Luderitz’s Speed Challenge 2010 will blow you away!

This year’s international kite surfing competition will be held from the 4th to 31st October and will be one of the most exciting yet. For the first time in the competition’s history Hyrdofoil Boating, Windsurfing and Kitesurfing will all race in the same event.
Russell Long and his team will be taking part in the Hyrdofoil Boating with their famous boat ‘The Longshot’ that, in 1992 beat the 43,55 knots record! Imagine what they can do now, 18 years later!
Famous windsurfer speed riders Anders Bringdal (Sweden) and David Garrel (France) are also set to amaze us this year after setting their country’s speed records. Bringing their talents to the shores of Luderitz we are sure to see something spectacular.
True to tradition, Kite surfing will still be taking centre stage in this year’s competition. 27 year old Sophie Routaboul (France) is expected to exceed the 50knots during the event and is now seen as a strong participant for the woman’s world record! We also have Sebastian Cattelan who set the world record here Luderitz and said “the sport has given me everything and I would like to give back to it.” Let’s hope we get to see what he means.
The Speed Challenge was first held here in 2007 when records were broken, incredible improvements in performances have been achieved since then, making each year more exciting than the last. This exhilarating event has put Luderitz on the map and contenders as well as spectators will be coming from all over the world to be a part of it. It is the perfect location being sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the hot desert, resulting in strong winds throughout the year. Hopefully Mother Nature will give the competitors just the kind of wind speed that they need.
This year, the aim is to widen the canal at the start as much as possible, making entry much easier and will result in better safety compared to the previous wooden chop killer.
Forward thinking boat owners have come up with the idea of using wind power to help ‘drive’ large cargo vessels which would result in huge cuts in the consumption of fuel, reduce oil spills and also the cost of transportation costs world-wide. This innovative idea will help contribute to the protection of our planet.
The excitement of this event has been building for many months now so get down to the beach, hope to see you there!