Boom... the 60 knot sailboat smashes the barrier!

 Just in... 61 + knot peak speed and a 54. something average. Had to stop as the end was coming up fast.  Everything went into fast forward. I was saying " this is fast, this is fast" and then she took off again... "this is real f*****g fast"!!!

I thought we might have bagged the outright as well... as you would after hitting over 60 knots... but the average wasn't there... I think. We haven't downloaded the big TRIMBLE yet. Everyone is getting the data down now. We broke our own PB twice today... so that's 2 x triple rum and cokes in pint glasses... and of course the 60 knot bottle of champagne also falls. Happy days.

What a great relief.

I know the current world record is toast... hell, they can even raise it a bit if they want.

Life for VESTAS Sailrocket 2 starts at 60 knots. Today she walked on stage. She was beautiful to drive. Totally in control.

I got Helena to come down to the end of the course before I checked the speeds. I wanted her to be there. Unfortunately she had her phone in her drysuit pocket so that was the end of the Tweets.

Righto... lots to do.

The outright record remains to be beaten.

I'll let you all know the actual numbers when I know myself.

Happy days alright.

Nice work team... real nice.

Cheers from one beaming Australian in Namibia.

P

Comments

It goes fast

Now with the same concept on ice to break the 100km is probably no problem
John van der Wal

YOU ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

You're Instant Boat is the best!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b747F8Ufpf4
Best Regards Rudolf

Congrats!

I was talking to my project manager when you "lowered the boom" on the website. I said, They did it, they actually did it. No one else knew what I was talking about but I was the happiest person in the whole room! So it takes fences to break barriers, huh? So cool to wait for Helena. keep it up. All the best. Vince

Fabuloso

What more can be added? Fabuloso performance by Sailrocket and by all hands. You are in the history books!

Bugs

FIRST TIME IN HISTORY

Paul- It occures to me that the other thing team Vestas demonstrated yesterday was the ability to sail on water, UNDER CONTROL, at speeds over 60 knots...the first time in the known history of the universe that this feat has ever been accomplished. Everybody at or above this number in the past (Hydroptere?) crashed and burned.

Phenomenal.

Aerodynamic drag

Have you considered streamlining your helmet and any camera installations to reduce the overall aerodynamic drag which may become significant at the now very impressive speeds you are achieving?

I recall sailing in the Solent (at 4-5 knots!) in 50 gusting 70 kts of true wind and being very conscious of the sheer force of the wind against head and arms!

No words good enough!

I've been following your team for years, and I can't express how thrilled I am. Your persistence and vision are inspiring. It must be incredible to know you had it right all along (even though there were days when even you wondered), finally!

Can't wait to see what the upper limit is!

61 knots

Well done to all in the team. It seems a long while ago when I saw the parts being worked on in E Cowes and we talked at Weston SC after you sailed Invictus. Perhaps you can now complete this mission and get back to thinking about the C-Class!
Cheers
Ian

Today

Whats the forecast.

Great Stuff

Congratulations....all your time and effort have payed off. Bernard Smith should have been around to see it. Good that you could speed up innovation in the sailing world.

Mike

Question is...

...is there a 70 knot bottle of champagne?

Tim, Vermont

Reply... Re; Question is

 Now Tim... that would be giving too much away. Obviously it wouldn't go unheralded.

Cheers, Paul

Question is...

and I cannot imagine the transcendent heights of that rare beverage to herald such an occasion.

Yes yes Yes

Soon you will have the outright record, but I don't want this to end! Well Done!!

Fantastic news

Well done. Amazing stuff! Keep going and get faster!
Great to read all the excitment.

Magic!

Good on you all, a great day and so deserved.
At that speed flamingoes beware!

Pat (the ballast) and Kate

REPLY... re; magic

 We were watch by a cast of thousands... well maybe a 'flock' of thousands would be a better description! Missed every one of them too;)

Cheers Pat.

Congratulations

What an achievement. You have all earned it. The persistence involved will remain a mystery to those who have never pushed like this.

