The 4th Lüderitz Speed Challenge: World Record Attempt in Speed Sailing

After 3 successful events, The Lüderitz Speed Challenge has earned its credibility and made its mark in the World of Speed Sailing. In 2010, for the first time in the history of Speed Sailing, all 3 of the sailing disciplines (windsurfing, kitesurfing and hydrofoils) will jointly compete in the same event for the coveted title of the “Fastest sailing vessel”.

In 2004 Sébastien Cattelan together with Sophie Routaboul, co-organiser of the event, discovered the now legendary speed location in Luderitz. This natural lagoon in the Namib Desert has all the qualities to become the top international speed sailing venue in the world. The warm desert winds accelerate through the surrounding hills and on reaching the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean, thermal atmospheric pressure creates incredibly high wind speeds.

3 Oct 2008, Luderitz Bay, Namibia: French kite surfer Sebastien Cattelan was the first person to break the mythical 50 knots sailing barrier (+ 90 km/h over 500m averages).

Speed Sailing has become an international inter-disciplinary sport. For many years an ongoing challenge existed between windsurfers, hydrofoil boats and kitesurfers to smash records - capturing the imagination of the media in a battle where speed barriers are constantly being broken.

So what’s in store for 2010?
The favorable results of the previous year which offered a tempestuous run for our sportsmen recording upwards of 90 km/ph  on a 20-50cm deep, 500m long and 2m wide canal, has initiated continual improvement of the speed strip. In 2010, conditions for navigation have been improved by way of a more efficient canal of 10m of wide, 700m long, with a depth of 1m.

The aim this year is to widen the canal at the start as much as possible, making entry much easier. The sand taken from the canal will be laid up wind, creating a wall for protection against chop created in the water at high tide. The canal will have sufficient water depth to conform to the WSSRC rule (15cm minimum throughout) and even at low tide when the water recedes, the canal will remain at least 50cm deep throughout the run.  These increased proportions of the canal will result in greater safety compared to the previous wooden chop killer.

The 2010 Luderitz Speed Challenge promises to be the most hotly contested competition held in the history of Speed Sailing.

Source: Sébastien Cattelan and Sophie Routaboul

Click here to visit Luderitz Speed Challenge’s website.

And what does speed sailing mean for the environment? (saving the world, one speed record at a time!)

Says Sebastien Cattelan:  “Using natural energy, has consequences for you, for us …
These performances represent what is possible in the future using energy from nothing but what nature provides.Wind-driven sailing vessels are once again becoming the pioneers in maritime transportation, and kite makers have been approached by forward-thinking commercial boat owners to design huge kites to experiment with the concept of using wind power to help drive large cargo vessels.

In theory, the kiteboard is replaced by a huge vessel, however the principle is the same. This development would result in huge cuts in the consumption of fuel, reduce oil spills and the overall cost of transportation costs world-wide.
We have entered a point in history where innovative ideas from nature will help to contribute to the protection of our planet”.
What a cool thought! (where’s the ‘Like’ button?)

Source: Sébastien Cattelan cattelan.sebastien@gmail.com  and Sophie Routaboul so.event@live.fr
Click here to visit Luderitz Speed Challenge’s website.

Luderitz Speed Challenge: a bit of history.

With the 2010 Luderitz Speed Challenge just around the corner, here’s a bit of history around successive improvements in performances at Luderitz between 2007 when the event started, to what we can expect in 2010.

In 2007 the first Lüderitz Speed Challenge was held and existing speed sailing records were broken by kitesurfers. The 2nd fastest time in speed sailing ever was recorded - 1st place was held by windsurfer Finian Meynard from the Virgin Islands.

 
The second event, in 2008, saw kitesurfers break all existing speed sailing records and officially become the fastest sailors in the world - for the first time smashing the mythical 50 knots in World Speed Sailing. Changes were made to the course - a ‘chop killer’ (i.e.  a wooden barrier) helped improve the 500m water surface to ensure a smoother slide and increase the wind speed angle, resulting in increased performance and new maximum speeds being reached:                                                                                                                                                 

  • 2007: 47.77 knots over 500m averages
  • 2008: 50.57 knots over 500m averages.

In November 2009, Luderitz saw even more innovative planning:
The organisers created a canal alongside the existing 500m speed strip to ensure flat water and a better wind speed. This decision was made in order to challenge the new speed sailing record of the Hydrofoil « L’HYDROPTERE » of 51.36 knots (95km/h over 500m averages), which was set  one month prior to the 2009 Luderitz event.

