The Swedish Speed Sailing Challenge
Speed-Sailing
Since 1972 the Sail Speed Week has been arranged in Weymouth, where the speed is measured on a 500-m straight one way course with "flying start". The highest average speed on a 500-m course has since then become accepted as the sailing speed record world-wide. The World Sailing Speed Record Council on account of the International Sailing Federation supervises the sailing speed record. For the absolute sailing speed record there are no restrictions on the design of the boat, other than the boat shall be propelled only by the wind and that at least one crew shall be on board, and that the boat shall sail on liquid water (not ice). Speed-sailing is a very attractive kind of competition for spectators and media, since the racing usually takes place near land, each race is finished in just 20 seconds, it is easier to understand what is going on than in ordinary yacht-racing and the boats are very spectacular.
World Speed Record 500 m sailing course | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Location | Boat name | Type | Design | Crew | Speed |
1973 | Weymouth | Crossbow | Proa | Rob Macalpine-Downie | Tim Coleman et al. | 26.3 kn |
1975 | Weymouth | Crossbow | Proa | Rob Macalpine-Downie | Tim Coleman et al. | 31.1 kn |
1976 | Weymouth | Crossbow II | Assymetric catamaran | Tim Coleman et al. | 31.8 kn | |
1977 | Weymouth | Crossbow II | Assymetric catamaran | Tim Coleman et al. | 33.8 kn | |
1980 | Weymouth | Crossbow II | Assymetric catamaran | Tim Coleman et al. | 36.0 kn | |
1986 | Windsurfer | Pascal Maka | 38.86 kn | |||
1988 | Windsurfer | Erik Beale | 40.48 kn | |||
1990 | Windsurfer | Pascal Maka | 42.91 kn | |||
1991 | Windsurfer | Thierry Bielak | 44.66 kn | |||
1993 | Windsurfer | Thierry Bielak | 45.32 kn | |||
1993 | Sandy Point | Yellow Pages Endevour | Assymetric trimaran | Lindsay Cunningham | Simon McKeon & Tim Daddo | 46.52 kn |
2004 | St Maries de la Mer | Masters of speed | Windsurfer | Finian Maynard | 46.82 kn | |
2005 | St Maries de la Mer | Masters of speed | Windsurfer | Finian Maynard | 48.70 kn | |
2008 | St Maries de la Mer | Masters of speed | Windsurfer | Antoine Albeau | 49.09 kn |
Suggested reading
- World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC)
- Sail-Speed Week
- The RYA book of World Sailing Records by Sir Peter Johnson, Adlard Coles Nautical, 2002, ISBN 0-7136-5903-3.
- Masters of Speed
- World Speed Sailing Challenge
- Luderitz Speed Challenge Namibia 2007
- Kite sailer Alexandre Caizergues
- Maquarie Speed Sailing Team
- Hydroptère
- Vestas Sailrocket
- Wotrocket
- Wind Jet
- Monofoil
- TriFoiler
- Yves Parlier
- Catamaran Techniques Avancées
- Innovoile
- Dave Culp Speed Sailing
- Foilers! le blog des bateaux volants
- Bob Imhoffs High Speed Sailing Blog
- GPS Speedsurfing