![Sail wagon edit1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Sail_wagon_edit1.jpg)
Land sailing, also known as sand yachting, land yachting or dirtboating, is the act of moving across
land in a wheeled
vehicle
A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), wa ...
powered by
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...
through the use of a
sail
A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may ...
.
The term comes from analogy with (water)
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...
. Historically, land sailing was used as a mode of
transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
or
recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...
. Since the 1950s, it has evolved primarily into a
racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
sport
Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
.
![Hendrik Gerritsz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Hendrik_Gerritsz._Pot_001.jpg)
Vehicles used in sailing are known as sail wagons, sand yachts, or land yachts. They typically have three (sometimes four) wheels and function much like a
sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminology ...
, except that they are operated from a sitting or lying position and steered by
pedals or hand
lever
A lever is a simple machine consisting of a beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or ''fulcrum''. A lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. On the basis of the locations of fulcrum, load and effort, the lever is div ...
s. Land sailing works best in windy flat areas, and races often happen on
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
es,
airfield
An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
s, and
dry lake beds in
desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
regions. Modern land sailors, generally known as "pilots", can go three to four times faster than the wind speed. A gust of wind is considered more beneficial in a land sailing race than a favorable windshift. A similar sport, known as
ice yachting
An iceboat (occasionally spelled ice boat or traditionally called an ice yacht) is a recreational or competition sailing craft supported on metal runners for traveling over ice. One of the runners is steerable. Originally, such craft were boats ...
, is practiced on frozen
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
s and
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
s. Another variation is the
Whike, which combines land sailing with bicycling and can therefore also be used in everyday traffic because it does not fully depend on wind.
__TOC__
History
Sailing carriage
The earliest text describing the Chinese use of mounting
mast
Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to:
Engineering
* Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship
* Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag
* Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires
* Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship
* Radio mast ...
s and
sail
A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may ...
s on large vehicles is the ''Book of the Golden Hall Master'' written by the Daoist scholar and
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
Xiao Yi, who later became
Emperor Yuan of Liang (r. 552–554 AD). He wrote that Gaocang Wushu invented a "wind-driven carriage" which was able to carry thirty people at once. There was another built in about 610 for the
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), also known as Emperor Ming of Sui () during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong, was the second emperor of ...
(r. 604–617), as described in the ''Continuation of the New Discourses on the Talk of the Times''.
![Two_methods_of_transportation_in_China](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Two_methods_of_transportation_in_China.jpg)
European travelers from the 16th century onwards mentioned sailing carriages with surprise. In 1585, during the Chinese
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
,
Gonzales de Mendoza wrote that the Chinese had many coaches and wagons mounted with sails, and even depicted them in artwork of
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
hanfu robes and on
earthenware
Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...
vessels.
[Needham, Volume 4, Part 2, 274-276.] In the 1584
atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
''Theatrum Orbis Terrarum'' written by the cartographer
Abraham Ortelius
Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the ''Theatrum Orbis Terraru ...
(1527–1598), there are large Chinese carriages depicted with sails and masts.
[Needham, Volume 4, Part 2, 276.] Likewise, there are the same Chinese vehicles with sails depicted in the ''Atlas'' of
Gerardus Mercator
Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a 16th-century geographer, cosmographer and Cartography, cartographer from the County of Flanders. He is most renowned for creating the Mercator 1569 world map, 1569 world map based on ...
(1512–1594), as well as the 1626 book ''Kingdome of China'' by
John Speed
John Speed (1551 or 1552 – 28 July 1629) was an English cartographer, chronologer and historian of Cheshire origins.S. Bendall, 'Speed, John (1551/2–1629), historian and cartographer', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004/ ...
.
The English poet
John Milton
John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...
(1608–1674) exemplified western interest in the Chinese sailing carriage when he mentioned it in a metaphor in his epic ''
Paradise Lost
''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...
'', published in 1667.
In the 19th century, "windwagons" were occasionally used for transport across the American great plains. Rail-running sail cars were also used in South America. One such sailcar existed on the
Dona Teresa Cristina Estrada de Ferro Dona Teresa Cristina is an old railway in Santa Catarina, Southern Brazilian state.
