Kiteboards are not Sailing Boats - it's Official!

by Nancy Knudsen on 24 Nov 2008 'Rubbish! That's not a sailing boat!' said the Skipper with his usual diplomacy as we sailed along in the afternoon breeze doing a very brisk seven knots on the 4th October this year. I had just told him that a kiteboarder had the day before broken the world speed record at over 50 knots.

Now the members of the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) must have been listening, because their bosses, the International Sailing Federation(ISAF), have since confirmed that kite-powered craft do not qualify as a sailing boats for the purposes of being the 'fastest performance under sail.'

Sebastien Cattelan, sailing a Xcelerator board powered with a Genetrix kite, travelled 500 metres at an average speed of 50.26 knots in Namibia in October, breaking the earlier speed record by Robert Douglas at 49.84 knots. The latest announcement must have been a double blow for poor old Sebastien, who was probably made to feel quite slow a little while after his record run by Alexandre Caizergues did it averaging 50.57 knots.

While recognising Sebastien's performance as 'the fastest kiteboarder', and working towards recognising Alexandre's feat, WSSRC stated, 'Note that at the November Conference 2008, ISAF clarified that a kite-powered craft cannot be recognised as the holder of The World Sailing Speed Record.'

Sorry guys, ISAF says you'll just have to go get a real sailing boat and start again!

However, this cruising sailor cannot help asking in a small voice, 'What IS wrong with seven knots?'

However this subject is probaby moving faster than that ...

The International Kiteboarding Association says...

'The International Speed Windsurfing Class (ISWC) and the International Kiteboarding Class Associstion (IKA) both officially acknowledge kiteboarders as rightful speed sailing outright world record holders. Kiteboards fully qualify under the ISAF Equipment Rules of Sailing and the WSSRC rulebook for the outright record. '

'Although the WSSRC feels to be bound by an ISAF policy from former years, when kiteboarding was neither compliant with the Equipment Rules of Sailing nor being an ISAF international class, the only possible conclusion under the actual rule situation and in the spirit of true sportsmanship is to acknowledge the performances of Alexandre Caizergues, Robert Douglas and Sebastien Cattelan, all with runs of more than 50 knots during this years Luderitz Speed Challenge as the speed sailing outright record.'