 

Recently, a GPS (tool of measure) world record of 53.06 knots (98km/h over 500m averages) has been set in Lüderitz by Sébastien Cattelan. This proves the potential of the 2010 Lüderitz Speed Challenge, which always verifies speeds with the WSSRC (World Sailing Speed Record Council), who officiates all speed world attempts:  On the way to 54 knots - the new world challenge to break the 100km/h barrier!

Source: Sébastien cattelan  & Sophie Routaboul
Click here to visit Luderitz Speed Challenge’s website.

World’s surf stars in PE for autograph session at Surf Centre TONIGHT!

A star studded line-up of international and local surf stars will be in PE tonight (16 July) for an autograph signing session at the Surf Centre store in Walmer Park.

Surf fans can expect to meet and mingle with several of the world’s top 45 ranked surfers, who are visiting Jeffreys Bay for the Billabong Pro. They are team riders from multinational apparel and accessories brands Hurley, Oakley and O’Neill, who will be there to sign autographs and memorabilia.

Attending the signing session will be:
Current World No.2 Jordy Smith (Durban) along with Bobby Martinez (USA), Adrian ‘Ace’ Buchan (AUS), Brett Simpson (USA) and PE local Donavan Zoetmulder, Brazilians Adriano de Souza and Jadson Andre, Australians Tom Whittaker and Adam Melling and South Africans Greg Emslie and Shaun Joubert

The function, which starts at 6pm, also provides Eastern Province Surfing with the opportunity to raise funds for their Junior surfing team.

The awesome prizes up for grabs in the raffle include:

  • O’Neill Psycho 3/2 Wetsuit
  • Hurley Wetsuit & Accessories
  • Oakley Fuelcell Sunglasses

jordy-smith

Jordy Smith displays his patented aerial attack on the way to an historic victory in the Mr Price Pro Ballito last weekend.

For more information contact:
Dave Lipschitz at Surf Centre
C: 082 322 1150
E: surf@agnet.co.za

KITEBOARDING – THE “WHITE KNIGHT” FOR OLYMPIC SAILING?

Falkensee/Germany, 21.06.2010
The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has recently mandated their “Olympic Commission” to examine the strengths and weaknesses of Sailing in the Olympic Games, to compare with other sports and to make recommendations for the future of Olympic Sailing.

The report, presented to the ISAF mid-year conference, has been a wake up call for many, although the contents did not come as a surprise.

The key issues identified by the Olympic Commission are:

  • Increase Universality: in other words, make the sport more popular, to get more nations and especially young people involved. While Sailing is particularly strong in Europe and North America, there is a significant lack of interest in the emerging nations
  • Expanding Qualification Opportunities: athletes and nations should be able to qualify at more than one opportunity (not just  the world championships)
  • Building Popularity: How can Sailing become more attractive for the live audience as well as the media
  • Improving Event Structure: Create a clear pathway from bottom to top, finally leading to the Olympics
  • Enhancing the Olympic Games: The Olympics as the pinnacle event every four years should demonstrate the diversity and skills of the leading young athletes from all nations, and provide entertaining coverage.

 

While Kiteboarding is not yet an Olympic Sailing Class, it seems that many of the requirements and changes that the Olympic Commission suggests, are already in place in the world of international Kiteboarding, and as a result, kiteboarding could become Sailings “White Knight” -  gaining back attraction and attention for the Olympic Sailing Programme.

 
The Olympic Commission suggests longer planning cycles for the chosen equipment, with 8 core events and 2 specialty events for “new and exciting sailing disciplines”. Whilst we appreciate this honor (as we interpret Kiteboarding as one of these “new and exciting sailing disciplines”) – there have not been so many other exciting developments in the past – and even look forward to  Kiteboarding’s participation in the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro under the strategy of the ISAF Olympic Commissions report, we do not believe that the conclusions of the ISAF Olympic Commission go far enough to preserve Sailing a place in the Olympic Games in the long term. 

 
For this reason, the IKAs own Olympic Commission will present Kiteboardings own ideas, for a radical new approach, in the next days.
 
The International Kiteboarding Association is an international class of the International Sailing Federation.

For more information about the International Kiteboarding Association, please do not hesitate to contact us at:
The International Kiteboarding Association
Rohrbecker Weg 43
14612 Falkensee
Germany
info@internationalkiteboarding.org

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