Teenage British sailor Toby Smith pushed the limits to clock an incredible 31.0 knots, setting a new WASZP class speed record.
His record-breaking run took place over a blustery weekend at Datchet Water during the UK Start of Season Championships, where conditions delivered the perfect window for speed.
Racing out of the Royal Hospital School Sailing Academy in Suffolk, Toby is part of a strong junior U18 pathway showing how far the WASZP class has spread across the UK youth sailing scene.
There are moments in sailing that are planned to perfection . . . and then there are moments that simply appear. For Toby Smith, the new WASZP speed record didn’t come from a carefully orchestrated attempt. It came just after the finish line.
“I’d just crossed after a race,” he recalls. “I looked behind me and saw this huge gust rolling down the course. And I thought… this might be the moment.”
What followed was instinct, commitment, and a willingness to push beyond comfort.
“I threw in a jibe-there must have been about 35 knots of breeze-set the boat up quickly, put my shoulders out, shut my eyes… and just went for it.”
Seconds later, Smith had rewritten the WASZP record books: 31.0 knots.
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