Weymouth Speed Week is the longest-running speed event on the planet. Started in 1972 by Sir Timothy Colman (yes he of Colman’s Mustard) it soon got a reputation for fast speeds, innovation and pushing the boundaries of what could be achieved with sail power. That heritage lives on, it may not be as big as its Johnny Walker sponsorship heyday and in speed terms has been overtaken by purpose-built speed strips in France and Namibia. But it still draws the best speed sailors from all over Europe and beyond. Guaranteeing wind is hard in the UK. So the event is always held in October to try and tap into the high winds generated by low-pressure systems that come through that time of year. The forecast for the 2019 opening day looked light but the rest of the week looked good. The big question however was would the event harbour record of 38.44 knots, set by Anders Bringdal in 2008 go? The first prize-giving was for the youth fleet,who only race on the weekend, and was sponsored by Boardwise. The battle for the top spot from last year between Tyler Baker and James Faley started all over again. This year the skill level of all the riders went up through the roof. The result could not have been closer with Tyler taking the top spot at 30.85 knots and James only 0.3 of a knot behind. From Sunday the lead for fastest speed of the week changed hands every day and it was fantastic to see the new generation of windsurfers showing how good they have become. Ahead of a very experienced fleet was young 19 year old Scotty Stallman with a very impressive 34.43 knots set on very choppy water on a course in the harbour due to the southerly wind direction. Then on Monday 22-year-old James Battye took it up to just under 35 knots in knee-high chop. Wednesday onwards the wind changed direction to southwest, which allowed for a flat beach course to be set along the causeway.
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