Fast company... in the presence of Hydroptere...
Wed, 9 Jun 10 19:18

The last week has been a good week in the life of the VESTAS SAILROCKET. It has been made all the better by being in the company of Hydroptere and the team who sail her.

 

It was quite special for me to finally meet Alain Thiebault in person as in many ways I guess we are kindred spirits out on the ‘Far Cliffs’ of our sport. There were times when we were both going for the same outright record at the exact same time in different hemispheres on very different craft but in our minds we may as well have been facing each other across a table. I had no doubt that they, and the Macquarie Innovation boys, were going to push themselves and their craft to the limit so I had no doubt as to what my job was. It was a great little battle where we all had our ups and downs, often quite literally. Now that that particular battle is over, it’s time to sit down with the enemy and have a beer.

Fraser, Alain, me and Jacques Vincent (who only drinks tequila from a tea-pot!!!)

 

Sharing some of our non-Youtube moments!!!

 

Alain and Helena...

 

There is so much to talk about when you meet someone like this that it is hard to know where to start. We talked about many things including how our projects differ from a driver/pilot perspective. Alain has the help and companionship of a strong team on the water but he also carries the responsibility of committing them to his drive to find the limit. If he gets it wrong then ten humans go with him. Mine is a more lonely affair and yet you still carry responsibility. I was aware of this after my bad crash that took me out when friends and loved ones started to genuinely worry about what I was stepping into each time at the top of that course. You have to consider that if you make a right mess of yourself, these are the people who are left to clean it up. So you are not alone and it is not just you that gets hurt. I suppose we spoke about this early because it is the large weight on the other side of the mental scales that you balance all the other good reasons to ‘go-for-it’ against... just before you make your mind up to push even harder again. Knowing the other guys perception of this is to understand the psychology of the competition even more. People who understand the risks and are scared of them... but still go forward and take it to the limit are likely to be people who spend a lot of time considering issues and being very thorough... or they are simply stupid.

 

So the conversation drifted on to how fast we think we could go, how much we thought the kite-surfers had left in them, what the issues were with our respective craft and what the future holds for both of us. Alain’s first question was ‘What speed are you aiming for’? It sounds like a simple question but is actually quite hard to answer. We will never give away all our secrets as there are a few aspects relative to a craft with no limit to its righting moment that will keep people guessing until the end. Our simple mission now is to break the existing record. There is no point throwing around big easy numbers now as that is done too often and I am sure we will confront issue that we haven’t considered as we go faster... so let’s just leave it at that.

 

So we invited them all over to a big ol’ BBQ at ours on one of the fine summer evenings just gone whilst we cracked on with the build. The first skins of the new hull have been cured and later on I invited Jacques Vincent from Hydroptere over to see what we are doing... and help push the long roller table into the oven. As I sit here and write this, the core has now been cooked in and Matty and Ben are outside preparing to do the inner skin. By the end of next week, both of the hull/fuselage pieces should be finished.

 

On Sunday we were invited to go for a sail on Hydroptere although Alain wasn’t there. Helena, Malcolm and Finn (Malcolm’s son) joined us.

The elevator goes up as Team Sailrocket rides l'Hydroptere. Me, Finn and Malcolm.

 

It started off light and got progressively stronger as we reached back and forth across the Solent. We started off with full main and Solent and ended up with two reefs and the trinquette with winds up to 27 knots. You very quickly get used to the speed and flying aspects of the ride. It really is a wonderful balcony. The first time I ducked under the boom and ran over the central hull to the other side, I nearly ran off the back as I am more familiar with heading to the helm station of a 60’ trimaran. With Hydroptere everything is further forward along the main beam.

Although they call her the ‘old girl’, she appears to be in very good condition. You are in no doubt that a huge amount of time and money has been thrown at this boat by people who care. The scale of our project pales in comparison but that is not to take away from either. The overheads and logistics of running a big project like that are immense and the ability to keep everyone involved motivated through the darkest hours is truly admirable.

