Is no hull the ultimate in sailing?

In a phrase adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes, the author complains frequently in the book about the monotony of life. The entire passage reads, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

While there are no theologians at Scuttlebutt HQ, a report from nearly fifty years ago explains the thinking that is being applied today to break the world speed sailing record.

When Scuttlebutt published the story about how French kiteboarder Alex Caizergues aims to dethrone Vestas Sailrocket 2’s 2012 record set at 65.45 knots over 500 meters, it sparked the memory of Bill Kreysler who recruited the New York City Public Library research team to find the report for Scuttlebutt.

Published in Scientific American in 1975, author C.L. Stong shared how the ultimate in sailing is a rig without a hull, which is exactly how Caizergues expects to reach 80.99 knots by the end of 2022. Here is the report:

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