We recently posted about Gunboat’s new G4 carbon-fiber catamaran which can fly on foils. (It can also capsize dramatically.)  As high tech and leading edge as the G4 may be, it is not the first cruising foiling multihull.  Forty five years ago in the late 60s, David Keiper built a foiling trimaran, Williwaw. He ultimately sailed the 31′ tri 20,000 miles across the Pacific, including several West Coast to Hawaii Passages and a voyage to Samoa, New Zealand and Tahiti.  He would go on to write a book about his voyages —  Hydrofoil Voyager: WILLIWAW, From Dream To Reality and Toward the Sailing Yacht of the Future.  David Keiper died of a heart attack in 1998, at the age of 67.  A rough video of the flying trimaran.

HYDROFOIL — 20,000 MILES SAILING!!!. David Keiper’s, Williwaw