Dakine Weymouth Speed Week 2010

The world famous Weymouth Speed week held on Portland Harbour the birthplace of speed sailing is looming up fast. This event encompasses the UKWA Spartan British Speed Championships for UKWA member sailors and also counts for ISWC world cup points for the world tour.

Starting on the 16th and finishing on the 22nd of October it is a very popular event with young and old, 1st timers to hardened old hands from back in the day It is the oldest running speed event on the planet and ask anyone who has been they will tell you the mix of fun, good competition and social crack makes people come back year after year.

As well as the usual great prizes from Simmer, Mistral, Spartan, Club Vass, and Dakine which are biased towards the armature and beginner groups there is always the great and the good to rub shoulders with. Signed up to come this year is the legendary Bjorn Dunkerbeck and Zara Davis the current women's No 1.

The big change this year is the timing system which will be run solely using Navi GT31 GPS devices and software designed by Manfred Fuchs from Germany. Which will as long as you have turned them on and set them up right, will catch every run and at angles not possible in previous years. The course will be able to capture runs from a narrow 20 metre wide start gate accurately to 500m out from a 90 to 150 degree angle.

This type of course should suit all competitors from Boats that are fastest at a tight 90 degree angle to the kiters who can run at much broader speeds and every one in between.

So if the wind blows and they are due a good year, the harbour record set by Anders Bringdal in 2008 at 38.2 could fall. Not good news for Graeme Fuller from Dakine who underwrites the record, he could be writing one of those big cheques for $1000 dollars again. Pete Davis one of the organisers said " We are very hopeful of breaking 40 knots this year with this new timing system its accuracy and flexibility will give the top flight competitors like Bjorn the best chance yet"

The entry list has opened and is filling extremely fast as usual so if you want to get in sign up fast! But even if you don't get in the event is well worth going down to anyway just to soak up the atmosphere see the amazing boats and ogle at all the latest kit.

Bring your wetsuit as there is always loads of demo kit to try and Saturday night is the opening party sponsored by newly opened OTC centre and Windtek based in Weymouth who is promising us a night to remember.