Watch This Insanely Speedy Sailboat Smash A World Record


When you think speed, your mind probably jumps to engines and rockets, but the record-setting Vestas Sailrocket 2 opts for something a little more natural: wind. The VRS2 has been gunning for records for a while now, and it seems that they’ve broken not just one, but several.

Two days ago, the VSR2 snatched the record for 500m sailing speed by hitting speeds of 54.1 knots. On the tail of that victory, the team tried again for the nautical mile record and smashed it — unofficially — as shown in the video above. During the record-breaking run, the VSR2 hit a peak speed of 64.8 knots, which you can repeatedly hear pilot Paul Larsen calling “fast.” It’s especially impressive when you consider that most of the contenders for these records are kite surfers, which have the advantages of much less weight, and fewer points of contact with the water.

This second record-breaking run has yet to be validated by the World Sailing Speed Record Council quite yet, but the VSR2 is all but certain to be snapping up at least three additional records from the nautical mile trip. One thing is for sure, wind power ain’t nothin’ to sneeze at. [The Register via Engadget]