this new sailing ruling looks interesting, it seems boats will be rigged with kites to try to push the water speed record past 70knots, can we use some of this tech for land use ? a little like peter lynn did all those years ago..

link below to the article..

www.gizmag.com/new-world-sailing-boat-speed-record/10659/

Geez and just think we got 29 knots out of a dinghy getting dragged round Tauranga Harbour with a 16mtr strapped to it...lol, if only we had known the record was 50knots Im sure we could have hung on just a tad bit longer lol

There is actually really no change in the rules at all... boats have been using laddered kites for over 20 years at the Portsmouth speed events without question about legality ... it wasnt until the gin swigging beauracrats of the WSSRC got a whiff that kitesurfers were closing in on the record that there was any hint of a kite not being a sailing craft... interesting as they had previously ratified records with ' kite boats'

that fight is over... but I cannot see any larger craft overcoming the 'pure' transfer of kite power to speed that a kitesurfer can achieve... I suspect we will see small kites develop to the point where a kitesurfer will hit a 60 knot 500m but as soon as the craft and kite get larger the drag factor on both increase exponentially!!
The big million dollar contenders have all been crashing out in style lately .... Hydoptere... pitchpoled at (they claim) 50 knots... Vesta sailrocket has backlooped at a claimed 50 knots and then suffered another big crash several weeks ago... McQuarrie.. just pitchpoled and destroyed itself at Sandy point after finally breaking the 50 knot 500m after years of trying but not quite enough to pip the kitesurfers.... and Wot rocket... well I suspect despite the media hype they may soon rename it Flop rocket!
the interesting thing is the limited wind range all these craft operate in ... 18 to 25 ...over that and they are in the deep stuff literally!