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Spirit of Australia

Unlimited water speed record of 511.11 km/h, a two-run average by Ken Warby on Blowering Dam in 1978, as the UIM certificate and the maritime museum print it.

Also known as Ken Warby
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Top speed

Published as 511.11 km/hPublished as 511.11 km/hPublished as 511.11 km/h

UIM two-run average, Spirit of Australia, Ken Warby, Blowering Dam. Speed from the museum certificate. Day from Guinness, which rounds the speed to 511.09 km/h.

OfficialAustralian National Maritime Museum (opens source in a new tab)

In context

  • 4.9× a cheetah's timed top speedSourced · Cheetah, 29 m/s. Sharp 1997, mean of three timed runs over 201.2 m
  • 1.6 football fields a secondConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)
  • London to New York in 10 h 54 minConstant · London to New York, 5,570 km great-circle

Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.

Mechanism

Why it's so fast

Spirit of Australia is fast on water by getting as much of the hull out of the water as the design allows. Water is dense, so drag arrives early, and the record is a timed pass.

  1. Lift the hull

    A planing hull, a hydroplane or a jet of air under the boat cuts the wetted area. What remains is spray, stability and whether the engine can still breathe at that speed.

  2. A measured pass

    Spirit of Australia's page cites the record run, not a story about a faster unofficial day. The conditions say what was timed.

Nearby on this list: Bluebird K7.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 511.11km/h318mph142m/s276knRanked figure

    Top speed. UIM two-run average, Spirit of Australia, Ken Warby, Blowering Dam. Speed from the museum certificate. Day from Guinness, which rounds the speed to 511.09 km/h.

    Official
    Australian National Maritime Museum (opens source in a new tab)
  2. 511.11km/h318mph142m/s276knRanked figure

    Absolute speed. UIM two-run average, Spirit of Australia, Ken Warby, Blowering Dam. Speed from the museum certificate. Day from Guinness, which rounds the speed to 511.09 km/h.

    Same figure as this entry's home ranking, so the human-built hub can sort it. Not a second trial.

    Official
    Australian National Maritime Museum (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Driver
Ken Warby
Boat
Spirit of Australia
Water
Blowering Dam, New South Wales
Date
8 October 1978

Context

Background

The Australian National Maritime Museum holds the Union of International Motorboating certificate: 511.11 km/h (317.596 mph), averaged over two runs on Blowering Dam in 1978. The museum's article repeats 511.11 km/h and 317.596 mph for 1978 and says the record still stands.

Guinness dates the runs 8 October 1978 and rounds the average to 317.58 mph (511.09 km/h). The ranked figure is the certificate's 511.11 km/h. The 0.02 km/h difference is that rounding, not a second run. Earlier water-speed marks that lack three agreeing sources are absent.

Head to head

Compare Spirit of Australia

Open the speed race

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Every report is read by a person, and corrections are dated on the page.