The BBC News website carried a story yesterday about a high speed yacht that broke the world record. I was instantly interested as my final year project at university was the conceptual design of a high speed yacht.
The major design innovations of my yacht were:
- outrigger
- hydrofoils
- aerofoil shaped sail
Here’s a picture of my concept:

Here’s a technical drawing of the main body of the yacht:
And so, to compare, here’s some pictures taken from the Vestas Sailrocket website.
So, the sail is in a different place and at an angle but I think my original choices for my final year project have been vindicated. I feel quite pleased that I managed to conceptualise a design that, in general, has worked.
Well done to the Vestas Sail Rocket Team.