Sailing

Two teams, Switzerland's SP80 and France's Syroco, are taking aim at the world speed sailing record in 2022, with a pair of thoroughly remarkable kiteboats that both teams believe can smash previous records, targeting top speeds up to 80 knots.

Though some folks chase storms for thrills or curiosity, there are also those who do so for scientific purposes. And it's the lattermost pursuit that will see a small fleet of unmanned surface vehicles deliberately head into hurricane territory.

San Francisco-based aquatic drone-maker Saildrone has returned with a bigger and better version of its unmanned vehicle designed to explore the seas, the newly introduced 72-ft (22-m) Saildrone Surveyor.

What connects the America's Cup, a dinner in Egypt and a house with no knocker? The answer is a man called Robert, born 216 years ago today, and his ill-fated sail boat: a schooner by the name of Titania.

After trying and failing last year, Offshore Sensing has now succeeded in sailing an unmanned vessel across the Atlantic. The Sailbuoy Met was deployed from Newfoundland on June 7, 2018 and reached the coast of Ireland on August 26, a distance of 3,000 km.

​Australian research group CSIRO will be using aquatic drones to explore the Southern Ocean. The government agency has announced a partnership with San Francisco-based Saildrone, and will be utilizing three of the startup's unmanned vehicles for the next five years.

With about 100 days left before the America's Cup kicks off in Bermuda, Oracle Team USA recently took their racing boat out of the warehouse and put it in the water. New Atlas was on hand at the event, which included a question-and-answer session with team skipper, Jimmy Spithill.

A partnership between America's Cup defenders Oracle and aircraft makers Airbus was announced in 2014. Today the sleek, speedy child of that union was revealed to the world in Bermuda, and New Atlas was on-hand to witness it.

After viewing the Frankfurt Motor Show, Gizmag headed south to Lake Constance for the 2015 Interboot show. We saw everything from ceiling-scraping sailboats and hydrofoils, to compact electric leisure vessels, to modulars and inflatables.

If you should encounter a crewless ship out on the Atlantic Ocean in a few years, don’t worry about it being the ghostly Flying Dutchman … it may be the Mayflower, however. No, not the square-rigger that brought Pilgrims to America, but the Mayflower Autonomous Research Ship (MARS).

Carbon fiber has established itself as a wonder material in vehicle construction. Austrian company Fipofix believes that it's identified a material better-suited to the high seas, a specially processed volcanic fiber-based composite.

As a sailor, Ben Ainslie has a vested interest in the climate. Now, he is doing his part to combat climate change by moving his team into a new sustainable facility. Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) HQ will generate its own power and be a showcase for clean energy.