Well, to be honest, that all got a much closer to really happening than we expected when we set out. In the end the real show stopper was the same old nemesis of all speed sailors... the weather. The forecast changed rapidly and the stiff SW-WSW winds we were looking for simply faded away. These winds would have enabled us to run in close to the Cause-way along the shore where the water is flat and we have places to rig, launch, lower and retrieve the boat. Alex and I went out in a RIB (Thanks Tom Peel) and surveyed the course on the expected 1.25 meter tide. I haven't done this since we last sailed SR1 here in 2006. I was surprised to see how close I could get in and there was actually a lot more room than I was expecting. It was definitely do-able... almost comfortable.

THE RED LINE SHOWS THE PROPOSED COURSE WE WOULD AIM TO TAKE. WE WOULD TOW SR2 TO THE BEACH AT UPPER LEFT AND RAISE THE WING THERE. SR2 WOULD THEN BE EASED OUT AND ALLOWED TO DRIFT DOWN-WIND UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE SUPPORT RIB. ONCE CLEAR OF THE SHORE SHE WOULD BE RELEASED AND I WOULD TRY AND GET HER STARTED BY SAILING HER BACK INTO THE WIND TO CREATE APPARENT WIND AND ALIGN ALL THE WING SECTIONS. ONCE OVER HER LOW SPEED DRAG HUMP AND SAILING BACK IN TOWARDS THE SHORE, I WOULD CONTROL HER SPEED TO BOTH INCREASE IT AND PREPARE FOR A GOOD LINE UP WITH THE SPEED COURSE ALONG THE SHORE. THE COURSE (LONGEST STRAIGHT LINE HERE) WOULD GIVE ME A GOOD FAST 500 METER STRETCH. I WOULD THEN HAVE ENOUGH ROOM AND DEPTH TO SHEET OUT, SLOW DOWN, TURN AWAY FROM THE SHORE AND GIVE MYSELF ROOM TO ROUND UP INTO THE WIND AND STOP. FROM THERE A RIB WOULD RE-ATTACH AND TOW ME TO THE SHORE SO WE COULD LOWER THE WING. TOTAL DISTANCE 1.26 MILES.

Regardless of the fact we didn't actually get on the water, it was an excellent excercise for all of us. Sailrocket 2 now goes away completely battle ready, serviced and dry. It showed we could sail her on short notice if need be. I am also confident we could do a 50+ knot run in Portland Harbour on a decent day. 

Other aspects raised their heads such as getting the Third Party liability Insurance that would be required to operate in the Harbour. The Harbour Masters Office sounded as keen as us to see us on the water but understandably wanted boxes to be ticked, a risk assessment ot be presented and to be there on site themselves to monitor it. That's all fair. Thankyou to everyone who piled in with help, advice and contacts regarding the Insurance. Only one company, Fastnet Marine Insurance, came up with anything solid we could have gone forward with on such short notice. Basically it was going to cost £1,000 or therabouts to do one run. It was a lot for what was going to be a "jolly" but once again, understandable considering  the request and the short notice. Thanks to some of you who offered to contribute to it all. I will continue the discussion with the Harbour Master and also with the Insurance companies so that we will be better prepared if a next time comes.

So that was the only weather window we had. Sailrocket 2 will have her now completed wing put on her one more time in front of the WPNSA on Thursday... just so all those at Weymouth Speed Week... and anyone else who passes by can have a good look. After that she gets stored away in her container in preparation for appearing as a guest at the upcoming Advanced Engineering Show at the NEC in Birmingham from 4-5th of November. We will be there on site to show her off.

A VISIT FROM SPEED SAILING ROYALTY...

Despite not sailing the Rocket yesterday, we did have a visit from one of the sports true Heroes. Erik Beale flew in especially to see us. Erik was the first sailor to do a 40 knot run in 1988 and he is still firing his windsurfing creations down trenches today.

GET IT ON!

We have had long Skype discussions about foils and various concepts but never met in person. The thought of having him present whilst doing a run was pretty tantalizing. Nonetheless it was great to see him and share some of our ideas. In fact, there was almost too much to talk about and I hope we get another longer chance to chat at leisure. It's always a great pleasure for me to sit and hear the stories direct from those who did it. The inside personal perspective. The little details that only they remember. It needs to be the right environment and company for it to come out. I had the chance to sit on the end of an empty bar in Walvis Bay,2007 and listen to Finian Maynard tell me of his big day. Sailrocket 1 was still sub 40's and crashing regularly. I remember walking home (well, to the container where we were sleeping) alone in the dark, strong wind. I stopped and stood in front of the silhouette of our first creation just buzzing and wondering if I would get the chance to share such a moment with some other dreamer one day.

