,f*\ lo-kart wheels make a calming sound at 1: speed.

Pulling the mainsail in, I can feel f*\ l**l the wind powering the machine up to a steady pace. Throwing it into a turn causes a back wheel to rise gently off the ground setting the pulse racing just a little more.

triangles of steel tubing in the construction

give the cockpit strength and rigidity, and

with the front wheel directly coupled to the steering bar and al1 ropes easily wlthin grasp,
all control is by hand.
Four sail sizes are available - 2m, 3m, 4m and 5.5m - and it takes just five minutes to

range from $1200-$3900.) It's a tribute to the sport that Nick, a former competitive windsurfer who had a stint wave-sailing in Hawaii, is such a keen advocate of Blo-karts. "There are lots of similarities: the sails are almost identical, and the manoeuvres are similar too

After cutting some figure-of-eights along the low-tide sands of Rabbit Island - dodging a group of French tourists who'd chosen our runway as the place to fly their kite - I return the Blo-kart to its owner. My right hand aches from holding the mainsail tight. My cheeks ache from grinning. I have some experience with land-yachts, I've windsurfed for many years and occasionally

- you do nice carving gibes

I dust of my old

French speedsail (a big

or possibly longer if you've attracted the attention of passing walkers. I borrowed the kart of Nelson's Melissa Francis for my brief outing on the sands of Rabbit Island. Mel's something of a Blo-kart fanatic whose rallying texts - "Wind's up, 20-knot, NE, low tide ... See you at Rabbit Island for a 3m blast. Weehaaa!" - are sent each Sunday to a steadily growing group of
assemble,
devotees.

keeping the speed. Tacking's easy too as the

kart retains its speed, and doesn't stall." (A gibe is a turn away from the wind and a tack is a turn into the wind.) "The most efficient way to sail is where the wheel's just about to lift. You don't always go in a straight line - for an ideal speed you actually follow the wind with the gusts ... you
feel your way." Two adjustments are possible to

skateboard powered by my windsurfing rig) for

a slightly scary blast along any available flat beach. But Blo-karts are different. Not oniy are they fantastic fun, safe, and accessible to pretty much anyone, they're also an example of great
design.

She bought her

kart in 2009, and for a while

believed she had the only one around. When

the sail: a downhaul to tighten the shape, and the angle at which the mainsail's held to catch the wind. "The 'pulleywhip' is probably the unique
feature of the B1o-kart," sar.s Nick.

"It

holds

Inventor Paul Beckett, a New Zealander with

a background in land-yachting and hang-

gliding, built his first model in 7999 and began production at Papamoa, Bay of Plenty, a year
later. His aim was to make a machine that was fast, fun and compact.

the moling end oi the sail bv a rope-andpullet s\-stem. allorsing the driler to haul in and tighten the sail." Not only is Nick's tamilr' activelr' involr-ed in the sport, he even takes his labrador for spins along the beach. "Victoria just sits down in the cockpit and I've done 60kph with her - she's very effective ballast." As Nick quickly assembles his kart on the beach, Mel walks over to another local
enthusiast, Geof Coombes, and presents him with a silver cup for winning the C class of

"At its inception I never thought it would

as successful as

be

it is now," says the 58-yearold from his base, BIo-kart Heaven. "There are over 10,000 around the world now. There's
a good core

she heard about a

visit by a group from the

well-established Christchurch club who wanted

in New Zealand, but Europe's

to encourage Blo-karting in the Nelson region,

she volunteered her services.

probably taken Blo-kart on more passionately

than anywhere.

"I

said, 'I'11 help you out. What do you

the 201i South island Champs, held at RNZAF Wigram in Christchurch. It's a category for
less-experienced racers, but was notable as the

"It's a recreational pursuit, but get more than

one Blo-kart together and you've got a race, whether it's official or not! It's become very competitive, especially

need?' They contacted the Nelson became the contact

Mail

and

they did an article on me, after which I

TOS club's first success

in

competition.

point for others." The Top

in

Europe."

The company has built a number of adaptations, including a kart with skates to
use on ice, and even

twin floats that connect

a

beneath a wheelJess Blo-kart to create

of the South Blo-kart Club was established at the start of 2077. Mel's enthusiasm and energy are infectious, and tapping into Nelson's fabulous beaches and climate, she hopes to make the region a hub for the sport. With the availability of the new Vortex facility in Richmond, she successfully offered the club as host for the 2012 South Island Championships - with a view to
bringing national and world championships
here within a few years.

Geof's experience in regular Wednesday night yacht racing is evident in his consistent

in the kart. He's the ideal person for tips on correctly trimming the rig: "The stronger the wind, the flatter you keep the sai1. The downhaul is a rope used to tighten the
performances

catamaran. A team of 11 intrepid land-yachties

from Europe and New Zealand piloted Blokarts across the Gobi Desert in 2008. "It's a one-design machine. The very oldest, the first one that went on sale in 2000, is

sail when you're going upwind. When you're 'running' with the wind behind, you let it of to get some shape into the sail." Classic land-yachting pictures show pilots with one wheel up in the air. "You don't go up on two wheeis for efficiency," says Geoff. "You're either out of control or you're showing otr! But all you've got to do is turn the kart

still

as competitive as a new one. They're weighs

still

exactly the same dimensionally."

