Twenty-one riders now over 45 knots at Luderitz Speed Challenge

Luderitz, Namibia (October 17, 2013) – Conditions at the Luderitz Speed Challenge saw 30-35 knots of wind, which powered six new national speed records.

Ukrainia: Alexander Goncharov with 46.51 kts
Croatia: Boris Vujasinovic with 46.53 kts
Switzerland: Remo Diethelm with 46.07 kts
Belgium: Alain de Gendt with 45.38 kts
Denmark: Ole Kjaer with 50.43 kts
Russia: Denis Vladimirov with 44.61 kts

Twenty-one riders have now exceeded 45 knots. The 2013 continues from October 7 to November 17.

Event website http://luderitz-speed.com/

What makes Luderitz so fast?
The warm Namib Desert winds accelerate through the surrounding hills and on reaching the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean, thermal atmospheric pressure create incredibly high wind speeds. Statistically, the wind blows an average of 35 knots+ for at least 3 times a week during the event, often reaching 40-45 knots and sometimes, even up to 50 to 60 knots of warm and stable winds

Although the new canal dug in the lagoon in 2010 made a significant difference (the ultimate speed sailing World Record was broken!), the channel still required further improvements to ensure more records, especially in the world of professional windsurfing. In 2011, Sébastien Cattelan and Sophie Routaboul (organisers) researched the possibilities of widening and lengthening the channel to create a smoother water surface for faster speeds and deeper water for increased safety.

After 12 months of setting up the project and obtaining the necessary authorisation, they managed to dig an artificial channel just outside of the lagoon with the support of the Namibian Ministry of Environment & Tourism, thus ensuring the perfect conditions to set new world records!

At the 2012 Lüderitz Speed Challenge event, no less than 7 Windsurfers surpassed 50 knots, reaching 52 knots (3 knots more than the previous record) in only 40 knots of wind!

Report by event media