Erik is designing, building, testing and competing with a host of foils which are trying to use similar concepts to those which we used i.e. base ventilation. He is also dealing a lot with cavitation and the various options for cross-overs. It's a fascinating puzzle and definitely one worth tackling. I described how good our concept was at showing the nature of the problem. The huge amount of stability the Bernard Smith concept gave us allowed us, at times, to just pour raw power at the foils to see if we could bust through the drag and get a higher number. We only ever did once. 52 knots was our nemeisis with up to 7 different foils, 2 boats and all conditions. Our first wedge foil managed to hit a peak of 54 knots once (with a WIRED journalist in the back).

SHOWING ERIK AND TOM SOME OF OUR FAILURES AND DISCOVERIES THAT LEAD TO OUR SUCCESSES.

THE THREE SECTIONS OF OUR FIRST WEDGE FOIL WHICH WE CHOPPED OFF ON THE BEACH ONE RUN AT A TIME ON ITS LAST OUTING (NO OLLIE H.... YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE OF THESE:)

TURNS OUT IT WAS A REALLY GOOD PLOUGH!

ERIK EXPLAINING HIS PROBLEMS AND THOUGHTS WITH BOTH CONVENTIONAL AND UNCONVENTIONAL CONCEPTS.

The point I'm making is that the drag becomes severe. the curve goes up hard. It's a real barrier that needs different solutions. We knew we needed power and that's why we liked the Bernard Smith concept. Whether or not the "surfers" (kite or wind) can make the foil concepts work for their applications remains to be seen. The thing is that you need to try... and be persistent. Often the solutions come from strange and unexpected places. Some times it's staring you right in the face but you're looking straight through it only to laugh later when you realise. We don't show many people our 65 knot foil. I showed Erik. I like the path he has chosen and the passion with which he is still tackling it. It's inspiring. Good luck with the conditions in Luderitz mate.

 FAST COMPANY. A COMBINED SPEED SAILING RECORD HAUL OF 250+ KNOTS. LtoR PETE VAN HOOF, ME, ERIK BEALE, DAVE WHITE, ZARA DAVIS.

WITH THE GIG SO CLOSE TO BEING ON, SAILROCKET CELEBRITY VIDEOGRAPHER/EDITOR/PRODUCER FROM OUR LAST SESSION, BEN HOLDER CAME DOWN TO SEE US. WE NEARLY HAD THE CORE RECORD BREAKING BAND BACK TOGETHER JUST MISSING BEN QUEMENAR (AND IF WE WERE SERIOUS ABOUT A FAST RUN... WALLY OF COURSE). HAPPY DAYS.

So Sailrocket and all the various Insurance companies were stood down. It was raining and the wing was left in the Hangar at the Academy. I rigged up the A-class in preparation for the lighter afternoon winds now forecast. I was desperate to go sailing on this wonderful new foiling toy. Malcolm was out sailing his latest back-yard creation and i was keen to play. There is still so much potential for this to be a great week for sailing... especially with so many amazing new dinghies coming out all making big speed claims. It's what this week is all about. Moths, Phantoms, Nacras, A's, Whispers, C-fly's, kite-boards, i-flys, AC45's... the south coast is full of them and yet they spread out almost avoiding each other. Surely this week could bring them together to line up, discuss,inspire, share and just enjoy each others company. Luca Rizzotti has done a great job with The Foiling Week so maybe he should join up with the long history of this event on these shores. The WPNSA and Portland Harbour provides a fantastic venue for all manner of craft. There's not many places that could handle all the diversity speed sailing has to offer.

At the end of play yesterday, there were two boats on the water, Malcolms and mine. We wove back and forth across Portland Harbour in the dramatic light enjoying our craft. The forecast we wanted for Sailrocket to run had truly not materialised but it was good enough for these two to play. I finally got in some good foiling runs on the A-class and just loved every second of it. I feel a lot more in control in Sailrocket at 50 knots than I do two feet high on an A-class at 18 or so knots. Yeah there's a lot of fun still to be had way down the range.

THEY'RE ALL GOOD FUN.

So that's it for now. if you want to sit in the hot-seat... then come down tomorrow. If you can't make it then come to the NEC in Early November. If you want to sit in it... just ask. If you don't ask, you don't get:) Now, if you do sit in it, you can know this... if this thing you are sitting in was fired, as it is now, down the right course in the right wind...and you sheet that little white rope in to that mark... there's not a sail boat in the world that will even come close. She's good to go.

Thanks to everyone who helped. It really is appreciated. That's why we share it.