Nick Ferrier, owner of historic Warwick just 29kg

House

A standard Blo-kart kit

in central Nelson,

was one Blo-kart

and packs down to tuck into the back of a stationwagon, or as check-in luggage on an

owner who responded to tlte piece in the local paper. "We saw that and thought it was a good

ircraft.

The carrying bag has two holes into

two of the cart's three wheels can be "i-hich :leverly clipped, enabling it to be pulled along : beach or around an airport terminal. Simple

lt was time we all got together." Nick had picked up his kart online for "a snip" - second-hand with two sails for $1300. (Typical TradeMe prices for a starter'outfit
id.ea.

into the wind or let out the mainsheet a little and the wheel drops back down." Letting out the sail is the primary means of
stopping
says

- Blo-karts don't

have brakes. Nick

you can get out of control when the wind picks up. "You're sort of stuck with the sail.

:,::ri:,i';;S{#rys*'

E:*-_
Above: Mei Francis with some of Nelson,s club members at Rabbit lsland 'fhere's a lot of power there to fight with. Io stop you just end up doing 360s - big sliding spins. And you have to plan ahead." The club's website has a list of good places to kart orr, including the original sailing spot

the kind of venue he'd like to see across the

world.

"Our track at Papamoa has been a good prototype but it's not ideal in all wind
directions. This nerv design has 'islands' circles rr-e'r'e built irr that are the correct
diameter to shepherd people around a nice turn rrhere thev don't lose speed ar.id are less

"When we lirst moved here I couldn't find anywhere to sail. I used to Blo-kart about the streets a bit - although we'd better keep that quiet," he laughs. "There were a few guys who
were randomly meeting out at the beaches in Canterbury and they got access to Wigram

for Nelson land i'achties, the \\,akapuaka mud-flats. Tahui-ranui beach is sood on irinter
days, and,

oi course, there's norr the Vorter

in

Richmond.

inclined to tip over.

Vortex is the brainchiid of Murray and Allison Shaw. After selling their paving

in April 2011, Allison bought Murray a Blo-kart to keep him occupied. "I thought he needed something to do as a hobby," she
business says. "He loved

and started a club down there. "I started driving down to Canterbury fortnightly - a four-hour drive, Blo-kart for four hours, then drive home." Graham anticipates making that trek much less often

now. He will line up with the Top of the

South club soon, "although I'm recovering from a bad compression injury to my back soon after returning from Ivanpah". "The Worlds were absolutely brilliant, with

it

so much

it

became his job."

tl-reir

Within a month they r,r.ere planning

new venture, a permanent track dedicated to the karts, open to the public and nith equipment to hire as tvell as bu1.. The Vortex was also intended as an area for the fledgling club's members to race their own machines.

"lt's a track that

anyrvhere

1\,e

can transpose to

in the torld and it'1l afford pilots the best option\ ,rI track> on any given
some

over 150 competitors there across al1 classes. The courses were over a couple of kilometres and were the biggest I've karted on. It was flat racing in big winds - even some dust storms over five tiring days. I didn't go so well but I went to participate, not win. It was

footprint of land. We've also got

It took six months to find a suitable location at the back of the A&P Showgrounds
in
Richmond, convince the land-owners

currently under construction in Belgium, Germany and Holland."

Paul still races his invention, finishing

just fabulous."
Such is the appeal of Blo-karts, other versions of land,yachts have been unable to establish themselves. Paul Beckett's a canny guy and has an effective way of bringing people irrto the fold. "There have been 'knock-ons' made, which

that the colourful fluttering sails wouldn't spook the resident horses, and then sculpt a track from scratch. Meanwhile, Murray was
appointed the Nelson region agent for Blokart International. The Shaws opened for business on December

in October's NZ Championships and third in the Worlds earlier in the year in the
second

United States. Graham Allum, of Blenheim, in the 45 strong Kiwi contingent who attended the third World Championships, held this time on the dry lakebed of Ivanpah,
was also Arizona.

l,

2071. By the time they closed for

the winter (when the winds drop markedly) six months later, more than 1200 visitors had zipped across and around the waterside site. Murray has since been busy preparing a neu' track for the South Island champs. paul Beckett designed the course, a refined version oi the one in Papamoa, and a template for

"l started 10 years ago, not long alter the

deveiopment of Blo-karts," says the 63,yearold bullding inspector. "There was an article

is flattering in some regards, but they can't compete in our races. Races must be Blo-kart against virtually identical Blo-kart. We've had
them turn up and we've had to say, 'We'd love you to join us. There's a spare Blo-kart we've got so come and use this.' Next day
they've got their old Chinese-made one on eB a1r! "

in

a magazine

in

Tauranga when we were

living there. We had a disabled son and thought this'd be ideal for the family to do. We moved to Blenheim about six years ago.

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