Please select your home edition
Edition
Barton Marine 2019 728x90

Now let's see what she can really do!

by Paul Larsen, VESTAS Sailrocket 24 Nov 2012 10:40 GMT 24 November 2012
Vestas Sailrocket 2 set for action © Sailrocket

Well the big forecast is playing out. It's 1017 here and the wind is already in. Our little corner of the Walvis Bay Yacht Club is buzzing as we prepare for the big day that we know lies ahead.

This is the first big wind day we have had in over 6 weeks now.

Today we focus purely on taking the outright record over 60 knots.

The project has been going on a big up for some time now and we want it to continue that way. Things can easily go the other way. The day is going to pump. We used to try and use that power to punch through our glass ceilings but now we have shown that we don't need it. We are operating at around 2.4-2.5 times windspeed and a few more knots makes a big difference.

The thing is that whilst we know we will have a lot more power if it's gusting up to 30... what we don't know is what the nature of our drag curve is up ahead. Is it gradual or is it another 'brick wall'. On paper we expect cavitation to happen just over 65 knots. That's on paper. How it manifests itself is yet to be seen.

This boat is damned powerful and in 30 knots, sheeted in hard with around 65-70 knots of apparent wind it's going to be one hell of a tug of war between the wing and the foil. VSR2 is being optimised for a big number. The pitch of the main foil has been reduced by 0.25 degrees, fairings have been added to the front of the stub beam (which holds the foil) and the outboard flap that controls the height of the leeward float has had its negative pitch range increased to help me keep it all on the level.

Yes I'm nervous. This is a big day.

I've already got the music ready for when we suit up.

Spiderbait, RATM, Pleasurade... that'll do it... 'Feelin' good' by Muse has already made an appearance.

Righto, let's see if we can take this to the next level.

Hopefully we will see you on the other side.

Cheers, Paul

sailrocket.com

Related Articles

Weymouth Speed Week 2022
50 years on, and one of the best ever Little did Sir Tim Colman (yes, he of mustard fame) and James Gregono know when they and their peers started Weymouth Speed week in 1972 to see just how fast their boats could go over the now legendary 500m course. Posted on 27 Oct 2022
Paul Larsen on RORC Time over Distance Series
The fastest sailor on the planet having clocked 68 knots in Vestas Sailrocket 2 Larsen has always been involved in cutting edge sailing projects and in this 45-minute interview he discusses foiling technology in both the Vendée Globe and the forthcoming Match in the 46th America's Cup. Posted on 4 Mar 2021
65+ knot Rocket Ride
A look back at the incredible achievement of Vestas Sailrocket 2 With so many people asking "what is it like" to sail this boat at this speed, we thought it was time to do a more 'pure' edit of our fastest, final incredible run. Posted on 13 Apr 2020
Podcast: An extraordinary 10 years of sailing
Andy Rice, Mark Jardine and James Boyd discuss the sailing decade In the last podcast before Christmas, Andy Rice joins with fellow sailing journalist James Boyd and Mark Jardine, managing editor of Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com to look back on an extraordinary 10 years of sailing. Posted on 21 Dec 2019
The Unsung Wise Man
Reg Bratt's remarkable contribution to British dinghy sailing exposed Today, nearly half a century after he was so very much hands on in the dinghy world, Weymouth's Reginald 'Reg' Bratt has a mind as sharp as ever. We look at his remarkable engineering breakthroughs, surprising designs, and speed records. Posted on 13 Dec 2019
Swiss engineers to design the fastest sailboat
SP80 is the Swiss challenge powered by a kite wing Three young engineers from the Swiss engineering school EPFL have decided to design the fastest sailboat over a 500m track and enter sailing history. Posted on 19 Nov 2019
Fever-Tree Moment: That was Fast!
Speed king Paul Larsen enjoys a Gin & Tonic at Antigua Sailing Week Australian Paul Larsen is at Antigua Sailing Week racing on Peter Harrison's Superyacht Sojana, which is top of CSA 2 after scoring five straight bullets. Larsen is a self-confessed adrenalin junky and an awesome sailing gunslinger. Posted on 2 May 2018
Sailrocket 2 at Advanced Engineering Show
On display at the NEC in November Sailrocket 2, which smashed the world speed sailing record by the biggest margins in its history, will go on display at this year's Advanced Engineering Show in Birmingham on the 4th and 5th of November. Posted on 16 Oct 2015
Five minutes with a Speed Freak
Paul Larsen about the MOD70 Concise 10 Tony Lawson's MOD 70, Concise 10, will be screeching south next month. Skipper Ned Collier Wakefield will be on the charge for the 1500-mile delivery to Marina Lanzarote to compete in this November's RORC Transatlantic Race. Posted on 5 Oct 2015
Weymouth Speed Week 2015 at WPNSA
With Vestas Sailrocket 2 on display Weymouth Speed Week will run from 3rd to the 10th October at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Along with a line-up of interesting entries the current 500m World Speed Record holder, Vestas Sailrocket 2, will be on display. Posted on 2 Oct 2015