Paul

 Today started with a lovely, blue and crisp Autumn morning. When the alarm went off I commented to Helena how  dark it now was at 6 A.M. We had our own special brew of coffee, jumped in the van and drove down to the Sailing Academy. It's only just over a mile away. The sun wasn't quite up and there was little action. We opened the creaky doors of the container and let the dawns early light flood in. The container had been taken over as a workshop and home to the Sailrocket 3 models but now they have served their purposes and been cleared out. The "box" belonged to Sailrocket 2 again... and today was all about her.

We had a request to put her on display at this years Advanced engineering Show up at the NEC in Birmingham later in the year. Both Alex and I went to this show last year and found it very impressive on many levels. The shows organisers loved our project and what it represented and insisted we come. For me personally, it's a bit of an honor to have our teams achievements be displayed in such a context ( I never did finish that Engineering degree). She was often better received as a feat of design and engineering than as a feat of sailing. Not one sailing magazine world-wide put ever put her on the cover and yet she appeared on the cover of engineering publications. It was to to be the first public display of the Sailrocket 2 since she did the business back in November 2012. We got the forward fuselage out briefly earlier on in the year just to check there were no shockers going on corrosion-wise but apart from that she's been in the box for nearly three years.

Alex joined us as the sun came up and together we looked inside and pondered the puzzle. There are so many good memories attached to this boat and project that it's always a joy for us. The thought of giving her some love and putting her back together is invigorating.

She is unsponsored now as our focus has been on what comes next i.e. Sailrocket 3. There has been very little resource dedicated to Sailrocket 2. In so many ways we consider the speed sailing box to be very satisfyingly ticked. The end result was incredible. It brings us joy on a daily basis, especially as we know every minute of what it took out of us to achieve... However, some time has passed... and their do remain a few boxes unticked-

1/ The boat is structured to go much faster. 65 knots was well within her comfort zone and achieved very quickly once we got a few aspects sorted. The last run was awesome... but in some respects messy. It was simply the last day of the record attempt and the sponsorship dollars. She's got more to offer.

2/ Helena hasn't had her shot. The cockpit was built from the get-go to accomodate two frame sizes.

3/ This ones a little more obscure but emerging nonetheless. We originally came to Weymouth to campaign a speed sailing yacht with a view to breaking some records in the UK in 2004. Portland Harbour is the original home of speed-sailing and yet no one has ever done a 40 knot run here. Granted, it's not worth going for a ratified attempt, but Weymouth Speed week has run continuously since 1972 and that milestone hasn't been reached. It should be easy for a number of craft... and yet it remains to be done. Shortly after we built the wing for Sailrocket 1 we got tired of waiting for the elusive good days and headed for Walvis Bay. Conditions wise, Walvis bay is worlds better. it just is... pick any reason. But we live here... and 5 years at the Walvis grind stone sharpened the worlds fastest speed sailing knife that now resides here as well.

The original plan was to simply get Sailrocket out, assemble her

and make sure she's fit for display later in the year. Nothing more. I figured that in her un-sponsored state there wouldn't be the resource or capability to get her on the water. Why would we risk damaging her for no big agenda? What's the point?

Bit by bit we took her out of the container into the warm sunshine and bit by bit I was reminded of what a great and well sorted boat she was. She's tough and practical. She's user friendly. We know her inside out. Campaigning her with a small team in Africa meant we had to keep her robust and simple and be as self sufficient as possible. Everything we need is in "the Box" she lives in. We had taken care putting her away and hence she went back together very quickly. Alex knows her intimately. Throughout this process I began to realise I was looking for reasons not to put her on the water when really, from what we've seen so far, there aren't any. At the end of the day she's a well built, tough boat practically designed to be used to do a specific job. She did three runs on that last day and each peaked over 60 knots. We hosed her off and put her away unbroken. She's good to go.

I think Helena, Alex and I all took great pleasure in our work today. It's such a pleasure to be working on something that has done what we said it would rather than having to explain and justify the effort and potential. The numbers have spoken.

WE PLUGGED IN THE COSWORTH BOX AND THE LITTLE COCKPIT DISPLAYS LIT UP... LIKE THE EYES OF THE TERMINATOR. SHE'S ALIVE!

I sent texts and photos to many old friends of the project and got many warm replies. Towards the end of the day when the platform sat fully assembled on her three launch trolleys, I climbed into the cockpit for the first time since Walvis bay... and breathed out. I shut my eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the setting sun on my face whilst my mind happily floated amongst the memories wondering which one to settle on.