See also
* RFFSA
The Rede Ferroviária Federal, Sociedade Anônima (RFFSA, pronounced as ''Refesa'') () was the State-owned national railway co ...
Railroad in
Santa Catarina, Brazil
Santa Catarina (, ) is a state in the South Region of Brazil. It is the 7th smallest state in total area and the 11th most populous. Additionally, it is the 9th largest settlement, with 295 municipalities. The state, with 3.4% of the Brazili ...
in the 1870s.
Early yachts
![Simon Stevins zeilwagen voor Prins Maurits 1649](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Simon_Stevins_zeilwagen_voor_Prins_Maurits_1649.jpg)
The precursor to the modern land yacht was invented in the summer of the year 1600 by the
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
scientist
Simon Stevin
Simon Stevin (; 1548–1620), sometimes called Stevinus, was a Flemish mathematician, scientist and music theorist. He made various contributions in many areas of science and engineering, both theoretical and practical. He also translated vario ...
in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
as a commission for
Prince Maurice of Orange. It was used by Prince Maurice for entertaining his guests. In 1898, the Dumont brothers of
De Panne
De Panne (; french: La Panne ) is a town and a municipality located on the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. There it borders France, making it the westernmost town in Belgium. It is one of the most popular resort town dest ...
, Belgium, developed a land yacht whose sails were based on contemporary
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
ian sailboats used on the
Nile River
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...
.
Louis Bleriot, the French aviation pioneer was instrumental in developing landsailing as a sport. It was viewed as an alternative sport when strong winds would have made flying in early aircraft too dangerous. Bleriot's landsailers were first tried on the Buc airstrip (SW of Paris). Bleriot machines gave their best on Channel and North Sea wide and windy beaches at low tide (Calais, Hardelot, La Panne, Quend, Audresselles etc.). The Blériot firm coined the name "aéroplage" (plage is the French for beach) and even registered it as a trademark. The first races were held on the beaches of Belgium and France in 1909. Land yachts were also used in the late 19th century and early 20th century to transport goods on dry lakes in America.
Modern yachts
The modern land yacht, a three-wheeled
polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...
/
fibreglass and metal cart, often with a
wing-mast and relatively rigid (full-batten) sails, has been used since 1960.
In 1967, a
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...
officer organized a land yacht race across the
Sahara Desert. Teams from 7 countries assembled at
Colomb-Béchar in
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
and using French-designed and built machines for the most part, sailed through Algeria,
Spanish Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
and into the
capital of Mauritania. Due to the harsh conditions, the idea of racing was abandoned, though at the time three young American boatbuilders, Larry Pardey, Richard Arthur and Warren Zeibarth (Captain, Pardey), were leading the race, with scores double those of any other team. The story made the cover of ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
'' in November 1967. A reenactment of this event took place three years later and was filmed by ''National Geographic''.
Landsailing on Venus
![Zephyr Venus Landsailing Rover](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Zephyr_Venus_Landsailing_Rover.jpg)
In 2012,
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
scientist
Geoffrey A. Landis
Geoffrey Alan Landis (; born May 28, 1955) is an American aerospace engineer and author, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics. He ...
proposed that a sail could be used for propulsion of a
rover
Rover may refer to:
People
* Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
* Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer
* Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist
Places
* Rover, Arkansas, US
* Rover, Missouri, US
* ...
on
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
or other planets (NASA imag
here. According to ''Popular Mechanics,'' it is "an ambitious proposal
to develop a rover that works with Venus's topography and winds.
In 2017, Landis's work was the subject of the book ''Land-Sailing Venus Rover With NASA Inventor Geoffrey Landis'', published by
World Book
The ''World Book Encyclopedia'' is an American encyclopedia. The encyclopedia is designed to cover major areas of knowledge uniformly, but it shows particular strength in scientific, technical, historical and medical subjects. ''World Book'' wa ...
publishing.