Walvis: play your part, deliver the weather

Reply...Re; congratulations

 Cheers Jon, yesterday was a glamour day. Another one like that would be great. Our learning curve was pretty rapid as the new found performance came in great leaps and bounds. She was still accelerating hard when I had to dump sheet and try and park it all. I hope this gives you some satisfaction for your faith in the underlying concepts. You know we are just starting to tap into the potential.

Cheers, Paul

Bloody well done!

This is a blog us on lookers have been waiting a long time for and it feels good..........

2x triple rum and coke in a pnt glass a new cocktail called "The Sailrocket" now all we need to add is the cherry on top.

Tom (Cosworth)

Reply... Re; Bloody well done

 Hey Tom... I like that one... the Sailrocket. I look forward to having my next one... with the cherry! The Cosworth stuff all did its stuff. The data we are now recording is all pretty valuable stuff now. Glad you're enjoying the ride.

Cheers, Paul

Congratulations!

Great news, Paul. Fantastic achievement!

I can't wait to see the video!

Cheers from Oz.

Simon

Fantastic Paul and Team

I knew you could do it!! Next put the outright out of reach of inferior technology.

Cheers, Bob Imhoff

REPLY... Re; Fantastic

 Hey Bob, we will do our best. I love all the other speed sailing craft and have nothing but admiration for those who fire them down the course... but at the end of the day we are all driven to be number one. I hope we can knock this one out of the stadium. I don't expect them to just let it lie. Anyway, we aren't quite there yet.

Cheers, Paul

Excited!!

WOOHOOO here we go!!

1.5 x 40-knots

Heartiest congratulations - I'm sure Bernard Smith would be smiling at your success! A very impressive result, and an equally impressive achievement, by you and your team. Cheers, Paul.

REPLY... Re; 1.5 x 40-knots

 Hey Paul, how about that hey? The story of these amazing boats just keeps getting better. I reckon there's more to come too. New generations will no doubt be learning who Bernard Smith was once we are done.

Cheers, Paul.

Come On!!!

Congrats !!!
American speed freaks know very well that 61 knots is our highway speed limit of 70 mph!!!! We all are watching closely in the great white north for the record to fall...come on...do it.

-David Busch (windsurf speedster and multihull foiler)

REPLY...Re; Come On!!!

 Hi David, 

Busted:)

RIGHT ON!!!!

Awesome run!

Your patience and perseverance are finally being rewarded.

Looking forward to your analysis of the data and what provided the breakthrough, not to mention the video ;-)

Have fun and stay safe.

Regards,
Chris

Fantastic News

So, after my earlier comments today, it sounds like you put it all on the table! I can only imagine the relief and joy that your foil design is verifying. Big and heart-felt congratulations.

It's kinda funny how I heard your news today. Family and I were out for a road trip, and I had my wife checking the ipad for updates. After I explained to her what the Sailrocket was all about she started to get excited about checking the daily results too. After lunch, there it was. I had to pull over to let the information sink in. In my wildest dreams, I hoped for a large speed advance for the team, and now you have achieved it. And to read that the boat felt stable and under control....I know you must be feeling deeply appreciative for the team effort.

Now that you've unlocked some of the great speed secrets, seems like you put together a steady fast run and you're in the door with the outright. I won't tell you my hopes now, but you can probably guess they include big numbers.

I'm raising a glass to the team tonight. Cheers!

Tim, Vermont

REPLY... Re; Fantastic News

 Hi Tim, it's great to hear how people are watching in. She sure jumped up the speed sailing ladder a few rungs at a time yesterday. The acceleration is epic and it's only me sheeting out to stop by the end of the course that causes it to stop. She just wants more and more. Now that we have experienced this aspect of the boat, we need to work on the averages. We did have a 59.08 5 second average on that last run.

Thanks for the toast and all the best to the wife.

Cheers, Paul

AWESOOOOMEEE - CHEERS PAUL, HELENA AND TEAM!!

Paul, I had no doubt you would get there!!

Enjoy the well-deserved champagne, rum, and whatever you find there!

Congratulations and keep up the great work - I am sure higher numbers will come!!

