Need For Speed…: There’s a new contender in the sailing world’s quest to break the 50-knot speed barrier, courtesy of multihull sailor Paul Larsen. It’s called SailRocket, and it was launched last Friday. It is a crazy looking machine. Despite reading numerous technical explanations I still don’t really understand how it is supposed to work. But I definitely understand when the designer says it should hit 50 in just 20 knots of breeze, and, on paper, at least there is no theoretical top speed limit (though in reality the thing will blow apart past a certain speed because the loads will exceed the strength of the construction). Anyhow, SailRocket is designed to be sailed only on starboard tack, the whole thing weighs roughly 250 pounds, once past 35 knots the water rudder will be flipped up and the thing will be steered by an air rudder, and, and…well, there are a lot of cool features. So click over to the SailRocket site, read all about it, and see if you understand the damned thing better than I. SailRocket will head to Weymouth, England, a speed sailing mecca, for testing and tuning. For the moment, my money is still on Finian Maynard and his windsurfing buddies down in France…



Larsen And Toy: “I know it looks like it’s made of toilet paper and balsa wood, but as long as it doesn’t rain too hard we should be okay…”