Steaming away from Cowes at speed

 

So we blasted back and forth along the Red Jet fast ferry path lining up with it whenever we could. The Red Jet sits on about 36 knots so it was a fair match up. As the wind built and Jacques got better at lining up an approach to the run, the match got closer. The captain of the Red Jet was obviously enjoying it. He would put the ferry in a safe position... but he was just as interested in the match up. It must have been a brilliant sight for the people onboard. We finally got one run just right and with a peak speed of over 40 knots we managed to make the Ferry cross behind as he had to duck down to Southampton water. Whilst all this happened I was imagining what it would be like lining up for a crack at the 500 meter run onboard this boat. I feel I can honestly say this. That boat is truly on the edge at high speed. To me it is fun... but not what we aspire towards with our own project. At 50 knots I can cleat off the wing and let go of the controls. I couldn’t help but feel that Hydroptere felt like three boats forced to fly in close formation.  When it gets upset by chop or ferry wakes it seems to fight itself as it wracks, yaws and nods around. This is not fast. Once it shakes itself free of all this and settles down to smooth formation flying again, you can feel it accelerate as the internal fight subsides. Foils are effective brakes when they are not in harmony. The torsion that those large foils put on the beam must be significant and to keep them in harmony must be a large engineering problem in its own right. To ride this thing at record speeds must be one of sailings finest balancing acts. She goes her fastest when she is flying the windward foil but when you look at what her motion is when she does this you quickly see that it has issues. The problem is that when she rolls, she goes from riding flat on three foils to sitting on two foils that are diagonally offset. If she just rolls to leeward then she risks lifting her ‘T’ rudder out of the water and losing all pitch stability. I guess it all depends on how she is trimmed at speed i.e. does the T rudder pull down or create lift... or neither in that it just follows the surface piercing front foils. I have to assume that they can’t control the trim tab during record runs as only the instruments are allowed to be powered. From what I understand they simply try to fly the boat flat. If the rear T foil is supporting the aft end then when the boat rolls, it also rears backwards along the diagonal line between the leeward foil and the rudder. This would increase the angle of attack of the foils to the water and cause her to rise and lift higher on her foils. As they are canted inwards this would mean that her righting moment is reducing right when it is being pushed the hardest. The boat would be going damned quick but is heading to a point of instability which demands crew input to control. The sheets get eased and the helm put to leeward. Here she would suffer the same issues as VESTAS SAILROCKET but in reverse. Her highly loaded and inward canted foil would lose some of its angle of attack in a bear away that would cause it to sink lower as it loses both vertical and lateral lift.  So the drag picks up and then does so even more when the windward foil touches down. This drag to windward causes the boat to go into a nodding yaw and the whole formation goes into an oscillation that slows the boat and takes a little time to settle down. Their best 500 meter speed run ended just after they survived one of those high speed moments as the boat slowed significantly whilst it regained its composure. It took one of those high speed moments to drag the average up to a record speed... but then I guess it does for all of us. Each time they do this they run up and poke the crocodile in the eye.

Now all of this is my take on what is happening... and I think it is even more complex than that. I’m still getting my head around it. It seems to me that a bunch of undesirable things are going on which this team have done an amazing job of understanding and controlling. To me it looks like a very complex way to go fast, but a hell of a lot of fun... especially if you can afford to cover the consequences of when the crocodile snaps!

 

It was brilliant to blast around in the sunshine. They had Helena doing Nav and keeping them off the Brambles bank. Like us getting Jacques to help us push the mould in the oven... nothing comes for free! On the water that day there was also some good friends on a British foiling project called ‘Daddy Long Legs’. It is a very clever and well executed 26’ long foiling catamaran. Every ‘Daddy’ still has a ‘Mother’ and as Chris and the boys lined the mighty Hydroptere up for a run, that big French boat sure looked like the mother. It really was a cool day. Probably the first day in the Solents history where foiling multihulls were king.

Daddy Long Legs and Hydroptere

 

 

The Daddy does a wild fly-by.

