Having recently set a new outright world speed record, the French foiling tri now claims to have set a new record over 1 nautical mile, setting a blistering pace of 50.17 knots. Here’s what it looked like.

And here’s what they had to say for themselves afterwards.

Hyères, France, Thursday November 12th 2009. Barely two months after crossing the magical 50-knot threshold, the equivalent of breaking the sound barrier in aviation, l’Hydroptère confirmed its status as the planet’s fastest flying trimaran, beating the world record at an average speed of 50.17 knots* over one nautical mile (92.91 km/h). Alain Thébault and his ten-man crew achieved this exceptional feat at their speed base in Hyères on Sunday, November 8th, in a 28-knot northwesterly wind. l’Hydroptère capped off a fantastic series of
records posted in the Mediterranean and set a new benchmark in the world of sailing.

“For 30 years, passion and daring have carried me forward, but this victory really belongs to our indomitable, tight-knit team. The historic record of more than 50 knots over one nautical mile is powerful because it lies at the frontier between the twin capacities of this extraordinary flying trimaran that is both a high-speed craft and an ocean-going sailboat. Our team now holds the top two speed records in the world, 51.36 knots over 500 metres and 50.17 knots over one nautical mile*, and we can now concentrate on ocean sailing in 2010”, commented Alain Thébault.