Candela C 7 with France SailGP Team

As the Formula 1 of sailing returns to San Francisco for the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix this weekend, the French team has an ace up its sleeve: Candela C 7, the world’s first electric hydrofoil chase boat, which might help them score in the new Impact league.

Flying across the water at speeds up to 60 mph, the 50-foot catamarans of the international sailing league SailGP.

The flying catamarans will be accompanied by an equally elevated chase boat: a Swedish-made Candela C 7 electric hydrofoil craft, which will be used by France SailGP Team’s VIP guests and media to watch the races up close.

Just like the F50’s, the Candela is built from 100% carbon fiber and uses hydrofoils to lift the hull above the water’s friction to attain high speeds. The hydrofoils also give the C-7 longer range than any other conventional electric craft, allowing Candela C-7 to cruise for close to 2 hours at 30 mph, more than enough to cover the racecourse.

The C-7 acts as a disruptive force, sporting several innovations that differ it from other hydrofoiling boats – namely computers and software.

In the Candela, the controls are managed by computers, much like in other inherently unstable craft, like modern fighter jets such as the F-16. The computers regulate the C-7’s main hydrofoil 100 times per second, much faster than any human could react.

The result is an artificially stable and smooth ride, not quite the adrenaline rush of the F50’s, but also absent from the spectacular crashes Sail GP is notorious for.