It occured to me that during a run the sun was never in my face as the course ran to the East. The only time I had the sun in my face was during the long slow tows back up the course. These were times I was often left hunkered down in the cockpit to my own thoughts. They were very personal times I hadn't really considered since. The moments where you ponder deeper thoughts about what you are doing and why you are doing it. I thought of all the times I got slowly dragged up past the timing hut where Helena so patiently watched, waited and prepared the cameras and loggers waiting for god-knows-what to come hurtling by... or not. Day in, week out, month in, year out. So many hours spent with the sun in my face, wind and spray blowing, deep in thought... and dreaming that one day it might all come together. So many memories all blended together and pushed aside as the dream eventuated. They came vividly back today. Damn that was a hard, challenging, fun and glorious project.

So the idea of potentially going sailing has grown on me. Not for the purpose of sailing down memory lane... or any desperate grab at something meaningless... but simply because this great sailing boat should be sailed and we, who call ourselves sailors, have the great opportunity to do so. We now have a boat beyond the dreams of our dreams when we first entered Sailrocket 1 11 years ago. I was inspired enough by the rich history of the event to join the fraternity and now call Weymouth home. The chance to write our own page in its history is simply too good to pass up. It's worth a shot.

THE PLAN

... is loose and will remain reactive to how we perceive the condition of the boat as we re-assemble her and of course, the weather. The course is tricky and we may get overwhelmed by the logistics of the course but we will keep heading in that direction.

The platform is assembled. Tomorrow we will put the wing together and see what parts need re-skinning. We will continue to go over various parts of the platform to make sure we can set her up as she was on her last run. It looks like the weekend will be light which should allow us to do a full rig up of the wing on the boat to make sure all the systems are functioning properly. The systems that allow us to launch, raise, lower and retrieve the boat are all equally important as those used whilst sailing. We are a team of three now so we need to keep it realistic as to what can be achieved. We need things to go smoothly. I'm sure we'll get help but this needs management and can be distracting as well (That doesn't mean you shouldn't offer if so inclined).

If a good weather and tide opportunity presents itself then we may well go out for a look. Weymouth is a difficult place for this craft to be launched and retrieved from. It's a short course with heaps of obstacles from large shallows to moored yachts. Any day that is good for us is also great for everyone else and it gets busy.

POTENTIAL COURSES. YOU CAN SEE THE SHALLOW AREAS IN CLOSE TO THE SHORE. YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE MOORED YACHTS DOWN NEAR WHERE THE RED LINES CROSS. I WILL NEED TO SLOW SAILROCKET AND PARK HER SOMEWHERE DOWN THERE. THIS WILL BE A GOOD PLACE TO TOW HER TO SHORE AND LOWER THE RIG. PROVIDED IT'S NOT TOO SHALLOW AT THIS END... AND THE TRAFFIC IS WELL MANAGED THEN I'M NOT TOO WORRIED ABOUT THIS. THE HARD BIT WILL BE GETTING THE RIG UP AT THE TOP OF THE PICTURE AND EASING THE BOAT OUT SO I CAN LINE UP WITH EITHER OF THOSE TWO RED LINES/COURSES. THE OTHER OPTION IS TO SAIL OUTSIDE THE MOORED BOATS IN THE ROUGHER WATER. THE BOATS TOUGH AND CAN HANDLE SOME CHOP. WE'LL SEE.

Despite all her practical attributes, great visibility and control whilst sailing, she wasn't designed for this course. It needs to be towed to the shore to raise and lower the wing. Certain tides might hamper this at both ends. Gusty conditions will make her vulnerable during some stages of the process. If it's not right... it's not right. No pressure but we would like to go for a run if we can. So let's head in that direction and see how far we get. Whatever happens it will be a pleasure to simply get her battle ready again. It will also be a pleasure to have her on display in front of sailors at Speed-week. Yeah, Why not eh?

Cheers, Paul

 Greetings all,

We have been archiving a lot of our footage from the past 11 years and there sure are a lot of memories in there.

Recently our friends at CNN Mainsail put a huge amount of effort into cramming our project into a 23 minute program.

We think that considering the time restraints, they did a really good job. They worked very hard to get all the details right.

There are some real behind-the-scenes heroes in our project such as Chris Hornzee Jones and his team at Aerotrope. Chris designed our first wing and was primary designer of VSR2. It was a shame we couldn't squeeze them in there somewhere to give him this credit.

Many of you will have seen it but for those who haven't, here is the link. 

Sailrocket on CNN Mainsail.

Here is another video that I know you will enjoy. It's the full length video of our 65 knot run as seen from the RC plane that chased us. Bernt did such a good job with this that we think it's worth sharing in its entirety. There is a more in depth explanation of the run from this perspective beneath the video itself. Here's the link...

