ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Speed sailing record

Imagine you're swimming as fast as you can in a pool. You know how fast you're going because there's a clock at the end of the pool that times you. It tells you how many seconds it takes to swim from one end of the pool to the other, right?

Well, speed sailing is kind of like that, except instead of swimming, people use boats. They sail in special boats that are designed to go super fast, faster than most boats you've seen before.

The goal of speed sailing is to go as fast as you can in a straight line for a certain distance, such as 500 meters or 1 nautical mile. There's usually a specific course or area where people can try to break the speed sailing record because it needs to be measured accurately.

Just like with swimming, there's a clock that times the boats. But in speed sailing, they use a GPS (Global Positioning System) device to track the boat's speed and distance. It tells the sailors how fast they're going in real-time and records the fastest speed they've achieved during their run.

The sailors aren't allowed to use any kind of motors, like an engine or an electric motor. They have to rely solely on the wind to move their boat. They usually use a sail made of special materials that help them catch the wind and go faster.

Breaking the speed sailing record is a really big deal. It's like being the fastest swimmer in the world or the fastest person to run a marathon; it takes a lot of skill and practice to achieve. So when someone breaks a record, it's a huge accomplishment that they can be really proud of.