It has been mentioned before, Paul Larsen who piloted Sailrocket to a new speed record and then participated in the re-enactment of Shackleton’s trek. Going from being the fastest man under sail to the slowest.( 60 knots vs 3 knots)
For me, a recurring theme or thought is the idea of the first person to do something; that first leap of faith if you will. The other thought coupled with this is the context of time.
Tag: paul larsen
PAST THE 60 KNOT BARRIER
This accomplishment should not be under estimated. BRAVO to Paul, Helena and the team. It gives solid meaning to the idea that records are meant to be broken. As with most things it was the preparation that got them there. Solid science.
SAILROCKET
Paul Larsen and his team have been working and refining Sailrocket for some years now. Her is a photo of the first generation Sailrocket in 2004 in Southampton UK.
PAUL,HELENA AND SAILROCKET
Paul and Helena with Sailrocket have devoted what is becoming quite alot of time and effort for the quest of speed under sail. First it was 50 knots now 60 knots is the target. They have always been so generous with their knowledge and time. I wish them the best of luck.
I had gone to Weymouth speed week with Ben Lexan, Jack Knights and Bob Fisher. Jacob’s Ladder,Icarus, Crossbow and lots of truly homemade boats were there to try to set records. The lofty target at the time was 30 knots. Hard to imagine now.
SAILROCKET SURPASSES 54 KNOTS
From Paul Larsen aboard Sailrocket in Namibia:
Hi all, just a quick one to say that we have punched through 54 knots, 62 mph and 100 kmh. The fun part is that we did it two up and VESTAS Sailrocket 2 was far from optimally trimmed. It was a wild ride. The day was quite unsettled but I decided to make the most of it and take Adam from WIRED USA for a shot in the back seat. We have never sailed two up before. VSR2 struggled to get started but once she found her feet… WHOOSKA! It was a crazy ride that took me…well… I’ll do the full update tomorrow. I just saw the photos and they are wild. Adam had the ride of his life. In 1 ride he’s been as fast as I’ve ever been.
This boat will do the business. It WILL beat the current world record. I know that now. The question is how much we can get out of it. Triple rum and cokes in a pint glass are the drinks for a new best speed. So where are we with the new foil? I don’t know… all I know is that it’s fast. There is so much to tell about that last full-on run.
Update to follow… everyone is sitting here madly downloading data, HD video footage and photo’s… and slurping on rum. We are still sailors remember.
Cheers, Paul.
VESTAS SAILROCKET UPDATE
Sailrocket 2 is in the water and already managing 42 knots. Paul Larsen and Helena have been at this for some years now. They are at Walvis Bay in Namibia for the next several months where the wind and weather co operate rather regularly. Photographs and report are on the blog.
STILL WAITING FOR IRENE
I am still hoping for a miracle, that the hurricane will weaken or go inland and dissipate. Still have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. No choice there. It is still not possible to tell, however at the moment, it looks as though the hurricane may head over Long Island and up into Western Massachusetts. A blessing for me.
While I am watching and waiting for Irene, my friend Paul Larsen and another group are cycling The Haute Route, a staged race of 730 km between Geneva and Nice; over some of steepest terrain.
SAILROCKET UPDATE
Helena and Paul are friends who are pushing the sport of sailing forward. From my perspective with enormous charm and grace. I wish them the best of luck, as I watch with interest at their progress.
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New Vestas Sailrocket 2 Aims For Speed Sailing Record “Since we started pursuing the Outright World Speed Sailing Record 9 years ago, the record has been raised by exactly 9 knots. The current record holders, the kite surfers, have taken it out of the reach of all the previous contenders and it is going to take a very special boat to get it back. Vestas Sailrocket 2 is a boat that aims high. The only satisfactory outcome for us is the outright record,” Paul Larsen, pilot and project leader from the Sailrocket 2 team says. With the record raised to the current level, the ambitious team behind Sailrocket is even more eager to develop a boat to break the Outright World Speed Sailing Record. In order to do that, conventional design has been left behind and everything is pushed to the limit. “Many lessons have been learned since the first Sailrocket was launched in 2004. The first boat shows the scars of the many learning processes we have been through over the years. In the end it performed as predicted; although she briefly emerged as the fastest boat in the world, she never achieved the Outright record title. The record was like a mirage: as we got faster, so did the record,” Paul Larsen says. “We learnt a lot with the first boat. The recent performance of the kite surfers vindicated our decision to build a new boat. I’m confident that Sailrocket 2 has the potential to take the record to new levels.” Vestas Sailrocket 2 will be launched on 8 March at Venture Quays, in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Both Sailrocket boats will be shown to the public. |
NEW SPEED RECORD SET
54 knots on a kite board can you even imagine?
Paul Larsen is a friend who was here in Newport for the C-Class championships in September. He is building a new boat to try to set a new speed record :Sailrocket
The following are his words:
Naturally I have been following the kite surfers latest outright world speed sailing record attempt with great interest. Yesterday they really stamped their dominance on the sport by breaking the record by the biggest single margin in the sports history.
54.1 knots is pretty impressive as it not only jumps through 60 mph but also over 100kph… so that’s all the closest big round numbers dealt with then!
Our genuine congratulations go to Alex for being rewarded for the effort he has put in. I think you also have to respect the effort put in by the team behind the event who have continued to optimise the course and seen the results improve with each iteration.
Whether you think a kite is a proper boat or not is a contentious issue. I don’t think it is a boat in any form… but it is definitely a contender for the outright world speed sailing record and I don’t even mind the ditch they are running down. Sure, it’s not for the purists but as long as it is unaffected wind and water… then it’s in in my books.
So how do these speeds affect us? Well they vindicate our decision to park the old boat and build a new one. I’m pretty sure that the speeds are also out of practical reach of all the other boats we have seen to date. Part of the reason I say this is because I think that the kites still have a few knots up their belt. They are not subject to the same issues of ventilation and cavitation that windsurfers and boats are, well not to the same degree anyway, and with a few readily available tools they can make an ideal course. That’s a big part of the equation.
So is this it for the boats? Definitely not, but we are coming to the end of an era that requires something new.
The beauty of this sport is that it is unique in sailing for bringing the diverse fraternities together and putting them head to head at their absolute limits. You have wind-surfers, kite-surfers, foilers and ‘boaters’ all going balls out for the perfect run. Everyone has their ideas, beliefs and favourites, they pick their sides and this makes it interesting.
It’s great that these guys are out there going for it. Since we started our program 9 years ago, the record has been gradually raised by over 16% by all manner of craft. It’s been a bloody active period that has seen some great action. Everyone has had their ups and downs.
Our new boat is coming along nicely but the launch is often where the real work begins. I’m still convinced that we have made the right choices. I’m also nervous/excited about the unknown elements that come from pushing new limits. The speeds are starting to get dangerous now. I don’t know what a bad crash would look like in the Trench in Luderitz. Well, you make your own choices and no-one is forcing you down there. What a blast it must be to commit yourself 100% to go down that ditch. It’s the sailing equivalent of the barrell of a gun.
No use saying ‘be safe’. That would involve not participating in that event with that objective. All you can say is ‘I hope you’ve done your homework’!
Alex obviously had. He’s got the A+ and smiley face to prove it.
Great stuff and well done. I continue to watch and dream of the next time I get to commit.
More from us in a bit.
Cheers, Paul.