Shooting a Rocket

Right now we are playing around with some ideas and getting ready to start building some scale models to test them. Helena and I are heading over to America tomorrow to go and see some Land yachting and then heading for San Francisco to see what everyone's up to over there. There seems to be a lot going on so now is as good a time as any to check it out.

Hopefully this crappy spell of weather will have broken by the time we get back.

Cheers, Paul

So let's get this down here before I start forgetting stuff...Last Saturday looked like it was going to be a strong day from the moment it popped onto the long range Windguru forecast. Amongst a bunch of fluctuating average days it barely deviated as it approached. We began to focus on it as being the day when we would go all out. Almost annoyingly, the day before piped up and blew just enough to force us to fully gear up and head towards speed-spot. We stopped just short of launching the boat. It was annoying as it was strong enough to force us to react but we really wanted to focus on the next day. You have to be reactive as for whatever reason, the next day may not deliver. Every opportunity has to be seized this year and we had already had two remarkable days on average forecasts.

That night we had dinner back at the crew house. I was about to raise a glass to the following day and the last day of living in the 50's... but decided not to tempt fate. We had an early night.

It was already blowing from the SW in the morning. This combined with the strong forecast spoke to us that at long last, after over six weeks, we were going to get some good, old-school, industrial Walvis Bay wind.

Our focus was to smash through a 60 knot average. After our previous record runs there had been a heap of interviews and discussions about what it all represents. people doing articles on Hydroptere, Luderitz and Rob and Alex were all suddenly diverted to that 'other team' in Walvis Bay. Everyone wanted to know what we thought she could do. My guess was a little over 62 knots average. Although our 59.38 knot run was obviously hugely satisfying for us, I wasn't comfortable to leave it at that. I sincerely felt that it was still within striking distance of the kiters. They could have an epic day at one of the venues and now they had all the motivation in the world to pull the stops out. I could just sense that they were buzzing like a hungry bunch of knife fighters whose leader had just been shot. They would want revenge and although they would figure they were on the offensive... we knew that the gun had plenty more bullets. Today we would spend them.

I was nervous about the potential of the day. It could all end a number of ways. There are crash scenarios for this boat that I'm pretty sure would be lethal. If the forward beam stay failed, the failure mode would be pretty worst case. A snap roll of the fuselage to leeward. Considering that it is traveeling sideways at 25 degrees and would be combined with a forward pod nose-dive... it would be violent. We had spent the previous few days pulling the boat apart and checking everything. Alex put dormant safety lines in key areas and serviced the wing. Ben had installed padding around the cockpit edging to protect my head. The crash harness and quick release was all serviced. The boat was good.

As I lay awake in bed that morning I considered writing a little note that I hoped would never be read and stashing it somewhere. Too morbid. Just get it right Larsen.

We had set all the previous records in relatively mild conditions and were yet to sail in average conditions over 26 knots. What would a boat with unlimited stability that is demostrating its ability to sail at around 2.4 X windspeed do in a 30+ knot gust?

Yeah it was going to be a big day alright. There was a sense of definite energy in the wind. I had told a few close friends that this was going to be it. If ever they wanted to see this boat do its stuff... then this was it. We made sure that our good luck team member Wally was on side. I also made sure that our friend and guru RC model plane flyer Bernt was there. He had a plane which could fly at 110kmh with a GoPro2 on it. It was going to be windy so it was going to be interesting to see what he could do with it as he was literally flying against VSR2's apparent wind. We had more to organise than on most days. I spent the morning fitting a streamlined nose cone to the stub-beam that holds the main foil. Malcolm calculated that it could be good for 0.25 to 0.4 of a knot. That could make the difference (in a way it did). Things like that are free speed. 'Givens'.

The wind continued to build. The forecast was playing out. I fully believed that it was going to 'over develop' and build to a strength beyond what we could safely handle. I also felt that this might be the first and last big day of this record attempt. I knew what I had to do today. As the day built I began to feel that we had to get out there early. It could have built too quick and left us with the horrible realisation that we missed it. With the big crew it took a lot longer to get ready. We had to send over two RIB loads of people to speed-spot. By the time it was our turn to get towed over it was already over 25 knots.

FOCUSED.

On the way I sat in the cockpit and pulled my cap low over my eyes. I leaned back against the new side padding that Ben had installed and just relaxed. As we entered the end of the magical mile that is speed spot I began checking the conditions out in detail. I watch the kiters and windsurfers and check out what sails they have up, how easily they waterstart etc etc. Many come past the boat as it is being towed and we swap quick expressions to discuss the wind and such. I got Alex to pull into the timing hut where I ran up and did a quick wind check. Conditions were good.... not great but worth pushing forward with. We already had gusts up to 27 but dips to 22. The direction was good and things were only going to get stronger. I felt pretty edgey. Big things happen on days like this. It was great to see so many friends over on this normally desolate landscape. Close friends who knew what all this meant to us. Malcolm and george were here. Malcolm has never seen either boat go over 50 knots yet! He would have front row seats to see something special today.

