The History of Speed sailing

[frank44]

The History of Speed sailing :

1972 : Crossbow I sets World Speed sailing record at 26.3 knots.

1972 : First RYA Speed week held at Weymouth.

1976 : Crossbow II move the record to 36 knots.

1977 : Windsurfers first appear at speed competitions. Ken Winner and Mike Waltze come across from Hawaii to enter the Weymouth event, but are beaten by Dirk Thijs from Holland who does 19.1 knots on a standard Windglider. No straps no harness.

1980 : Jaap van der Rest sets new record at 24.45 knots at Maalaea Bay (Maui) on a Ten Cate Special. He took several weeks with a paid RYA observer to break the record.

1982 : Brest Speed Week; Out of 225 competitors, Philip Pudenze breaks the World record with a run of 26.5 knots. Most competitors now sailing on special speed boards, and the "25 knots club" got formed with only six members.

1982 : RYA Speed Week; Pascal Maka sets new World record at 27.8 knots on a Jimmy Lewis custom board.

1983 : Weymouth Speed Trials; Fred Heywood enters the scene with a new record of 30.82 knots aided by a massive back up team from Hawaii including Barry Spanier and Geoff Bourne, - and using a carbon wing instead of a mast.

1984 : Peter Bridgeman (UK) becomes the second man to break the 30 knots barrier.

1985 : Port St. Louis France; 50 knots wind speed and 8 sailors beat the World record. The fastest of them is Michael Pucher at 32. 35 knots.

1986 : July 21st. Sotavento, Fuerteventura; Windsurfing becomes the fastest sailing sport in the World as Pascal Maka breaks the fourteen years dominance of Crossbow II with a speed at 38.86 knots. On a Jimmy Lewis board and Gaastra sail. Three others also break the record: Eric Beale (36.73) Jimmy Lewis (36.31) and Fred Heywood. (36.13) Simon Stonehouse claimed the production board record on a Tiga Slalom at 30.96 knots.

1987 : The Camargue Wind Club finish construction of the 800 meter long St. Marie speed canal. It was also angled perfectly to accommodate the Mistral winds.

1988 : Pascal Maka beats off the challenge from the nine-ton hydrofoil Trimaran "Paca" with 310 sqm rig. Maka (84 kg) uses a 4.4 sqm Gaastra Slalomfoil to amaze the yachting world.

1988 : November; Eric Beale breaks the 40 knots barrier with a run of 40.5 knots at the speed canal, now known as the "Trench". However, the run was made at a private trials and the dominant Pascal Maka was not invited.

1989 : Sotavento; Roddy Lewis wins with 38.28 knots with Dunkerbeck close behind on a slalom board.

1989 : Pascal Maka retakes the title wth a 42.91 knots run at the Trench.

1990 :F2 Sputnik 270 was launched. Dave White immediately uses it to set a new production record at 39.10 knots.

1990 : Speed is now officially huge. F2 and Tushingham are running speed teams and the sailors are super stars.

1991: March; Thierry Bielak sets new record of 43.06 knots at the Trench in private trials.

1991: July; Thierry Bielak pushes up the bar again at the Trench. 44.66 knots.

1991: Nick Luget and Tushingham win the Wind Swatch event at the Trench with a run of 41.22 knots, beating record holder Bielak and Maka in the process.

1991: Dunkerbeck blasts everyone away with a 43.34 knots run in Tarifa to become the fastest sailor in history on a natural (off shore) course.

1991: October; Dave White breaks production Board Speed Record at West Kirby on a F2 Sputnik 270 at 42.16 knots.

1993 : ART launch the 5 foot long inflatable "carrot" to help speed sailors to waterstart their many cammed monsters.

1993 : Australia. Yellow Pages Endeavour, a 30 foot proa. Retakes the World Record with a speed of 46.52 knots.

1993 : Thierry Bielak lift the Windsurfing record to 45.32 knots at the Trench.

1993 : Babethe COQUELLE (FRA) reached 40.05 knots in Tarifa in July

1993 : Simon McKEON (AUS) - 46.82 knots

2002 : Grand Canaria; Bjorn Dunkerbeck and a team from Proof Boards break 40 knots. Bjorn vows to try again.

2003 : Robby Naish and Bjorn Dunkerbeck announce they are to challenge Yellow Pages' record at locations in France and The Canaries.

