Attempt on the world sailing speed record. Target 80 knots.

[Wing Mark]

During the first three months of the year there were big international dinghy classes sailing for racing and training out of Marina Rubicon here in Lanzarote. They were doing this to keep up skill and finess levels for the delayed olympics. Enjoyed seeing the Uk sailors in action.

It was great watching the various classes out zooming around. But the amazing ones were the foiling windsurfers. Gawd know what speed they were hitting. Strength and stamina awesome....

Like the Moths, the foiling windsurfers look faster than a fast thing, because the are doing boatlengths per second.
A 60ft boat doing 40 knots doesn't look as fast as a 10ft sailboard doing 20 knots.
i've done club dinghy races where foiling board have come out to play, they do twice the laps of a dinghy despite not pointing very high.

Sailing speed record was over 100mph 100 years ago, if you include ice yachts!

 

[Bouba]

During the first three months of the year there were big international dinghy classes sailing for racing and training out of Marina Rubicon here in Lanzarote. They were doing this to keep up skill and finess levels for the delayed olympics. Enjoyed seeing the Uk sailors in action.

It was great watching the various classes out zooming around. But the amazing ones were the foiling windsurfers. Gawd know what speed they were hitting. Strength and stamina awesome....

They do that near my port as well. What I wonder is why they do their races across the harbor entrance ?‍ and why, just because they are racing, can they stake out the sea for their exclusive use, I don’t think it’s something I can do. All in all, I find them annoying ?

 

[Stemar]

A 60ft boat doing 40 knots doesn't look as fast as a 10ft sailboard doing 20 knots.

I know which would be more fun

But as a stiff 70 year old, I'm not sure I'd survive it

 

[John the kiwi]

I have had the pleasure of sailing at 50-60 knots many times. Truly- but I then was runner up in the NZ Class 5 National Land Yacht Championships at the time which was 30+ years ago.
Huge fun and very exciting. Sailing on air force airbase when the military had gone home for the weekend.
One or two of our club members had larger class 3 and class 2 land yachts. One in particular was basically an ice yacht design with wheels and was clocked at over 70 knots. The owner let me take it for a spin, - it was a scary thing.
Having pitchpoled a hobie cat at relatively tame speed and seen the GP wipeouts, I think attempting 80 knots on water brave indeed. They will only need to trip over 1 random power baot wake for it to all go horribly and spectacularly wrong!