Finian Maynard
Finian Maynard ( born November 22, 1974 in Dublin, Ireland ) held a speed of 48.7 kn ( 90.2 km / h ) the confirmed world speed record for sail -powered watercraft over a distance of 500 meters. He is a two -time world record holder and four-time world champion in speed windsurfing (1998 to 2001) with the sail number KV -11 or BVI 11th Growing up on the Caribbean British Virgin Islands, he began at the age of seven years with the windsurfing and denied the age of 12 and his first race. Since the age of 16 Maynard operates his sport full-time.
On November 13, 2004 Finian Maynard improved the for 11 years unbroken world record for the fastest sail -powered watercraft of the catamaran Yellow Pages Endeavour at 46.82 knots average speed over 500m. This record he improved on 10 April 2005 to the new world record of 48.7 knots ( 90.2 km / h ); ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council on 11 April 2005.
On 5 March 2008 the Frenchman Antoine Albeau surpassed this record with 49.09 knots. However, this brand has yet to be ratified by the WSSRC.
The surf spot, on which all of these records and also the former windsurf speed world record of Thierry Bielak were established in 1993, located in the south of France and is known as " le canal " or "French Trench ". There is a 1,100 m long and 15m broad channel on the beach at Saintes- Maries- de -la -Mer in the Camargue. The channel has been specially developed for world record attempts around the shaft to minimize formation at extremely high wind speeds on the water. Only in very shallow water, it is possible to achieve maximum speed limits. There are also speed record attempts by windsurfers on the open sea. On 15 October 2005 Finian Maynard outbid at ISA Surfing Speed Grand Prix Tour 2005 in Walvis Bay in Namibia also the world record for the mile of 34.44 kn by Björn Dunker Beck and established a new record of 39.97 knots on. This record was however retrieved on October 31, 2006 by Dunker Beck 41,14 kn and went in April 2007 with 41,69 kn back to a vehicle with a fixed mast, namely sailed by Frenchman Alain Thebault Experimental Yacht Hydroptère.