During the Grand-Prix in Como, I received a call from a friend, telling me Thomas has just received the foil for his 18' and that they will be adapted and finished by Matthias Bavaud within the next week. I knew that since many years, Thomas is trying to improve the 18' in order to adapt to the specific wind conditions he has on Lake Geneva. His goal is to win the famous "Bol d'Or" with an 18. But I was not thinking that his foiling project was so closed.
Two weeks later, Jean-Pierre Ziegert, a well known sailing coach on lake Geneva posted a link in the forum to a video where Thomas, Totogne and Ricket mouting the foils on AET and flying behind a motorboat. So the rumor was true. This first video is available here.
Two days after, I received some news from Thomas telling me that they flight for the first time under sail. He was really enjoyed and told me that he was surprised himself to take off so "easely" at the first trial.
The video of this first test could be see here
Finally on the 8th September, I received the first pictures of AET flying under Genaker ... amazing, beautifull and impressive !! The whole collection of pictures shooted by Philippe Schiller is visible here
This is perhaps the begining of a new era for the class, and considering the massive increase of the traffic of the 18footer.org website, many people are interested in !