Land and Water Speed Records, 5-9
This next group of records on our list includes a sailing speed record and the world's fastest trains.5. Sailing Speed Record
The fastest sailing vessel, and the smallest, is the sailboard, a surfboard with a sail attached. Windsurfing world champion Finian Maynard of Ireland holds the world sailing speed record of 48.7 knots (about 56 miles per hour), set on a 500-meter course near Saintes Maries de la Mer, France, in April 2005. Maynard broke his own record of 46.82 knots (53.9 miles per hour), set on November 13, 2004.
6. Fastest Long-Distance Sailing Ship
According to the World Sailing Speed Record Council, the fastest long-distance sailing ship is the Orange II, a 125-foot-long catamaran. Piloted by French yachtsman Bruno Peyron, the crew of the Orange II set the record on a transatlantic trip in July 2006, crossing the Atlantic at an average speed of 28 knots (about 32 miles per hour) and completed the trip in 4 days, 8 hours, 23 minutes, and 54 seconds.
Peyron and the Orange II also own the round-the-world sailing record set on March 16, 2005. They circled the globe (27,000 nautical miles) in 50 days, 16 hours, and 20 minutes, with an average speed of 17.89 knots (around 20 miles per hour).
7. World's Fastest Trains
In the category of trains with wheels, the French TGV, a high-speed train, is the fastest in the world. On April 3, 2007, under test conditions, the high-speed train consisting of two engine cars and three double-decker passenger cars set the record of 357.2 miles per hour.
In the category of magnetic levitation trains -- where the cars float above a guidance track using powerful electric magnets -- the Japanese JR-Maglev three-car train set a record of 361 miles per hour on December 2, 2003.
But, without people on board -- and with rockets attached -- railed vehicles can go much faster. On April 30, 2003, an unmanned four-stage rocket sled (a small railroad car with rockets strapped to it) reached a speed of 6,416 miles per hour at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.
8. Bicycle Speed Records
Bicycles require human power to move forward, but that doesn't mean they can't move fast. The record for the fastest speed achieved on a regular (upright) bicycle belongs to Fred Rompelberg, who in 1995, reached a speed of 166.944 miles per hour while being paced by a motor vehicle, which substantially reduced his wind resistance.
The official record for an unpaced upright bicycle is 51.29 miles per hour over 200 meters set by Jim Glover in Vancouver in 1986. Recumbent bicycles -- those funny-looking bikes where the rider sits in a reclined position with legs extended forward -- are aerodynamically faster than conventional bicycles. Canadian cyclist Sam Whittingham set the recumbent bicycle speed record on October 5, 2002, reaching 81 miles per hour over 200 meters with a flying start and no pace vehicle.
9. Fastest Steam-Powered Vehicle
Probably the longest-running speed record belongs to a steam-
powered vehicle, the Stanley Steamer. Between 1902 and 1927, these steam-powered automobiles were produced for the public by the Stanley twins -- Francis and Freelan -- through their Stanley Motor Carriage Company.
In 1906, a Stanley Rocket driven by Fred Marriott set the world land speed record for all automobiles, reaching 127.7 miles per hour at the Daytona Beach Road Course in Florida. While the land speed record has been broken by cars with internal combustion or jet-powered engines, the Stanley Steamer still owns the record for steam-powered cars.
Our list of land and water records concludes on the next page with the fastest lawn mower.
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