DexterLandsailing – The skill of Blokarting
July 18th 2008 03:02
Sailing the dirt, sand and ice Yacht
Land Sailing is a sport where participants ride three wheeled wagons propelled by the wind caught in sails. Known as Land and Sand Yachts these wagons of flight date back to the ancient Egyptians and were later refined in the 16th century as leisure crafts.
Now there are international competitions, governing bodies and a quest for speed and agility that far exceeds their simpler origins. Skateboards with sails attached and other variations on the basic design have cropped up all over the world and names like Land windsurfing. Kite boarding and ice yachting are also included in this thrilling past time.
Here are some competition details from Wikipedia:
* Land yacht competitors are spread over all continents: from the vast beaches of Western Europe, New Zealand and Brazil, dry-lake surfaces in the USA, Argentina, Australia and Africa to frozen lakes in Canada and Scandinavia (using skates instead of wheels).
* National landyacht associations are united in the international landyacht federation called FISLY. This organisation sets up the racing rules. Every two years, world championships are organised. Besides that, there are lots of local races and competitions every week and annual European and Pacific Rim championships.
* Racing yachts are divided in four classes by FISLY: Class 5 and Class Standart have a tubular steel or aluminium frame and mast with a glassfiber seats. The bigger Class 3 and Class 2 yachts have a lightweight glassfiber hull and wing-shaped mast and (mostly) a wooden rear axle.
* Class 8 Land Yachts - also referred to as kite buggys or parakarts - differ from other classes in that the sail is replaced with a large traction kite, usually flown on 20 - 40m quad lines. The buggies are also considerably smaller and more manoeuverable. This relatively new class of the sport is still undergoing rapid development but has become popular in recent years due to its portability, relative low cost and flexibility. Kite buggying also uniquely offers the pilot the possibility of getting real air time as buggies are sometimes launched into the air by the traction kite. Class 8 activities are generally grouped under racing, using large kites and very large and heavy buggies to accelerate to over 70MPH, freestyle where smaller, lighter machines perform freestyle tricks such as airs, spins, wheelies, reverse flying, etc, and endurance or cruising where distances of hundreds of Kilometres are covered in trips lasting several days. Look under Transat des Sables and Gobi Kite Buggy Challenge [1].
* Racing yachts speed up to 120 km/h (the world speed record is set at 188 km/h by Bob Schumacher (USA) in 2001). Even at very low winds, racing yachts ride at up to three times the wind speed, reaching easily 70 km/h. Due to the lightweight and aerodynamic build, racing yachts boost to top speed in about 5 seconds. Turning markers are usually taken at full speed.
* The 2007 European Class 8 Championships are to be held at Pembrey in South Wales and will feature 100 of the worlds top race pilots. See the PKA website for more details.
Video 1 - Blokarting
Video 2- Speed on land
Video 3 - Ice Yachts
Video 4 - Competition
Blokarting Vessels
Land Sailing is a sport where participants ride three wheeled wagons propelled by the wind caught in sails. Known as Land and Sand Yachts these wagons of flight date back to the ancient Egyptians and were later refined in the 16th century as leisure crafts.
The Ancient land yacht
Now there are international competitions, governing bodies and a quest for speed and agility that far exceeds their simpler origins. Skateboards with sails attached and other variations on the basic design have cropped up all over the world and names like Land windsurfing. Kite boarding and ice yachting are also included in this thrilling past time.
Speed under sail
Here are some competition details from Wikipedia:
* Land yacht competitors are spread over all continents: from the vast beaches of Western Europe, New Zealand and Brazil, dry-lake surfaces in the USA, Argentina, Australia and Africa to frozen lakes in Canada and Scandinavia (using skates instead of wheels).
Ice Yachts in flight
* National landyacht associations are united in the international landyacht federation called FISLY. This organisation sets up the racing rules. Every two years, world championships are organised. Besides that, there are lots of local races and competitions every week and annual European and Pacific Rim championships.
The Ice Yacht revolution
* Racing yachts are divided in four classes by FISLY: Class 5 and Class Standart have a tubular steel or aluminium frame and mast with a glassfiber seats. The bigger Class 3 and Class 2 yachts have a lightweight glassfiber hull and wing-shaped mast and (mostly) a wooden rear axle.
Sand Yachting
* Class 8 Land Yachts - also referred to as kite buggys or parakarts - differ from other classes in that the sail is replaced with a large traction kite, usually flown on 20 - 40m quad lines. The buggies are also considerably smaller and more manoeuverable. This relatively new class of the sport is still undergoing rapid development but has become popular in recent years due to its portability, relative low cost and flexibility. Kite buggying also uniquely offers the pilot the possibility of getting real air time as buggies are sometimes launched into the air by the traction kite. Class 8 activities are generally grouped under racing, using large kites and very large and heavy buggies to accelerate to over 70MPH, freestyle where smaller, lighter machines perform freestyle tricks such as airs, spins, wheelies, reverse flying, etc, and endurance or cruising where distances of hundreds of Kilometres are covered in trips lasting several days. Look under Transat des Sables and Gobi Kite Buggy Challenge [1].
* Racing yachts speed up to 120 km/h (the world speed record is set at 188 km/h by Bob Schumacher (USA) in 2001). Even at very low winds, racing yachts ride at up to three times the wind speed, reaching easily 70 km/h. Due to the lightweight and aerodynamic build, racing yachts boost to top speed in about 5 seconds. Turning markers are usually taken at full speed.
* The 2007 European Class 8 Championships are to be held at Pembrey in South Wales and will feature 100 of the worlds top race pilots. See the PKA website for more details.
Video 1 - Blokarting
Video 2- Speed on land
Video 3 - Ice Yachts
Video 4 - Competition
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