The 42 x World Champion Björn Dunkerbeck has been in the windsurfing game for a long time. He is still pushing his limits to the max, now in speed sailing. He´s currently in Namibia at the Luderitz Speed Challenge. His goal is to reach a top speed of 100 km/h. His top speed now is 53.37 knots = 98.84 km/h.
So far during his stay, they have had two days where they could windsurf in the speed channel. The gear he´s been using is the Severne Mach Luderitz 5.2 and 5.5. and the Starboard iSonic Luderitz Special.
A normal day in the channel includes plenty of test runs as often as possible to get the perfect set up. You also need a strong gust all the way down the 500-meter speed course.
Björn tells us that if you are interested to join the speed event in Namibia, there are a maximum of 16 sailors per week. So around 40 sailors during the 6 weeks it´s on.
Björn reports: “Lüderitz is the fastest windsurf channel in the world. In 2002 I started pushing the 50 knots. In 2012 the first five sailors, including myself did it, and then I claimed that a windsurfer can do 100 km/h. And now, already three sailors have done it. Gunnar Asmussen, Hans Kressel and Antonie Albeau are the ones, and soon I hope I will do it also. It all comes down to a perfect channel and strong wind. We need 40 to 50 knots of wind from the perfect direction. Speed sailing is exciting!”
