We all know that the speed record for wind surfing is about 90km/h, and also that longest trip by a windsurfer is about 8500 km but what is the longest distance completed by a windsurfer in a single trip ? I did some digging and could not find an definite answer. I heard a story that one guy in Aus has done 313km but surely some people have gone further.
I know Laird Hamilton has windsurfed from one Hawaiian island to another, but I don't know any more than that without Googling.
I was actually wondering the other night if anyone has windsurfed from Europe to Africa, ie Gibraltar -> Morocco. Not that far.
there was a guy who attached a windsurfing sail on top of a enclosed yacht and sailed i think the atlantic a few yrs. back if that's considered windsurfing?!?
The world record for most distance sailed in on day is 311km done by a Euro speedsailor
Kato (Craig Hollins) racked up 309km in the one day
Mad Baskets if you ask me, but huge respect to anyone who can rack up them mammoth distances
if your talking single trip i assume you mean non stop? not sure how Kato's 300 odd was done if he stopped and rested during his epic?. if not a french woman has windsurfed acrossed the atlantic non stop i believe..on an enclosed yacht type arrangement as well,of course she rested below decks when needed....
The best i,ve done non stop is 8 hours,but i am jybing which gives your legs and arms a bit of a rest from being in the same position.Sailing on the same tack for a long time is a lot harder. The 309 trip I had 2 stops,1 short and 1 for about 45min.
I worked with a guy in the early nineties who had been an underwater photographer for Ben Cropp. He had circumnavigated Tasmania and island hopped from Aus to Indo on a windsurfer. I was impressed
Well they are some massive distances! I sure i could not make 300 clicks however I would have thought some nutter endurance freak would have managed a bigger distance.
The limiting factors for me are wind and sunlight... so many times I've been ready to go but had to cut it short because either the wind doesn't arrive or I run out of sunlight.
When I did 220 odd k's I started at around 10:30 am and sailed till sunset, if there was wind at dawn I might have made 270 or so -- to do 300 plus you really need to be sailing fast and have consistent conditions all day. It makes Kato's efforts even more amazing to me, you really need serious amounts of commitment and good conditions to achieve those numbers!
Tarifa - Morocco was done by kites a few years ago - it's not very far at all - 20km maybe? Biggest problem is liasing with Gibraltar Straits traffic control because of the massive amount of shipping that goes through there...
I was reading the US windsurfing mag last night and it had a artical about Cuba's windsurfing from Cuba to the USA, there has been like 10 or so people do it and they have all made it, it was a good article where reading it was in the April or May mag.
pt
Paris, June 8, 2006.
Dear Raphaëlle Le Gouvello,
After successfully crossing the Atlantic, Mediterranean and the Pacific, you just connect after sixty days spent at sea, the port of Exmouth in Australia to the coasts of Reunion Island.
You are the first to be carried out and crossing the Indian Ocean windsurfing and I am pleased to extend my deepest and most admiratives congratulations on this achievement.
I want to salute the courage and mental strength which were exceptional yours to deal with the vagaries of lucidity this adventure and overcome the "heavy weather" as the capsizing in order to arrive at Port.
The action you have undertaken to raise awareness through the development of a kit, the younger generations the major environmental challenges of this new millennium, confirms the sense of civic and responsible approach that has always been yours and it is an example for all.
By combining this success to the whole team to you every day together and identified this wonderful challenge, I request you to accept, Dear Raphaëlla Le Gouvello, my cordial good friendships.
Bravo !
Great feat! It's fantastic,
Jacques Chirac
Paris, June 8, 2006.
Arnaud de Rosnay sailed 4000 km from the Marquesas to the Tuamotos. His was a "real" board, not a small yacht. He had no escort and at night he slept in a thing like a swag, with the mast tied across the board and inflatable floats to make it like a tiny tri. He then flew a small kite from the board.
See http://ader.club.fr/aventurier/index.htm
Christian Marty sailed across the Atlantic on a "real" board, sleeping on it at night, using inflatable stabilisers in the form of a ring around the board. He was a Concorde pilot and died heroically, keeping the plane away from spectators and a town when it crashed at an air show.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/852407.stm
These were all done in the early '80s.
There is another record being claimed in Holland from last Sunday, for windsurfing 334km in 24h, albeit that the effort was split over two days. The guy sailed from 2pm till 2pm the next day (but no, he didn't sail during the night).
www.gps-speedsurfing.com/default.aspx?mnu=user&val=32297&uid=741
There was a mad French chick that went Exmouth Australia to Reunion island South Africa.....
Just as the spring swells pumped up the west coast o6/07 ?........ carnt really remember exactly but she floated around for 40 plus days. Whist the west coast crew wacked 8-10 foot dubble bubble troubles......... She made it over approx 3500km .
There was two doods (brothers ) they were from some Euro wonder land .... tryed to row across last week and got flogged 50 mile, off i think it was Carnarvon or Exmouth .............one of them had a heart attack.