On a board sailing at a speed of 53.33 knots!

November 19, 2019

      On a board sailing at a speed of 53.33 knots!
      On the Luderitz Peninsula in Namibia, the traditional Luderitz Speed ​​Challenges are in full swing, with participants trying to break the speed record for objects under sail.

The 800-meter trail in Luderitz is considered the best place in the world for speed-sailing, since blowing from the desert (in October – November with speeds of up to 60 knots and even more!), The drying wind creates ideal conditions for record attempts.

Over the past few days, windsurfing and kiteboarding masters who came from all over the world have tried to improve existing records on a 500-meter span (in windsurfing, the Frenchman Antoine Albo developed an average speed of 53.27 knots in 2015, and American Rob Douglas in 2010 in kitesurfing 55.65 knots). And I must say, they were close to success.

Yesterday in the morning, the Belgian Vincent Valkeners covered a 500-meter distance on a sailboard at an average speed of 53.25 knots. Only two hundredths worse than a record! Well, isn't it a shame?

Fortunately, the Belgian did not stop there. In the evening, he again went to the start – and this time, according to https://www.sail-world.com, he passed the 500-meter with an average speed of 53.33 knots!

Here are a few videos made in Luderitz in recent days.

169 November 19, 2019 # 9696
                                                    
      
    

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