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There are reports that Sailrocket has done 59.36knots for 500m and 55.32 knots for the nautical mile.

Boy, that Sailrocket is going to be hard to catch with a kite!!! Particularly when you consider the new 59knot record was set in only 25 knots- it's just soo much more efficient than the windsurfers/ kiters. There's a pretty big gap to close now.

Kiters just might have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a radical new board design. Perhaps something that relies less on fearless athleticism and more on .... engineering. Wonder what they'll come up with?!

gavin feargrieve wrote:Boy, that Sailrocket is going to be hard to catch with a kite!!! Particularly when you consider the new 59knot record was set in only 25 knots- it's just soo much more efficient than the windsurfers/ kiters. There's a pretty big gap to close now.

Kiters just might have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a radical new board design. Perhaps something that relies less on fearless athleticism and more on .... engineering. Wonder what they'll come up with?!

I think the future of speed kiting is a small, efficient boat like the vestas sail rocket powered by a huge kite....but 59 knots will be hard to beat.

gavin feargrieve wrote:Boy, that Sailrocket is going to be hard to catch with a kite!!! Particularly when you consider the new 59knot record was set in only 25 knots- it's just soo much more efficient than the windsurfers/ kiters. There's a pretty big gap to close now.

Kiters just might have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a radical new board design. Perhaps something that relies less on fearless athleticism and more on .... engineering. Wonder what they'll come up with?!

IMO it has to be a board that rides flat.

When you are edging and kicking up 15ft rooster tail are you inefficient.

Tone wrote: IMO it has to be a board that rides flat. When you are edging and kicking up 15ft rooster tail are you inefficient.

yup. The problem with making things bigger is that you reach structural limits of materials. By keeping everything smaller you are less likely to reach the material limits and the limits of human strength. They need to dig that trench deeper and go out on race fins.

That's an awesome achievement. I guess he's more limited than the kiters in what water state he can be really fast on. Ten years- we might have some technological catching up to do.

Tone wrote:

gavin feargrieve wrote:Boy, that Sailrocket is going to be hard to catch with a kite!!! Particularly when you consider the new 59knot record was set in only 25 knots- it's just soo much more efficient than the windsurfers/ kiters. There's a pretty big gap to close now.

Kiters just might have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a radical new board design. Perhaps something that relies less on fearless athleticism and more on .... engineering. Wonder what they'll come up with?!

IMO it has to be a board that rides flat.

When you are edging and kicking up 15ft rooster tail are you inefficient.

Robby Naish setting the World Record at Arinaga in 2003 with a single fin directional, but he didn't ride it flat. The kiters may need very flat water to be able to ride a board flat at that speed.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgzs94 ... cord_sport

Bigger winds forecast for tomorrow (Wednesday) and more on Saturday.

Sailrocket will be trying to go even faster and Bjorn Dunkerbeck will be joining the other windsurfers after the birth of his son.

The kiters have done over 60 knots peak speed before and may have to get over 60 for 500m by the time they start their session in December.

What I dont understand is why they dont have a Q/R for getting rid of the kite.
In this vid at 40 seconds and repeated at 6 minutes, there is time to release if he could release by pulling a wrist far enough away from the powerline. He was travelling along the water initially and could have stayed on the water if he released early enough. Could have saved him a broken wrist?
A parachute closing pin would be one way to do it.
http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/skydiving4.htm

I think that the answer is a solid kite with a very light rigid frame, maybe made of carbon fiber.

skinnergy wrote:I think that the answer is a solid kite with a very light rigid frame, maybe made of carbon fiber.

Back to the future?