 

Jacques let me take the helm for one of the runs to see what she was like to drive. The view is spectacular and the seating position comfortable. The steering is hydraulic so there is not much force feedback through the wheel although the boat itself has a lot of feel. All your other senses take over in giving you feedback. Now the boat does wobble around quite a lot. Whilst she just charges through small chop no problems, she does weave all over the place in waves like any other boat.

It doesn't matter which side you are on... This is fun with a big 'F'!

 

You have to choose which oscillations you need to steer to and which ones to just leave to sort themselves out. Seeing as I had no idea what her pitch stability is like as there are no bow or forward foils to reference,  I wasn’t exactly sure if there were some big don’t do’s so I basically held a straightish line with a few little weaves thrown in to get a feel. I knew that I had the best guys I could hope for on the sheets and that although they were smiling along, were very aware who was on the wheel and hence were paying attention. I wonder what Alain would make of doing a run in VSR1?

 

The crew work was very slick as the team are well practiced in what they do. We didn’t do any gybes and only tacked. This was a slow process for some reason. The initial turn in was real fast and you would lean into it like a bottom turn on a surfboard, but then they would let the speed die off to an almost standstill before slowly poking her nose through the wind. She seemed to steer very well at low speed probably due to the massive overall area of the rudder when not foiling. The lift off on the new tack is progressive and although the acceleration is impressive for a 7 ton boat it felt similar to a 60’ tri when pushed... and nothing like the Rocket. I guess where a 60 tri starts to slow around mid 30’s... Hydroptere and Sailrocket are just winding up. Mind you, you had to keep it in mind that we were just joy riding around the Solent without the canted rig or any of the two tons of water ballast used for record runs.

Afterwards when I jumped off, I followed her around in their equally impressive RIB just to get some pictures and marvel a bit more about the craft I had just been on. It is a brilliant piece of kit, but just like our own Mk1 VESTAS SAILROCKET, it has issues and neither of us would build the same boat again. With our heads so immersed in our next boat and the potential it promises, I can’t help but see the flaws in these boats... but love them for what they are none the less.

 

The following day I took their team up the Medina River to see VESTAS SAILROCKET 1 sitting in her container. She looks a bit battle worn in comparison having had no refit since her last outing. I guess I wanted them to see how simple our little boat was in comparison. I am proud of how we could take the battle to something like Hydroptere but I also know that we were doing it with a boat designed specifically for the job whereas they had to carry the compromise of all the other tasks their boat has to perform along with them. Neither of us can ignore also that we are both in competition with the simplest craft of them all in wind and kite surfers.

 

A couple of days later when Alain returned, I invited them over to our build shed in East Cowes to see the new boat. Some of the key aspects are not evident but seeing as we are currently heavily committed on different paths and that we hope to launch (as do they) in 9 or so weeks, I thought it was a good opportunity to share something I know they would appreciate. The fact is that is very hard to make a real opinion about someone’s project until you know it intimately.

Hydroptere now sits on the jetty directly out front of our shed and even as I write this I am constantly stopping and pondering different aspects of what makes that boat tick. I have a million more questions for them. They are a good bunch and it has been a pleasure having them about. As I sat around the BBQ a few days earlier with the Hydroptere and Daddy Long Legs  teams, I felt happy to be in the company of such clever and motivated people. I feel that we may cross paths many more times in the future. For now I am even more confident in the path we are on and the decisions we have made within our own project. It's our turn at the top next.

Thanks for the ride l' Hydroptere. I hope we can return the pleasure.

 

Cheers, Paul.

 

4 comments
New skins, sunshine... and them!!!
Thu, 3 Jun 10 12:40

It's yet another glorious summer day here in East Cowes. The first new skins are just being laid down in the hungry female moulds. The doors of the shed are open giving a view out over the Medina River. From the shed you can look out and see Hydroptere out sailing. They arrived yesterday and will spend a week or so taking people out for a blast. It's all extremely motivating to me of course. I can't wait to get this new boat in the water and go finish this job of showing the world what a really fast boat looks like.

 

I think, in one form or another, we may well be racing those guys out there for many years to come. They have left the outright speed sailing chase for now, but in an odd way, I don't feel our next boat is really racing them or the existing record. I think it will be in a class all of its own.

