“The AC45F foiler was the one design boat we raced in 2016, leading up into the America’s Cup in Bermuda,” says Freddie Carr.

“The reason it’s my favourite is it hit a real sweet spot in the sport where we were sailing foiling catamarans – so we were going fast, close to the shore with a boundary race course, but we still had ropes and winches. Everything was human-powered, but we were foiling and doing stadium racing. You had to be a really good sailor to sail that boat mechanically. But it looked spectacular and fast.

“The top speed we did in one was 41 knots. We were out training before the World Series event in Portsmouth. It was reaching starts back then, and it was blowing 20-25 knots. We bore away at Mark 1 to go from a reach to downwind, and we were all drop-hiking. So it’s not like we were in the pods like we are now in the AC75s.

“We were hanging on a toe strap, drop-hiking, doing 41 knots. It was ridiculous. And I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life on a boat!”

Photo: Lloyd Images/Getty

Make sure you check out our full list of Coolest Yachts.

AC45F stats rating

Top speed: 41 knots
LOA: 13.45m/44ft 1in
Launched: 2016
Crew: 5
Price: €675,000
Adrenalin factor: 90%

David ‘Freddie’ Carr

Freddie Carr was a cyclor in the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup team, which won the Louis Vuitton Cup. Prior to that he was part of Ainslie’s BAR Racing, as well as Team Origin, GBR Challenge, and other campaigns over 20 years of crewing in the Cup. He has also raced TP52s, Mini Maxis and Extreme 40s. See our full feature on page 40.

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