FRONT ROW SEAT FOR MALCOLM AS VSR2 HEADS UP THE COURSE.

I ran back down to the boat and we quickly took it up to the top of the course. I had a quick chat to the boys to remind them to stay cool if it goes wrong. They would be a long way behind and would arrive well after the crash. I could be anywhere as they approach and in any shape. I don't wear a life jacket as I don't want to be stuck inside an upturned hull. Maybe I should. If my drysuit gets torn then it could be a bad thing. I drifted out of the upturned cockpit of VSR1 unconscious once. I'm still not sure how. I sit much deeper in this boat. I reminded them once more of the harness I was wearing and its mechanism... but mostly just to stay calm and turn off any emotion. No drama, just cool heads. I was nervous but in an excited way. I knew what I had to do and I also believed that I was about to have the ride of my life.

The wing went up cleanly and all the little rigging extras were removed. We had a clean ship. Everything was good. I had removed all the comms. to Alex i.e. ripped them off my helmet and thrown them in the piss after getting lost in the French language menu whilst trying to connect! Hand signals work. The release from the RIB went pretty well and I don't remember too many issues with getting over the initial 'hump'.

The run was pretty good. It was definitely fast although it is amazing how quickly you become accustomed to the speed. The leeward pod was flying high and I couldn't get it down as the adjustment was at its limits. It was a good run... but not a great run. When the RIB pulled alongside and escorted me into the beach I quickly lifted the rear hatch and checked the numbers... 63.17 peak and 58. 4 something average. No good. I tried to radio the group of people making the long walk down and tell them not to bother as we were going to turn around and make another run ASAP. The radios weren't working for some reason. More electronics had bitten the dust. Only the ICOM M-71 radios seem to handle it out there (no we aren't sponsored... that's how it is). Ben came down to film and I was pretty sharp with them for not monitoring the radio. 'Breathe it out and turn it off' Lars... calm down, make everyone feel cool and move on. This was not the run we wanted... but it did serve to remove any nerves we might have had. VSR2 had sailed beautifully and was handling the day easily. I was confident I could sail her full noise. We were into the day now and focused on simply getting it right. We returned to the top of the course and got set up for Run 2. This one did not start so well. It was messy. The leeward float sunk and the wing extension dug into a wave. I need to fully stall the craft in order to get it to bear away from the wind. I oversheet the wing to windward to force this. Sort of like backwinding a head sail or pulling the mainsheet traveller fully to windward. In this full stalled state the boat rolls hard to leeward like a conventional craft. In strong conditions and the larger waves that accompany them... this becomes a problem. I managed to pop the leeward float up by sheeting the wing out and getting the flow attached, the trouble with this is that it rounds the boat up towards the wind as the drive vector point way aft of the main foil. I had full left lock dialled on with the small rudder in order to stop us going head to wind. This is one of VSR2's weak points at low speed. She continued to slowly turn into the wind and I sheeted the wing back in to try and prevent it. The boat accelerated onto the plane in this state. She continued to pick up speed heading at a tight angle towards the beach. The rudder was on full lock for a bear away which meant it was fully stalled and hence fully side ventilated. I sheeted on harder to help it come away but it wasn't happening fast enough. The beach was close and the only thing to do was to ease the wing a little and dial the rudder quickly straight to get flow attached. This had the initial effect of turning us back in towards the beach. we were probably doing around 30-35 knots. The flow attached but we were getting into shallow water. I was strangely calm about it. I sheeted in again and turned hard away down the beach. The turn was too quick and the apparent wind struggled to come around with me i.e. I did not really accelerate into the turn down wind. The wing stalled. I checked the swirling leeward tell-tales. VSR2 began to de-accelerate so I eased the wing again to attach flow. I also turned her a little more in towards the beach. She slowly got hooked in and then BAM... she was off again.

She accelerated straight up to over 61 knots but I knew it was a dud run. Only 54. something average. Everyone commented about how close in I had come at the start. On reflection it was a bit marginal but on the other hand also a sign that I was comfortable with handling the boat in tight situations.

Now I was bloody minded and set to take from this day what we had come for.

We went back up for Run 3. Ben and Alex were their usual fast and efficient selves. The three of us can basically rig and run this boat. Wally was holding the bow and ready to be an extra set of hands if we needed them.

