It's official. The World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) ratified two new outstanding accomplishments in windsurfing and kiteboarding.
Antoine Albeau set a new windsurfing world speed record over the nautical mile (1.852 meters).
On June 30, 2023, the French multiple-time world windsurfing champion sailed at an average of 44.12 knots (81.71 kilometers per hour).
Albeau improved his previous record by more than one knot at the 2023 Prince of Speed in La Palme, France.
According to his Zephir Project team, "The conditions on the spot were almost perfect, and Antoine was at the top of his game.
"There were two key elements also involved: the use of a surface coating from our historic partner Nautix, which has been sanded, and a particularly accomplished asymmetrical fin designed by Olivier Ponrouch."
Zephir Project is working with its industrial partners to understand better how these surfaces behave when wetted at very high speed.
The team wants to know which material can be associated with which architecture to push the hydrodynamic limits of the profiles.
"The board is more lively, with healthy behavior. As a result, the fin and the board are more effective and are forgotten at high speed," added the windsurfer.
The Fastest Board Riders on the Planet
Antoine Albeau is the fastest windsurfer on the planet with two speed sailing world records - 500 meters (53.27 knots) and one nautical mile (44.12 knots).
The WSSRC also ratified a new kite world record.
In June 2023, Rob Douglas raced the nautical mile at an average of 42.54 knots (78.784 kilometers per hour).
The American was the first-ever kitesurfer to break 40 knots on the nautical mile. He also co-founded the North American Speed Sailing Project in 2008 with Bill Lynch.
The fastest boardsports speed sailor in the world continues to be Alex Caizergues.
The French kiteboarder sailed at 57.97 knots (107.36 kilometers per hour) over 500 meters at the 2017 Salt and Speed in Salin-de-Giraud, France.