MATT SHEAHAN

SHARED INNOVATION ACROSS ALL DISCIPLINES OF SAILING IS ACCELERATING RACING SPEEDS AT THE TOP FLIGHT

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Speed is taking sailing into new territory. From outright records to around the cans racing, the bar is being raised higher and more quickly than ever before as some of the most advanced corners of the sport draw designers, sailors, and technical gurus together.

The race for pace made a big leap a decade ago when Paul Larsen delivered an unprecedented jump in the world record aboard Vestas Sailrocket 2, improving Robert Douglas' previous record on a kiteboard of 55.65 knots by almost 10 knots. In smashing the record Sailrocket 2 not only set the new bar further than anyone had imagined possible, but took high-speed sailing onto a completely different level, breaking through what had been believed to be a 50-knot glass ceiling.

In Yachting World's April issue Mark Chisnell wrote about two exciting current speed record campaigns in which he got Larsen's views on the mountain that each of them will have to climb in order to beat his record. It's a fascinating piece that illustrates not just how radically different speed sailing might look and how the lessons from windsurfing and kite foiling are coming together with larger machines, but how, if successful, the surge to 80 knots will be the biggest since speed records began 50 years ago.