mike2dogs wrote:
also.................is kite surfing sailing?

certainly is, it feels very similar on the arms as flying a spiniker on a yacht, and harness work is just like windsurfing, foot work is a bit like wake boarding but more complicated.
i remember being refused entry to sailing clubs because they said windsurfing was not sailing,(refused for 2 years at leigh and lowton sailing club)then got the rya to change their minds

I cant find anywhere that actually says these speeds have been 'ratified' yet.... so as far as I know they are still unofficial.

Also - the guy in the pic only held the (unratified) record for a matter of hours (how gutted would u be!?), before someone else went even faster! Still - 1st man past 50kts over 500m is probably the more important achievement.

* Subject to WSSRC final ratification

Spd(kts) Name
50.57 Alex Caizergues Kitesurfer http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Ro6iWaBgg

50.54 Robert Douglas Kitesurfer
50.52 Sebastien Cattelan Kitesurfer

44.74 Bjorn Dunkerbeck Windsurfer





.....

There was an article in the Sunday Times last weekend about this

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4926767.ece

The link above isn't quite the same as the article in the paper plus the paper had some photos. They also had the boat clocked at 52kts.