 

We spent a day up at AEROTROPE yesterday sorting out final aspects of the main hull/fuselage design. We are all working hard to get this MkII on the water for the end of summer. I personally want to be at Weymouth Speed Week in October in shape to do something special. That's the plan as it stands... but we won't compromise the final product by rushing it at the end. The main thing is that we are now focusing on the end of the build and we are pushing ourselves to get there.

 

Won't be long now party people.

Cheers, Paul

4 comments
VSR2 progress update...
Wed, 26 May 10 14:35

Greetings all,

 well I reckon we are about 60% of the way to launch at the moment.

Despite the new boat looking increasingly more like an aircraft, she is still hanging onto her roots as a sailing craft by taking longer than expected and costing more.

 

Our biggest hold up at the moment is design. From a boat building perspective we are having to slow down as we can only go as fast as the drawings come out of the design offices. It is very frustrating as we are keen to see the finished pieces come out.

 

I watch over every aspect of the build to make sure that things are as they should be. This is the boat that will finish the dream for me and I don't want it to fail for a silly oversight. In order to make the sailing easier, the new boat itself has become more complicated. This means that crashes themselves will be harder to repair. We are doing our best to make sure that crashes won't happen... but this is a voyage of even greater discovery perhaps than the last.

 

I am hoping that we can drop her in the water in mid August so that she can be ready and waiting when we come back from competing in the next Little Americas Cup in Newport, Rhode Island. We have a busy few months coming up.

 

One thing is for sure, this boat is going to be tough. I haven't been silly about saving weight in key areas. It has been built with big safety margins as overall it isn't very weight sensitive... and I know she will have a punishing life.

 

In a week or so, Hydroptere will be in our backyard and today I received an e-mail offering me a sail. I have been joking that it is like being asked to a BBQ at the guys house who ran off with your wife... but I can't help it, I love a BBQ! I have a good friend onboard in Jacques Vincent who was my watch leader in my last circumnavigation during the Oryx Quest... although I have known him longer than that. It will be great to see Jacques and swap war stories from our two competing projects. The boat itself is so different than ours that I doubt that there will be much to learn that will relate. I just hope the wind blows.

 

The kiteboarders have booked another world record attempt this October in Namibia as they will be keen to get the record back off Hydroptere... the only issue facing them all is... our next boat will be in the water by then... and from then on, whoever holds the record will only be keeping the seat warm for us;)

Heh, heh. Well if I didn't honestly believe that, I wouldn't be doing this would I?

In the big picture, the whole challenge is made better if there is more competition and I hold nothing but respect for anyone who has reached the stage where they stand at the top of a speed course, look down that run and then commit themselves and their craft to go faster than anyone has ever gone before. It's a thrilling experience and I can't wait to do it again.

 

So hurry up with those bloody designs before I go free-style!

 

Cheers, Paul.

5 comments
The show goes on...
Wed, 10 Mar 10 17:48

Hello to everyone... after a lengthy absence from these pages.

 

We have been very busy over the past few months. The build of the next boat is well underway. A long delay in getting all the composite material meant that we spent all our time building all the female moulds in anticipation for when the carbon did arrive. Now that it has... it's a case of 'pick a mould, any mould'.

MIX THIS STUFF WITH THESE PEOPLE AND LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS!

 

Now we will build things as quick as the drawings can come off the designers table.

We have already begun building real components that will be going down the course.

 

The news of Bernard Smiths passing was quite upsetting to us. I felt it was the least I could do to fly over to Florida and go to his memorial service. Meeting his wife May, daughterand step children was a wondeful experience. I guess I wanted to show them how the spark of genius from this brilliant mind had affected other people and started little fires of innovation and adventure all over the world that are set to continue well after his passing.

The family were wonderful and the time I spent with them was special. To sit in Bernard' office and look at all his work before me was quite surreal.

OUTSIDE BERNARD SMITHS HOUSE IN FLORIDA WITH STEP-SON ERIC, PAUL, BERNARDS WIFE MAY, STEP-SON EVAN AND DAUGHTER IDA.

