Nice try, Malc arrives, Kites go Oooorf!!!
Hi all, well we went out yesterday and conditions were perfect. A little too perfect in fact. The tide was high and lapping at the speed-hut and the wind was gusting to 22 knots. These are ultimately the conditions we desire. As it was the first day with the new skeg we decided to hold back. Malcolm arrives today and will be good to get his approval of all the mods we have carried out since he last saw the boat.
Sailrocket was left fully rigged last night... so naturally the wind swung to the North and picked up overnight leaving us to do our little early morning waltz on the lawn with Sailrocket!!!
We are going to try and get out again today.
Big news in the speed sailing world just in is that the kite-boarders have upped their world record speed to 47.9 knots in Luderitz. The womens record is now 42.3 and the kites were doing sustained averages well over 50 knots. 52-3 knot 100 and 200 meter runs. This demonstrates that they can hold these speeds and are not simply whipping themselves around the kite at the end of the run. The course at Luderitz is far from ideal. These guys have no doubt that if they had a course that allowed a nice run in that 50 knots would already be history.
I'm tending to believe them.
Still, it took a gale to make it happen. The course forced some of them down to 6 meter kites.
This was all on the Monday when the big sand storm was blowing. Juergen Geiger from 'Free-air' believes that if they were set up at the Salinas in Walvis Bay that the record would have fallen for sure.
I think the kites are about to do to speed sailing what the windsurfers did about 25 years ago.
Interesting.
Congratulations go to all those guys and girls who have been nailing it down there.
Cheers, Paul.
Sailrocket was left fully rigged last night... so naturally the wind swung to the North and picked up overnight leaving us to do our little early morning waltz on the lawn with Sailrocket!!!
We are going to try and get out again today.
Big news in the speed sailing world just in is that the kite-boarders have upped their world record speed to 47.9 knots in Luderitz. The womens record is now 42.3 and the kites were doing sustained averages well over 50 knots. 52-3 knot 100 and 200 meter runs. This demonstrates that they can hold these speeds and are not simply whipping themselves around the kite at the end of the run. The course at Luderitz is far from ideal. These guys have no doubt that if they had a course that allowed a nice run in that 50 knots would already be history.
I'm tending to believe them.
Still, it took a gale to make it happen. The course forced some of them down to 6 meter kites.
This was all on the Monday when the big sand storm was blowing. Juergen Geiger from 'Free-air' believes that if they were set up at the Salinas in Walvis Bay that the record would have fallen for sure.
I think the kites are about to do to speed sailing what the windsurfers did about 25 years ago.
Interesting.
Congratulations go to all those guys and girls who have been nailing it down there.
Cheers, Paul.
Paul Larsen
Mobile: + 44 (0) 794 684 1929
E-mail: paularsen1@aol.com
www.sailrocket.com
Mobile: + 44 (0) 794 684 1929
E-mail: paularsen1@aol.com
www.sailrocket.com
posted by Paul at 9:19 am
1 Comments:
A 6 meter bow kite in >35 knots is nothing abnormal these days. They are extremely well controlable. And the strong wind gives them the apparant wind angle they need. Flat water, reasonably constant wind and there is fairly no limit in windspeed, and so no limit in boardspeed. Just waiting for the right conditions.
What a sport !
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