Speed record
The world land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle was broken on 11 December 2022 by
Emirates Team New Zealand
Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Team New Zealand became a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cup i ...
with Australian Pilot
Glenn Ashby
Glenn Thomas Ashby (born 1 September 1977) is an Australian sailor from Strathfieldsaye, a suburb of Bendigo, Victoria. He is a multiple multihull world champion. He has been part of Team New Zealand as the wing trimmer for the 2013 America's ...
with a speed of 222.43 km/h (138.21 mph).
It was previously held by Briton
Richard Jenkins
Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor who is well known for his portrayal of deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005). He began his career in theater at the Tri ...
in his yacht
Greenbird
''Greenbird'' is a wind-powered vehicle that broke the land speed record for sail-powered vehicles at the dry Ivanpah Lake on March 26, 2009. It was built by the British engineer Richard Jenkins. ''Greenbird'' reached a peak speed of 126.1 m ...
with a speed of 126.1 mph (202.9 km/h). Wind speeds were fluctuating between at that time.
The previous record of was set by American Bob Schumacher on March 20, 1999 driving his ''Iron Duck'' vehicle. Both records were set on
Ivanpah Dry Lake
Ivanpah Lake is a dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California on the border of California and Nevada. Nestled in the Ivanpah Valley near Primm on Interstate 15, the lake is almost entirely within California. At the no ...
near
Primm,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, United States.
A previous attempt at the record by Britons Dale Vince and Richard Jenkins at
Lake Lefroy
Lake Lefroy is a large ephemeral salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excludin ...
in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
in their carbon-neutral vehicle, Greenbird, failed on 12 September 2008.
Classes
![LandYacht](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/LandYacht.jpg)
The international governing body for the sport of land and sandyachting was formed in 1962. The Federation International de Sand et Land Yachting (FISLY) has member countries from around the world and has divided the sporting side of the activity into various classes. There are a number of basic types, or "classes", of land yachts. Because of the very different nature of each class, they compete separately in races. The largest class of yachts are known as Class 2, which may have masts as large as . The massive sail area provides significant power, although the speed of Class 2 yachts can sometimes be limited by their large size. These are sailed mainly in continental
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and not sailed at all in some countries such as the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
The Class 3 is probably the most popular of the large yacht designs, almost identical to the Class 2 in appearance, but significantly smaller. Class 3 yachts are generally made from fiberglass, sometimes in combination with other high-tech lightweight materials, such as
carbon fibre,
Kevlar, or various composites, with a wooden rear axle. They are capable of reaching speeds up to .
The Class 5 is much smaller than the 2 and 3, and has a very different shape. The pilot still sails the yacht lying down, but unlike the 2 and 3, he lies in a seat that is suspended from or
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
ed off the
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
, rather than inside the body. The chassis is usually made of
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
and
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
, with a fibreglass or carbon–Kevlar seat. Class 5 yachts are capable of reaching speeds up to , and some have been faster, closer to .
While Class 2, 3, and 5 yachts must meet certain strict guidelines, the specifications are flexible to an extent That allows individualism and development.
The "Standart" Class is unique in that it is the only recognised international monotype sand yacht with all yachts being identical. Similar to Class 5 in shape and function, they must follow a special design supplied by the French manufacturer Seagull. This class is widely popular because it means the outcome of a competition rests entirely with the pilot, as the yacht itself cannot provide an advantage or disadvantage.
Class 7 yachts are built like
skateboards with a sail, much like a land-borne
windsurfing
Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...
board. These are also called Speed Sail (A registered trademark by Norbert Blanc, a French inventor who made successful adaptation of a windsurfer sail on an enlarged skateboard, with special wheels and improved axles, in the wake of the 1980' windsurfing craze) and are fully recognised by FISLY as part of sand yacht clubs, they are also sailed for fun and hobby.
