St. Pete company sets record for measuring hurricane winds
September 16, 2023 - Saildrone, which operates a St. Petersburg outpost at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, recently set a Guinness world record for the highest wind speed measured by an uncrewed surface vessel (USV). An Explorer model recorded winds of 126.4 mph as it passed through Category 4 Hurricane Sam’s eyewall in 2021. Guinness officials verified the record Sept. 14, shortly after Saildrone collected data from inside Hurricane Idalia.