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07/16/2014 12:00 AMSailing on the open water may be a means of relaxation for Ned Goss, but the speed-induced adrenaline rush and ride along the waves landed him a splash into the world record books.
The Madison resident and College of Charleston graduate began with the sport of dinghy sailing at the age of 10, yet the 37-year-old recently embarked on a remarkable journey in the Charleston Harbor on May 10 when he notched a maximum speed of 36.6 knots (equivalent to 42.11 miles per hour) to set a new world record as the fastest dinghy sailor.
"It's kind of like my 15 minutes of fame, I guess. I've done a lot of sailing and I was just at the right place at the right time," says the Mach2 Moth sailor, who held a 10-second average of 35.9 knots on the record breaker. "I honestly didn't intend to break it that day. Sailing is something I've done my entire life and I'm just excited and also humbled with just the idea of holding the record. It's also very exhilarating."
The College of Charleston sailing team dock master and five-time National and North American Fireball sailing champion adds that the conditions were typical for the area and he took full advantage of the tide's perfect point.
"It was a standard Charleston sea breeze and it was hot that whole week with the wind blowing 20-25 knots," Ned says. "The tide just came in so the water was flat. I was out there with two newcomers and we were searching for flat water. A puff came in off land, kept the boat flat, and I hit 36.6 knots."
Riding at that velocity, Ned made some body contact with the water on his way to making history, although the sheer thrill of the sea is what drives him to sail.
"I was sailing away from land and one of the waves hit me and I went off the back of the boat so I skipped across the water," says Ned. "I swam to the boat, hit the GPS speed recorder, and saw the speed. The name of my boat is U4Ik [pronounced euphoric] because that's what it is out there. Your brain is thinking of 100 different things going on in your life, but when you are sailing, all of it goes away with the excitement of going that fast. Out there, your brain zones in and you are lost in the moment. It's my escape from reality."
College of Charleston Sailing Director Greg Fisher feels that Ned has been an accomplished sailor both now and before setting the world mark and is also a great local ambassador for the sport.
"We are so fortunate to have Ned because he is so well-respected here and his personality of being an outgoing guy fit our program perfectly," says Fisher. "He is a tremendous sailor, but to have that credibility with our program means a lot. When he does something, he puts all four limbs into it. He's also worked hard to introduce the boat to people here in Charleston. It's really cool that he broke the world record and we are really proud of him. He has so much enthusiasm for the sport and also getting other people into the sport."
Ned says that growing up in an avid boating family and community in Madison is what bore his love for nautical exploration.
"My parents grew up racing each other and my mother first took me out on a boat when I was three," Ned says. "You are always learning with sailing and it's about experience and not just winning, which is what I love about it. Being in Madison also helped give me more love for the sport."
Ned broke the original world mark for a Moth boat of 32.2 knots set in April 2013. While he can easily see his number falling to someone else, or even him breaking it himself, he is solely concerned with just going where the waters take him.
"Forty knots is attainable and I'm trying to get it there," says Ned. "My goal is to break the record again, yet I just enjoy sailing. It's a big mental shift. The boat is about the journey-not the results."