Sébastien SALERNO speaks about the Luderitz Speed Channel
A video From Eric Bellande
The fastest event – the fastest spot – the fastest riders
The Lüderitz Speed Challenge 2012
Since 2007, records were smashed successively, performances have increased, the « Lüderitz Speed Challenge », World record Attempt in Speed Sailing has become a major event with a media impact which has developed the “speed” discipline and has well participated to the kitesurfing industry evolution. Nevertheless, its organizors, Sébastien Cattelan and Sophie Routaboul have seen there the opportunity for the windsurfers to come back in front of the stage and find a location with the best conditions to express themselves. So, from 2009, after several tests, the report sets: the potential is there, let’s build a CANAL…
2010 EDITION set a new record and all the nations know that Lüderitz is the fastest spot in the World!.
THANKS TO THE NEW CANAL BUILT IN THE BAY, THE ULTIMATE RECORD IS SMASHED: 55.65 Knots.
Only two years after the 50 knots barrier was broken, the 55 Knots (103 km/h) barrier was smashed: 100km/h (54.10 knots) and “The Lüderitz Speed Challenge” have managed to get back the title from the multi-million boat “L’Hydroptère” (51.36 knots). Only 2 competitors in the world have reached the 55 knots so far:
Sébastien Cattelan (55.49 kts-European Record) and Rob Douglas (55.65 kts-Ultimate World Record)
2011 WAS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW AREA from an historical project:
Although the 2010 canal made the world of a difference, the conditions still need improvement for faster records to be set, especially to represent the windsurfing community which is huge in the World. Thus Sébastien Cattelan, Sophie Routaboul and his team have invested a lot of money and time to research the possibilities of widening and lengthening the canal, and creating even smoother water surfaces for faster speeds, deeper water but also improving the safety of the finish area.
After 1 year battling to set up the project and get the authorizations, they manage to dig that canal with the support of the Namibian Ministry of Environment & Tourism,according to what they have learnt from performances, tests and experiences they made during their career.
The legend Anders Bringdal took part of this new edition as a windsurfing consultant to be able to invite all the top sailors in the world.
SUCCESS: never before a windsurfer have reached a top speed of 50,7 knots (94 km/h).
0n 10 competitors of this testing-team, 5 records were broken.
The test of this Team is a revelation: this new canal which was improved step by step until the end of the 2011 event is THE solution and will be the playground of many competitors next year as they all have realized its potential.
LUDERITZ SPEED CHALLENGE 2012 PROJECT: Old records are no news, however… Chase the unimaginable 60 knots barrier now: The Lüderitz Speed Challenge has this as its main goal and sole focus.
No other event or place in the world would be more suitable to attempt this crazy record. Organizers have worked really hard to create the right environment conducive to making it happen. It’s the combination of all their experience from previous years and of course the location which gives them the criteria they need (strong and stable wind, good angle…) which will operate.
All the arrangements have been made to manage to create a canal with all the skills that windsurfers need to join kitesurfers (record: 55,65 knots) and boats (record: 51,36 knots) in that real challenge. After obtaining the authorizations, an artificial canal was dug 300m from the bay: 1 month of hard tests and researches, making improvements, were realized during the 2011 edition to be able to present the big 2012 Challenge which will be even more watched and followed in all over the world, where the best top sailors will battle for the World title or their nation.
The list of the selected competitors will be communicated in the beginning of July for an Attempt which will happen from the 5 November to 2 December for windsurfers (registrations number being more important) and from 3 to 16 December for kitesurfers, to avoid the comparison between 2 different crafts.
Luderitz Speed Challenge 2011 from ByAdrienFreville on Vimeo.
Source:www.luderitz-speed.com
Orange Speed Crossing Pro award ceremony
Congratulations to Rob and Charlotte for winning the Orange Speed Crossing Pro!
Rob was untouchable on the runs and won 3 out of four heats. He broke the 1998 Leucate speed record of 42.25 knots held by the windsurfer Jose Bahadour from Guadeloupe with 43.32 knots.
Rob Douglas, winner of the OSC Pro, in front of Anders Bringdal and Antoine Albeau (photo credit Jef Valet kite race.fr)
Charlotte Consorti, winner of the OSC Pro, in front of Sophie Routaboul (photo credit Jeff Valet kite race.fr)
Charlotte Consorti and Sophie Routaboul were the only two women competing in the OSC pro.
Charlotte took the lead from the start and won all 4 heats.
They will all be competing this weekend in the Orange Speed Crossing Pro AM in Leucate.
