
THE CO-FOUNDERS
When they met in 2016, Mayeul, Xavier & Benoît set themselves a crazy challenge: to build the fastest sailing boat in the world.
Today, this dream has come true with SP80, an adventure that brings together fifty people around the same goal: to reach 80 knots (150 km/h) solely powered by wind.
THE CO-FOUNDERS

When they met in 2016, Mayeul, Xavier & Benoît set themselves a crazy challenge: to build the fastest sailing boat in the world.
Today, this dream has come true with SP80, an adventure that brings together fifty people around the same goal: to reach 80 knots (150 km/h) solely powered by wind.

Mayeul has already acquired multiple experiences in various projects (Atlantic and Pacific crossings under sail, design of floating solar power plants in Japan, study of bio-sourced composites in Bangladesh). He is responsible for project management and relations with partners, but his engineering degree from the EPFL allows him to keep an eye on the technical aspects of the boat.

Current owner of the World Sailing Speed Record for the 18 and under category (51 knots / 94,45 km/h) and former member of the French kitesurfing team, Benoît is the pilot of the SP80 boat. He is currently doing a master’s degree in fluid and solid mechanics at the EPFL, thus providing the link between SP80 and the school’s research laboratories. His experience of very high speed kitesurfing is essential for the design of the boat.

Xavier graduated from EPFL with a specialisation in structural mechanics in 2017 and is the chief engineer of SP80. His creativity, technical skills and extensive knowledge of high performance composites, allow him to master all technical aspects of the boat. He also practices kiteboarding, especially in foil with a personal top speed of over 40 knots.
A YOUNG AND PASSIONATE TEAM
Our team is probably the youngest to have ever tackled this emblematic record: an exceptional asset to free ourselves from preconceived ideas and break existing codes.

AERO & HYDRODYNAMICS

Bastien Hérault

Manon Konings

Jaime Aranda Vielsa

Kevin Wittkowski

Robin Leibundgut

Antoine Vittet

Matthieu Spoorenberg
Alexis Cogne
PRODUCTION
SYSTEM INTEGRATION
KITE HANDLING

Charlotte Daza Harend

Romain Corbel

Aristide Vignon

Thomas Velin
François-Antoine Couzineau

Alexander Bommer
MECHANICS

Romain Paridant

Romain Bezeaud

Alexy Blanchard-Gaillard

Xavier Barthez

Guilhem Cabannes

Basile Thiercelin
ELECTRONICS

André Zarza Tapia
V.P.P.
DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNICATION & PARTNERSHIPS

Guillaume Fischer

Antoine Laperriere
Mateo Giraud

Théodore Jacquet-Lagrèze

Chloé Jobert
Julien Radet
EPFL COORDINATORS

Véronique Michaud
Professeure associée et directrice du laboratoire de mise en oeuvre des composites à haute performance (LPAC)

Robin Amacher
Collaborateur scientifique et responsable des opérations des DLL
ALUMNI
Ghislain Asin
Joao Barini
Alexis Couturier
Marius de Mourgues
Nicolas Feppon
Georges-Henri Gaillard
Tim Grimont
Xavier Groux
Isaac Holmes-Gentle
Lison Marthey
Gabriel Madie
Michel Morales
Etienne Mordret
Audrey Piccini
Hugo Penichou
Timothée Peter
Thomas Ramseier
Fabrice Rigot
David Sanchez
Aurèle Schlegel
Marine Ract
César Toussaint
Ilyes Ben Ayed
Benjamin Bonnal
Adrien Ninin
Amélie Roche
Damien Delespaul
Nina Lahellec
Clarisse Coulombeau
Rafael Fuzzati
Blaise Ribon
Florentin Fellay
Augustin Million
Aurore Kerr
Gabriel Bessette
Hector Richard
Hugo Witz
Océane Suchel
Adrien Peltier
Anaëlle Manon
Baptiste Bayle
Sasha Gutenmacher
Zoé Daguin
Karim Zahra
Jules Angebault
Mathieu Janier
Samuel Darmon
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