08/02/2006
Speed Freaks II - The French Trench
Finian Maynard became sailing's fastest man on water when he broke the 500 metre course record in November 2004 sailing on The Canal or the "French Trench" near Saintes Maries de la Mer in France with an official speed of 46.82 knots. Breaking the record, which had been set by the innovative asymmetric trimaran Yellow Pages in 1993, and bringing it back to windsurfing was not enough for Finian and he continued to chase his dream. In April, the conditions on The Canal were perfect and he broke his own record by nearly two knots recording a speed of 48.70 knots, tantalizingly close to that elusive 50 knot barrier. It took almost two years of preparation from when Finian and the Masters of Speed team began the rebuild of The Canal to make it the perfect venue for speed sailing record attempts and there is little doubt that Finian will be back on the "French Trench" and the 50 knot barrier will tumble. To see some video of his world record, click here.
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