The regatta centers around a design competition, and in 2017, Mr. Tornqvist's Artemis Racing produced one of the fastest sailboats on record. In concept drawings and videos, this boat is a sized-up version of the team's Cup racing boat--a twin-hulled, ultralight, flying catamaran, almost 150 feet long. When the breeze falls, the stored electricity would drive propellers that move the boat faster than many boats travel today. The America's Cup boats required both exceptional seamanship and new, computerized control systems similar to those that help pilots land jumbo jets. "So far, it's only pros with helmets," says Peter Melvin, of California-based Morrelli & Melvin Design and Engineering, who helped pioneer hydrofoiling Cup boats with Emirates Team New Zealand.

Source: Bangkok Post July 17, 2020 23:03 UTC