Hashtag Salvideo
The secret of sailboats that fly at 100 km/h on water | #SAIL #413
19 April 2026 · 44 min · 27K views · Rio de Janeiro
F50 hydrofoiling sailboat lifts above water near Rio
What this video covers
Adriano Plotzky, host of Hashtag Sal and liveaboard sailor, attends a SailGP Tech Base Tour at the Yacht Club do Rio de Janeiro during the Rio de Janeiro event, getting close access to the F50 catamarans that race at over 100 km/h on foils in Guanabara Bay.8:53 The F50's rigid wing sail operates on the same aerodynamic principle as an aircraft wing but oriented vertically; unlike a soft sail, it cannot be reefed, so organizers select from multiple wing sizes 12 hours before racing, with all teams switching simultaneously in a plug-and-play process.15:05 T-foils (used in lighter wind) and L-foils (stronger wind) provide roughly 90% of the boat's lift out of the water.20:54 Flight control is entirely manual — no AI or automated systems govern foil height during racing.23:28 All boats are identical One Design hulls, and all telemetry data is shared across teams, concentrating competitive advantage in crew skill and tactical decisions.3:28 Adriano also covers the broader history of sail, the commercial return of wind-assisted cargo ships such as the Pixis Ocean (which saves roughly 20% fuel hauling soy from Paraná to Poland), and traces technologies now common on cruising boats — Dyneema and Spectra lines, self-tailing winches, multi-axis autopilots — back to racing programs including the America's Cup.30:20
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