Visitors to this year's PSP Southampton Boat Show will be able to witness a fresh new attraction, in the form of Tornado speed sailing.

 

Set in front of the impressive PSP Boat Show marina and its exhibiting craft, the Tornado high performance multihulls will be racing over minute courses, providing spectators with a full view of the on the water action.

Speed sailing is completely different from the normal formats experienced by club or Olympic sailors, and is exactly what it suggests. Set over extremely short courses, the race emphasis removes much of the tactical decisions normally dominating race courses, and focuses the crew’s attention to squeezing every last drop of speed from their boats.

Racing will take place on the final weekend of the PSP Southampton Boat Show, 24-25 September. To further spectator enjoyment, race marks will be laid parallel to the marina pontoons, irrespective of wind direction. Adopting the fixed mark format ensures spectators will be as close to the on the water action as possible, witnessing every jostle for position.

The speed sailing concept was spawned from the International Tornado class association's desire to provide high octane short course racing, in close confines. The former Olympic catamaran has made great strides in promoting multihull racing since the controversial removal of the discipline from the games. Now reinstated for the Rio 2016 games, the multihull class is the only mixed gender event, and is witnessing a host of current Olympians trying their hands at twin hulled performance racing.

The PSP Southampton Boat Show event will be run by the UK Tornado class association, National Boat Shows, GreenGood Media, and Weston Sailing Club.