From www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/p_shark_speed.htm :

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...for an average-sized, 6.5-foot (2-metre) Shortfin, its theoretical maximum speed might be something on the order of 45 miles (72 kilometres) per hour. Yet some estimates of the top-speed of a Shortfin Mako are considerably higher.

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A shark's not going to open its mouth at speed though, drag would slow it down very quickly...

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I suggest we tie a chook to your board

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I have enough trouble getting planing as it is without a waterbrake

But if you think having a shark chasing me will improve my gybes then

You've been chased by a shark, Alby?

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Originally posted by vando

Phew good thing I do over 30 knots, Mk you might be in some trouble though. Hey Nebs we could always do a test on speed.
I suggest we tie a chook to your board, strap a gps on and cruise out near the seaway. Off coarse we will have to retrieve the gps from the sharks stomach if the shark happened to be quicker.
ta Vando

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I wonder if steve cops crap from finian about being slow???

I suspect shark's arent great fans of dead chickens, years ago at manly someone (crabbers?) where dumping chickens into the water. I think one day we counted 13 or something washed up on the beach, you had to watch out for the floating chickens when you were sailing along. Point being if the sharks were hungry surely there'd be no chickens floating around.

Also I think you just have to find the right person, there seem to be those amoungst us that have an uncanny ability to attract sharks- these people have seen more sharks in 1 week of sailing as i've seen in 10 years. There has to be an attraction thing there, shark phermones maybe? I offer vando as bai... i mean test subject- paint some stripes on him and see if mrs tiger shark is interested.

Failing that maybe you could just make a kiteboard, paint it silver and give it to a unsuspecting kiter (oh btw can you just strap this gps on you're arm and in the unlikely event you are eaten please try to save the arm with gps attached). This might yield the best results due to the dunking lure effect.

Vando does seem to like taking a warp speed out in really marginal conditions though so if I can just find some way of getting him to wear stripes I can test the shark pheromone theory

Actually, I remember years ago heaps of cows (I think they were alive when they were on the ship) fell off a container ship off Adelaide and we woke up to lots of floating cows off Aldinga Beach. I don't remember them having any bits missing, so I don't think they like cows either. Thats how the bomby at Port Willunga ended up being called Dead Cow Cove because the council couldn't get to it with the front end loader. That's what they did with all the other cows, front end loader and trucks.
Susie