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The Frenchman thus superseded the previous record-holder Alain Thebault and his hydrofoil trimaran hydroptère, which had reached a speed of 95 km/h. Alexandre and his kitesurf thus managed to travel 5 km/h faster than the previous record-holder.

For years, a variety of craft have been competing against each other on water. At each attempt, the frantic race between kitesurfs, wind- surfs, trimarans and hydrofoils pushes back technical and human limits. And it was a kitesurf - a surfboard drawn by a kite - that broke the 100 km/h (54.10 knots) barrier for the first time. The kitesurfer responsible, Alexandre Caizergues, is an exceptional sportsman and most likely the best kitesurfer of his generation. He arrived in the bay of Lüderitz, Namibia, with the stated goal of beating the world record that Hydroptère had held for a year (93.65 km/h in September 2008). Alexandre pulverized it, reaching an average speed of 100.19 km/h over 500 meters, a speed ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. So, the legendary 100 km/h mark, pursued by so many speed demons, now belongs to the young Frenchman.
Testimonial
"It's incredible", exclaimed Alexandre following his performance. "Being the first to top 100 km/h is a real accomplishment. I've been training all year for this, and my preparation has paid off. I'm also very happy to be taking back the world record on water, which I used to hold. Now, there are no more limits!" For others, the bar has now been raised. Yet, is not impossible to reach, especially for Hydroptère, which notched up a maximum speed of 103 km/h when setting its own record, but not over 500 meters (records set below this limit are not valid). So, the race to beat the speed record on water remains as fierce as ever! So fierce, in fact, that Alexandre's record has already been beaten by the American Robert Douglas, who clocked up a speed of 103 km/h on 28 October 2010.

Simplicity takes the victory
A surfboard and a kite: that's all Alexandre and Robert needed to go beyond the 100 km/h mark. In the mad dash between windsurfs, kitesurfs and multi-hulls with rigid wing sales or hydrofoils, this time, the simplest system won.

Zenith, the brand linked to record-breaking performances on water
Since its beginnings, the Swiss Manufacture Zenith has accompanied sailors at sea. Its sailing chronometers have helped navigators find their way on the world's oceans and precisely determine their longitude. Precision is essential at sea, where a single erroneous second can result in a positioning error of 463 meters. Today, Zenith is proud to be associated with this new exploit alongside its brand ambassador, Alexandre Caizergues.

Zenith and its pioneering spirit
The Zenith brand has often broken new ground in unexplored territories. This ability to come up with new ideas, then pursue them - before anyone else - with new technical developments is fascinating.
Zenith watches have participated in some of the greatest human adventures: the explorer Roald Amundsen's discovery of the North and South Poles, Mahatma Gandhi's peaceful struggle for India's independence, the laying of the foundations of ecology by Prince Albert 1st of Monaco, Louis Blériot's crossing of the English Channel, John F. Kennedy's political action and French doctor Jean-Louis Étienne's solo balloon flight over the North Pole. And very soon, a Zenith watch will participate in an attempt to be the first to cross the sound barrier in direct contact with the stratosphere, thereby proving its exceptional reliability. Today, Zenith returns to its first love, sailing, and becomes the first watch to top the legendary 100 km/h mark in a sailing craft.

Energy of the future: kites tow cargo ships

Today's biggest ecological challenge is to reduce emissions of CO2, the gas responsible for global warming. Any idea - even the most outrageous - is worth considering. In the area of maritime transport, German engineers have designed a kite - very similar to those used for kitesurfs - that can be attached to the front of cargo ships and containers. The huge kite is deployed once the ship is at sea, and its surface area of 160 m2 tows the ship for its entire voyage, thus reducing its fuel consumption.

Thrust equal to that of an Airbus

The kite's traction power can reach 8 tons, which is equivalent to the thrust of an Airbus A318. The principle behind this type of haulage is not to replace engines, but to complement them in an effort to reduce their consumption of polluting fuels. This hybrid propulsion would save 2.5 tons of fuel daily, thereby reducing costs by €700 and achieving fuel savings of about 20%. In the near future, these German pioneers expect to attain 30% to 35% fuel savings on an entire trip using nothing but the wind, an inexhaustible, free and clean source of energy. Regatta competitors and romantics won't begrudge sharing the wind with anyone. Constantly nurturing a pioneering spirit in its own field, Zenith truly appreciates visionaries who dare and those who invent and help the world to move forward. And when this progress is clean and silent, it is all the more admirable.

Additional geographic and biographic information
Lüderitz in Namibia
The natural Lüderitz lagoon is located in the middle of the Namibian desert. Its location satisfies all the necessary conditions to flirt with world records. On days when the south wind really picks up, backed by a breeze from the desert, speeds can reach 45 knots or more.
Biography
Born on March 14, 1979 in Marseilles, France, Alexandre Caizergues subsequently lived in the port city of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône. In 2005, he entered the Mondial du Vent competition and won his first world champion title two years later.
In 2008, Alexandre set the new speed sailing world record in Namibia with an average speed of 93 km/h over 500 meters. In 2009, he was crowned world speed champion for the third year running. On October 12, 2010, he made history by becoming the first person to top the 100 km/h mark with a sail.