Class 8 land yachts:
kite buggying
A kite buggy is a light, purpose-built vehicle powered by a traction kite (power kite). It is single-seated and has one steerable front wheel and two fixed rear wheels. The driver sits in the seat located in the middle of the vehicle and accelera ...
or parakarting, differ from other classes in that the sail is replaced with a large traction kite, usually flown on 20–40 m quad lines. The buggies are also considerably smaller and more maneuverable. 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: the current speed record is by Brian Holgate on the 6th March 2012 at dry
Ivanpah Lake
Ivanpah Lake is a dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California on the border of California and Nevada. Nestled in the Ivanpah Valley near Primm on Interstate 15, the lake is almost entirely within California. At the no ...
, Nevada.
* freestyle where smaller, lighter machines perform freestyle tricks such as airs, spins, wheelies, reverse flying, etc.
* endurance or cruising: the 24-hour distance record is 623 km by New Zealander Peter Foulkes, where long distances are covered in trips lasting several days : Transat des Sables and Gobi Kite Buggy Challenge, or the Mad way south Sahara challenge, a 2200 km attempt to cross the desert.
"Miniyachts" are small land yachts which are aimed at the leisure market, however, any type of land yacht can be raced and the identical nature of these yachts make them ideal fun racers due to their similar size and sail area. This style of yacht uses a traditional style land yacht rig with a smaller chassis and body where the pilot is able to sit in a conventional way and control the sail with a simple main sheet. These are the smallest, cheapest and lightest yachts available and are tremendously safe and easy to sail with basic instruction. Miniyachts' popularity is increasing rapidly and they are now being built by enthusiasts around the world.
The basic definition of a miniyacht is "Any assembled land or sand yacht that fits inside a continuous loop of rope 5.6 m long is a miniyacht". Some designs of mini yachts can be dismantled and carried in the trunk of a car. They can be sailed equally well by small children and large adults and have the added advantage of going on grass as well as sand or concrete. These yachts are popular in Europe, America, Australia, New Zealand, UK and Ireland.
There are also a range of small miniyachts able to be packed into a case and carried in a car or as luggage on a plane. The New Zealand
Blokart
The Blokart is a popular one-design class of small compact land yacht, manufactured by the New Zealand-based company Blokart International Ltd.
They can be quickly disassembled and packed into a carry-bag giving them a high degree of portability ...
, UK X-sails, Potty, windbob and Spanish designs like Rinox and WinDreamer together with French and German miniyachts like those from the manufacturers Libre, Airtrack, Plume and Seagull all fall into this category and are small, fast and manoeuvrable and therefore able to be sailed in small urban areas. The hand steering versions allow disabled people to use them and compete with able-bodied competitors.
Competition
![Quend 16 char a voile](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Quend_16_char_a_voile.jpg)
*Land yacht competitors are spread over all continents: from the vast beaches of Western Europe, Ireland and the UK, 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 few years, world championships are organised. There are also many 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.
*Racing yachts speed up to 120 km/h (the world speed record is 202.9 km/h (126.1 mph), set by Richard Jenkins in 2009, breaking the previous record of 188 km/h (116.7 mph) set in 2001 by Bob Schumacher, US). 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.
European and world championships
One of the largest international events in the sport are the European championships, in which competitors of all classes from all over Europe travel to a sand yachting venue for a week-long competition. The Wirral Sand Yacht Club, on
Hoylake
Hoylake is a coast, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee, Wales, River Dee meets the Irish Sea. Historic counties of En ...
beach, hosted the event in September 2007. Rada Tilly hosted the World Championship XI in February 2008, an event that was first developed in Argentina and in South America.
St Peter Ording was the venue for the 2009 European Championships. De Panne in Belgium hosted the 2010 World Championships. The 2011 European Championships were held in Hoylake on the Wirral peninsula near Liverpool. Attendees included local politicians
Esther McVey and
Stephen Hesford
Stephen Hesford (born 27 May 1957) is a British Labour politician and barrister who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wirral West from 1997 to 2010.
Early life
Born in Lowton St Mary's, near Leigh, Lancashire, Hesford was educated at ...
