#blokart

[photomatt]

I was able to continue my sailing education at Burning Man!

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

SailGP’s athletes go sailing on land!

[arcticarthropod]

I have recently become fascinated with sail cars! They're somewhere between futuristic and idyllic in a really good way. I'm kind of fixated and have been for a month or so.

I would kill for a sail driven semi. I can just imagine cruising on the wind over some beautiful meadows, wind turbines softly whirring in the distance....

[lawa]

2018014_31 by Lars Wästfelt

[racing-blokart]

Do you love the wind and tactical racing? Then this event is for you!

We invite all sailing enthusiasts and adrenaline seekers to gather at Nida Aerodrome on 8-10th November for the Open Baltic and Lithuanian Blokart Championships 2024. This unique event will see participants racing on identical Blokart landyachts, ensuring a level playing field for everyone. Whether you're an experienced sailor or just getting started with land sailing, this championship is the perfect opportunity to test your skills and experience the thrill of sailing competition!

What can you expect?

Dynamic and exciting races.

A fun atmosphere and great company.

Ideal conditions for both professionals and beginners.

The chance to participate with rented equipment if you don’t have your own Blokart.

Important details:

Event dates: November 8-10, 2024

Location: Nida Aerodrome, Lithuania

Rental options: Those without their own Blokart gear will have the option to rent one.

For registration and more information check here: https://lt.regattas.eu/regatta/obbc-2024

Don’t miss this opportunity to challenge yourself and enjoy an active weekend in nature! The wind is already booked ;) – we’re waiting for you in Nida!

[racing-blokart]

Open European Ice-Blokart Championships 2024

The Open European Ice-Blokart championships took place on January 26-28 and demanded special patience from the organizers - from the beginning of January, Lithuania and the surrounding European countries were covered by a thick layer of snow, which in some places reached more than 20 cm. The search for suitable ice for this championship was long and persistent. A week before the competition, the Lithuanian reservoirs looked the most optimal - they were chosen between the Curonian Lagoon in the west, Lake Paežeriai in Vilkaviškis and Lake Rėkyva in the center of Lithuania.

Finally, the cyclone that arose at the beginning of last week brought relief and dark clouds - heavy rains melted the snow and only 2 days before the start of the competition, the organizers could capture the location of the event - Lake Rėkyva in Šiauliai with a 22 cm thick ice cover without snow.

Foto: Rolandas Laurutavičius

Close to 30 sailors from Lithuania, South Britain and New Zealand gathered on the ice to catch the wind.

If on Thursday during the training the athletes simply flew on the still wet ice, then on Friday - the first day of the championship - the sailors could only walk on the surface of the lake, because the promised breeze did not blow any stronger. Even the lightest - ultra-lightweights, who have completed 3 races - barely moved.

On Saturday, it was decided for the athletes to advance the starts. From 8 o'clock in the morning, an average wind of 4-5 m/s was blowing, which made it possible to race a lot - 5 races for each group - and gave the sailors speed and racing excitement.

Foto: Rolandas Laurutavičius

Athletes sailed the upwind-downwind course by zigzag maneuvering. Races were won by athletes who were more technical and reacted better to the wind speed and its turns. Correct tactics were also important, which allowed the leaders to "exploit" the wind that was not disturbed by the opponents' sails.

Blokarters ran at the highest speeds in the leeward part of the distance - even when the wind was only 4-5 m/s strong, they reached a speed of up to 40 km/h. This means that due to the laws of physics, Ice-blokarts more than doubled the speed of the wind. However, in order to reach and maintain maximum speed, athletes had to employ developed skills and observation, especially in light winds.

Foto: Rolandas Laurutavičius

Jonas Mažunavičius, a local athlete sailing in Rėkyva, confidently won in the ultra-lightweight group, scoring 8 points. The middle weight category was also dominated by Greta Kalinauskaitė, a pupil of the sports center "Atžalynas" from Šiauliai, who defeated Karolis Atkočaitis from Neringa, winning all but one of the races. Perhaps the fiercest fight - point to point - took place in the heavyweight category between Vykintas and Matas Mizgiris. Everything was decided during the last run, on Sunday - after turning the windward mark on the last straight of the distance, Vykintas managed to sail more tactically. He managed to catch up and overtake Matas and cross the finish line first. With this victory, he tied the score on points and became European champion. In the super heavyweight category, Lithuanian also dominated - Antanas Golubovskis from Nida sailing club "Vetrungis" defeated the representative of N. Zealand, Stephen Weir, scoring 5 points and won gold.

