Speed sailing

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Speed sailing is the art of sailing a craft as fast as possible over a predetermined route, and having its overall or peak speed recorded and accredited by a regulatory body. The term usually refers to sailing on water, even though sailing on land and ice is progressively faster because of the lower friction involved. The World Sailing Speed Record Council is the body authorized by the International Sailing Federation to confirm speed records of sailing crafts (boats or sailboards) on water (not on ice or land).

Contents 1 Sailing craft used 1.1 Windsurfing 1.2 Kitesurfing 2 Around the world records 3 Longest distance run in 24 hours 3.1 Any yacht, any number of crew 3.2 Any yacht, single-handed 3.3 Monohull, any number of crew 3.4 Monohull, single-handed 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Sailing craft used

The craft used vary from single sailor windsurfers or kitesurfers, to multi-hulls with crews of fifteen people. Many short course record attempts are made with boats based on the classic proa boat layout. Recent developments include hulls that rely on hydrofoils or planing hulls, which allow the hull to lift out of the water, and thereby increases speed by reducing friction. An example of a multihull hydrofoil design is the Hydroptère, designed by Alain Thébault. The design is based on experience from a range of hydrofoil sailcraft that Thébault built in cooperation with the late Eric Tabarly since the 1990s. In October 2008, the Hydroptère attained a record speed of 52.86 knots, however this was over a shorter distance than the 500m necessary to qualify for an official world record.^[1]

Throughout 1970s, the speed sailing 500 meter records were dominated by large multihulls, as typified by the Crossbow and Crossbow II of Timothy Colman. This has changed since to smaller, very lightweight boats. The last sailboat (as opposed to windsurf or kitesurf board) to hold the official outright 500m speed record was the Yellow Pages Endeavour, a highly optimized one-way proa design using a rigid wingsail.

[edit] Windsurfing

Antoine Albeau who holds the windsurfing speed record (on a 500 metre course) with a speed of 49.09 knots (92 km/h) on the purpose built Saintes Marie de la Mer canal in Southern France. The previous record of 48.7 knots was held by Finian Maynard, an Irish born windsurfer who sails for the British Virgin Islands who achieved this speed on 10 April 2005 on the same purpose built canal. Windsurfers are not as efficient as the larger boats used in record attempts. Albeau's 49.09 knot record was set in winds of 45 to 50 knots,^[2] while the Yellow Pages Endeavour, which held a record of 46.52 knots from 1993 to 2004, was optimized to sail in a 19 knot wind.^[3] Venue has much to do with the windsurfer's success, as all windsurfing 500m records since 1988 have been made at the same canal.^[4]

[edit] Kitesurfing

Frenchman kitesurfer Sebastien Cattelan became the first sailor to break the 50 knots barrier with 50.26 knots on the 3rd of October 2008 at the Lüderitz Speed Challenge in Namibia. On the 4th of October frenchman Alex Caizergues, also using a kite, broke this record with a 50.57 knots run. These speeds are verified, but are still subject to ratification by the WSSRC. ^[5] Earlier in the event, on September 19, kitesurfer Robert Douglas (USA) made a 49.84 knots (92.30 km/h) run^[6], becoming the first kitesurfer to establish an outright speed sailing world record – held until that date only by sailboats or windsurfers. Douglas also became the world's third over-50 knots sailor, when on September 8 he made a 50.54 knots (93.60 km/h) run^[7].

The current speed record over a 500 meter (1,640 ft) course, officially ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council,^[8] was the aforementioned run at 49.84 knots, by Rob Douglas, which was the outright World Speed Sailing Record. The record was set at Luderitz, Namibia. In November 2008 the ISAF reafirmed its position that kite surfers are not eligible for the outright speed sailing record. The WSSRC which oversees the record attempts (but works under the ISAF) and had earlier published the speed of 49.84 knots by kite-surfer Rob Douglas as the out-right record were put in the awkward position of having to retract a claim they had already verified.^[9][10]

[edit] Around the world records

• 2005 : Bruno Peyron (FRA/Orange II). 50 days 16 h 20 min 04 sec. Averaged 22.2 knots over the 31,071 mile course.
• 2004 : Steve Fossett. 58 days 9 hours.
• 2001 : Grant Dalton (Club Med). 62 days.
• 1997 : Olivier de Kersauson (FRA/Sport Elec). 71 days 14 h 22 min 08 sec.

[edit] Longest distance run in 24 hours

The records for the longest distance sailed within 24 hours are also recorded by the WSSRC. There are different categories:

[edit] Any yacht, any number of crew

2007 "Groupama 3" 103 ft Tri, Franck Cammas FRA, 794 nm, 33.08 kts

[edit] Any yacht, single-handed

Boat: "Brossard", trimaran, 60 ft; Yvan Bourgnon; date: 6/7 August 2006; distance: 610.45 nm; average speed: 25.76 kts.

[edit] Monohull, any number of crew

Boat: "Ericsson 4", 70-feet-VOR (second generation); crew: Torben Grael and a crew of 8; date: 29/30 October 2008; distance: 602.66 nm; average speed: 25.11 kts.^[11]

[edit] Monohull, single-handed

Boat: Hugo Boss, Open 60; Alex Thomson; date: 6/7 December 2007; distance: 500.01 nm; average speed: 20.83 kts.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Monofoil: water speed record challenger
• Windjet: details of an attempt at water and land sailing records
• WSSRC: The world regulatory body for speed sailing
• MacArthur sails into record books
• Inaugural San Francisco Speed Sailing Event 2006