During the 1997 (old) TORNADO Worlds was introduced the Bacardi Blast. The event involved the top teams from each day's racing to race down a timed 500-foot-long "drag strip". At the end the fastest time was set by the German team of Justus Wolf and Frank Parlow in a time of 12.53 secs. The blast averaged 23.64 knots, the top speed almost certainly was in excess of 25 knots. The record was set in winds of approximately 19 knots.
Full report on the Jan/Feb 1998 issue of Multihulls Magazine.