, alongside the
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Wirral, the Head of the International Governing body for Sandyachting, and some of the 150 competitors from
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden Italy, Ireland, Chile, Denmark, USA, Australia and the UK. 2012 saw the World Championships being held in Cherreuix, Brittany, France, near the world heritage site Mont Saint Michel. The event catered for all FISLY classes, and 350 competitors participated over the eight days. 2013 Europeans were held in St Peter Ording Germany.
In July 2014, the FISLY Landyachting World Championships were organised by the North American Land Sailing Associations (NALSA) and its President Dennis Bassano on the remote dry lake of Smith Creek in Central Nevada. Over 400 people from 16 countries spent a week based on the remote lake bed at 6300 ft, where many of the "legends" of the sport including the current world speed record holder Richard Jenkins had gathered. Double Olympic gold medal sailor Shirley Robertson participated in the championship, accompanied by a film crew from the CNN ''Mainsail'' programme who produced a TV record of the event.
After devoting 10 years to the project, British engineer Richard Jenkins broke the land speed record for a wind-powered craft. Jenkins's vehicle, the Ecotricity Greenbird, clocked in at 126.1 mph on March 26, 2009. This was done just south of Las Vegas, Nevada.
North America
In the US, annual competitions are held by local clubs and by NALSA, the North American Landsailing Association. The largest regatta is regularly held the last week of March on the playa at the California-Nevada border near Primm, Nevada. The classes sailed in the US include several one-design classes, international class 5 (5 m² class in the US), and open classes solely based on the sail/wing area. The European yachts sail with the appropriate US open class according to their sail area.
Promoting international competition, there are periodic regattas including FISLY and other landsailing nations, mostly on the
Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The ''Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geologic Pacific Ring of Fire.
List of co ...
. The host and venue of this regatta rotates, and the 2009 event was to be hosted by NALSA at the March regatta.
A history of sailing in the US can be found at Nalsa.org.
Blokart sailing is coordinated by the North American Blokart Sailing Association.
Blokart racing
Blokart racing is a sport administered by the International Blokart Racing Association (IBRA), who sanction events and set the international racing rules.
Blokart World Championships have been held biennially since the inaugural event at the home of Blokart in Papamoa, New Zealand in 2008. The Blokart Worlds event has been since held in Ostend, Belgium;
Ivanpah, California, US; and Perth, Australia. In 2018 the Worlds event was held in Binissalem, Mallorca, Spain.
Blokart racing is held on purpose built tracks, airport runways, parking areas as well as beaches and dry lake beds. Blokart race events are held around the world, with major events such as New Zealand Open, European Open, British Open, Australian Open, and the North American Open held annually.
Blokarts are raced in two classes – production and performance, and in various weight divisions. The production class is based on the basic blokart design. In the performance class additional parts from the manufacturer are allowed such as carbon fibre mast sections and an aerodynamic shell, adjustable downhaul and modification of the sail battens to alter the shape of the sail. Blokarts have four standard sail sizes, 2.0m, 3.0m, 4.0m and 5.5m, with sail size choice being dependent on wind strength and weight of the sailor, with heavier sailors requiring larger sails, and smaller sails being more efficient in stronger winds.
Locations
*Greatstone Beach, Romney Marsh, Kent, UK
*St. Andrews and thousands of other beaches in Scotland
*
Hoylake
Hoylake is a coast, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee, Wales, River Dee meets the Irish Sea. Historic counties of En ...
,
Wirral Peninsula UK
*
Newborough, Anglesey, Wales, UK
*http://www.landyachting.co.uk Greatstone beach, New Romney, Kent, UK
*Many beaches in England, Ireland, Belgium, France, Spain and along the east side of the North Sea.
Saint Peter Ording beach on the North Sea coast of Germany has miles of wide flat beaches where land sailing is very popular.
*Many dry lakes in the western United States (
Ivanpah,
El Mirage and the
Black Rock Desert are the most popular.)
*Beaches in New Zealand, with 90 Mile Beach, Auckland’s west coast beaches,
Waikanae
Waikanae (, ) is a town on the Kapiti Coast, 60 kilometres north of the Wellington CBD. The name is a Māori word meaning "waters" (''wai'') "of the grey mullet".
