Just before the snow started to stack this winter I had the opportunity to take a 1000 mile sea trial of the new F4 with Shannon Falcone. This trip blew my mind to what the future of offshore sailing has in store and was by far the most intense sailing I have ever done personally. This future craft is a 46 foot carbon performance catamaran built for foiling offshore. Shot on GoPro – I had the pleasure of joining 3 professional sailors along with Shannon, Thomas Loughborough, Cy Thompson and Justin Shaffer as I am purely a hobbyist.
In an epic adventure to foil from New York to Bermuda, 35-knot winds and waves up to 25 feet hammered the “F4,” a 46-foot foiling catamaran. Ideal foiling conditions out of New York turned treacherous for some of the world’s best sailors, who battled the elements for over 66 hours during a 662-mile (1,065km) open ocean journey.
Led by Spithill, the Team Falcon crew included Shannon Falcone of Antigua; Rome Kirby of Newport, Rhode Island, USA; Tommy Loughborough of Singapore; Cy Thompson of the Virgin Islands; and Bermuda’s own Emily Nagel, a member of Team Bermuda in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.
It’s called L’Hydroptere and the French concept sailboat — with its marine style wings — basically flies on the water. CNET’s Molly Wood meets Alain Thebault, the boat’s skipper, and gets an inside look at the tech that makes it glide.