The day felt stronger. I called Helena on the now returned comms and got another wind check. She assured me that the peak gust was still only 31 knots but that the wind was now pegged pretty solid in the middle high 20's. She called out a long string of numbers off the TACKTICK weather station, 27, 28, 28, 28 , 29, 29 , 29, 28, 28, 27, 28 etc. This was it. The course looked great and things were perfect. I didn't want to have to do another run.

The release from the RIB was the worst yet. VSR2 stuffed the leeward wing in hard. The whole thing was out of sight underwater. The leeward pod was well under and even the beam end was in the water. I waited for something to break.

THE LEEWARD SIDE OF THE BOAT IS WAY DOWN HERE AND I'M SERIOUSLY CONCERNED THAT WE HAVE BLOWN IT. WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO BREAK. IT DIDN'T.

There is not much I can do here but lightly ease the wing, turn the small rudder hard to windward and wait for the boat to lazily swing into the wind. The boys in the RIB were right beside me also watching this unfold. Juergen Geiger was right behind me waiting to follow me down the course on his kite board. Juergen who gave me a free room in his B+B and made it easy for me to come down to Walvis when we were broke and desperate to find a home for the project. Perfect that he was here now.

VSR2 slowly swung into the wind whilst I muttered under my breath. The minute the wind attaches to the inclined rig she starts generating lift. The core stability concept kicks in and the leeward pod rips up nice and high on the water. I had heard a 'pop' out there and figured that something was broken and the run was going to have to be abandoned. When the wing attached we accelerated pretty cleanly. I checked and double checked for damage, I expected things to be hanging in the water. They weren't. Tough boat. I had severed the outboard flap control line before this run in order to back it off as much as I could. This was an effort to get the leeward side of the boat down onto the water to reduce the heeling and increase the thrust. Sort of the reverse of flying a catamaran hull too high. The flap was just bouncing around as the pod jumped off the chop. We were actually pretty well placed course-wise and the rudder had attached flow. I sheeted in hard. Back into it then. The rear skeg was kicked up hard. It locks into a wedge but is not cleated. I turned onto the course in good shape.

We were using all the course this time. We hit it hard and the acceleration was rapid. We went straight into the 60's. The pod was instantly high and I sheeted in as hard as I could to try and get it down. I was now adding a pre-fix to "fast". It was now "This is f*****g fast". That word is there for moments like this. I believe it ceases to be swearing.

FRONT FLOAT LEVITATION. 65+KNOTS AND CHARGING FOR THE GATE.

MALCOLM AND GEORGE WATCHING VSR2 POWER PAST. FOR MALCOLM THIS IS A LIFE LONG DREAM.

PAINTING RAINBOWS DOWN WALVIS BAY 'SPEED-SPOT'. THERE'S A POT OF HYDRODYNAMIC GOLD AT THE END OF THIS ONE.

FLYING!

VESTAS Sailrocket 2 was alive and baring her base ventilated claws. We were in close and conditions were perfect. After 11 years, all the plates were spinning. The boat gave a hard kick in towards the beach that I had to steer into. I later found out that the rear skeg had dropped down and was dragging behind giving a fixed steering input. the boat settled into a new balance. I thought it was something else related to the messy start up. I still thought something might be broken... but stuff it. I couldn't see it and whatever it was it wasn't slowing us down. We were hitting new highs. The timing hut was gone in an instant. I was vaguely aware of Malcolm and George standing on the shore in the shallows. It was just solid, hard speed now. I felt like the boat had forgotten about me and was now just showing itself what it could do. I was a passenger. The leeward pod continued to climb and climb.

THE LEEWARD POD IS TOO HIGH AS WE TOP OUT AT 68 KNOTS. THE WING IS EASED AS I TRY AND BRING IT ALL BACK TO EARTH.

Sheeting on wouldn't put it down any more as it just generated speed and hence more apparent. I had no option but to sheet out and bring it all back under control. I ended up way down the end of the beach in the shallows. We survived. That had to be it... that was hard core fast. The boys came down and we got the boat ashore. Ben once again made the long walk down. I didn't check the numbers. I knew it was 60 +. The longer I leave it the more I dial down my emotions. We told everyone to stay up at the hut. We would lower the wing and come up to them. As we got towed up there Alex was looking back at me in the cockpit to make sure I wasn't taking a peak. Everyone was pretty excited when we arrived. We hung VSR2 off a line behind the anchored RIB and walked up to the small group at the old timing huts.

COMING UP WITH THE YET UNSEEN NUMBERS.

I had the small GT-31 GPS with me. When everyone was there I began to play out a scene I had had in my head for years. The GPS scrolls through two numbers. One is the peak speed and the other is the average over 18 seconds... way more than is necessary for a 500m course at our new speeds. I finally looked at the numbers.

