Raw Power - The Best of Leg 8 - Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. Les images du chavirage du trimaran de Jean-Pierre Dick et Roland Jourdain. The Plymouth Capsize Club 2 - Another smashing Sunday! VESTAS Sailrocket 2 returns to hunt the 'limit' | Vestas Sailrocket. Isle of Wight, 7/9/2011 Short, sharp voyages of discovery The team behind the VESTAS Sailrocket 2 program are returning to Walvis Bay in Namibia to continue their quest to set the outright world speed sailing record.
The months of September through to December typically provide the best winds for speed sailing and the team have been keeping their powder dry in anticipation. The current world record is held by American kite surfer, Rob Douglas. VESTAS Sailrocket 2 is a bold step beyond their Mk1 boat which still holds the 'B' class world record and hit peak speeds over 52 knots (60 mph) on a number of occasions.
Conventional high speed foils (i.e. rudders) begin to have 'issues' as they reach high speed and these become unavoidable around 60 knots. VESTAS Sailrocket 2 was launched in April this year in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. Pilot/Project leader Paul Larsen- "This is a step into the unknown and it's hard to predict exactly what the scale of the issues might be. VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Outright world speed sailing record holder. (subject to WSSRC ratification) SailRocket boat crash at record speed. Great Friday! | Vestas Sailrocket.
We just got back in from a great session and I’m happy to say that VESTAS Sailrocket 2 is now in the 50 knot club. We did three runs culminating a great final sprint where she just surged over the 50 knot mark recoding a peak of 50.53 knots. On the previous run she hit over 46 knots. Overall it has been a pretty stunning progression for the new ventilated foil. In successive runs she has gone from 27 knots to 36.7, 42.7, 46.3 and now 50.5 knots. The great thing is that she isn’t even getting close to any limit. VESTAS Sailrocket 2 behaved impeccably on the course. Of course we are getting increasingly excited to be where we are at. Right now i would love to add all the bolt-on speed bits to the boat and give the wing a deluxe skin makeover but that will have to wait as tomorrows forecast is equally good. The 50 knot bottle of Pol Roger has been drunk and the rest of the team are down the pub. So Happy days. Time to go. Cheers, Paul. DAY 3: EXTREME! A major collision, 4 capsizes, 1 broken mast.