As for Seb, it looks like his race boards got misplaced and didn’t make it on time to Leucate. He (scored?) a downwind race board from Xelerator to competed with an ankle injury on the fourth day and was the first kiter to cross the finish line.
See the results here:
Orange Speed Crossing 4th Heat
Four innings were validated on the Orange Speed Crossing and Rob Douglas remains untouchable. Yet, behind him, windsurfers multiply the runs but that’s not good enough. The American is still the fastest. The day had started well for windsurfers.
From the start, the wind angle is most favorable to the windsurfers and they score the first 6 spots. After an hour into the heat, Antoine Albeau displays a nice 33.5 knots on the clock. Rob Douglas with 29 knots is the first kiter to cross the finish line.
Rob and Antoine (Photo credit Mondial du vent)
The kiters were able to make a come back as the wind turned and got stronger for about 20 min.
Sylvain Hoceini links run after run smoothly close behind Antoine. Rob Douglas finally cuts short any suspense by burying the competition with a remarkable time of 39.5 knots.
Kiters finish well in front of windsurfers:
1 Rob Douglas
2 Sylvain Hoceini
3 Jaime Douglas
4 Antoine Albeau (1er windsurf)
OSC overall results after 4 innings (57 participants):
1 Rob Douglas
2 Anders Bringdal
3 Antoine Albeau
5 Jaime Douglas
9 Morgan Douglas
10 Christophe Pringuenon
16 Sylvain Hoceini
17 Philippe Planas
20 Alex Caizergues
24 Benjamin Petit
25 Geoffrey Mascarel
26 Jean Yves Terrien
28 Bruno Dandine
29 Jochen Bock
30 Wolfran Reiners
31 Manu Taub
34 Chris Harduin
35 Jean Charles Paupardin
36 Jernej Privsek
37 Florent Gautier
38 Renaud Romain
40 Maxime Richard
41 Emmanuel Mogicato
42 Bill Lynch
44 Anthony Chaffron
45 Julien Taub
46 Sebastien Cattelan
47 Brock Collen
48 Sylvain Moret
Orange Speed Crossing Pro: Interim Results
Here are the interim results after the first 3 races of the OSC.
Overall standings after 3 races – Men
Overall standings after 3 races – women
Vas y Sophie!!! **** the team is cheering you on ****
Could Seb be back in the race?
On Tuesday, the organizer of the Mondial decided to make use of the light 20.25 knots of south east wind and put on the “Funny Race”. The Long Distance Race is an 8 km and back to the start. From the start, the windsurfers took the lead with Antoine Albeau and Cédric Bordes. The strong south east choppy conditions are not favorable to kite surfers.
Antoine Albeau crosses the finish line first leaving a gap between him, Ross Williams and Cédric Bordes
SEB CATTELAN with the Genetrix Origin and Xelerator board (photo Tisag)
Sébastien Cattelan takes the lead and is the first kitesurfer to cross the finish line in front of Rob Douglass and Sylvain Hoceini. He was riding a 12m Genetrix and the Xelerator 198×40 board.
Until now, Seb had not been able to compete due to his missing boards. We are glad to see him back in despite an injury to his ankle.
You can find out more re the board he is using here:
http://www.xeleratorkiteboarding.com/
The strong Tramontane is announced again for tomorrow with a skipper’s meet at 8:00 am.
Alex Caizergues et Geoffrey Mascarel are out!
During the second heat, two of the top kite surfers got injured. Alex Caizergues injured his right knee and Geoffrey Mascarel his wrist! Rob Douglas is the only kitesurfer left facing the top windsurfers.
For now, no news re Seb Cattelan …
Orange Speed Crossing 3rd Heat
Today, the best times had been recorded in the early part of the day due to a declining Tramontane as the day wore on. 4 windsurfers finished in the top five but Rob took the lead again with the fastest time over 42 knots. In the absence of Alex Caizergues it was Geoffrey Mascarell who was the second kiter to finish.
Orange Speed Crossing 2nd Heat
Rob Douglas (42.5) winner of the second heat of the Orange Speed Crossing in front of Antoine Albeau (41.5)
We are sorry to hear that Sebastian Cattelan wasn’t able to take part in the last 2 races. “My racing gear is somewhere on an airport carousel between Maui airport and South Africa. I was able to borrow some equipment left and right, but it is not easy without my personal settings. Plus I’m cold, so for now I stay on the beach (smile).”