TOP3 results: Ultra lightweight Production

Jonas Mažunavičius (Šiauliai), 8 points.

Teresė Mizgirytė (Neringa), 16 points.

Matas Jorudas (Šiauliai), 19 points.

Mediums Performance

Greta Kalinauskaitė (Šiauliai) 5 points.

Karolis Atkočaitis (Neringa) 9 points.

Louise Weir (UK) 17 pts.

Heavyweights Performance 1. Vykintas Mizgiris (Neringa) 7 points. 2. Matas Mizgiris (Neringa) 7 points. 3. Gediminas Petrauskas (Priekulė) 14 points.

Super heavyweights Performance 1. Antanas Golubovskis (Neringa) 5 points. 2. Stephen Weir (N. Zealand) 9 pts. 3. Andrew Hartwell (D.Britanija) 15 pts

Detailed results: https://lt.regattas.eu/regatta/ice-blokart-euros-2024

[racing-blokart]

Open European Blokart championships 2023

On October 4-8, at the former Royal Air Force Base in Llanbedr, North Wales, United Kingdom, the Open European Blokart championship took place, where Lithuania was represented by 9 sailors, of which even 4 won prizes.

More than 90 pilots from 13 countries of the world, including even New Zealand and the USA, came to harness the frequent stormy winds of North Wales to their sails.

9 sailors defended the honor of the Lithuanian team. Asphalt is the most common base for landsailing for Lithuanians, but upon arriving at the championship venue, the size of the airfield was surprising almost 2 km long and 50 m. wide runways - the territory allowed the organizers of the competition to create technical and interesting distances in relation to the wind.

With rain and strong winds N. Wales did not disappoint the sailors - on the first two days of the competition, there was a 8-12 m/s south-west wind, which the sailors caught at speeds of 60-70 km/h. When flying at such a pace, it was important not only to control the sail, which is the athlete's only "engine", but also to drive accurately, especially during turns.

However, the result of the race depended significantly on the precise start - while turning the wheels and keeping track of the time, the athletes wait for the start signal, which allows them to start the distance. If you rush in too early, you'll have to go back and chase everyone, and if you're a couple of seconds late, your opponents will already be several tens of meters ahead.

At the start, the sailors competed in a distance of 8-12 minutes, during which, depending on the strength of the wind and the configuration of the marks, they covered 2-3 laps (4-9 km) and finished the race by crossing the finish line.

The most emotions for the spectators were the turns at the bottom mark without controlling of the sail and the scenes at the turn signs, when the athletes flew off the asphalt onto the grass due to excessive speed.

If on the first day of the championship - Thursday - the athletes were drenched in rain and fought against unexpected gusts of wind, then on Friday the wind steadily weakened and the rain ended. Moderate to light wind conditions tested the patience and skill of the sailors on Saturday. Although Sunday was forecast to be sunny and almost windless, the wind picked up and allowed all sailors to put themselves in the championship round after 10 races.

Greta Kalinauskaitė, who was leading in the lightweight standard class from the beginning, lost her leading position on the last day of the competition. Because during the drive, turning the sign, she flew far into the meadow and after collecting many penalty points, she fell to the German athlete Alex Bruhn, who won the first place. The third place was won by another Lithuanian athlete, Austėja Mizgirytė.

Gustas Stankevičius, who competed in the heavyweight standard class, did not do very well on the first day of the championship, but the athlete adapted to the harsh sailing conditions and consistently improved his results, and after a great start on the last day, he finished first and became the runner-up, losing only to the local athlete Stephen Cooke.

The most titled blokarters competed in the heavyweight performance class, among which were European and World champions and vice-champions. Even 3 Lithuanian representatives started in this group - Gediminas Petrauskas, Antanas Golubovskis and Matas Mizgiris. Matas led from day one, but John Nicholson, hot on his heels, took the lead after the 9th run on the penultimate day. On Sunday, the final day of the championship, the wind forecast indicated that there would be no wind. However, the wind started blowing and the organizers started the 10th race, which Matas Mizgiris won and became the European champion.

In the middle weight performance class, Vykintas Mizgiris was just one point short of the bronze medal, he took 4th place among 17 athletes in the championship.

After returning home, the Lithuanians will rest and then start preparing for the championship of Lithuania and the Baltic countries, the starts of which are scheduled for November 10-12 at the Nida airfield.

[tintinlphotos]

Place: ijmuiden, Netherlands