 

Later Evan dug out some video tapes of Bernard sailing some of his boats and models way back in the 60's and 70's. There were his models flying along the ponds just like ours do now. It was just fantastic to see his take on things. Some of the aspects of our new boat are already there on his 40 year old boats. Actually, in many respects, very little has changed when you cut it down to the basics.

Hopefully we will have the opportunity to share some more of Bernards work with you as the project unfolds. All his work is in good hands and will be archived as it should.

 

 

Last weekend we got to take VESTAS SAILROCKET to the RYA VOLVO dinghy show in Alexandra Palace where she was put in the main foyer for all to see.

At first I was a little reluctant about doing this as I knew she was so beaten up... but in the end when I couldn't bring myself to re-varnish her... I realised that the fact she was so beaten up was the actual story. It was what people needed to see to appreciate her and the journey she had been on.

 

The fact is that this project has mostly gone to the people through the media. Not many people have actually laid eyes on the fully assembled boat in her fastest form. Whether they be the public, sponsors or even designers... the boat had come to them through Youtube videos, magazine articles or this here website. To actually see it in the flesh was the missing connection.

The whole experience made me quite reflective. Around 8 years ago, Malcolm and I first walked around boat shows like that looking for support armed with only a dream. Now, here we were at the other end of the story. The journey has been brilliant and offered all the thrills and spills we could have imagined. It was worth it and we thank everyone who helped us along the way.

 

All along in Namibia, we told Hiskia that oneday we would put this boat on display in London and he would be there to see it. Once we knew we were going to go to the RYA VOLVO dinghy show... we called Hiskia up and flew him over. It was great for him to see the boat outside of Namibia and realise who was watching all the action back here in the UK. I suppose it all makes a bit more sense to him now. It's a long way from where I first met Hiskia working as an ATM security guard three years ago. He has been with us all the way and become an integral part of the team.

HISKIA WITH VESTAS SAILROCKET IN LONDON... A LONG WAY FROM THE LAWNS OF THE WALVIS BAY YACHT CLUB.

 

So many people had never actually seen the boat before them. I include our biggest sponsors and even some of our design team in that group. The boat had a different effect on all who saw her. Some thought she was big, some small. Some people could imagine themselves sitting in there... others thought I was mad.

I still think she is thing of elegant beauty... despite her misgivings and hard earned scars.

I wonder where she will come out next. The fact is she is a doddle to put together and is all ready to go out and punch out 50 knot runs at the drop of a hat. With a few little mods to the foils she could more than likely beat the existing record. I think we will just keep her that way for now. Our focus however, is on the next version.

 

Whilst up in London, I got the chance to go and check out some of the reservoirs around London as possible development/record venues. They were better than I was expecting. I will look into them further as it would be great to take speed sailing to the people.

 

Cheers, Paul.

3 comments
Wishing you all Happy New Year...
Thu, 31 Dec 09 13:33

From all the team at VESTAS SAILROCKET, we would like to wish those of you who have been following our trials and tribulations a fast, efficient and (most importantly) controllable year as we all strap into the cockpit of 2010 and point her down the course.

 

I personally feel so very fortunate to have these dreams I have shared with you here in my life. No matter how 'down' we get at times, the dream is always there. It focuses my energy and means I go forth every day with an underlying sense of optimism and possibility. Around this time of year that sense is heightened.

 

Will this be the year?

 

We will do all we can to make it so. Every year we come back fitter, stronger and smarter. This year is no exception. We got damned close last year... but 'close' didn't shoot the rabbit. As we started the actual sailing program back in 2004, we were given a litte champagne support by the kind people at MUMM. We had a bottle for 10knots, 20 knots, 30, 40 and 50. They got progressively bigger and harder to pop. The last one, the biggy, is for the Outright world speed sailing record. It sat patiently on ice over the past year waiting for the fumblings of we humans to come noisily fetch it in dripping robes and release the bubbly genie of joy within. It became a focal point. Putting it back in the container to ship back to the UK was not a joyous moment. It hurt me to do that... and it hardened my resolve. That bottle is for one thing... and it will go down.

