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Though the record hasn't yet been submitted for review by the "World Sailing Speed Record Council". The foiling trimaran Hydroptere had the record, 51.36 knots (59 MPH) in Hyeres, France in 2009, but it appears a new record of 54.1 knots (62.21 MPH) by Alex Caizergues on a kite powered board.

There's some debate as to if he'll get the record as he didn't appear to sail a marked 1.5 miles and it was in a specially prepared (man made) "lake", which was also modified to make the run faster. He set the record on a boat (term used loosely) that can't float without a kite attached and pulling it up and the lake was 4" deep.

Hydroptere


Eventually, they'll likely have a kite class and a sailing vessel class, possibly a foiling class too, which would be appropriate as well.

You decide, it's surely fast, but is it a boat?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeydPE5Bc...r_embedded

This is for all those who think sailing is slow. I've personally been near 100 MPH in a sail powered craft and the world speed record for wind power craft is 109.6 knots (126 MPH), done by the green thing below.

Not with me in it!!!    8) 8) 8)

Nope not a boat. 

That kind of speed makes it hard to hold on to your rum mug without spilling any!

Greg

Greg, something like this might help and Craig, they make bigger kites . . .

Greetings Paul.

Not a boat.

No speed record. But maybe he deserves the biggest kahonies record.  Skimming 62 mph down a channel edged with sharp shales that looks to be only 15 ft wide at it's narrowest point (assuming the guy was about 6 ft tall) while harnessed to his kite ... you can't just let go when things start going awry ... those are some pretty big kahonies.

I noticed that one of his fellow surfers walking out on the rocks on the lee side of the frame decided to lay down flat on the shale as he went by, presumably because he did not what to be cut into two pieces by the kite cables.  Talk about rope burn ...

Has Hydropter's successor l’Hydroptère.ch flown yet?

Cheers,
Tom

That image above is l’Hydroptère . . .

That kite isn't a boat, but still impressive.  I kite as well but in a three wheel buggy and have been up to 52kph which is scary that close to the ground, feels far faster.  My buggy at that speed gets a speed vibration, you know it shouldn't go any faster, but heavier buggies do.

Tom, he can "cut away" the kite at any time with one pull of a release should things go bad.

The WSSRC currently considers it the world speed record for wind propelled craft. There are several categories but the fastest on record is a hard one to pin down. Dividing them up into boat classes isn't really fair if they have a commonalty.

Greetings Paul,

Yes, yes, ...

l’Hydroptère was to be the first in a series, and was built as a hydrofoil flying trimaran. She was to be followed by l’Hydroptère.ch, which was to be a 30'ish foot hydrofoil catamaran with a central daggerboard. Yet to be designed will be the l’Hydroptère Maxi, a 100 ft monster of a hydrofoil trimaran aimed squarely at the Jules Verne Trophy ... around the world in 40 days. Why would the French build a trimaran, then follow that with a catamaran to be used to design a bigger trimaran, ... well, then they wouldn't be French.

So the Maxi version should be about this size ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLMOdhce-Pk ... and with the extra speed of the hydrofoils, maybe that kite surfer would be willing to trade his kite for a plane old water ski trapeze and a new hydrofoil board ...



... and then he could get an upper body workout with his new hydrofoil kyak ...



... and a nice lower body workout with his new hydrofoil bike ...



... or, he could drive to his latest sailing destination with his hydro foil car ...





On the down side, bad things happen when you trip a hydrofoil ...



More of the story at ... http://yachtpals.com/hydroptere-4036


Cheers,
Tom