Weymouth Speedweek 2016

Why bother to travel 44 hours to a windsurfing event and back home just to sail for a few days? Well Weymouth Speedweek is special. Very special. To begin with, it has been running for 44 years. Imagen 44 years back. That is A LOT! Probably it will run for another 44 years. Weymouth Speedweek is the backbone of speed. The only even that goes on and on. 

In the perfect condition this also is a very good spot for speedsailing by the way. My very good friend Anders Bringdal proved that in 2008. But in general the Portland harbour is a devil in disguise. The chops or the waves doesn’t look or feels like no where else. It is hard to describe the conditions but lets say that it is always challenging to go faster than 30 knots. When the wind is from the east, like 2016, it is harder than a 43 knots run in Luderitz for sure. The run is about 120 seconds long, a line up of 60 seconds, an entry of 20 sec, the actual run 30 sec and the exit when you decided if you should go upwards or downwards of the course, on the way back.

All the competitors are all very happy and never complains, even if the course could have been a lot flatter if it have been on port tack instead of starboard. - It’s the same for everyone, they all are saying.

The Portland island/peninsula is also worth to mention. I have spent 5 weeks on the island, but I keep finding new experiences. It is one of the most spectacular places in England for sure. And thanks to the format of the event, there is always some less windy days that I can spend myself. In early October the weather is always mixed here, this year was an exception with no rain and no freezing cold. 

But normally during a week it is summer 2-3 days, autumn 2-3 days and maybe also a day of winter. Cold temperature doesn’t sound good, but with more density in the air the better push in the sails. So I those days are also good, just bring the right wetsuit. Finally some words about the academy. The Weymouth Portland Sailing Academy is an extremely nice place to hang around at. It looks like yacht club, but it is really all about sailing. 220 kids in ages around 10 years, pass through a program every day. The builds rafts, windsurf, sails, paddle canoes and longboats. At the same time all British Olympic sailors are practising and a national 470-event goes off, as the same time as 80 speedwindsurfers are competing. And it all runs seamless.

And not to forget, the speedweek people: Elderly men with boats/rafts, kiters with foils, moths, all levels, ages of windsurfers and the organisation team (Big Thanks by the way for the boatride). It is like a huge family, where everyone has different roles and characters. Must be experienced. Hard to describe. But everyone are happy and no hard words.

Myself in this years event. Well with a flue and no power in the body, brandnew boards and fins, it was a fight to be on the water every minute and at the end get a 7:th place overall was more than good. Congratulations Simon Cofield to win the Weymouth Speedweek 2016! But I have beaten you before and I will try again, but it is harder when you are on the Loft sails! Here is the final result.