The town lies between Paraparaumu, eight kilometres to the southwest, and Ōtak ...
,
New Brighton, Rabbit Island, and Oreti, being popular
*Blokart Heaven, a purpose built track in Papamoa, New Zealand
*Salt pans such as
Lake Lefroy
Lake Lefroy is a large ephemeral salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excludin ...
(near Kambalda), and some beaches in Australia. The Australian Blokart Open was held in 2009 on the beach at
Yeppoon
Yeppoon is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia. Yeppoon is renowned for its beaches, tropical climate, and the islands out on the bay. Located from the city of Rockhampton, Yeppoon is the seat of the ...
, Queensland.
* Beaches in Cádiz, Spain
*California dry lakes; El Mirage near Adelanto, Ivanpah near Primm, Nevada
*Beaches in Argentina
*Pampa del leoncito Argentina
* Playa La Punta, Isla de Coche, Venezuela
* Punta Banda,
nsenada Baja California, Mexico—five mile sand beach
*Salinas El Convento Chile
*Beaches and airfields in
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
*
Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee ( literally ''Neighborhood at Sea'') is a village on the coast of the North Sea in the municipality of Beverwijk, the province of North Holland of the Netherlands. The prestigious Tata Steel Chess Tournament (formerly called the Coru ...
in the Netherlands
*Vortex Wind Karting – a purpose built track outside Nelson, New Zealand
In popular culture
* In the 1909
Land of Oz book ''
The Road to Oz'', Dorothy Gale,
Shaggy Man
The Shaggy Man is a character in the Oz books
The Oz books form a book series that begins with ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) and relates the fictional history of the Land of Oz. Oz was created by author L. Frank Baum, who went on to writ ...
, and
Button-Bright cross the
Deadly Desert into Oz by use of a sand ship.
*Land sailing is featured in
Clive Cussler
Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached ''The New York Times'' fiction best-seller list ...
's
Dirk Pitt novel, ''
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
, map_image =
, location =
, country =
, country1 =
, ...
'', and also in its
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
. Cussler later had his character, Juan Cabrillo, jury-rig a para-skiing apparatus for land-sailing in his
Oregon Files
The ''Oregon Files'' is a series of novels written by author Clive Cussler and several co-authors. Craig Dirgo was a co-writer for the first two titles, Jack Du Brul was a co-writer for the next seven titles, Boyd Morrison took over as co-writ ...
novel, ''
Skeleton Coast''.
*Blokarting featured in ''
The Amazing Race 13
''The Amazing Race 13'' is the thirteenth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world.
The season premiered on CBS on September 28, 2008, and the seas ...
'', in episode 4.
*Sand sailing is featured as a means of desert transportation in ''
Avatar: The Last Airbender'', in episodes 30 and 31.
*A landsailing rover on the planet
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
was selected by the
NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts program as a technology study
[Keith Wagstaff, ''Time Magazine'' Techland blog]
"What’s Next for NASA? 10 Wild Newly Funded Projects"
August 14, 2012 (accessed 1 September 2012)
*Land sailing is featured in book three, ''Odalisque'', of
Neal Stephenson
Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, and baroque.
Stephenson's work exp ...
's novel ''
Quicksilver
Quicksilver may refer to:
* Quicksilver (metal), the chemical element mercury
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Quicksilver, a bluegrass band fronted by Doyle Lawson
* "Quicksilver" (song), a 1950 hit for Bing Crosby
* ''Quicksilver'' (sound ...
'', the first part of Stephenson's
Baroque Cycle
''The Baroque Cycle'' is a series of novels by American writer Neal Stephenson. It was published in three volumes containing eight books in 2003 and 2004. The story follows the adventures of a sizable cast of characters living amidst some of th ...
.
*In ''
The Dreamstone
''The Dreamstone'' is a British animated television series that ran for four series, with 13 episodes per series between 1990 and 1995. The original concept and artwork were created by Michael Jupp, and the series was written by Sue Radley ...
'', The Urpneys used a land yacht twice, in 'Trouble with the Miners' and 'The Jolly Bird.'
