La ciotat, 6th may 2004- Marianne Tertian has just beaten the world speed sail record in the A class, in other terms one of the four world speed sail records officially recognized on a distance of 500 meters.
The young inhabitant of La Ciotat comes back from far. This 2003 world windsurf champion in slalom, after more than 6 months of training, had lost in February 2004 in a robbery her entire equipment, and this being the day before a record trial. A financial loss that she estimates at about 65000 euros and a real blow that have deprived her of her best prototypes to beat the record.
The story could have stopped there. But it was without expecting an enormous movement of solidarity from the sphere of windsurf. Everything has been loaned to her by her friends, some shops, some trademarks, to be able to start afresh. And she has tried hard, even harder, to get this record.
Marianne Tertian , at 26 years old makes this world record of A class passes from 17.81 knots (detained by Caroline Ducato, Long shots, 93, in Brest) to 26.36 ( Canal des saintes Maries, windsurf with a 10,5 m² sail , Thursday,29 may,2004).
But this record is only a first step. A first step towards the feminine world record of sailing speed including all classes. This record is actually at 40.05 knots and is detained by Babeth Coquelle, a record that she has established in July 93 in Tarifa. Marianne’s best performance is at 36.86 knots (with a 4.7 m² sail) or 68,2 km/h, 3 little knots less than the overall record.
She is lucky to be part of the team of the Masters of Speed, with the best world speed boarders. A team that has been organized to beat the feminine (40, 05 knots) and masculine (46, 52 knots) overall records. To their prize-list, from October 2003 threw April 2004 they have beaten four national records but also two world speed records (masculine with a 46.24 knots for Finian Maynard in the class less than 10m2 and feminine within a 26.36 knots in the class A).
The overall record hunt is now open… a fortress which won’t last for long.
