VESTAS Sailrocket 2 sets its sights on world speed sailing record

If floating along in a boat propelled only by the gentle push of an ocean breeze is your idea of relaxing, then you might want to steer clear of the aptly named VESTAS Sailrocket 2. Designed and built from the ground up with a focus on speed, the boat and the VSR2 team have headed to Walvis Bay in Namibia with the aim of breaking the outright world speed sailing record for the short distance 500 meters (1,640 ft) of 55.65 knots (64 mph/103 km/h) set in October 2010 by American kite-surfer, Rob Douglas.

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In 2008, the original VESTAS Sailrocket 1 boat hit speeds of over 52 knots in Walvis Bay, Namibia, and still holds the "B" class record but failed to clinch the outright record before flipping as it approached record-breaking speeds. The team aims to rectify this with the second generation Sailrocket that was designed to be significantly faster than its predecessor.

"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," says project leader, Paul Larsen.

Since the VSR2 team set its sights on the outright speed record nine years ago, the record has increased by nine knots but the VSR2 team thinks they now have the boat to set a new record.

The boat itself doesn't look like anything you're likely to see at your local marina. Its main fuselage and beam are angled at 20 degrees to the direction of travel so that the boat points directly into the direction of the "apparent" wind to reduce drag and increase stability at high speed. The team claims that the entire 12.2 m (40 ft) long and 12.2 m wide boat - including the rigging - has the equivalent aerodynamic drag of a 74 cm (29 in) diameter sphere.
The boat's wing has an overall area of 22 m2 and sports a number of new features to make it more efficient and stable. It is thinner than the wing used on the VSR1, weighs around 65-70 kg (143 - 154 lb) and is inclined at 30 degrees to match the inclination of the opposing foil on the other side of the boat. Since the boat only needs to sail in one direction, the wing is asymmetrical and set up for a starboard tack to suit the Walvis Bay location where the record-breaking attempt is being made.