Speed sailing record

Last updated: 19 November 2012.

A Day's run is the distance traveled by a vessel in one day, normally measured from noon to noon. This was the traditional measure used in the days of packet and clipper ships and varied in the actual time dependent on whether the vessel was sailing east or west. The records certified by the WSSRC since 1994 are based on a 24-hour distance measure irrespective of longitude.

Note that the nineteenth century records are not strictly compatible as they measure a "Day's run" which was measured noon to noon regardless of longitude. The two entries above were both eastbound and therefore less than 24 hours.

During her Jules Verne Trophy record in 2011-2012, the Banque Populaire V skippered by Loïck Peyron covered 811.70 nautical miles in 24 hours on 3 December 2011 at 11:45 UT, posting 28 days over 600 miles, including 9 days over 700 miles and 1 day over 800 miles. [http://www.fralo.info/jv08.html Trophy Jules-Verne, Partials and statistics]

During her Jules-Verne trophy record in 2009-2010, the trimaran Groupama 3 skippered by Franck Cammas covered 798 nautical miles in 24 hours on 13 February 2010 at 5 p.m. UT, showing 17 days over 600 miles, including 10 days over 700 miles.

During her Jules-Verne trophy record in 2016-2017, the trimaran Idec sport in the hands of Francis Joyon and his crew of Clément Surtel, Alex Pella, Bernard Stamm, Gwénolé Gahinet and Sébastien Audigane, covered 894 nautical miles in 24 hours, and 10 consecutive days at 809 miles / 24 h. Francis Joyon rounds Cape Horn, 16 days after riding off of South America, and after a course of nearly 12,000 miles above an average of 30 knots (730.16 miles / 24 h over 16 days). He then signs a performance increase of between 30 and 40% compared to the record to be broken by Loïck Peyron 5 years earlier. Leaving the southern seas with a lead of 4 j 06 h 35 min over Loïck Peyron's previous record, Francis Joyon, Clément Surtel, Alex Pella, Bernard Stamm, Gwénolé Gahinet and Sébastien Audigane regained the equivalent of 2,800 miles on the record during this episode.

During the aborted attempt of 2019, Yann Guichard sets a new record crossing the equator in 4 days 19 h 57 min and, thanks to favorable weather conditions, lines up 4,812.1 miles from the 11th to 16th day, or 802 miles / day for 6 consecutive days.

24 hour distance record for Armel Le Cléac'h on Banque Populaire VII: 682,85 miles in 24 hours singlehanded on 2014 January 26th (28,45 knots).{{cite web|title=WSSR newsletter No 239. Banque Populaire 7. Singlehanded 24 hours. 28/02/14|url=https://www.sailspeedrecords.com/news/170-wssr-newsletter-no-239-banque-populaire-7-singlehanded-24-hours-28-02-14|website=www.sailspeedrecords.com|language=en|access-date=2018-01-09}}

During his record around the world Singlehanded in 2017, 24 hour distance record for François Gabart on Macif: 850,68 miles in 24h.{{cite web|title=WSSR Newsletter No 296. MACIF. Singlehanded 24 hour record 07/01/18|url=https://www.sailspeedrecords.com/news/233-wssr-newsletter-no-296-macif-singlehanded-24-hour-record-07-01-18|website=www.sailspeedrecords.com}}

During his attempt for the Jules Verne Trophy on December 5, 2020, Thomas Coville on :fr:Sodebo Ultim 3 covered 889.9 miles in 24 hours (37.1 knots average, top speed 48.9 knots).{{Cite web|url=https://tropheejulesverne.sodebo.com/cartographie/|title=La cartographie du Trophée Jules Verne|access-date=2020-12-11|archive-date=2020-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207111742/https://tropheejulesverne.sodebo.com/cartographie/|url-status=dead}}

During his attempt for the Jules Verne Trophy on December 21, 2024, François Gabart on SVR-Lazartigue covered 892.2 miles in 24 hours (37.2 knots average, top speed over 50 knots).{{YouTube |id=GhvJnvmMgns |title=summary December 20-21-22 2024, 37,2 knots for 24h |time=55 }}

During the return trip after his victory in the 2021 Transat Jacques-Vabre, Charles Caudrelier broke two unofficial records on the :fr:Maxi Edmond de Rothschild: in false solo training, he reached 50.7 knots, and covered 880 miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 36.6 knots. This last record cannot be approved for a lack of adequate equipment on board.{{cite web|title=2021: Clap de fin pour le Gitana Team|url=https://www.adonnante.com/53573-records-ultim-3223-trophee-jules-verne-2021-clap-de-fin-dune-tres-belle-saison-2021-pour-le-gitana-team/|date=25 November 2021|publication-date=}}.

