The Trench closes for winter

Masters of Speed have been on stand by for 56 days

After 56-days on stand by, the Trench in the south of France used by speed sailors has now gone into winter hibernation having been all but unused during this autumn 2005 session - a sure sign that not every period delivers just what the doctor orders. In fact, there has not been a single day during the autumnal months when the wind blew more than 35-knots in the Les Saintes Maries region, although several forecasts had looked very promising only to change at the last minute.

Masters of Speed co-organiser and former speed sailing record holder Pascal Maka explains: “The wind patterns this year have been unusual and this autumn period was no exception, but we expect better conditions throughout 2006 in Saintes Maries. Our experience is second to none and the team here is the world’s best so we are ready for anything nature can throw at us.”

The Camargue region has been showcased in the past 12 months as the best world record speed sailing location currently available to windsurfers in the world today. There is always respect handed to the famous ‘ditch’ that she will be able to rise to the occasion in the near future and once again deliver the notoriously high speeds we have all grown accustomed too.

Christophe Simian, the Canal manager, added: “The Canal was in perfect shape this time. We paid special attention to shaping the banks into an aerodynamically efficient wing and we are hoping to find out the potential next year. I believe that the sailors will have very clean feeling runs to hopefully bring them closer to 50 knots.”

While the sailors never got the chance to show off their equipment and further develop record specific components like sails and boards, the work continues on many fronts. “We will wait patiently for the right moment to launch our offensive on the last frontier in sailing. All efforts are being directed towards the ultimate goal of 50 knots and there will be no stone overturned in the quest for the perfect set-up,” states world record holder Finian Maynard.

There are already plans in the works to continue in the spring of 2006 with a two-month period.

To read our interview with Finian Maynard from November last year - click here