TL:DR
- A hybrid land yacht aims to break the wind-powered land speed record of 203km/h.
- The yacht is called the Horonuku and is designed with a 10-metre tall rigid carbon-fibre windsail.
- Horonuku was able to achieve 130km/h so far.
If you’re new to the space, you’ve probably never heard of hybrid land yachts but by this point, you might want to know more. A hybrid land yacht plans to beat the wind-powered land speed record of 203km/h in 2009.
For those that live off the sea, land yachting is a great way to experience the thrill of sailing on land. Since its origin in 1960, the sport has evolved over the years until finally, a hybrid yacht is now aiming to break the previous speed record.
In the spirit of the sport, the hybrid yacht relies on carefully crafted material instead of adding an engine which would destroy its chances of joining competitions. The hybrid yacht still abides by the laws of the sport with a little bit of twist to its design.
While travel technology has indeed evolved over the years, the hybrid land yacht is proof of how far we’ve come.
The Hybrid Land Yacht is Called the Horonuku
The hybrid land yacht will be dubbed the Horonuku and is designed with the help of engineering and experts in the field of land yachting. Breaking the speed record is no small feat but the vehicle was already able to reach 130km/h during testing.
Although this speed is still just a little less than half of what it takes to break the speed record, it’s still a step in the right direction towards the ambitious goal of breaking the current speed title at 203km/h.
America’s Cup-winning sailing team Emirates Team New Zealand is planning to launch a land yacht with the sole purpose of breaking the land speed record. The vehicle holds a 10-metre tall rigid carbon-fibre windsail designed to reach 250km/h with the wind on its side.
The Hybrid Land Yacht Will be Piloted by Glenn Ashby
The hybrid land yacht will be piloted by Glenn Ashby, the winner of two America’s Cup Matches as a Team New Zealand sailor. Glenn acknowledged that engineering alone might not be enough for them to beat the current speed record.
“There is definitely an element of needing the stars to align when achieving a world record like this,” said Glenn. The hybrid land yacht’s pilot said that they plan to test the vehicle out over the next few months.
Testing for the hybrid land yacht will be done in Auckland before finally sending it to Lake Gairdner to test the vehicle out on the salt lake to ensure it’s ready for any weather windows that could happen.
The Horonuku is being prepared to compete in the next America’s Cup Match to be held in Barcelona, Spain in 2024. Glenn credits the team saying they did an awesome job in making the Horonuku land yacht saying “the design of it and the build of it has been incredible.”