Alex Caizergues also had no chance today. He fell hard in the second inning and had to be evacuated by firefighters, having apparently suffered a knee sprain. He was in fourth place in this heat! This might compromise his season.
Charlotte Consorti consistently finished in the first half every time at the scratch, leaving behind about thirty men!
Anders Bringdal, who won the first round is 7th in this second round and falls back overall.
Heat 2 results:
1 Rob Douglas Kite
2 Antoine Albeau Wind
3 Cedric Bordes Wind
4 Alex Caizergues Kite
5 Geoffrey Kite Mascarell
Le mondial du vent 2012
Leucate, France will host the Mondial du Vent from April 7th to 15th 2012. The worldwide event was created in 1996. 16 years later, Leucate is still the first kitesurf and windsurf meeting in France and one of the most important international events in these disciplines.
see more here: http://www.mondial-du-vent.com/home.php
ORANGE SPEED CROSSING Pro: 7 to 12 April
For the fourth consecutive year, the Mondial du Vent et Orange have organized the Orange Speed Crossing in Leucate from 7 to 15 April for the 16th edition of the Mondial du Vent. A unique opportunity to watch the world’s best athletes of kiteboarding and windsurfing go head to head on speed runs.
A total of 30 professional athletes including kitesurfer Rob Douglas (world speed record holder), Alexandre Caizergues (3 times world speed holder), Sebastien Cattelan (50 and 55 knot recordbreaker) and windsurfers Antoine Albeau (speed and slalom windsurfer world champion) and Anders Bringdal, will participate in this unique event. Charlotte Consorti and Sophie Routaboul will also compete to see who is the fastest woman on the water.
In 2011, kitesurfers proved to be fastest. Will the windsurfers take the speed record back this year?
As of now, here is the list of the riders in the Orange Speed Crossing.
10 riders will compete using Genetrix kites
| Kitesurf | Windsurf |
|---|---|
1- Anthony CHAFFRON  2- Wolfram REINERS  3- Alex CAIZERGUES 4- Rob DOUGLAS  5- Geoffrey MASCAREL 6- Jamie DOUGLAS 7- Morgan DOUGLAS 8- Manu TAUB 9- Damien LEROY 10- Brock CALLEN 11- Sébastien CATTELAN 12- Chris HARDUIN 13- Christophe PRIN-GUENON 14- Jean-Charles PAUPARDIN 15- Maxime RICHARD 16- Bill LYNCH 17- Sylvain HOCEINI 18- Florent GAUTIER 19- Romain RENAUD 20- Emmanuel MOGICATO 21- Sylvain MORET 22- Charlotte CONSORTI 23- Sophie ROUTABOUL 24- Julien TAUB 25- Jean-Yves TERRIEN 26- Bruno DANDINE 27- Jernej PRIVSEK  |
1- Thomas GAUDIOT 2- Nick VARDALACHOS  3- Gauthier BOURGEOIS 4- Antoine ALBEAU 5- Cyril MOUSSILMANI 6- Benoit MOUSSILMANI 7- Sylvain MOUSSILMANI 8- Anders BRINGDAL  9- Olivier BERNARD 10- Cédric BORDES 11- Andrea BALDINI  12- Christophe RICHAUD 13- Xavier JOLY 14- Pascal BOULANGER 15- Cyril MICHEL 16- Christophe FIORENTINI 17- Gilles PAREDES 18- Valérie GHIBAUDO 19- Karin YAGGI  20- Romain DONADA 21- Alain MONTAUZOU 22- Damien NICO 23- Jacques VAN DER HOUT  |
Rob Douglas – Winner of the 2011 North American Speed Sailing 2011
The French team
From left to right: Sylvain HOCEINI, Jérôme BILA, Alex CAIZERGUES, Chalotte CONSORTI, Patrice MENOSSI and Seb SALERNO. Christophe PRIN-GUENON is not on the shot. (He had to leave the competition early due to injury)
The USA team
From left to right: Morgan DOUGLAS, Jamie DOUGLAS, Rob DOUGLAS, Micheal GEBHARDT (olympic coach ) and Bill LYNCH.
France Team wins the “Lynch-Cup” with a total of 109 points set by Alexandre CAIZERGUE, Sylvain HOCEINI and Seb SALERNO
USA Team wins the speed competition with 136 points. Rob DOUGLAS takes the price for Best Average Speed.
The 2011 North American Speed Sailing Invitational comes to a close with 12 races completed. Racing occurred on almost everyday of the event and this was the first ever speed event to have port tack races.
