robert childers wrote:
Hi Dan,
I can't really remember. It probably was the speed trials I'm
recalling. I do remember Crossbow going at pretty great speed. It
seems to me there were a bunch of experimental foilers in those days
that were moving in the high 30's, or better. ( It seems like one of
them looked like a tetrahedron,) Sorry my recollection is so poor,
and I don't have the pamphlets the Amateur Yacht Research Society used
to publish, anymore, so I can't check it. I didn't find anything
specific on their web site.

Crossbow 1 was a 60' proa. Cool boat. I'd love to see a video of her in
action. They added a small diamond-shaped foil on the bottom of her
small windward hull (IIRC it was one hull off an old Shark catamaran)
for softer landings... she was a one-way boat, only sailing on port tack
and getting towed back to the other end of the speed circle. She was
expected to break 40 knots but I think only made the high 30s.
Nonetheless a very impressive boat at the time and held the speed record
for a few years.

Crossbow II came a few years later, was a bit more exotic, an big (70'?)
cat with offset hulls and duplicate rigs. I think she broke 40 knots and
held the record for a few more years.

Fresh Breezes- Doug king