Sunday at Ohakea
Well the Manawatu really turned it on Yesterday. With the wind at 23 knots and gusts of 35 the only other item changed apart from sails was a few pairs of underwear.
It was not for the faint hearted. The only reason we didn't do any racing was because it was just about impossible to stop anyone, let alone hear anyone talking standing next to you. Plus the fact that with a 2km or 6 min dial up it was really hard to hear let alone see the starting line.
Only a couple of casualties for the day. My (very old # 393) 3M sail was thrashed and the leech gave it self up by shredding. John Haswell had a brain fart and lost control on a bend which saw a tear in his mast sleeve, some grazing on his mast and also a graze on his elbow. He did later on say that he was thinking of not going out a second time (Murphy says "always go with your first thought").
So in the end no racing but if we ever have to race at high speeds then we are well practiced.
May everyone have a very Merry Christmas and an even merrier New Year.
May the wind stay in your sails and the ground rush beneth your bums.
Gary Clark
It was a brilliant day in the Bay,
The relaxing summer continued in the bay with some leisurely sailing with 14 odd karts and visitors from Canada, Australia, Wellington and Auckland.
4m sails were the order of the day and some quick fire races soon got us tuned into the best course for the almost SW 10-11 knots. Again the lead was hard to hold unless you got a cracker of a start, Stu Cooney had it right most of the time with Visitor Barry very quick to sum up the conditions and was often duelling it out with Stu.
The newly cut hedging certainly smartened up the already smart complex, thanks to Les, Colin R and some Wellington Help.
Wednesday is our next sail day 3pm -6pm Wind forecast West 22knots!!! A bit too strong for this fast track ... but we shall see.
Cheers,
Don
Hi To all,
I had hoped to get this posting out before Christmas but email from Cooks Beach has proved difficult.
Sorted now though.
Well it has been another busy year of sailing and socializing, with next year promising to be even busier.
What with regional, national and international events stacking the calendar, and the worlds in Belgium it is shaping up to be a big year.
We have been flat out with the low-key release of the Katalyst H2 which sports a 8.0 sail and no it does not go on a blokart! We have delivered four of these great little beach cats and with a conversion kit the BK edition will fit out to the same specs. Bringing over 80 into circulation to date. Best speed recorded to date 28kph.
Four have sold in the first week with orders pending for Dubai
:A note to let everyone know that the Blokart factory shop will be open all days excepting for the stats. Anybody wanting parts and service Gary will be there to support. Blokart are not hiring but if you have friends wanting to try we have a couple of shop karts available.
We will be back at work from the 5th
Also that the blokart hire is now being Run by Game On Activities Ph 5424033, who are also running the Laser clay bird shooting and laser tag war-games in the trees out the back.(Bookings essential) The track is still open to blokart owners 7days a week from 10.00am till dusk. Toilets and kiosk are also still available.
Awesome for those evening “glass-off” sails.
Wishing everyone a belated Happy Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
Looking forward to seeing you all ...
Paul and the Team at Blokart
www.jigluhood.com – the home for smarter communities
With 20 odd knots and sand blowing off the track.... I started having second thoughts... maybe no one would turn up and I just go home!
And then they.... thrill seekers, arrived. 2m sails and 3m sails started fluttering and shaking in the gusts and we were off.
The track was fast, the sand seal allowed for some wind blow-off and drifting, no one had GPS’s so don’t know how slow we were going (mine had flat batteries!). Everyone tried different courses until the fastest one was found and then it was catch the leader time.... whichever way you can, across the grass, head them off with a cross-diagonal, and then try to hold it.
We had nine odd karts and visitors who soon jumped into our karts for a blast (....visitors = experienced Blokarters).
Good to have the track available for visitors from Auckland, Wellington and the Waikato and well worth having more club days during the holidays.
Next Sail day Sunday 3rd Jan 2010 1pm to 5pm, winds NW and West 7-8 knots forecasted.
Cheers,
Don
Welcome,
Just confirming that the Bay Blokart Club will be at Baypark between 1 and 4ish tomorrow Sunday 3rd January 2010.
The wind is predicted to be between 8 and 14 knots from NW and North.
We will be hosting out of district Blokart Sailing visitors again and if you are in town and visiting then feel free to join us.
Cheers,
Don
Welcome,
Well the holiday season has ended for some and the fine weather continues on.
We have another Club Sail day this Sunday (tomorrow) for some casual sailing and a good chance to practice those “dial ups” and getting used to the course configurations as we have the first Race of 2010 on Sunday the 24th.
This Sunday the 10th we will be there from 1pm to about 4pm. Winds predicted to be from 7 to 13 knots NW to North, on a rising trend.
There are no further scheduled Wednesday Sailing Until further notice.
Cheers,
Don
Speaking for ourselves, us Horticulturists and farmers NEED SOME rain!
On the other hand we spent a great afternoon sailing around in a 14 knot Northerly and then having some quick-fire racing under the warm dry sun.
Leo took out a race after getting a good start and then Bob and China Stu took turns of taking the right options and also on a couple of times taking advantage of me taking the wrong options.... can be frustrating if I was really trying.
Surprise, surprise... a holiday maker from the shore was driving by on the motorway with a blokart in the boot... he saw some sails in the carpark, he drove in, set it up and was sailing 10 minutes later. And.... he sailed in a 5.5 ! Good to see you Gray, drop in anytime. Gray then did some racing with us, his first time he says and he aims to do more Blokarting.
Our next sail day will be Sunday 17th and nothing this Wednesday. Stu Cooney will be off to freezing China again on Saturday.. safe travels Stu.
Cheers,
Don
From: Don McKenzie [mailto:(Address removed)]
Sent: Saturday, 9 January 2010 8:09 a.m.
To: '(Address removed)'
Subject: RE: [blokart] Bay Blokart @ Baypark Sunday 10th
Welcome,
Well the holiday season has ended for some and the fine weather continues on.
We have another Club Sail day this Sunday (tomorrow) for some casual sailing and a good chance to practice those “dial ups” and getting used to the course configurations as we have the first Race of 2010 on Sunday the 24th.
This Sunday the 10th we will be there from 1pm to about 4pm. Winds predicted to be from 7 to 13 knots NW to North, on a rising trend.
There are no further scheduled Wednesday Sailing Until further notice.
Cheers,
Don
