During the last year, something really astonashing has happened - as kitesurf raceboards are getting faster and faster upwind, with the rapidly growing courserace R&D happening
So at the latest races here, even the good course race windsurfers was beat by the good kitesurf course racers, in conditions just above or around the 10knots only.
Kitesurfers (well, the latest raceboards) now go at a higher angle to the wind than the ultimate windsurf raceboards, and at almost the same speed, so higher VMG.
And at the downwind legs (or halfwind) the kitesurfers are smoking everybody else by a huge margin.
This means the kitesurfers are about to be the fastest sailing craft in ANY direction - upwind, halfwind, downwind, and in pure max speed as we know from speed sailing.
Trimarans and catamarans and keelboats can not keep up with the kitesurfers either, as long as the wind is suitable for planing (8 knots or more).
In less wind, the keelboats and some fast trimarans can go faster upwind though...
But at and above the 8-10 knots, it seems that nothing can keep up with the kitesurfers now
Has anyone got some knowledge/experience about the angle to the wind for different sailing crafts ? Or the VMG at different wind speeds (and water conditions) ?
Kitesurfers can go about 35 to 40 degrees upwind, windsurfers are about 5 degrees lower it seems, around 35 degree usually.
What are the angles keelboats and the best trimarans can obtain ?
Even though they are slower than both the windsurfers and kitesurfers in and above the 8-10knots VMG, it could be interesting to hear what the angles obtained are ?
My estimates based on other sites and measurements are that really good keelboats can go up to 50 or 55 degree to the wind in good conditions, and 45 to 50 when more rough.
Dinghys about 45 degrees.
What about foil kitesurf boards ?
Windsurfers still have the edge in very shitty gusty wind though, as far as I can tell...
Still, no matter if one find it very boring - it is interesting that kitesurf raceboards seems to be the fastest sailing craft now, of all crafts, around a race course or long distance race
And still only at the start of a very rapidly growing evolution, so kitesurfers will be even faster upwind soon
Kindly, Peter Frank