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WEST KIRBY CALLING!

While Storm Floris was battering Scotland due to a freak summer low-pressure, the UK speed crew had their sights locked in further south: West Kirby was the target for this rare summer speed session and for once, it wasn’t bitterly cold!

We hear from the fastest woman on the planet, Jenna Gibson, her partner in crime Simon Pettifer and UK speed specialist, Jim Crossley, who all timed it right and scored a classic day at the UK’s most iconic speed strip.

Photos: Jim Crossley, Simon Pettifer and Lilia Yelland.

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JENNA GIBSON

“With Storm Floris approaching, we’d be checking the forecasts around the country to see if any of the speed spots would light up. Portland Harbour was looking the most promising with high tide and a strong South Westerly. West Kirby originally was forecast the wrong direction so was out of the question. Southend was also a good option with it being the right direction, but with a long walk out and being dependent on the low tide, for that reason, it didn’t jump straight to the top of the list.

But the forecast changed with 24-hours to go. Not the most epic of forecasts for West Kirby with only 25knots in the base, but it was turning from SW to that much needed WNW direction at mid-day. Neaps and low tide during the day meant there was no chance the sea would breach the lake wall (unlike our last session there where we waves flooding into the speed strip due to the storm surge) so it all seemed to be lining up.

Simon managed to get the day off work so we made some phone calls to see if anyone else would be crazy enough to join us, then set off, not sure if the 5-hour drive would be worth it. It turns out that all the spots had a good day on the water, with decent GPS speeds being posted from all around the country, but none of them being epic record breakers.

Fuelled by a Morrisons Full English, we rigged for a storm, putting in our starboard tack asymmetric fins into our speed boards, despite the fact that the SW wind direction was currently making the speed strip port tack, and light enough to be needing slalom boards. With the wind picking up, Simon decided to take a bigger board and give it a go. I had an online meeting scheduled for later in the day, so I was hoping the wind switch would hold off until I could finish my video call, keeping my hair dry so that I could look somewhat presentable, even from the back of my van.

Simon got a few fast runs in before the rain came. With this massive downpour the wind swung and lit up the starboard tack speed strip we’d been waiting for. With speed sailing, your speeds are so reactive to small changes in the conditions, I couldn’t risk sitting out on potentially the best conditions of the day. I decided to get a few runs in before my meeting. So, I got on the water for an hour before having to take a little break. The wind direction ended up having a little bit more north in it than is ideal, making the speed strip quite broad. At that angle, the chop rolls down the lake and you don’t seem to get as much benefit from getting really close to the wall. When the angle is a bit squarer, the water is mirror flat in at the wall and you can sail the whole way down the lake with perfect conditions, the closer you get to the wall, the better.

However, when the course is broader, the bottom of the course just gets more and more choppy. No point getting too close to the wall as it doesn’t give the same flat water, 1 or 2 meters away is fine. In this direction, the entry into the slingshot seemed to have the biggest effect on your speed, so the key seemed to be to get planing and into the foot straps and harness as soon as possible, in order to hit the bear away with already a very high speed.

Pretty tricky to do with such a short run up. With the angle being really deep, I was having to start the slingshot well before reaching the wall. To avoid as much chop, it was a fine balance between sailing upwind into the corner or sailing downwind to pick up speed. And it really depended on how quickly I got going and how much power there was as to the path I’d take on the run in. Once you’re sailing along the wall there’s not too much left to do other than hope for a nice gust to power you up. Perfect practice for our return to Lüderitz in November. It’s not often we get on the speed boards in the UK, so any chance we get we have to take it.

My top speeds were 43.66knots 2sec, 42.84knots 250m and 36.12 500m because I didn’t go right to the bottom! I was using 45cm/56L speed board with a 21cm Asymmetric Fhot speed fin and 5.0 Duotone Warp_fin… I actually used an older sail, which has been tuned more towards a speed set up rather than slalom set up, so that I’m not having to retune my sail every time I swap from speed to slalom and back again. The slalom set up is faster on the squarer course, but the other sail has more depth put into it with batten and cam tension to suit the broader angles of speed sailing!”

