Parlier's speed mission

French sailor Yves Parlier is in the final stages of preparing his hydroplaning 60ft catamaran Médiatis Région Aquitaine to sail to the Canary Islands for another stab at a solo speed record this spring or summer. A freethinking innovator, Parlier is nicknamed ‘the extra-terrestrial’ in France for his scientific approach and dedication to pursuing new technical ideas.
 
Yet success with his most radical boat to date, Médiatis Région Aquitaine, has been patchy. The twin-rig catamaran, which is chiefly funded by €4.5 million in regional investment subsidies, failed to perform upwind in the 2004 Transat and flipped last year while attempting a speed record off the Canaries. As a result the boat was seriously damaged and Parlier suffered several crushed vertebrae and a broken rib.
 
Now completely rebuilt and slightly reconfigured, the boat has been undergoing two phases of sea trials from Parlier’s base in France. Later this year, Parlier will again attempt a 24-hour solo record and comments: “In terms of pure speed, we have every confidence in the increased potential of Médiatis Région Aquitaine. It is now possible to sail easily at 30 knots average and we have the excitement of seeing the instruments flick into or pass 40 knots more and more often.”