Cheers from Brazil,

Jose Dauden

You Ferkin Beaty Mate!

Well done and well deserved Paul and all the team. Along time coming but you believed it was there and you persevered until you got there. All the rest is in the bag! Aussie...Aussie Aussie! Enjoy the Rumbo's.

Happy

Sitting in the traffic here in smoggy zhuhai with a smile from ear to ear.... Awesome.. I think Tess now believes in the shoe tree again...

REPLY... Re; Happy

 Hey Greg... always happy to put a smile on your dial... seeing I probably caused you to swear under your breath a few times too;) The shoe tree... what's not to believe? Actually... you're in China aren't you? Hmmm best you don't take her near any of those 'sweat shops'. They'll be the abbotoirs of her dreams! Kind of sums up 'H' row in donga city actually which the shoe tree stood guardian over!

Mate, what a ride yesterday. When people ask what it's like, I always say that I'm basically sitting their hoping to feel one big lunge forward that I haven't experienced before. yesterday I got that in spades. She would have kept going too if I didn't have issues with a reef at the end.

More to come mate.

Cheers, Larso

Congratulations!!!!

Fantastic news! Looking forward to even more records being left in your wake!
Cathy & Geoff

61kn...big numbers at last.

As a former speed windsurfer, engineer and addict to the sea and wind, I have been following you since the first launch of VSR1. Reading your stories, the info you shared, the road you followed , the obstacles you attacked and the problems you solved as an individual and as a team: INSPIRING !!!! Big congratulations to you all and thanks that we can be part of this.

Waking up in grey Chengdu, China and going to work with a big smile now.

REPLY... Re: big numbers at last

 Glad we can help brighten up your day. I'm still grinning ear to ear myself. I woke up in the middle of the night last night and realised it wasn't a dream. That was cool. We have come a long way from VSR1. Christ we have learnt a lot. It has been a loooong journey. The good thing about days like yesterday is that it sprinkles all those memories with a little bit of gold dust. It shows that your efforts weren't wasted and that there was a truth at the core of your beliefs. We aren't there yet... but we will be soon. It's time to enjoy the final stretch.

Cheers Koen, Paul.

Woooooaaaahhh!! Lars

Congratulations Soulman, to you and your team. Awesome, enjoy the rum and bubbles, gettuppa and look out tomorrow if you get the wind, you always did go nuts on a hangover, make it work for ya!!! Macca

Smiles

See what I told you? Barney's doctrine of inevitable success works! I'm sure his spirit is smiling down on your fabulous achievement that vindicates both his genius and your years of hard work. I'm smiling, too. Hope you don't mind if I also cry a little.

Awesome news

Congratulations! Tremendous after all the waiting and modifications. Can't wait for you to make it official. Well deserved.

Yesss!

It was always there, just out of your grasp, now to grab that magical 60knts, even if only for a short while... The record WILL come!! Congratulations to the whole team.

Congrats

Sailing was yesterday Sailrocketing is now.
You made my day and I feel glad for you and the team.
Finally pushing that outside of the envelope.
Keep on it for that record. It should be yours.
Best
Tobias

Well done Paul from all of us

Well done Paul from all of us at AYRS

Edge of the seat stuff

Congratulations Paul and the team!
That was really exciting to follow and I imagine the buzz on the beach must have been fantastic. Have a good night and i look forward to seeing the numbers in days to come. It will be very interesting to hear how the data looks from out there in frontier land
Cheers
Simon

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGE!!!!! That is fast

I am so happy!!! Congratulations to you Paul and all the team. The goal can be had! Is there a bigger bay in the world with wind for the 70 knot attempt? Hmmmmm?

60 +

well done to you and the team, I have been following since the model days, this is the first of many good days I hope
Mike

Go for it!

May, Ida and all of us wish you success. We are We're following you all the way!

--Evan

Reply... Re: go for it

 Hi Evan, that's great. Knowing you guys are watching makes it all the better for me. I must call May soon. I hope all is well over there as it is here. Pretty soon we hope to make a 'Barney' boat the fastest in the world. 

Cheers, Paul.

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