Namibia: A Speed Sailor's Dream

Every spring, the humans under sail gather in a tiny port town called Luderitz on the southern coast of Namibia, backed by the Namib desert. Most of the year, Luderitz is a sleepy place at the end of a decommissioned railway, home to just over 12,000 people dependent on fishing and mining.

But in August a steady wind begins to blow at a "perfect" angle of 140 degrees to a sailing course set in a lagoon just west of the town. The wind continues to blow consistently from the south for months, allowing sailboats, kitesurfers, and windsurfers to test their potential more reliably than almost anywhere else.

In 2007, the sailors who had flocked to the area for years formalized their practice into an international sailing event, named the Luderitz Speed Challenge. In 2008, the event and Luderitz gained legitimacy and fame when a kitesurfer achieved the long-elusive sailing speed of 50 knots (57.5 mph), smashing the world record.

Each year since, national and world speed sailing records are broken there, bringing a welcome surge of tourism to the town. Though the current world record (just over 65 knots) was not set there, it was still set in Namibia, in Walvis Bay, thanks to the nation's excellent coastline and spring winds.

- Madelyn

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/video/sports/100000001895658/kite-with-the-wind.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/sports/othersports/27sailing.html

http://luderitz-speed.com/