The 2011 NASSI was the second event ever to have speeds greater than 50 Knots. It also featured the biggest prize purse in kite Sailing ($27,000) and the first National team trophy, the “Lynch Cup.”
As the best speed sailors in the world battled storm force conditions they well exceeded there expectations with speeds over 50 knots. Two riders Alex Caizergues and Rob Douglas hitt V max speeds greater then 55 Knots in Martha’s Vineyard.
Final results of the 2011 North American Speed Sailing Invitational:
|
Position |
Rider |
Best Speed |
|
1 |
Rob Douglas |
50.994 |
|
2 |
Alex Caizergues |
48.873 |
|
3 |
Jamie Douglas |
47.365 |
|
4 |
Sylvain Hoceini |
44.769 |
|
5 |
Seb Salemo |
45.904 |
|
6 |
Patrice Menossi |
44.370 |
|
7 |
Christophe Prin-Guenon |
44.339 |
|
8 |
Jerome Bila |
41.193 |
|
9 |
Morgan Douglas |
44.783 |
|
10 |
Charlotte Consorti |
39.908 |
|
11 |
Bill Lynch |
39.981 |
Source:
http://www.sebsalerno.com
http://www.thekiteboarder.com
In the mean time…
A few days into the event and the athletes are doing a little cross training. This video captures a glimpse of the life these athletes live as they push the 50 knot threshold in the beautiful waters off of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
USA
Source: The 2011 North American Speed Sailing Invitational
Two separate speed events attempt breaking 55.65 kts record
Here is a video from Basil Cambanis. Take a ride with him on his Genetrix Hydra down the speed run in Luderitz, Namibia. The new canal has been built in the salt pan a few hundred meters upwind of Second Lagoon. It looks impressive, and with the longer run-up and finish it’s bound to be faster.
At the same time, there is a speed event organized by The North American Speed Sailing Project (NASSP). SOME of the Fastest Sailors are competing for the $27000 prize at Martha’s Vineyard in October 2011.
It will be interesting to see who will break the 55.65 kts over 500m set by Rob Douglas in Luderitz in 2010.
NASSP———————————————————-or the Luderitz Speed Challenge ???
One of them looks like a holiday and the other like suicide. Good luck to all and be safe!
GENETRIX at the Mondial du Vent 2011
From the 23rd of April to the 1st of May, Genetrix will attend the Mondial du Vent in la Franqui, one of the windiest spots in the south of France. Windsurfers go head to head against kitesurfers during the Orange Speed crossing, starting tomorrow 26 Apr - 1 May.
For the first time, 60 competitors (32 pros and 28 amateurs) will compete to see who is fastest on the water.
The 55 knot speed record-breaking champion Sebastien Cattelan (France) will be competing against the other giants in the sport like Rob Douglas (USA), current world record speed holder, and Alex Caizergues (France).
At present, the list of competitors is as follows:
| Kitesurf | Windsurf |
|---|---|
| 1- Alex CAIZERGUES 2- Sébastien CATTELAN 3- Sylvain HOCEINI 4- Sylvain MAURIN 5- Geoffrey MASCAREL 6- Manu TAUB 7- Julien TAUB 8- Bruno DANDINE 9- Christophe PRIN-GUENON 10- Marc-Olivier MARTIN 11- Rob DOUGLAS 12- Morgan DOUGLAS 13- Jamie DOUGLAS 14- Damien LEROY 15- Sébastien SALERNO 16- Sjoukje BREDENKAMPF  17- Charlotte CONSORTI 18- Sophie ROUTABOUL 19- Antony CHAFFRON 20- Nicolas ALLIBERT  21- Marc-Antoine MARIN 22- Florent GAUTIER 23- Maxime RICHARD 24- Benoit JOUFFRET 25- Bill LYNCH 26- Rémy JANISSET 27- Alex ROBIN |
1- Antoine ALBEAU 2- Cyril MOUSSILMANI 3- Anders BRINGDAL 4- Sylvain MOUSSILMANI 5- Benoit MOUSSILMANI 6- Bieuzy MAUFFREY 7- David GARREL  8- Pascal BOULANGER 9- Pierre MORETTI 10- Andrea BALDINI 11- Marion RAISI 12- Gilles PAREDES VINUALES 13- Thomas GAUDIOT 14- Christophe RICHAUD 15- Fabien COURTIADE 16- Wilfried VANHERWEGHE 17- Alain MONTAUZOU 18- Sébastien BONHOMME ALLAIRE 19- Xavier JOLY 20- Jean-Charles MAES 21- Miguel AGERKOP 22- Gauthier BOURGEOIS 23- Christophe FIORENTINI 24- Eric CARRIERE 25- Olivier BERNARD 26- Cyril MICHEL 27- Pascal TOSELLI |
Luderitz, Seb, and their stories
Here is the complete video on France 3
Or you can view the different parts of the documentary here:
Thalassa documentary part one
Here is the first part of the documentary of the Luderitz Speed Challenge 2010 in Namibia which will be aired on Friday the 18th of March on Thalassa France3.
