New Hawaii State Speed Record

Dutchman Pieter Bijl buries the hatchet to secure a new 100m speed record in hammering Maui trade winds.

Maui seems to be the place for wind right now. We’re inundated with reports of relentless wind and pounding waves, day in and day out. With all the ingredients necessary for some serious speed, it comes as no surprise that the Maui crew have been pushing the limits of windsurfing.

This time round, it’s the speed guys that have made their mark, namely Dutchman Pieter Bijl. The newly adopted Maui local has set a new Hawaiian state 100m speed record of 41.4 knots.

Armed with a Fanatic falcon and NeilPryde prototype sail, Bijl blasted his way to the record at Kanaha beach in winds gusting over 35 knots. Here’s the numbers that matter:

max:
  time        m    km/h    knots
16:33:12    21.7  78.0  42.2

100m:
  time        s    km/h    knots
16:33:14     4.7  76.4  41.4

10s:
  time        m    km/h    knots
16:33:15   201.3  72.5  39.2

Pieter currently tops the open section of the 2008 Maui Vmax Speed ladder.

Congratulations to Pieter Bijl on his achievement, and we look forward to hearing of more record breaking feats over the winter.

Pieter Bijl is sponsored by Fanatic boards and NeilPryde sails.

PWA / Andrew Buchanan