Gone With the Wind

One second you see him, the next you don't, but those aren't horses powering this speed demon's fancy ride.

British racer Richard Jenkins (not to be mistaken for The Visitor and Six Feet Under actor of the same name) made headlines a few weeks ago when his wind-powered craft the Greenbird set a new world record for the fastest land sailing speeds. The original record, 116 mph, was set 10 years ago at the Ivanpah Dry Lake on the California-Nevada border. After visiting several locations in an attempt to set a new record, Jenkins fittingly found success back at Ivanpah when the Greenbird clocked in at over 126 mph on March 26.

In the wake of his recent world record (certified last week by the North American Land Sailing Association), the 32-year-old Briton is gearing up to break the ice sailing record in December. Jenkins will use his separate ice craft, also named Greenbird, to attempt this feat on the expansive Canyon Ferry Lake in Montana.

Surprisingly, ice sailing typically tops out at lower speeds. The highest certified speed on ice is currently 84 mph, which is the mark Jenkins will try to break. There are uncertified speeds of 143 mph reported in 1938, though experts roundly dismiss this record as impossible, especially with the technology of the time.

Ice sailing also presents a lot more risk. The ice can often be uneven, and should the Greenbird hit an unstable spot, the craft and its driver can break right through and drown in freezing waters under a sheet of ice.

"We try not to think about it," Jenkins recently told CNN about the risks.

The Greenbird crafts are both carbon fiber composite with the capacity to travel five times faster than the prevailing wind speeds. In fact, Greenbird can sail so quickly that smaller wings are attached to the craft to keep it from catching air and wiping out, similar to the safety additions to Formula One race cars.

Jenkins, who spent his youth sailing boats on the South Coast of England, founded the Windjet Project to promote wind-powered vehicles. Jenkins then created the Greenbird Project in partnership with Ecotricity, the U.K.'s first and largest independent green energy company.

According to the Greenbird website, "The team is all British, independent, visionary, passionate and utterly committed to envisioning a zero carbon transportation future."

The Greenbird craft, currently nominated for a 2009 Conde Nast Traveler Innovation and Design Award, will continue breaking world records in an effort to call attention to alternative energy forms. As expected, all Greenbird innovations are incorporated into designs for the next generation of green power, including new super-efficient wind turbines.