After two years in Leucate, France, the ultra-fast boat can be viewed in Switzerland this fall. It will then go on a record hunt in Namibia.
The start-up SP80 has been pursuing a crazy dream since 2019: it wants to reach over 80 knots using wind power alone and pulverize the current world sailing record of 65.45 knots. Pulled by a giant kite, the speed machine is testing the limits of what is possible with every ride and is getting ever closer to the record it is aiming for. However, despite spectacular progress and breaking the 100 km/h mark, the team decided this spring to end the 2025 campaign early and try their luck in 2026 at the place where the records are set.
The adventure began at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) when three kitesurfer friends set their minds to building a revolutionary boat to break the world record. In 2019, Benoît Gaudiot, Mayeul van den Broek and Xavier Lepercq founded the company SP80 to drive their project forward. After several years of development work and the construction of a 10.5-metre kiteboard in Ecublens, the inventors moved their base camp to Leucate in the south of France in 2023. The record hunt could begin.
Month after month, the pace increased and with it the adrenaline level. With each attempt, the team collected data, evaluated it and used the findings to further optimize the boat. In this way, the SP80 gained valuable knots. The breakthrough came in May. A greater distance between the front rudder and the rear foil radically changed the boat’s handling.
The success was immediate. On the next outing, the SP80 reached 58.26 knots (108 km/h), confirming its potential. Today, the Vaud rocket surpasses the top speeds of the fastest sailing boats in the world; even the AC75 of the America’s Cup and the F50 of the SailGP are no match for her. With an average speed of 48.65 knots over 500 meters, the SP80 team came very close to the first official records. The 50.07 knots of Macquarie Innovation (category C, 21-27 m2 sail area) and the 51.36 knots of Hydroptère (category D, over 27 m2) were not far behind. Nevertheless, the record hunters are not yet where they want to be. Only one thing counts for them: to break the absolute record set by Paul Larsen’s Vestas Sailrocket 2 (65.45 knots over 500 m) and one day break the sailing sound barrier of 80 knots. Because that’s what the boat was built for.
Off to Namibia
As the spring did not bring the hoped-for wind and the summer also fell short of expectations, the team ended the 2025 campaign early. After two successful years in Leucate, during which the boat was tested and optimized, the team is now heading to Namibia. The last six world records under sail have been set there, so the conditions are ideal for the big attack. Mayeul van den Broek is clearly looking forward to it: “The boat is ready for high speeds. We just need the right conditions. We should find them in Namibia. We will set up our headquarters in a container in the middle of the desert and won’t be carrying out any more major work, but will instead start one record attempt after another.”
The 55-knot wall
The SP80 pushes the boundaries of boat building. The foils are designed to overcome cavitation. Even the fastest foilers can’t cope with it above 55 knots. Many have already cut their teeth on it. “Even in the America’s Cup and the SailGP, this speed is the limit. That’s because the foils then take off,” explains Mayeul van den Broek. “Our foil, on the other hand, is designed to keep the boat in the water and not make it fly. Lifting off would be dangerous at these extreme speeds, especially as the kite is already pulling us upwards anyway. At low speeds, the foil acts like an anchor and creates enormous resistance. With the kite, however, we have enough thrust to accelerate and break through the infamous 55-knot wall.”
A crew in demand
With the discontinuation of the 2025 campaign, the team had to temporarily part ways with some members. “We are lucky to work with extremely talented and sought-after people. Some of our partners not only support us financially. They have offered our employees jobs with flexible working conditions so that they can join us when things get going in Namibia.”
