The final leg of the ISWC speed worldcup was held at the Walvis Bay (Namibia) speed strip in September this year.
Among the competitors, Carbon Art Speed boards were raced by Chris Lockwood who finished 7th, and David MacInnes with 10th. The conditions were excellent for racing, with enough wind to complete seven rounds. The course was very square, making weight and leverage the key ingredient in speed. Almost all competitors were wearing weight vests, including the big guys.
This final event determined the world champions for the season. Although Bjorn Dunkerbeck won the event, Antoine Albeau showed supreme consistency to finish second, and take out the world title.
Dave MacInnes managed to set a new 500m New Zealand record of 40.65 knots (subject to ratification), using the Carbon Art SP44.
“It was great to be back at Walvis Bay and sail the place with some consistent wind. It was very square- only 10-15 degrees off the wind, so it was rewarding to achieve the speeds we did. Each round lasted between 60 and 90 minutes, with 2 rounds on some days. On the longer days I squeezed in around 30 runs. There were 80+ competitors in the event, including the kites, so the course was very congested. The water conditions were never very flat due to the wake of all the competitors- sailing upwind, and washing off the beach. Because the course was so square it was a bit of a leverage game, and the big guys excelled as expected. I raced on the range of Carbon Art speed boards, using the SP44 for my best times, but often using the SP47 and SP50 in the lighter winds with a 6.6m sail. Overall I’m stoked with how the boards performed, and really happy to finish in the top 10 again.”
Final Result (and best run):
1 Bjorn Dunkerbeck 43,13
2 Antoine Albeau 42,98
3 Patrik Diethelm 43,09
4 Finian Maynard 42,01
5 Thorsten Luig 41,44
6 Hennie Bredenkamp 41,46
7 Chris Lockwood 41,42
10 David Macinnes 40,65
