It took ten years, but in the end it was several quantum leaps. In glorious weather and a relatively moderate offshore breeze of around force 6, "Sailrocket 2" flew to a new world record for sailing craft on the water in Walvis Bay in Namibia on Friday. With an average speed of 59.23 knots (approx. 110 km/h) over a distance of 500 metres, Larsen beat the previous record of 55.65 knots, held by kiteboarder Rob Douglas, by more than 3.5 knots. The top speed was around 63 knots.
But that was just the overture, because on Sunday Larson wanted to go for it again and set off on another attempt, in which "Sailrocket 2" pushed the 500 metre record to 59.38 knots and covered one nautical mile at an average of 55.32 knots. The latter is an almost unbelievable figure, beating the previous record of 50.17 knots, held by "l'Hydroptère", by 5.15 knots or more than ten per cent. According to the team, a top speed of 64 knots was recorded on this trip. However, all the figures mentioned have yet to be confirmed by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.
The setbacks on the way to the record
Even during the drive on Friday, which was recorded up close with on-board cameras and microphones, Larsen felt that everything was just right this time. "Come on, let's go, come on," puffed the pilot as he revved up his vehicle. "Tight, tight, tight ... Now into the shallow water ... Let's boogie ..." And off we went. As the vehicle approached its top speed of 63 knots, the crossbeam with the rig lifted a few centimetres so that the leeward hydrofoil pod came out of the water, further minimising the friction surface. Balancing only on the two pods of the main hull, "Sailrocket 2" raced towards the new record.
"That's fast, that's fast, that'll do ...", the excited Larsen could be heard saying in the video, before he slowed the vehicle with a long swerve and then let it coast towards the beach. At the end of the sequence, a flock of flamingos flew into the picture as if to congratulate him. As soon as the data from the on-board computer was read out on the beach, it was clear: "Sailrocket 2" is the fastest sailing boat on the water. The crew duly celebrated the occasion with a glass of bubbly and kisses - for the boat too. After more than a decade of tireless research and development work and a few bitter setbacks, the likeable and unflappable Larsen has finally reached his goal. And the sailing speed record on the water is once again held by a "sailing boat".
This article was originally published on Sunday 18 November at 17:00 CET and has since been updated.
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