photo credit Kolesky/SanDisk
Cabrinha team rider Rob Douglas has landed the world speed record for any craft under sail power. The 49.84 knot speed is over a 500m course and has been officially ratified by the WSSRC, the governing body. This is of significance to the sport of kitesurfing since Rob's all out record is also the first time in history that a kite holds this elusive title.
For many years, windsurfers held the record until 1993 when a special cat-hulled sailing vessel name Yellow Pages went 46+ knots using less than 20 knots of wind and maintained the record for 10+ years. In 2004, Finian Maynard broke Yellow Pages record at the famed St. Marie de la Mer ditch and since then, the record was upped to 49.09 knots previously held by windsurfer Antoine Albeau at the same location. Rob's record really puts kitesurfing on a new level having outclassed any other type of sailing vessel on the water. What's more, unlike Yellow Pages or Albeau's previously unmatched feats, Douglas broke the record under natural conditions in the paint peeling winds of Luderitz, Namibia. There are still several days left in Namibia and Rob is confident that given the right conditions, the 50 knot barrier will fall.
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