Land sailing
Tuesday, 29th January 2008 by Rob
Although it appears to be one of the scariest sports in the modern world, land sailing (or land yachting) has apparently caught on in a big way on this beach in Malo Les Bains, near Dunkirk, France.
The premise is essentially the same as water sailing - except there are wheels, speeds of up to 70mph, and a harder surface to fall on! Participants sit or lie in a kayak shaped hull, and use pedals or levers to control the sail. Ironically, right next to the water appears to be the best place to do this!
There are multiple size classes, with the most powerful being Class 2 (which boast 8 metre sails), progressively getting smaller and less powerful.
Also hoping to take advantage of the favourable wind conditions are some kite buggies. These are similar to land yachts, but using a power-kite to propel you along the ground, instead of a sail, and can also reach speeds of 70mph.
For more on parasailing, check out Wikipedia, as well as the Dunkirk landsailing club's website, where there are plenty of photos!
Thanks: James
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Well, the image seems to be taken in early spring so I guess sailing in the water would be way too cold for these true heroes…
It was these guys who progressed from kite-buggying to kite-surfing. The first land-yachts in this area (running up into Belgium and Holland) go back to the 1920s.
land sailing is not that easy to do.. i prefer water sailing…hehehe
thanks!