we haven't been able to confirm it as of this writing, we have very good reason to believe that Alain Thébault's 65-ft record-breaking foiling trimaran L'Hydroptère will be lining up with the already impressive fleet in this year's TransPac sometime around July 4. Until American Rob Douglas took back the record for the kiters last year, the foiling trimaran held the speed record over a 500-meter course at 51.36 knots. While the conditions on a TransPac course might not be ideal enough to replicate those kinds of speeds, L'Hydroptère nontheless represents a significant threat to one of the softer records in West Coast sailing: the 5d, 9h, 18m, 26s mark for multihulls set in the '97 race by Bruno Peyron's Explorer.

We've been wondering when the attention that an America's Cup on the Bay brings to the region would translate into attracting noteworthy international racing programs outside the Cup. If the rumor mill has it correct, that might just be now! Normally we try to confirm these things before blasting them out there, but this tidbit got us so excited that we couldn't restrain ourselves.

The rumor doesn't seem like too much of a stretch, given that Thébault and his team have been working on plans to build a G-Class foiler to set the Jules Verne record — they've already built a half-size prototype. The TransPac, a comparatively benign race course, would make for a good testing ground. Also factor in that Thébault was a protégé of the late Eric Tabarly — who sailed his 72-ft trimaran Pen Duick IV to line honors in the '71 TransPac — and the idea seems even more plausible.

The boat will reportedly spend some time in the Bay after the TransPac. And while we wonder how it would fare in a lighter-air TransPac, we do think that it would be a good candidate to wrest the Ronstan Bridge to Bridge Race record from the boardsailors!

- latitude / rg

http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/...2-17&dayid=544


Registered entrants in Transpac thus far:



1. Frank Atkinson Different Drummer usa42404 Monohull Cape Bay Yachts / Fast 40 Coconut Grove Sailing Club
2. Doug Baker Magnitude 80 46469 Monohull Dencho Marine / Andrews 80 Long Beach Yacht Club
3. Santiago Becerra Espiritu Santi A57 Multihull Alwoplast / Atlantic 57 none yet
4. Lorenzo Berho Peligroso 55555 Monohull Dencho / Kernan 70 San Diego Yacht Club
5. Louis Bianco Artemis 97703 Monohull Westerly / Andrews 53 Sloop Tavern Yacht Club
6. Gib Black Chasch Mer 8929 Monohull Bill Lee Yachts / Santa Cruz 50 Waikiki Yacht Club
7. Hill Blackett, III California Condor USA 94 Monohull Berkeley Marine Center / Class 40 Richmond Yacht Club
8. Ricardo Brockmann Vincitore MEX 52001 Monohull Davie Norris / Reichel Pugh 52 Acapulco Yacht Club
9. Charles Browning Bebe CAY130 Monohull J Boats / J-130 Santa Barbara Yacht Club
10. Paul Casanova Flaca 18081 Monohull Bill Lee Yachts / Santa Cruz 50 South Bay Yacht Racing Club
11. Richard Clarke O CANADA CAN 60 Monohull Spirit of Canada Ocean Challen / Open 60 Royal Victoria Yacht Club
12. Greg Constable Narrow Escape CAN 69102 Monohull Cape Bay Yachts / Fast 40 Nanaimo Yacht Club
13. Andy Costello Double Trouble 93204 Monohull J Boats / J-125 Corinthian Yacht Club
14. Charles-Etienne DEVANNEAUX NAOS two FRA-40 Monohull Beneteau / First 40 California Yacht Club
15. Will Durant Relentless 46052 Monohull Santa Cruz Yachts / Santa Cruz 52 Long Beach Yacht Club
16. Paul Edwards, M.D. Wind Dancer 97871 Aloha Catalina Yachts / Catalina 42 Mark I Ventura Yacht Club
17. Hap Fauth Bella Mente USA 45 Monohull New England Boatworks / Reichel/Pugh Mini Maxi New York Yacht Club
18. Ed Feo Locomotion 46860 Monohull Westerly / Andrews 45 Long Beach Yacht Club
19. Peter Fray Relentless 60171 Monohull Jeaneau / Sunfast 3200 MORF
20. Tim Fuller Resolute 51517 Monohull J Boats / J-125 San Diego Yacht Club
21. Simon Garland Peregrine 77696 Monohull Coast Catamaran / Hobie 33 San Diego Yacht Club
22. William Guilfoyle Prevail USA 28725 Monohull Santa Cruz Yachts / Santa Cruz 52 Santa Barbara Yacht Club
23. William Helvestine Deception 97263 Monohull Bill Lee Yachts / Santa Cruz 50 St Francis Yacht Club
24. Geoff Hill Strewth GBR5211L Monohull JimDonovan/Emel Boat Works / Transpac 52 Royal Hong Kong YC
25. Tom Holthus Bad Pak 56203 Monohull J Boats / J/145 San Diego Yacht Club
26. Ichiro Iraha Jazz JPN6472 Monohull J Boats / J-145 JSAF
27. Seiji Kawakami DONNA J JPN6529 Monohull Seahorse / S-40 JSAF
28. Robert Lane Medicine Man 97777 Monohull Dencho / Andrews 63 Long Beach Yacht Club
29. Michael Lawler Traveler 7315 Aloha North Wind / Northwind 47 Transpacific Yacht Club
30. Richard Mainland Paddy Wagon 69348 Monohull Nautec / Ross 40 California Yacht Club
31. Akio Matsumoto Petite JPN6520 Monohull X Yachts / X-41 JSAF
32. Daniel Matthieu Black Watch 39150 Monohull C&C / C&C 39 International Yacht Club
33. William McClure Pyewacket 4 Monohull Bill Lee Yachts / Santa Cruz 70 Los Angeles Yacht Club
34. James McDowell Grand Illusion USA97 Monohull Bill Lee Yachts / Santa Cruz 70 Waikiki Yacht Club
35. Jim Morgan Allure 77890 Monohull Bill Lee Yachts / Santa Cruz 50 Los Angeles Yacht Club
36. Manouch Moshayedi Rio Usa2121 Monohull Green marine / Transpac 52 Scuttlebutt
37. Yoshihiko Murase Bengal 7 JPN6308 Monohull Cookson Boats / New Zealand / Ohashi46 Laguna Marina Yacht Club
38. Craig L Reynolds Bolt 87299 Monohull / Nelson Marek 55 Balboa Yacht Club
39. Laura Schlessinger Katana 60206 Monohull Westerly / custom Pierpont Bay Yacht Club
40. Chris Slagerman Cheetah 87654 Monohull Peterson / Peterson 68 California Yacht Club
41. Steve Smolinske Peregrine 46726 Aloha Catalina Yachts / Catalina 38 Seattle Yacht Club
42. Jack Taylor Horizon 18926 Monohull Bill Lee Yachts / Santa Cruz 50 Dana Point Yacht Club
43. Lindy Thomas Condor 685 Monohull Dencho / Andrews 70 San Diego Yacht Club
44. Jeffrey Urbina Bodacious 3 45001 Monohull Baltic / R/P 45 Columbia Yacht Club
45. Robert Vaughan Van Diemen 64 Monohull Blair Boats / Muir 64 Newport Harbor Yacht Club
46. Rick von Heydenreich Paranoia 27007 Monohull Santa Cruz Yachts / Santa Cruz 52 Long Beach Yacht Club
47. Chris Welsh Ragtime USA7960 Monohull Spencer / Spencer 65 Newport Harbor Yacht Club
48. Wayne Zittel J World's Hula Girl 77285 Monohull Bill Lee Yachts / Santa Cruz 50 San Diego YC and San Francisco YC