The first race of the ’08 speedwindsurfing world championship is a fact and right from the start it was a good one with a double extension. Antoine Albeau and Valerie Ghibaudo are the winners of the first round.
At the mandatory skippersmeeting this morning at 10:00, all racers received, besides the last instructions, their personal GPS-device which identifies them during the race and enables a world wide audience to follow the racing action live on the internet. For the first time in the history of speedwindsurfing the official WSSRC timing system is combined with GPS timing. Thus all tracks of the speedsailors can be followed on the live spectator in real time.
The first possible start was set at 12:00 am, but needed to be postponed by one hour as the wind was not suitable at that time. The combination of an average windspeed of 23-24 kts and a wind angle of 135° resulted in a top speed for winner Antoine Albeau of 37.01 kts. Quite impressive in these tough conditions. The fastest women was Valerie Ghibaudo, she sailed an average speed of 31.39 kts over 500m. So the Frenchies did it again!
Tomorrow we expect the same wind conditions, but the tide will go down even a little bit more. The skippersmeeting will be held at 10:00 o’clock again, with a first possible start at 11:00 hours.
The Speed Windsurfing World Championship continues until the 2nd of August, with daily races scheduled from 10:00 hours on. The race can be followed live on the internet at www.speedworldcup.com