 

Will this be the year?

 

All I can say now is to the faithful, keep the faith, it's not mistrusted... and to those of you just watching for the fun of it... keep watching... there's plenty more to come.

 

I hope you all go forth with your own dreams and the optimism that comes with them. Opportunity is always around us but you have to keep casting the net to catch it.

 

Good luck.

 

Paul.

4 comments
Back to the Future...
Tue, 24 Nov 09 15:30

As VESTAS SAILROCKET shows her offshore pedigree - in a 40' shipping container heading North up the Atlantic - the UK-based team are working hard on their continued quest to set the Outright World Speed Sailing record.

 

Firstly, let me make it clear that we as a team remain completely focused on setting the Outright World Speed Sailing record. That was our goal when we started, it is our goal now and it will be the result we have achieved before we ever consider stopping. The team is tight and as motivated as ever for the challenge that still lies ahead.

 

Annoyingly, we are still trying to get the data out of our TRIMBLE timing GPS from our last session in Namibia. We are still unsure as to what our best run was... and therefore which one to submit to the WSSRC for ratification. You will know when we do. We suspect that we are somewhere around 2 knots short of the current World Record held by Hydroptere.

 

Hydroptere finished their outright World Record attempts in fine style by posting the first ever 50 knot nautical mile. That's more like it! I think we all expected them to be the ideal candidates for posting a big nautical mile run, so well done to Alain and all the boys!

 

So, where does this leave us? Now that we have drawn a line under the current programme and our World Record attempts down in Namibia, it is a good time to reflect and plan for the best course to achieving our goals. I have been archiving all our footage and photos since the project began. Whilst doing this, many things became obvious. The archiving process reminded me of every little issue that the boat/project had, and just how long we spent just waiting... and waiting... and waiting. One of the key elements for selecting a design is all-round practicality. It may sound odd, but in many aspects our boat was practical. It was basically a big, gangly dinghy in dimensions and therefore relatively easy for a small team to build, repair, assemble and store. She was also pretty tough and modular. On the water however, she could be a real handful. All that raising and lowering of the rig was always time consuming and often unsettling. The fact that the conditions had to be so specific was also an element that lead to huge logistical impracticalities. We could push on with the current boat in its current form, but the whole scene has changed somewhat from when she was first created.

 

I still believe that the current boat has all the potential to post a run over the current record. In a perfect world I would happily keep campaigning her until this was the case, but one fact remains: based on what we as a team have learnt, we know we could now make a craft which is simply so much better in all aspects, a boat that would serve the long-term aspirations of the team better. One of the key components would be practicality. Ideally we want a boat that can handle rougher water and a wider range of winds; a boat that can do run after run all day with no form of de-rigging necessary in between; and one that has ALL the stability issues sorted out - even the 'freaky' ones. A real 50 knot 'cruiser'. We feel that this is where the future of this concept lies. It's sort of the next step to showing how the concept can have all-round practical applications. We should go forward in a way that utilises all that we have learnt and reflects the strengths of the team now.

 

So we have all put forward our thoughts, done our computer modelling and built our scale models. Even a pure speed sailing machine has to make compromises. Because of all our accrued experience, we believe that we have a good feel for how these compromises should be weighted. There are so many possible versions of this concept that it has been a fascinating process to whittle them down.

 

I will leave it at that now as there is still so much to do. Hopefully we will get a chance to publicly display VESTAS SAILROCKET when she returns to UK shores in the coming weeks. I can only trust that she will arrive safely and manage to dodge all these storms that are continuously sweeping in from the North Atlantic.

 

Good luck to all you kiters down in Luderitz. I sincerely hope you get to have one more shot at the title down there. You never know when it might be your last.

 

Cheers, Paul.

1 comments
THANKYOU...
Thu, 29 Oct 09 13:54

Well, it looks like it's over.

Today was officially the last day of our record attempt. the wind wasn't forecast to blow... and it didn't.

Soon we will be packing up VESTAS Sailrocket for the last time on the lawns of the Walvis Bay Yacht Club.

