The Australian speedboat "Macquarie Innovation" has set a new speed record for sailing ships. Off Sandy Point near Melbourne, it achieved an average of 50.43 knots on the 500 metre standard course, which is corrected to 50.08 knots due to light current support. The maximum speed was over 54 knots.
The Australians glided across the speed strip close to the beach in wind speeds of between 22 and 24 knots. "The wind angle was a bit too sharp at 225 degrees," says pilot Simon McKeon. "At 210 degrees we would have been two knots faster. But the wind strength helped us. We've been waiting 15 years for this wind." The data still has to be confirmed by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC).
"To be honest, it was embarrassingly easy. We always thought that the caviation would be a big problem once we reached the 100 km/h limit (54 knots)," says co-pilot Tim Daddo. "But it all went amazingly smoothly."
This means that the follow-up project to the "Yellow Pages", which held the absolute record of 46.52 knots for eleven years until 2004, is now the fastest sailing boat. The surfers (49.09 knots) are slower, only the absolute record of the kiters (50.57 knots) is faster.
The Australians believe that the limit for their vessel is 58 knots. Then cavitation becomes a problem. This is when the water in the area of the steering fins changes into a gaseous state due to the high friction.
