That 50 knot barrier is still the subject on plenty of people’s lips at the moment as our colleague kitesurfers get back into serious action !  At Luderitz in Namibia last September at the first ever Luderitz Speed Challenge, these guys set the timing systems on fire with a new women’s world record (Sjoukje Bredenkamp with 42.35 knots) and above all Alex Caizergues’ superb performance of 47.92 knots.

And seemingly set on smashing the 50 knots themselves, the kitesurfers are setting up for a new round of attempts at the same spot  from 15th September to 13th October under the banner of the Luderitz Speed Challenge 2008 !

And there are some new features this year, the course is being re-worked to improve the run over its first 250 metres, but also on the depth of the run itself. Finian Maynard, who has been to check out the run at Luderitz, had to give up because of the very shallow depth of the run, but part of the work on the spot is to, according to the organisers, "dig deep under the fins" meaning that windsurfers too could find themselves with plenty of water to make use of…

Old windsurfers themselves, organisers Sebastien Cattelanc and Frédéric Dasse reckon that a windsurfer could post a good speed at Luderitz and the event is officially open to entrants from the disciplin !

Check the details soon at www.luderitz-speed.com