The Boston Teapot Trophy is an annual award given by Sail Training International to a sail training vessel that covers the greatest distance under sail within a 124-hour period. A vessel must have a waterline length exceeding 30 feet (9.14 m) with a majority of the crew under 25 years of age.{{citation |title=Sail Training International Annual Awards|url=https://sailtraininginternational.org/sailtraining/annual-awards/ |access-date=15 July 2024 |work=STI |language=en}}

The Guinness World Records officially acknowledged Statsraad Lehmkuhl's record in 2016.{{cite web |title=Fastest racing tall ship |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/725316-fastest-racing-tall-ship |publisher=Guiness World Records Ltd |access-date=28 May 2025}}

The top five distances recorded since the start of the race in 1964 have been :

The idea of an instantaneous speed record is not officially sanctioned by the WSSRC and is, therefore, not officially measured or documented. The highest speed ever reported is from the crew of Vestas Sailrocket 2 : on 24 November 2012 they recorded a top speed of 68.33 knots in a 25–29-knot wind.

{{cite web

|publisher= Vestas Sailrocket

|date= 28 November 2012

|title= BLOWN AWAY... THE 65 KNOT+ RUN (WITH VIDEO)

|author= Paul Larsen

|url= http://www.sailrocket.com/node/672

}}

Previously, the highest speed ever reported was from the crew of l'Hydroptère. During an attempt on 21 December 2008 at Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, they recorded a top speed of approximately 61 knots (speed not verified or registered on any onboard instrumentation) during a 45 knot gust of wind. This heavy gust of wind overpowered the sailboat, causing it to capsize at high speed. The crew sustained only minor injuries.[http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com/2008/12/lhydroptre-capsizes-after-reaching.html 61 knots for l'Hydroptère]

"Sovereign of the Seas", 1852, 258 ft, the fastest and longest ship yet built when she was launched in New York, designed and built by Donald Mackay, America's foremost clipper designer. On her maiden voyage, she sailed New York to San Francisco in 103 days. This ship achieved the fastest ever recorded speed of a sailing vessel (22 knots).

• Farrel O'Shea (born 1963), former professional windsurfer

{{cite web

|title= Vestas Sailrocket 2 Outright Sailing Speed Record

|publisher= WSSR Council

|date= 27 November 2012

|url= http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/wssr-newsletter-n0-217.-sailrocket-2-outright-sailing-speed-record-27/11/12.html

}}

{{cite web

|publisher= WSSRC

|title= Vestas Sailrocket 2 Outright Sailing Speed Record

|date= 4 December 2012

|url= http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/wssr-newsletter-no-219.-vestas-sailrocket-2-outright-sailing-speed-record-04/12/12.html

}}

{{cite web

|publisher= WSSRC

|title= Vestas Sailrocket. Outright and NM.

|date= 2 December 2012

|access-date= 14 December 2021

|url= https://www.sailspeedrecords.com/news/147-wssr-newsletter-no-218-vestas-sailrocket-outright-and-nm-021212

}}

• World Sailing Speed Record Council
• Speed sailing
• Transatlantic sailing record

• [http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=18 records on 500m] on the World Sailing Speed Record Council site
• [http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=20 records on 1 nautical mile] on the World Sailing Speed Record Council site
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcCtJsNreiE&feature=fvsr L'Hydroptère record at 51,36 knots, 4 September 2009, on Youtube]
• [http://www.sailrocket.com/ Vestas Sailrocket site]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071024090251/http://www.macquarie.com.au/speedsailing.htm Macquarie Innovation site]
• [http://www.voile.banquepopulaire.fr/ Banque Populaire V site]
• [http://www.dcss.org/speedsl/crossbow.html Crossbow I and II on the Dave Culp SpeedSailing site]

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Category:Sailing records