Congrats to all Participants and Organizers
GENETRIX IS FIRST TO 55 KNOTS – NEW WORLD AND NATIONAL RECORDS ALSO SET IN NAMIBIA
The Luderitz Speed Challenge has finally come to a close. Congratulations to all the competitors, the organizers, sponsors and Sebastien Cattelan for making this event possible. It wasn’t always easy to please everyone but in the end, the new course proved to be a winner making speeds of more than 55 knots attainable for the first time ever.
12 national speed records were also achieved, and 7 of them were set on the Genetrix Hydra!
Catman was the first one to break the 50 knot sailing speed record in 2008 which was taken from him by Alex Caizergues 24 hours later. History almost repeated itself in 2010. This time around, Catman was the first to reach 55 knots and again became the fastest sailor in the world on the Genetrix Hydra with 55,49 knots (102.6 km/hr). But only an hour later Rob Douglas edged him out by 15 hundredths of a second and managed to set another new world record of 55,64 knots, taking it back home to the US. Congratulation to Rob for being the fastest man.
Seb remains the new speed sailing record holder of France and Europe! Congratulations also to Charlotte Consorti for being the first woman to reach speeds over 50 with 50.43 knots.
Big final at Lud
One big day still to go for the competitors at the second lagoon. Rob will not take part as he broke his wrist and has to return to the US . Alex and Seb will definitely give it all they have today.
The UNOFFICIAL results up to Day 11 (excuse any errors & omissions) :
Visit www.luderitz-speed.com for the OFFICIAL Results.
| Rank | No. | Name | Nat. | Speed |
| 1 | 55 | Rob Douglas | USA | 55.65 |
| 2 | 69 | Sebastien Cattelan | FRA | 55.49 |
| 3 | 21 | Alex Caizergues | FRA | 54.93 |
| 4 | 64 | Sebastien Salerno | FRA | 54.28 |
| 5 | 53 | Sylvain Hoceini | FRA | 52.90 |
| 6 | 11 | Gavin Broadbent | NZ | 50.93 |
| 7 | 45 | Basil Cambanis | ZA | 50.72 |
| 8 | 1 | Taro Niehaus | ZA | 50.62 |
| 9 | 4 | Charlotte Consorti | FRA | 50.43 |
| 10 | 13 | Manu Taub | FRA | 49.04 |
| 11 | 7 | Sophie Routaboul | FRA | 48.64 |
| 12 | 46 | Marc Avella | ESP | 48.55 |
| 13 | 56 | Jamie Douglas | USA | 47.90 |
| 14 | 57 | Morgan Douglas | USA | 47.34 |
| 15 | 9 | Christophe Prin-Guenon | FRA | 47.18 |
| 16 | 14 | Fred Kloren | NL | 46.93 |
| 17 | 18 | Tim Pumpa | AUS | 46.78 |
| 18 | 59 | Jernej Privsek | SL | 46.60 |
| 19 | 10 | Anders Bringdal (W) | SWE | 44.80 |
| 20 | 5 | Sjoukje Bredenkamp | ZA | 44.25 |
| 21 | 52 | Bill Lynch | USA | 42.32 |
| 22 | 6 | Zsolt Lenkei | HUN | 42.16 |
| 23 | 81 | Farrel O-Shea (W) | UK | 41.02 |
| 24 | 2 | Afrit Foued | ALB | 39.81 |
| 25 | 800 | Nick Vardalaxos (W) | GR | 38.06 |
| 26 | 223 | Andrea Baldini (W) | IT | 37.21 |
| 27 | 47 | Zara Davis (W) | UK | 36.99 |
| 28 | 3 | Leila Nouar | FRA | 34.71 |
W = Windsurfer
Source:
speedkiting.org
New records!!
New world record by Rob Douglas (USA) with 55.65
New french and european record by Seb Cattelan (FR) with 55.49
New world record feminine by Charlotte Consorti (FR) with 50.43
Still awaiting the ISAF and the WSSRC official results.