*The British reality-television competition series ''
Scrapheap Challenge
''Scrapheap Challenge'' is a British television show where teams of contestants build a working machine that can perform a specific task, using materials available in a scrapyard. The series features teams of four or five members who are given ...
'' featured land yachts in season 2, episode 4. One team created a dual-sail yacht, but failed to win.
*The American reality-television competition series ''
Junkyard Wars'' featured land yachts in season 7, episode 3 "Sand Yacht". Two teams, each led by an expert land yachtsman, constructed small yachts from parts available in a junkyard. The team that won used an aluminium sail, supposedly the first time a metal sail was used for a land yacht.
*The American tall tale "
Windwagon Smith Windwagon Smith is an American tall tale about a sea captain who traveled in a Conestoga wagon, fitted with a sail, across the Kansas prairie. The tale was the subject of a 1961 animated Walt Disney Pictures film, ''The Saga of Windwagon Smith''.
...
" is about a sea captain who traveled across Kansas in a wind-propelled covered wagon fitted with a sail. This tale was adapted into the Disney animated short ''The Saga of Windwagon Smith''.
*The novel ''
Hyperion'' by
Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons (born April 4, 1948) is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works which span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes wi ...
features a so-called 'wind-wagon' which carries the protagonists across the sea of grass, a large plain filled with razor sharp head-height grass.
*The novel ''
The Green Odyssey
''The Green Odyssey'' is an American science fiction novel written by Philip José Farmer. It was Farmer's first book-length publication, originally released by Ballantine Books, Ballantine in 1957. Unlike Farmer's most prolific earlier short sto ...
'' by
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories.
Obituary.
Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...
is placed on an Earth-like planet covered by a sea of grass. The plot involves wheeled sailing ships and dangerously mobile islands.
* In
Robert Sheckley's short story "A Wind is Rising" (1957), the natives of the extremely windy planet Carella use land ships as a common travel method.
* In the episodes 8 and 9
Secret of Cerulean Sand
is a 26-episode anime television series. The main character is a 15-year-old English girl named Jane Buxton, who dreams of building a flying machine due to the influence of her brother. The series documents her journey through the Near East t ...
, Jane Buxton, her guide Sabri and her butler Chambellan travel across the Oriental desert in a land yacht (episode ).
See also
*
Ice yachting
An iceboat (occasionally spelled ice boat or traditionally called an ice yacht) is a recreational or competition sailing craft supported on metal runners for traveling over ice. One of the runners is steerable. Originally, such craft were boats ...
*
Kite buggying
A kite buggy is a light, purpose-built vehicle powered by a traction kite (power kite). It is single-seated and has one steerable front wheel and two fixed rear wheels. The driver sits in the seat located in the middle of the vehicle and accelera ...
*
Kiteboarding
*
Land windsurfing
*
Whike sailing cycle
*
Wind-powered land vehicle
Wind-powered vehicles derive their power from sails, kites or rotors and ride on wheels—which may be linked to a wind-powered rotor—or runners. Whether powered by sail, kite or rotor, these vehicles share a common trait: As the vehicle increa ...
Notes
*
Mini class land yacht plans and construction notes
External links
Kent Land Yacht Center(a good starting point for those looking to try land yachting)
FISLYFederation Internationale Sand and Land Yachting (international governing body)
IRCSSAInternational Radio Control Surface Sailing Association - for
radio control
Radio control (often abbreviated to RC) is the use of control signals transmitted by radio to remotely control a device. Examples of simple radio control systems are garage door openers and keyless entry systems for vehicles, in which a small ...
modeling of both RC land yachts and
iceboat
An iceboat (occasionally spelled ice boat or traditionally called an ice yacht) is a recreational or competition sailing craft supported on metal runners for traveling over ice. One of the runners is steerable. Originally, such craft were boats ...
s
Kent Land Yacht ClubThe BLSA The British Land Speedsail Association (UK national governing body for Blokart sailing and land speedsailing)
North American Blokart Sailing Association
{{Application of wind energy
Sailing
Chinese inventions