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SIMON PETTIFER

Seems like forever since I’ve been out on the 45 speed board. I’ve been checking the forecast regularly for what seems like months, so when it came up that West Kirby could be working, I was pretty excited. Basically, the forecast wasn’t the best forecast, but there’s always a chance. It’s always a gamble going to West Kirby as it’s a long drive.

When we got there, there was zero wind on Sunday night, but we woke up on Monday morning and it was pretty windy but the wrong direction, south westerly…but this was the forecast.

I did go for a quick sail, on a 5.8m and a big speed board. As soon as I stepped on it, to be fair, the wind completely dropped. I did go down the speed course the wrong way on port tack, pretty underpowered, but quite amusing because I could see my reflection in the water, it was that flat.

Pretty soon after that, the wind swung around to the correct direction…west-northwest. It picked up pretty quickly. Straight away, there was a huge squall where I watched Jim disappear into the mud.

Unfortunately, while this was happening, I was trying to change my board from the 55 to the 45. I got a run, it was OK, but unfortunately the direction was a little bit too broad, which makes a rolling chop go down the wall, so you’re almost sailing close to the wall.

It’s a little more dangerous than usual because you’re already going really broad and you’ve got to deal with the chop. It’s kind of easy for that wind to shift ever so slightly and obviously you don’t want to hit the wall.

I had an interesting day. I tried quite a few different settings in the sail. I didn’t have a great day speed-wise, unfortunately but everyone said it was quite a tricky day.

You don’t normally get sandblasted at West Kirby…normally it is freezing cold but the tide never came in, so in the estuary, it stayed dry. Literally there was sandblasting across the course.

Jenna had an amazing day testing some sails and was all smiles as always.

It was really good to have Jim bring the boys up. The Crossley boys took to it like a duck to water. It was quite funny to watch, to be perfectly honest with you. Banging it straight down the wall, no fear, and they looked cracking. Yeah, all in all, it was a fun day, but definitely not my best day at Kirby. I shall keep an eye on the forecast for the next time!

It was a good fun day. It was amazing to be at West Kirby in the summer, in a summer suit…and the sun made an appearance. It was lovely to be there with Jenna, obviously. Jim, Lilia, the Crossley Boys…they are the keenest boys on the planet. I didn’t have a good day speed-wise. I didn’t get the speeds I wanted or think I should have got. I think I hit around 40 knots!

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JIM CROSSLEY

“For me, it was a spontaneous decision to head to West Kirby, sparked by a last-minute forecast tip from Si Pettifer…plus an even more impulsive choice to bring my two boys (George and Jack) along. It’s rare for the stars to align like this: strong winds during the school holidays and for once, not in the freezing depths of winter. The timing couldn’t have been better. I managed a couple of hours in 40-knot winds, and as they eased off, the conditions turned perfect for the boys’ first-ever speed session at West Kirby.

Fun but broad conditions combined with a sandstorm created by unusually dry sand on the beach made things a tad uncomfortable and having some strange effects on the airflow.  Dessert storm conditions!

Top Speeds for the day were around 45knots, slightly under par for the windspeeds. My speeds were 45.5 top speed and a 44.42 average. This puts me up to 6th in the 2025 world rankings. 

As the wind eased off, for me, it became all about George (14) and Jack (13) who wanted to break 30 knots. Jack was first with his 3.4m wave sail, with the words of advice ‘Sail to the corner and back just to get a feel for it!’

I therefore couldn’t believe it when he took off down the wall fully lit!  He came back with a big smile ’29 knots, I can do this easy!’

Next run 32.5knots, a 7-knot improvement on his PB…incredible!

Then it was George’s turn on his 4.6m Loftsails Oxygen.  35knots from George, also a 7-knot improvement on his PB!

It was smiles all round and a speed session to remember.  Despite a long day, leaving home at 5am and not getting home until past midnight, we were all buzzing and looking forward to the next time!  It was great to see all the old and new faces and seeing some break their records. Let’s Keep Pushing!”