Catman did it. First over 55
Rob Douglas and Catman have both exceeded 55 knots today, but we’re still waiting for the official results.
Catman was the first one today to have broken the 55 knot ( over 101 kmh / 63 mph) speed barrier but not for long as Rob Douglas also clocked in above 55 knots.
Stay tuned…
Another 4 National Records tumble!
As expected, the wind was great when it finally got going (35-43), but the water level was too low by this time. The strip had to be closed as the WRSSC deemed it to be too shallow.
Here is a picture taken @ the time the wind was offering record breaking conditions. Too bad the tide wasn’t favorable this time around!
Nonetheless, the new speed strip proved to be a winner – with 4 new National records being set:
Rob Douglas – USA, 52.58 knots
Taro Niehaus – South Africa, 50.62 knots
Marc Avella – Spain, 48.55 knots
Jernej Privsek – Slovenia, 46.22 knots.
These records have not yet been officiated by the WSSRC – we are waiting for them to be officialised.
The wind will now take a break until later next week, so it’s time to tune equipment and get ready for the next blow. It’s moving back to spring tides from tomorrow, so let’s hope it blows before spring highs wreck our track again. The course maintenance cannot keep up during this period, but at least we won’t have water depth issues.
Source:
speedkiting
luderitz-speed
sebsalerno
Big up to Catman
Only a handful of sailors have broken the 50 knot barrier. In order: Alex CAIZERGUES, Seb CATELLAN, Rob DOUGLAS, l’Hydroptère, Gavin BROADBENT, Seb SALERNO.
They really stamped their dominance on the sport by breaking the record by the biggest single margin in the sport’s history. 54.1 knots is impressive as it exceeds 60 mph and over 100kph…
Let’s not forget to acknowledge the effort put by Seb Cattelan and the event team who have put in long arduous hours to rebuild the channel that mother nature reclaims every high tide. The organizers have continued to optimize the course and have seen the results improve with each iteration.
Today wasn’t a record breaking day. Wind was @ 35 knots but you can see Catman & Bringdal having fun in light wind.
Tomorrow, Friday, apparently it is going to be the apocalypse. Today the run wasn’t usable before 5:00pm because low tide was at 2:20pm. Tomorrow the optimal time to use the run is between 11:00am and 1:00pm, since low tide is at 4:00pm.
Alex’s incredible run will definitely drive the contenders to push the limit! Some insane competition coming up between Alex and Catman.
It’s Official ! New OUTRIGHT World Speed Sailing Record !
Alex Caizergues has officially set a new World Speed Sailing Record at 54.10 knots during his 1st run at 15h38 yesterday afternoon.
5 New National records were broken on the same day:
Kitesurfing
Sebastien Cattelan (France) 52.33 (2nd fastest outright)
Rob Douglas (USA) 51.88 (National Record)
Gavin Broadbent (New Zealand) 50.93 (National Record)
Sebastien Salerno (France) 50,75
Tim Pumpa (Australia) 46.78 (National Record)
Charlotte Consorti (France) 45.23 (French Womens National record)
Windsurfing
Anders Bringdal (Sweden) 44.80 (National Record)
Zara Davis (UK) 36.99 (Female World performance with Production Board)
The battle for the title of “the fastest speed sailor in the world” is far from over, with more big winds forecast in Luderitz for not only this week, but for most of October !
F@!#! i wish i was there !!!!
5 kiters over 50 Knots
NEW WORLD RECORDS. There are no official results yet but it is a 100% certain that the Hydroptere no longer has the Outright Sailing record. It’s previous record of 51.36 was broken numerous times today by Kite surfers!
The wind nuked up to 47 knots and 5 kiters clock over 50 knots. Right from the start it was apparent this would be a memorable day when Catman did the first run to test the canal out and clocked a 48.5 500m from a standing start near the start line. Shortly after this Alex and Catman nailed 50+ runs.
Unofficially (via word of mouth) Alex set a 53 knot 500m. Seb Salerno and Gavin Broadbend clocked 52 and 51 respectfully, so a big day in every respect. They have joined this exclusive club and they did it convincingly. Tim Pumpa raised the bar on the Australian sailing speed record and clocked an impressive 47.5
The Luderitz’s 2nd Lagoon lived up to all expectations with many new records being broken. There will always be some kinks that need ironing out which attract criticism, but the canal more than proved its worth today.
Currently, they are awaiting for speeds to be officiated by the World Speed Sailing Record Council (WRSSC).
