November 24, 2012 was the day that VESTAS Sailrocket 2 took speed sailing into a whole new era. Having already broken the existing outright world speed sailing record by the biggest margin in the records history a little over a week earlier, the team took to the waters of Walvis Bay in strong winds to try and be the first to take the sport over the 60 knot average mark.
This video shows the third run of the day. The record attempt had been plagued by unusually light winds but the team knew Walvis Bay was going to deliver the goods.
After 11 years of hard work on a “roller coaster of highs and lows” everything was in place for something big to happen. Founder and co-designer of the Sailrocket project, Malcolm Barnsley, had flown in to see his dream play out before his own eyes. VESTAS Sailrocket 2 has put a mark way up on the graph to show everyone what is possible.
*Record subject to WSSRC ratification
Aerial photography by Bernt Bruns.
Video directed, filmed and edited by Ben Holder.
Courtesy of www.yachtingworld.com