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

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