2004 : 46.82 knots. Finian Maynard set a new record at the Trench

2005 : The WSSRC ratified the Outright World Sailing Speed Record of Finian MAYNARD (IVB) - 48.7 knots - and the Outright World Women's Sailing Speed Record of Karin YAGGI (SUI) - 41.25 knots - set on Sunday 10 April on the purpose built canal at St. Maries de la Mer, France.

October 2005: The World Speed Sailing Record Council ratified two new world records over the course of one nautical mile. Both records were set during the ISA Speedsurfing Grand Prix Final in Walvis Bay, Namibia. Finian Maynard (F2) from the British Virgin Islands, who also held the world record over the 500 metres course, became the first person holding both prime records at the same time. He improved the old record of Bjorn Dunkerbeck (T1, North, Andorra) by more than five knots to 39.97 knots.

Valerie Ghibaudo (T1, GunSails, France) improved the women's nautical mile record, formerly held by Britt Dunkerbeck (Spain), by nearly ten knots to 33.69 knots.

During the Speedsurfing Grand Prix Final a total of 21 records were broken, making this event one of the most successful events in sailing history.

November 2005: Allison Shreeve (AUS 911, F2/Pryde) reached a new world record speed of 27.70 knots for sail areas between 10 and 15 sq. meters.

October/November 2006: In addition to the World Records already announced, a considerable number of national records were broken or established at Namibia in 2006. The list is as follows:

Men's National Speed Records.

Belgium: Alain de GENDT Walvis Bay. Nam Nov 06 40.15
Greece: Minos EFSTHATIADIS Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 37.21
Greece: Nikos VARDALAXOS Walvis Bay. Nam Nov 06 40.41
Namibia: Frank STEIN Walvis Bay. Nam Nov 06 40.41
Norway: Morten KNUTSEN Walvis Bay. Nam Nov 06 36.98

Women's National Speed Records.

Britain: Zara DAVIS Walvis Bay. Nam Nov 06 37.24

Men's National Nautical Mile Records

Austria: Franz GRABNER Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 38.84
Belgium: Alain de GENDT Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 37.54
Britain: Dave WHITE Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 39.97
Germany: Thomas DOEBLIN Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 36.74
Greece: Nikos VARDALAXOS Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 33.90
Italy: Alessandro COMERLATI Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 37.57
Namibia: Frank STEIN Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06` 37.56
Norway: Morten KNUTSEN Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 33.95
S. Africa: Hennie BREDENKAMP Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 40.33
Spain: Bjorn Dunkerbeck Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 41.14

Women's National Nautical Mile Records

Britain: Zara DAVIS Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 34.74
Holland: Maaike KALLENBORN Walvis Bay. Nam Oct 06 33.90

(source WSSRC)

31 October 2006: The World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) have ratified the solo Women's Nautical Mile record of 34.74 knots set by Zara DAVIS (GBR) at Walvis Bay, Namibia. DAVIS set the record on a Thommen 44 Custom board with a 6.5 m Gaastra Vapour sail.

Oct 2006: Bjorn Dunkerbeck (ESP) 41.14 kts at Walvis Bay, Namibia

Source IFCA

[Olivier44]

Pascal Maka, record de 27.80 noeuds en 1982 à la Weymouth Speed Trials :

1982 : RYA Speed Week; Pascal Maka sets new World record at 27.8 knots on a Jimmy Lewis custom board.

[frank44]

Fred Haywood, record de 30.82 noeuds en 1983 à la Weymouth Speed Trials :

Hier petite envie de passer le bonjour à un pote, Gilles Penverne EXP Vannes. Depuis plus de 15 ans je vois ce gun dans l'atelier, et jamais d'appareil photo avec moi. Hier oh miracle mon tèl fait appareil photo, 3 clichés, la dernière un peu flou mais bon. Et dans la discussion, Gilles m'annonce que c'est la 1er planche qui a passé les 30 Kts.

1983 : Weymouth Speed Trials; Fred Haywood enters the scene with a new record of 30.82 knots aided by a massive back up team from Hawaii including Barry Spanier and Geoff Bourne, - and using a carbon wing instead of a mast.

[Olivier44]

Le record de Pascal Maka en 1986 à Sotavento avec une Gaastra :

[Olivier44]

Pascal Maka, the flying Frenchman à Perth en Australie :

[frank44]

[Ricou]

Il me semblait que le record de T.Bielak etait de 45.34nds et non 45.32nds ...

[Pascal M]

Une GROSSE mise à jour à faire...