Watch the 60ft foiler L'Hydroptère on her way to setting a new record of 44.5 knots

Here is history in the making. This video shows some amazing footage of the 60ft French foiler L’Hydroptère getting up to speed. On Wednesday, her crew set two new world records: 44.5 knots over 500m and 41.5 knots over one mile. Incredible. See how she’s reefed in the winds needed for these speeds.

L’Hydroptère is a testament to skipper Alain Thébault’s persistence. The boat was built in the late Nineties and five years ago the project was abandoned before being taken up again, modified with the help of designers from the French office Van Peteghem/Lauriot Prévost, and has gone to reach higher and higher speeds. Genius.