/ 
Two years of intensive training in the Mediterranean
SP80 arrived in Leucate in 2023 with a prototype that had never been sailed before, and is now leaving with one of the fastest sailing boats in the world. The team reached peak speeds of 58.2 knots, while learning to master an unprecedented concept: giant kite wings and a boat streamlined for pure speed.
"Leucate was the ideal learning ground" says Mayeul van den Broek, CEO and pilot. Thanks to the logistical support of the commune, Grand Narbonne and Port-La Nouvelle, the boat was able to evolve rapidly until it approached the first category records in the spring of 2025. Only the weather, with winds too light, prevented the team from achieving a first official record.
Walvis Bay, a mythical site for speeding
SP80 is now setting its sights on Walvis Bay, Namibia. This world-renowned stretch of water saw Paul Larsen set the current world record with Vestas Sailrocket II at 65.45 knots (121 km/h) in 2012. Its stable and powerful weather conditions, between September and December, make it a privileged location for this type of attempt. " Right from the start we had Namibia in mind, but it would have been premature to go there without having tamed the boat" explains Benoît Gaudiot, co-founder and kite pilot.
Extensive logistical and financial preparation
The Namibian campaign represents a new challenge, both logistically and financially. The deliberately small team is looking to raise the necessary funds by the end of 2025.
" This new chapter involves a substantial budget, and we are actively seeking new partners, insists Mayeul van den Broek. The team emphasizes the media opportunity: a world sailing speed record hasn't been beaten since 2012. The SP80 campaign would be the culmination of over seven years of research and development.
Ambition intact
Despite the absence of a record in 2025, SP80 today boasts a reliable, progressive boat that is still far from its limits. The next step will no longer be to multiply the number of learning sails, but to watch for perfect conditions and be ready to seize the right weather window. This marks a decisive phase for the project: transforming a promising prototype into a record-breaking machine.
