By Andrew Court For Dailymail.com and Associated Press
Published: 19:53 BST, 16 May 2019 | Updated: 20:37 BST, 16 May 2019
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The New York Yacht Club is hoping to secure a 2021 America's Cup win, working with Airbus to create a 'flying boat' that can go miles without touching the water.
The club's official racing team, American Magic, employed an army of 40 designers and six Airbus engineers to work on a 38 foot test vessel, which rises up on hydrofoils and slices across the top of the waves.
Known as the Mule, the prototype was completed late last year, and American Magic spent the winter testing the boat in Penascola, Florida.
The team's executive director, Terry Hutchinson, told Boat International that the Mule is 'the fastest 38 footer in the world' having 'sailed through 40 knots of boat speed'.
The speeds are possible because of the hydrofoils, which lift the hull out of the water so it sails through the air and drag time is decreased.
The New York Yacht Club has worked with Airbus to create a 'flying boat' known as the Mule (pictured)
The hydrofoils on the boat are shaped like the wings of the Airbus aircraft, lifting the vessel out of the water so it can cut across waves and decrease drag time
When the crew gets 'the right breeze direction' they 'can do 16 miles of sailing out of the water'.
In order for the hull of the boat to lift off the surface of the water, the helmsman must pick the correct angle, the sails need to be
