Speed surfing: Heidi Ulrich breaks age-old Open Ocean speed record
"At the Prince of Speed Farrel Cup, I drove the open ocean record, which had been held by Frenchwoman Babette Coquelle since 1993," said Ulrich. At first, it didn't look like record conditions at all. During the first heat, the wind was rather weak at 25 to 30 knots and briefly reached 35 knots in the gusts. "That's quite light wind for speed windsurfing," she explained. She started with various sails - first a 5.8, later a 5.2 - and a 43 Patrik speedboard. "We all had average speed, so it was okay. It was super square wind (90 degrees to the coastline), which means super flat water."
Too light for top speed in the conditions
These conditions were not ideal for her personally: "At 70 kilos and 1.72 metres, I'm not exactly a square wind specialist - I'm far too small and far too light." Although she carried additional weights of up to twelve kilograms, it was difficult to build up the necessary leverage for maximum speed.
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The record fell after the break
After a break, the wind finally picked up. Heidi reported that the conditions suddenly became perfect with the start signal: "We had a really solid 40 to 45 knots, sometimes even more in the gusts." The water remained as smooth as glass - actually fantastic conditions for setting records. Nevertheless, she herself had mainly caught "square wind gusts" that pushed her sideways rather than forwards. "That's why I switched to 4.6 and then I had my three fastest runs. They were all well over 40 knots on the GPS."
Ulrich thus beat the previous record of 40.05 knots, which had been held by Frenchwoman Babette Coquelle since 1993. The Swiss sailor had previously exceeded 42 knots at this spot, but an official record is only valid if the speed is achieved between the specified gates. "It's still something completely different when you really have to sail between the gates and can't choose the gust."
The Swiss athlete from Lake Lucerne emphasised that she had not had the record in mind during the race. Instead, the team had concentrated on material tests in order to be optimally prepared for the record hunt on the Lüderitz speed channel in Namibia in the autumn. "We rode all the prototypes because we really want to take every bit of wind with us to test before Lüderitz." It was only two days later that the organisers officially informed them that their times were good enough for the record.
Record or not?
Even if it is not the classic world record over 500 metres, the achievement is officially recognised. "It's a World Sailing recognised record, it's registered in the WSSRC," she emphasised.
View to Lüderitz
Ulrich is planning to compete again in Lüderitz (Namibia) in four weeks' time - although she had actually already closed the chapter. "Because it's basically super, super dangerous on the narrow channel," she admitted. But after intensive mental preparation, she is now looking forward to another showdown with rival Jenna Gibson, who snatched the women's world record from her last year. The duels between Vincent Valkenaers and Antoine Albeau could also be exciting. "I'm definitely really looking forward to it. Everything is ready." Heidinoch is currently on holiday in Austria so that he can start the project optimally regenerated.
No desire for foil
When asked whether she could also imagine racing in the slalom, Ulrich replied firmly: "To be honest, I don't enjoy it at all. For me, it's a different sport, not windsurfing." She needs direct contact with the water and the feeling of the fin - she thrives in difficult conditions. Slalom X could perhaps be an option, but at the moment her focus is clearly on speed. "Speed is fun for me. I enjoy skiing in rough conditions. If that doesn't happen any more, I'd rather travel around in our van and see lots of other beautiful places in the world."
Promoting young talent and speed clinics
In addition to her own successes, Ulrich is also committed to the next generation. This year, for example, she organised a Patrick Speed Clinic in Holland for the second time - with over 40 participants. Some of them even qualified for the speed event in Principe. Speed days on Gran Canaria are already planned for 2026. "It's great fun," she emphasised.
