The ground under the world sailing speed record is shaking! This record, currently held by the proa Yellow Pages Endeavor set in 1993, has been nearly surpassed by a windsurfer! I've been watching this group of windsurfers with amazement during the last year - they keep getting faster and faster.

The record held by Yellow Pages is a 46.52 knot average over a course of 500 meters (547 yards / 1640 ft). Mr Finian Maynard blazed a trail on a narrow canal in southern France averageing 46.24 knots during an event held there this week. He fell short of the world record by an astounding 0.28 knots - which breaks down to something like a 0.12 second difference by my calculation! These guys are using very custom boards, sails, and masts and are wearing heavy weight jackets to help them counteract the sail force on these boards - but I'll promise you their setups cost a lot less than Yellow Pages Endeavor. From the footage I've seen it appears to be extremely physical too. Check it out!

http://www.mastersofspeed.com