Annals of Adventure 2–The Need For Speed: Almost a decade ago Bill Green–the owner of Green Marine, a top composite boat builder–and an engineering friend named Peter Whipp were bicycling around the Outer Hebrides. For reasons barely fathomable they decided at that moment to build a carbon-fiber land yacht which, after many subsequent hours in pubs, evolved into a machine that they hoped could break records. The called the project “Windjet,” and fueled by hubris and ale decided that they would not be satisfied with just the land-speed record but would also go for the ice-speed record and the water-speed record for good measure. They haven’t actually managed to nail any of those records yet, but Windjet is currently on standby at RAF Waddington in England, hoping for some winter winds to speed her to a new land speed record. The target to beat is 116.7 mph (set in 1999 by American Bob Schumacher in the nicely-named “Iron Duck”). In cross winds of more than 25 mph Windjet should be capable of getting up to about 140 mph, and in training the craft has hit 113.4 mph to set a new British record. If the Windjet team can nab the land record this winter, they’ll move on to the water record next summer (target: 46.52 knots set by an Australian team in 1993) and the ice record next winter (target: 143 mph, set by American John Buckstaff all the way back in 1938).



Calling Austin Powers: “Yeah, Baby! Look at those jubblies….”

(Photo: Windjet)