blokarting

There seems to be some momentum for an aspect of the sport not typically covered in the sailing media: land sailing, or specifically, blokarting. Wherein landsailing is normally done outside of the city where large spans of clear space exist, the blokarts are coming to the people.

These portable, simple karts originate from New Zealand, are much smaller than their landsailing breathren, and they are all about closed course track racing. Last weekend I met up with the San Diego contingent where they had secured a beach parking lot for the use of demos and open sailing. They tell me that the growth of blokarting is contingent on establishing places to sail, but with insurance in hand, they have gradually been securing suitable sites for hosting future events.

In under ten minutes, we had pulled the blokart out of the car and are on the track. I am given some tips, like don't put your hand out if the kart tips, but most of the advice is centered around reminding me that it is simple and sails like a boat. While boats don't have seat belts and helmets, the rest was pretty standard stuff.

It was sunny, I was next to the beach, a good breeze had brought out the kite sailors, and I was getting my first push. The apparent wind quickly moved forward for the broad reach course that aimed me toward the far end of the lot, with cones marking the tight turn for the return trip back. The kart was at full acceleration when I entered the turn, but with the cones to my left and a short wall to my right, there was no room to bail out.

In the turn, I am fighting against the outer g-force as I work to keep my weight on the inside to prevent the kart from tipping. I feel the large rubber wheels load up, and am glad that the parking lot surface is clear of the sand that would cause them to slip. I finish my gybe and exit the turn, knowing that I had just passed my first test of landsailing.

I could see how going around on the track alone might get tiring, but with seven karts out this day, it made for some fun match ups. The racing is typically done in heats, with starts similar to sailboat racing (unlike land and ice boats, which begin with a push). The photo to the right is from a track in New Zealand, and from the other photos on the site, you can imagine that it makes for some pretty exciting racing.

I had my Treo 650 phone with me, and when I pulled it out to snap off a picture while sailing, I ended up taking a video. It is hard for photos to capture the thrill of blokart sailing, and while this video is pretty bumpy and in need of editing, it does give you a better idea of what this is all about (here is another video from off the kart). Also, one of the karters had his GPS turned on and recorded a top speed of 22 knots in the 10-14 knot winds of the day, and being seated so low to the ground, you definitely feel the speed.

The 2006 Western Regional Championships are to be held in Long Beach, CA (USA) on March 24-26, which will provide a nice measure on their growth so far, and what might be needed to continue bringing landsailing to the people. - Craig Leweck