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To claim the world record, sailors must achieve the highest average speed over a distance of 500 meters, while having at least one person aboard and harnessing the wind as their sole energy source. Given these parameters, the SP80 design appears more akin to a spaceship than a traditional sailboat, prompting intrigue and excitement.
“The record requires precise teamwork; there are always two pilots on the boat managing the kite and steering it,” a team member explained. The experience is markedly different from conventional sailing, as the pilots find themselves enclosed in cockpits that cushion them from wind and spray, transforming their interaction with the elements.