Sailing Speed Record

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:33 am

Talking about high aspect ratios....did you fellas notice that the sailing speed record has gone back to windsurfers now after about 11 years that Yellow Pages had it?

The reason it made me think of high aspect ratios is because these speed boards use a super tiny skeg (fin) for directional stability. If you have a need for speed, windsurfing is the way to go!

Check it out... 46.82kn = 53.84mph

http://mastersofspeed.com/

norbert · Post by **norbert** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:43 am

i'll try to beat it next season with my 26x. i have a blue hull, so i think 54 knots should be possible. i only have to check that my centerboard gybes well.

craiglaforce · Post by **craiglaforce** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:52 am

Yes, but lets see that windsurfer do it with ablative bottom paint on his board.

Mark Prouty · Post by **Mark Prouty** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 7:47 am

norbert wrote:i'll try to beat it next season with my 26x. i have a blue hull, so i think 54 knots should be possible. i only have to check that my centerboard gybes well.

Better watch out!!! He might be lurking!!!

I have to show my son this thread. He fancies himself a master windsurfer.

waternwaves · Post by **waternwaves** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 12:35 pm

must be the silver wetsuit/drysuit......lower wind turbulence around the body.....

lets see. what did they say in the windsurfing article...... a couple of kilos of lead around his neck and shoulders.....hmmmmm... isnt that carrying the idea of more ballast a little too far...lol, hope that canal was shallow

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:39 pm

I like the fact that Finian is kind of a stocky dude...unlike many competitive sailors. I used to do quite a bit of windsurfing a couple decades ago and I got really sick and tired of getting beat by the tall and skinny boy types...especially in lighter air and when beating upwind! Those long arms were hard to beat. With 60 knot winds, it is probably a good idea to have a bit of weight on ya. In days gone by, I've likely hit 25-30 knots in 35-40 kn of wind (squalls) before and that is pretty thrilling. Only the last foot or two of the board is in contact with the water and you are planing so fast that there is barely any water noise at all. Pretty cool to go that fast and not have a loud motor on your stern.

Rolf · Post by **Rolf** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:57 am

Wow 50 knots, and I thought i was going fast regular surfing. Mark your clip on art cracks me up. Keep it coming.
Rolf

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:43 pm

waternwaves wrote:must be the silver wetsuit/drysuit......lower wind turbulence around the body.....

This happened a couple weeks ago in France....ie...COLD! So although aerodynamics may have had something to do with it, I think the primary reason is to keep warm.

Probably some good wind chill factor with winds that are almost hurricane force.

Also notice the asymmetric boom on the sail...not your usual windsurfer...ie, no tacking on that one, one way only. I suppose it keeps the laminar flow smoother on the leading edge of the sail.

Chuck Healey · Post by **Chuck Healey** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 10:19 am

This discussion on speed got me curious, what is the top speed you have reached sailing your Mac. My personal best was 10 mph (on GPS for a few seconds) sailing downwind with a reefed mainsail and Genoa furled to about 50%. Winds were 20 to 30 mph with higher gust. Downwind was the only way I was able to sail, any other point of sail, the boat would just round up or heel to much. I wonder what speed I could of reached down wind with no ballast, a full mainsail and Genoa!......before I capsized.

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 12:43 pm

Or better yet, if you were flying a big fat kite (spinnaker)!

I've reached about that same speed in a SCA before...winds were about 20 gusting to 30. Of course, some of the momentary gains are attributable to "surfing" down the backside of waves. In reality though, you were probably still on a bit of a broad reach since your headsail wouldn't work right in a true dead downwind situation. I suppose you need a symmetrical spinnaker to be able to sail DDW, but even then, you would go faster if you were just a bit off the wind...so that the sail can generate some lift too.

