Finian Maynard

Finian Maynard (born 22 November 1974 in Dublin, Ireland) is a five time speed windsurfing world champion (1998 until 2001 and 2006) and held the absolute 500m sailing speed record for sailing vessels from late 2004 until early 2008. He went to the British Virgin Islands with his parents at the age of 5, hence his sail number KV11 resp. BVI11. When he was 7, he tried windsurfing for the first time and at the age of 15, he came 13th at the US Open at Corpus Christi, Texas. His career choice had been made.

Finian Maynard is 190 cm (6ft3in) tall and weighs 117 kg (258lbs). This is widely seen as a good build for a speed sailor, giving him the strength and power to achieve high speeds. On 13 November 2004 he established a new speed world record for sailing vessels by reaching 46.82 knots in the French Trench near Saintes Maries de la Mer, surpassing the speed set in 1993 at Sandy Point Australia by Simon McKeon and the boat Yellow Pages. He improved his record a half year later, reaching 48.7 knots. Both records were acknowledged by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. On 5 March 2008 Antoine Albeau improved the world record, reaching 49.09 knots.

ee also

*Speed sailing

External links

* [http://www.sailspeedrecords.com World Sailing Speed Record Council]
* [http://www.speedworldcup.com International Speed Windsurfing Class]
* [http://www.pwaworldtour.com/pwa.sys/sailors/sailor,205 PWA biography]
* [http://www.mastersofspeed.com Masters of Speed]
* [http://www.neilpryde.com/teampryde/15.html biography at Neil Pryde homepage]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3-euMjOAA0 video and interview of 48.7 knot record run]