Update: VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Shatters 500M Speed Sailing Record Averaging 59.38 Knots!

Posted on by November 21, 2012

Update: On Sunday, the VESTAS Sailrocket 2 set a new speed record for 500M of 59.38 knots and a new one nautical mile record of an average of 55.32 knots. Both records are subject to confirmed by the WSSRC.  The current holder of the nautical mile record is Alain Thébault on l’Hydroptère at 51.36 knots in Hyères, France, set in September 4, 2009.  If confirmed, the Sailrocket 2 will have beaten that record by almost 4 knots.

Vestas Sailrocket 2 Blitzes 500 Metre Record

Last year, we posted about the attempts by the VESTAS Sailrocket to break the sailing speed record. On Friday off Ludertiz, Namibia, they did just that over a 500M course, averaging 59.23 knots (109.69 Kmh, 68 Mph) with a peak speed of over 63 knots (116 Kph, 71 Mph). The record is still subject to World Speed Sailing Record Council (WSSRC) ratification.  The previous kiteboard record was 55.65 knots set by Rob Douglas in 2010.  A video of the record speed run:

VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Outright world speed sailing record holder. (subject to WSSRC ratification)

Comments

Update: VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Shatters 500M Speed Sailing Record Averaging 59.38 Knots! — 5 Comments

  3. A couple very sloppy mistakes in the article… the location was actually Walvis Bay in Namibia, a few hundred miles north of Luderitz (not Ludertiz as stated).

    Also, this record has been bested by another run on Sunday, while Paul and team went for the nautical mile record, which they handily smashed @ 55.32 knots. Pending official WSSRC ratification, the new “outright” (500m) sailing on water speed record is now 59.38 knots. They seem to set a new record every time they sail, so I suggest keeping up to date at the Sailrocket website.

  4. If it is Walvis Bay, so be it. I note that it was widely reported as Luderitz, including by the International Sailing Federation. The post referred to Friday’s results. We will update it to reflect Sunday’s records as well. By the way, the Vestas blog you link to, as of this morning at least, is also out of date, with no info on the Sunday record. A sloppy mistake, perhaps?