IMO, between about 10mph and 11.5 mph, the boat is transitioning into a plane so it probably requires more forward force to "get over the hump" than it took to get to the foot of the hump (kind of like energy required to freeze water). Theoretically, you would accelerate pretty rapidly once going over the planing hump (same as windsurfing) but it doesn't seem anyone on this board has ever done it. Also theoretically (although not all people evidently agree), it should take less force to propel a lighter unballasted boat over the hump....but again, I don't think anyone has tried that. You kind of hit on it, if you are in high winds and wipe out going down wind, the boat will probably turn and capsize ... and you would have to be out standing on the CB pulling the mast halyard to get it to right itself.

If someone wants to volunteer their brand new (or totally empty) boat for a trial unballasted speed run, I would be happy to help crew. You would want probably 2-4 able sailors on board for such an adventure. I got too much neat and expensive stuff in my boat to willingly get into a capsize situation.

Catigale · Post by **Catigale** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 4:54 am

OUr first summer with the boat (our near maiden voyage) we got up to 9 mph GPS on a reach with all cloth up in 25-30 mph winds - held it for several seconds but there was a lot of heeling and rounding up...we bent a spreader too....

we were 99.99% out of control and it set me back two seasons of sailing with the Admiral until I had learned to control the boat under sailing better.

Since then I have reached hull speed several times, but have never explored the region beyond ....

Tony D-26X_SusieQ · Post by **Tony D-26X_SusieQ** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 10:07 am

I believe it only takes 9 mph to dump the ballast

Miquel · Post by **Miquel** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 5:22 am

We have been several times on the 7 to 10 knots on the GPS, and sustained (this is about 8 to 12 mph). But it was helped by the current. Measured over the water (I have also a speed/log/temp-meter), the speed was 5 to 7knots.

This was with the jib and mainsail reefed (I only have 1 point), winds about 5B gusting to 6B (23 - 29 mph) and running (about 140 - 150 off the wind). Waves about 60 to 70 cm (a little bit more than 2 feet). Full ballast and all the crew on board.

The memory that everyone has of this day is a very nice sail

, as oposed to one day with the same conditions, but reaching

, heeling as crazy and geting a lot of water in the cockpit due to the bow entering in the waves, and the wind projecting the water to the back of the boat.

Unless I want to get divorced

, I would not dare to try to fly in 5B or more the spinnaker and try to make our Culzean beat her own sail speed record.

Fair winds,

Miquel
Culzean

I

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 6:41 am

Miquel, your family (and wife) sure sounds a lot like mine.

I've long ago given up trying to go real fast with the family on board...unless I can do it with under 10 degrees of heel like you remarked on. If, they are with me and I'm in a heel situation, I end up over reefing for the conditions just to keep the boat flatter. If it gets over 20mph, I'm probably motor sailing and watching some of them pop dramamines. Most of my speed runs are done when I am alone on the boat...which is usually the only time I learn anything new about sailing the boat too!

Catigale, I wonder if your spreader tip was misadjusted on the cable or you had already bent the spreader first doing something else. Seems that properly tuned, the spreader shouldn't have bent like that...although its pretty easy to bend them when putting the mast in/out of trailering position.

Miquel · Post by **Miquel** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 7:26 am

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa wrote:. Most of my speed runs are done when I am alone on the boat...which is usually the only time I learn anything new about sailing the boat too!.

You are lucky!!

I have formally forbiden to go solo sailing

I have though began a "get used" program, and now I have them used to a heeling of about 15. For next season there is a thought on getting them gradually used to 20. Where we sail (Oosterschelde, North Sea) there are quite a lot of days with winds about 5B (about 23 mph) and I don't want just to do downwind runs and then to motor back, me alone in the cockpit getting wet and the rest in the cabin, telling me not to move so much!!

I also enjoy reaching (masochist, perhaps?

), and I want them to be able to sail in all conditions and points of wind.

In another aspect, I think that 20 is where this boat gets the best of it, isn't it?

Fair winds,

Miquel
Culzean.

MacGregorSailors.com

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