BJÖRN DUNKERBECK JUST FLEW TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD TO CHASE 104 KM/H – AND HE’S 56 YEARS OLD WITH TWO TITANIUM HIPS
Ep. 115 – Björn Dunkerbeck: 42× World Champion, Speed Sailing Legend, and the Man Who Refuses to Slow Down
Right now, in a tiny diamond-mining town on the skeleton coast of Namibia, a man who has won more professional windsurfing world titles than anyone in history (42 and counting) is sitting in a hotel room, staring at a man-made trench that could make him the fastest sailor on planet Earth… again.
Björn Dunkerbeck just landed in Lüderitz for the 2025 Speed Challenge – a full month of waiting for the perfect 50-knot southerly to rip down the most insane speed canal ever dug. His personal best? 103.68 km/h (55.98 knots). His goal this November? Smash it.
And he just told Luc Moore the entire story – from the origins of the Lüderitz canal to breakfast on a 50-knot morning, from double hip replacements to why he still wears the same helmet he used in the 90s. This is the interview every waterman needs to hear.
Congrats on 42 world titles and still chasing 100+ km/h at 56 – how does it feel to be back in Lüderitz with new hips and zero pain?
For the first time in years I have no pain at all. Two titanium hips, fully healed, and I feel like I’m 30 again. The channel looks perfect this year – straight, deep starting area, 8–10 metres wide. If we get the right angle and 45–50 knots… 104 km/h is absolutely possible.
Take us back – how did this crazy trench in the desert even become the fastest place on Earth?
It started 50 years ago in Weymouth with 16–18 knots. Then France, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, 40 knots, 45 knots, 49 knots… but it got impossible to go faster. I came to Walvis Bay in 2003–2004, broke the nautical mile record multiple times (41.19 knots). Then Sébastien Cattelan dug the first canal here in Lüderitz. It was terrifyingly narrow – you fell, you were out. But the wind angle was perfect. In one session in 2010, six guys broke 50 knots for the first time. Antoine Albeau, me, and others. Since then it’s been the holy grail.
You’ve had some monster wipeouts here. What happens when you crash at 100 km/h in an 8-metre-wide canal?
Your day is over. Sometimes your trip is over. I’ve seen guys cartwheel, skip across the water like stones, and get very lucky… or very unlucky. I wear a helmet and impact vest – that’s it. The best safety gear? Try not to crash.
What exact gear are you riding when it’s 50 knots and you’re trying to break your own record?
Sails: 5.7, 5.5, 5.2 only (Severne)
Boards: 40 cm wide carbon rockets, 227 cm long, 35–45 litres
Fins: custom – one scratch and you lose 2–3 knots
Body position? You’re basically lying inside the board to keep it from launching out of the canal.
Breakfast on a big day?
Fruit → oatmeal → eggs → light sandwich for the beach. Never go full. Too full = too lazy. Keep nuts, dried fruit, and Ripples in the cooler – these days can be 12 hours long.
You’ve been with Red Bull for 32 years – since there were only four countries selling it. What does that family mean to you?
I started in 1993. Now there are over 200 countries and 800+ athletes. Red Bull built extreme sports – windsurfing, climbing, snowboarding, biking, skydiving, F1, you name it. Being part of that family is the biggest honour of my career.
Your son Liam just took 9th in the PWA juniors on Maui – are the Dunkerbecks building a dynasty?
Four kids, all on the water. Liam already held the U18 speed record here (80+ km/h). He’s a triple junior wave world champ and rips everything. The little ones are coming too. The stoke never stops.
One piece of advice for anyone who wants to get into speed sailing?
Download the WaterSpeed app TODAY (it’s free). Stick your phone in a waterproof pouch and go measure yourself. Then join the Dunkerbeck Speed Challenge on GPS-SpeedSurfing.com – 50 countries, thousands of riders. Doesn’t matter what gear you have. Just get out there, hit 25 knots, then 30, then you’ll be hooked.
Where to next after Lüderitz?
Back to Gran Canaria, family time, then the Dunkerbeck Speed Challenge finals and planning the Bonaire Defi Wind next June (only 111 spots – mark your calendars).
Watch the full 70-minute episode with the most decorated windsurfer of all time right now – the stories, the history, the raw passion will blow your mind.
WATCH EP. 115 – BJÖRN DUNKERBECK: THE QUEST FOR 104 KM/H
And while you’re here – download WaterSpeed, join the Dunkerbeck Speed Challenge, and start chasing your own numbers. The king is still hunting records at 56… what’s your excuse?
#DunkerbeckSpeedChallenge #Luderitz2025 #SpeedSailing #Windsurfing #42xWorldChampion