"L'Hydroptère" ceramic mug

Imagined by Eric Tabarly and Dassault Aviation, L'Hydroptère is a hydrofoil trimaran designed and built largely like an airplane. It is the stuff of dreams for all generations of sailing and engineering enthusiasts.

Launched in 1994, L'Hydroptère flew right from the start. This feat was made possible by the use of foils, a technology that has now become commonplace in the world of sailboat racing.

After numerous optimizations, L'Hydroptère broke the absolute sailing speed record in 2007. In 2009, it improved its record to become the first yacht to break the 50-knot barrier, the equivalent of the sound barrier for the sailing world. With a peak speed of 55.5 knots officially recorded by the WSSRC, she is still the fastest ocean-going yacht in the world. She also still holds the world sailing speed record in category D (over 28m² sail area). Despite this exceptional track record, L'Hydroptère will be abandoned in Hawaii in 2015.

In June 2019, as she faces certain destruction, a team of enthusiasts decide to save this legendary yacht. Initially repatriated to California, L'Hydroptère will return to France with the help of Airbus in March 2023. 

Since then, the team has grown and, with the help of partner companies, is actively working to restore L'Hydroptère to flying condition. Their objective? To give L'Hydroptère a new lease of life in the service of innovation, by taking on board research and development experiments, and then, like Eric Tabarly's Pen Duick, to pass it on to future generations.

By purchasing a product from our store, you are making a committed purchase: you are contributing to the renovation of L'Hydroptère and to the preservation of this jewel of our maritime and technological heritage.