 

Yesterday I felt pretty choked up at the end of our last run. We topped 50 knots for two of yesterdays three runs despite average winds of only 22 and 23 knots on each. The boat was in brilliant form. As easy to sail as any other well developed boat. No evil vices, no tricks... just easy, fast sailing. Very few boats could just go and bang out 50 knots as easily as this boat can, run after run. I feel that we have finally refined her to the point where we could put any decent, thrill seeking sailor in that boat and send them down the course on their 50 knot way.

 

I savoured every moment of the day. When it was over, I felt that I could have just sat out there on speed-spot with Helena and the boat alone for hours thinking of the journey that had just ended. I walked back to the cockpit in the twilight and thanked Helena for sticking with me and my crazy dreams all this way. Then we lowered the rig and brought her back across the lagoon for the last time.

 

It seems that we have been hitting some sort of speed limiter around 52 knots (60mph). Time and time again we have hit this peak speed. We have tried sailing in different conditions and using different settings. I have modified the fences on the foils and polished the surfaces  until they are mirror like. So, something is not right. Even in gusts to 27 knots we never hit the mid-high 50 peaks necessery to drag up a 50+ average over 500 meters. The foil is obviously still working though as the boat sails beautifully... but she seems reluctant to go faster. No doubt we could work through this problem. If we had one more shot then I would chop off about 25% from the rudder and remove 50% of the fence area. We only need to find another 2 knots...less in fact! Unfortunately this would require a whole nother world record period with the time and expense that goes with it. It's a big comittment. If it was our only option... then that is what I would do. But it's not. That same resource can go into the real future of the project. As a team we will discuss this. We know we can go faster... I also know that Hydroptere, Maquarie Innovations and the kitesurfers can go faster. The kiters are set to tear up Luderitz lagoon in the coming weeks and I'm sure they have fire in their eyes.

 

This morning was terrible. The reality of the situation is beginning to sink in. We didn't make it to the summit. We achieved a hell of a lot... but the final chapter hurts like a mother. Oh well, get over it and move on. My appetite to succeed in this field has not been satisfied... in fact, my hunger grows.

 

I would like to thank all of you who have followed or endeavour. You have all supported us in one way or the other. I even like the criticism's. It keeps it real and usually just serves to motivate me more. I read all the comments posted relating to our project and consider them all.

 

VESTAS have been brilliant in their support. They insisted from the start that they will stand shoulder to shoulder with us and have stayed true to their word. I couldn't have hoped for a better title sponsor.

 

The journey, the passion, the thrills and spills... they have all been real. I hope it has come across that way.

 

So this marks the end for this current boat. A boat that will oneday be remembered as a true pioneering breakthrough. I will put her away in cotton wool with full documentation of her settings and configuration. She deserves respect. Malcolm designed a wonderful craft that managed to make it to the end  of a very tough learning process for we humans. Both myself and the boat carry the scars from that struggle. I'm proud of them all.

 

But... one end also marks a new beginning. Some of you have been quite perceptive actually. We will announce more within the week.

 

yep... the hunger remains alright.

 

Thanks again to you all.

 

Cheers, Paul and the team.

17 comments
WRA4 RUN 12 INTO THE TWILIGHT
Wed, 28 Oct 09 18:13

The rig is up again, and the sun is down. We are hoping we might just get that one awesome gust, just 20 seconds is all we want.

 

We will again comment when the run is over.

8 comments
WRA 4 RUN 11 - LAST BLAST BEFORE THE SUN SETS
Wed, 28 Oct 09 17:23

After a run in an average of around 22 knots, giving a 500m average of 47.15 knots on the GT-11, a number of us are sitting here in the speed hut willing the wind to blow just that little bit more. The rest of the team are back up the top of the course and the rig is going up. The sun is going down quickly... whatever happens it will be a spectacular run.

1 comments
WRA 4 RUN 10
Wed, 28 Oct 09 16:26

Having waited out at speed spot since 1pm, they are now putting the rig up at the top of the course. The wind is still quite variable, from 18-26 knots but they are ready to go as soon as the wind plays ball! We will update again when the run is over.

1 comments