Paul Larsen, the 32 year-old Australian who sailed with Pete Goss aboard Team Philips, plans to break the outright world speed sailing record this year aboard the 30ft carbon fibre flier Sailrocket. Reaching a speed of 50 knots over the 500m course (in 19.5 seconds) is going to be a tough nut to crack but Larsen believes his Sailrocket Team has the 'right tools for the job'.

This wacky-looking speed machine, which weighs just 140kg (similar to a Hobie 16) and costs a total of £200,000 to design and build, is according to Larsen, more of a proa than a catamaran with two tiny planning surfaces set on a fuselage. And the most unusual thing about this new design is the fact that it flies the leeward hull. The 22sq m rig is positioned on a pod to leeward, with the shrouds always set to windward but, as Larsen points out, unlike most proas, such as Yellow Pages Endeavour, which are effectively one-tack boats, Sailrocket will have a moveable rig.

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