Broadcaster, sailor, and all-around adventure junkie Hannah White is on a collision course with history as she attempts to become the fastest woman on water->ke3224. Before you start dismissing this as another minor record attempt, consider first what’s at stake here. White is no stranger to daring escapades, having earned her fame as a professional sailor before later on transitioning to television as host of the British show “Go Hard or Go Home.”

For her record attempt, White has teamed up with Project Speedbird, the team that will be supplying her the Speedbird, a state of the art boat that White will use as she attempts to break the women’s speed record over one nautical mile. She’s also trying to become the first woman in history to set the record above the 40 knot barrier, which is roughly equivalent to 46 mph.

That speed may not mean much to land speed records, but it’s been characterized as a holy grail of sorts for women in the boat racing world. It’s a big reason why White and the team over at Project Speedbird are treating this record attempt with the seriousness and gravity it deserves.

White, in particular, has set her sights firmly on the prize by taking great lengths to get herself in the best possible physical condition as possible. That includes a lot of training sessions, especially on how to sail the Speedbird using the hydrofoiling moth that engineers used to design the boat. She’s also received positive support and council from some of the sport’s most experienced sailors, many of whom are rooting for White to achieve her record-breaking attempt.

Then there’s the issue of physical fitness. While White is already in impressive physical shape, she still needs to do more to get into record-breaking shape. That involves losing close to 10 pounds and developing new muscle groups that she’s going to need if she wants to be successful in her attempt.

It helps that her sailing background is in endurance sailing, but that doesn’t mean her attempt will be no less difficult considering that nobody has ever attempted to cross the English Channel using a Moth in the past.

It’s going to be a tough record to beat but with the proper training and enough assistance from Project Speedbird, I’m confident that Hannah White will be able to pull it off.

Continue reading to read more about Hanna White's record-setting attempt to become the fastest woman on water.

Why it matters

I’ve seen and heard my fair share of world record attempts and by now, I can probably distinguish between records that mean something and those that just don’t.

Hannah White’s attempt to become the fastest woman on water belongs in the first category, largely because of its significance in the world sailing and more importantly, for women sailors all over the world.

It’s nice to know that White also has the backing of some big players in her chase for history, including the team over at Project Speedbird and Land Rover, which will lend its engineering expertise and technology to help Project Speedbird fine tune its design and give White the best possible chance to break the record.

I don’t know anybody who’s rooting against White here and if there are those who do, I don’t know what to tell them. This record-breaking attempt is far from a walk in the park. Any number of circumstances, some out of anybody’s control, can ruin it even before it starts. And even if White does get to attempt it, there are no guarantees that she can break it, let alone safely run through the whole attempt.

So let’s all wish Hannah White luck as she tries to become the fastest woman on water. Lord knows she’s going to need a whole lot of it.

We’re rooting for you, Hannah!