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The oldest video footage of Weymouth Speed Week

by Magnus Smith 27 Oct 2024 12:00 GMT
A revealing picture of an early version of Icarus, when although the boat could foil, the speeds were scarcely any faster than that of a standard Tornado © Austin Farrar Collection / David Chivers

With the 2024 edition of Weymouth Speed Week under way - and still bringing many to the UK's south coast in search of 30 knots, 40 knots, 50 knots - let us look back into the video archives for the most advanced designs of yesteryear! There are two boat names you will see cropping up repeatedly...

It's great that we can see footage from the first ever event - 1972 - with 'Icarus' and 'Crossbow'.

Also from 1972 and - we think - from Weymouth, is the Flying Proa.

1973 - with C class cats and 'Crossbow'.

1977 - with 'Crossbow', 'British Oxygen', plus Tornado and Unicorn cats.

1981 - all windsurfers.

1985 - with a triple windsurfer, and 'Icarus'.

We don't know the exact year of this last video, so let's end with a guessing game, and a wonderful musical number to accompany it! 1970s? 1980s? 1990s?.

What of the rest?

Do you know the location of any other videos about sailing record attempts, from the time before videos went digital? We would love to share these with sailors worldwide. You can submit video links for immediate review.

Keep watching with:

Weymouth Speed Week 2022: Icarus - photo © Pete Davis
Weymouth Speed Week 2022 - 'Icarus' still at it - photo © Pete Davis

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