World Sailing Speed Record Council
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The World Sailing Speed Record Council, founded in 1972, is the body authorized by the International Sailing Federation (formerly International Yacht Racing Union) to confirm speed records of sailing crafts (boats or sailboards) on water (not on ice or land). In the early years the council only dealt with claims of speed records on a one-way leg of 500 metres. Since 1988 the WSSRC is also responsible for offshore sailing records, because there were several controversial claims about the times of long voyages.
One or more meetings were held every year and since 2001 the council has had a permanent secretariat. The members of the expert council from Australia, France, Great Britain and the USA asses record claims. Record holders and their times are listed. WSSRC also issues Performance Certificates to sailors who wish to be officially timed over accepted courses without breaking records.
[edit] Current windpowered records (Aug 2006)
The World Sailing Speed Record Council has several categories for crafts that use wind as a source of power. However, the current "magic line" is the 50 knot (92.6 Km/h - 57.5 mph) line. Several windsurfers have come close to beating this line with speeds around 48-49 knots, for example Finian Maynard, BVI Windsurfer with 48.70 knots on a 500 meter course in April 2005, Saintes Maries.
As of 2005, the fastest long distance sailing vessel is the 36.80 meter maxicat Orange II. Along with several other records, Orange II holds the non-stop-around-the-world record with an average speed of 17.89 knots - 33.1 Km/h - 20.6 mph.
- http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/ - homepage of the WSSRC