THINGS ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE.

The first number I saw was 65.37 knots. This was real good. This peak would definitely deliver a 60+ knot run. It was already easily a personal best. The next number nearly sat me on my arse. 67.74knots. An electric rush shot through me. It took me a while to realise what I was really looking at. This means that 65.37 is the average. I looked at the expectant faces... and then checked again. I told them that I would write the numbers down backwards in the sand.

First the peak. 4....7....7....6. Everyone exploded. This was epic... next came the average.

BOOM! The magic had happened. VESTAS Sailrocket 2 had truly arrived. Even Juergen dropped to his knees. This was big. Sailing would never be the same.

HERE COMES THE CHAMPAGNE.

We hugged, we cried, we laughed, we swore and yelled. I'm nearly crying now. We were all just so damned happy.

TO VIKKI P, JON M, PIERRE S, JANIS C AND BERNARD S.

The wind continued to build and sand was absolutely everywhere. It was as if even the wind wanted to come and celebrate. Conditions were already over the top. We had nailed it exactly right. I told Helena to share the love via Twitter as I knew how many people were watching this and wanting to know about it. We ran everyone back in two trips. The boat always looked good but now she looked stunning. We towed her home the long way around the shallows. It was now over 35 knots and rough. It was a long, slow, rough and joyous trip home. The day was golden. All the way we tried to comprehend what this all meant. We wondered about the reactions of all the people getting this news in different corners of the world. We shook our heads and swore a lot... even the women.

There were more hands than usual to help us ashore.

BACK SHE COMES IN ONE PIECE. ALWAYS A GREAT FEELING.

What a pleasure it was to put this boat away in one piece. Apart from one handling error that lead to a broken beam, this boat has done incredibly well from her first sail. It has proven to be a super-tough, efficient and reliable boat. It's even practical. It feels like a 60 knot+ Hobie cat. Three people can launch and sail this thing even in windy conditions. There is a refined process to it... but still, that's all it takes.

We grabbed the numbers off the TRIMBLE and started to go through the incredible footage. The aerial stuff off the RC plane was awesome. Bernt did a brilliant job. Bottles of Red Heart Rum appeared as if by magic and the festivities began. 'Feeling Good' by Muse was the song blaring out. I was just so damned happy. That was what we were talking about. We went out there to get it right and we suceeded. I was so proud of the team and how they performed. Everyone nailed it. The footage is great, the stills are great,... the day was just... great. The other days were fantastic. They were milestones... but today we owned speed sailing. Everything else would have to change. A point now live on the chart way up 'there' that future competitors and designers need to aspire towards. Everyone has to think differently. The performance of the kite boarders did this. In many respects they should feel proud. Everyone who has held this record should feel some level of ownership of that day.

What a day.

So now, looking back, I know we could go faster. We maxxed her out on that day with those settings but with a little bit of tweaking she could go quicker. The run was a little loose, the back skeg was dragging a lot (you can see it on the aerial footage) and the pod was way too high (due to new levels of apparent wind). The wing sections were also slightly out of alignment under these new loads. With a little bit of re-configuring I know we could get over 70 knots with what we have. I don't think anyone would doubt it. We haven't seen any further signs of cavitation and we are still well within structural limits. This boat will see the other side of 70... but not this time. The wind has left us and none is forecast. I doubt Helena will get her shot at the womens record this time. It's a shame. There really has been very little wind this year but we have sure made the most of that which we have been given. We will remain on standby until Thursday but I think this is it for us.

The first Outright world record has now officially been ratified and there are three more still to come.

The following morning I looked at myself through reddened eyes in the mirror and I liked who was looking back at me.

Yeah I'm happy with that.

Two nights ago we towed VESTAS Sailrocket 2 over to speed spot on a flat calm night. We set her up and sat her on the beach as the African sun set. It was time to crack that last big Jeroboam of Champagne. It was the Outright world record bottle that the Mk1 never opened. It had been chilled, heated, transported and left to wait many times since we were given it at the launch of the first boat in 2004. It was a sad moment for me when we had to load this bottle in with the Mk1 when we sent it back to the UK. Well the second boat had earned it and this was the perfect setting in which to crack it. The cork was hard to remove (massive understatement). I shook the hell out of the deeply chilled bottle but when the cork popped... it only barely fell out the end. That big bottle had had a hard life too. Some of the fizz had gone but it still tasted fantastic. We toasted all the people who had helped make it happen and couldn't be here with us... and we drank it from the standard resin mixing cups as the sun set. Friends.

These were great days.

Sincerest thanks to all who made it happen.

Here's the video.... BLOWN AWAY!

Cheers, Paul