|
Sail-World.com : US speed sailing record for Rob Douglas
US speed sailing record for Rob Douglas
|
It was a phenomenal Day 1 at the 2008 Luderitz Speed Challange. Kitesurfer Rob Douglas (US) goes smoking into the lead, and shatters the previous US speed sailing record with a 47.639kt run.
Once teething troubles were sorted out with equipment on this first day of the Lüderitz Speed Challenge, and everyone had settled into the relentless blast of the wind, there was no end to the high speed runs.
Rob had a great result for a relative newcomer to the international speed sailing scene, although Frenchmen Alexandre Caizergues and Sebastien Cattelan are hot on his heels only .33 and .46 knots slower. Windsurfing great Bjorn Dunkerbeck set a personal best times of 44.78 knots, even in slightly broad conditions not perfectly suited to windsurfers.
Says Rob Douglas: 'I started out slow, and things got better for me as the wind picked up and the water improved. It was rough in the beginning, so later when it got smooth it felt like I wasn’t going any faster.' He’s so far very happy with his equipment. 'The Cabrinha kites were great,' Douglas comments, 'And the Amundson boards keep pleasantly surprising me.'
A key factor was fins, which the team had been struggling to working on. 'We’ve now found the fins we like from Curtis – they’re fast with lots of grip.' He’s happy so far with his equipment, although the water conditions on the Lüderitz speed strip call for more rocker and a bit more flex on the board. 'Not sure how we’re going to work it into the programme from here,' he says.
Is speed sailing all about the gear then? At this level Douglas believe this is true: 'All the guys have got super talent. At this level it’s the gear, it’s the ability to get the power onto the water.'
The Lüderitz Speed Challenge is only into its second day out of a whole month’s sailing – so there will be more records – personal, national and international, to be broken.
Rob Douglas: 47.639
Alex Caizergues: 47.313
Sebastien Cattelan: 47.175
Manu Taub: 45.196
Christophe Pringuenon: 45.112
Bjorn Dunkerbeck: 44.779
Jerome Bila: 43.986
Hennie Bredenkamp (k): 43.807
Taro Niehaus: 43.279
Benoit Moussilmani: 43.183
http://www.luderitz-speed.com/
by Event media
Click on the FB Like link to post this story to your FB wall
http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=48983
3:49 PM Thu 18 Sep 2008 GMT
Click here for printer friendly version
Click here to send us feedback or comments about this story.
Click for further information on
Related News Stories:
MORE STORIES ...
|
|
|
Our Advertisers are committed to our sport, please support them!
This site and its contents are © Copyright TetraMedia Pty. Ltd and/or the original author, photographer etc. All Rights Reserved.
Photographs are copyright by law. If you wish to use or buy a photograph you must contact the photographer directly (there is a hyperlink in most cases to their website, or do a Google search.) with your request.
Please do not contact
Sail-World.com
as we cannot give permission for use of other photographer’s images.
Only if the photographer named on the image is Sail-world.com, Powerboat-world.com, Marinebusiness-world.com or NZBoating-World.com.
Contact us
.
Ph: +61 2 8006 1873
or complete our
feedback form
Contact us
.
View our Privacy Policy.
[ Go Home]
[ Banner Advertising Specification]
[Bot Archive ]
Customised news feeds -Marine Industry companies, Clubs and Associations have their own customised version of our news feed on their website.
Look_here_to_see_examples
|
CLD
| | |
_USA_05-13[3].gif)
