Harness the power of the wind for a fun new karting experience!
Just when I thought we’ve seen it all, the Dutch Caribbean Island of Bonaire introduced us to ‘landsailing’ – Yes, you read that right, sailing on land! Remember go-karts as a kid? Well, with a ‘blo-kart’ you can harness the natural energy of the wind – Landsailing proves that there is no need for noisy/polluting engines to have fun on the track!
I had heard about Bonaire Landsailing before arriving on the island and it sounded like such a rush that I made it one of my top ‘things to do’ while visiting Bonaire. With a picturesque backdrop of the bright blue sky blending with the azure blue of the ocean, Bonaire Landsailing Adventures is ideally located along the northeast coast of Bonaire. On their purposely built track, they offer a unique go-cart/sailing adventure like nothing I’ve experienced before! Their course is laid out so that the straightaways are at the perfect angle to take advantage of the winds blowing off the Caribbean Sea, so all the driver has to do is keep the wind in the sail and steer – how tight you pull the sail depends on how fast you want to go – I could barely wait to try this for myself!
Our adventure started one sunny afternoon by gathering with some other tourists in Bonaire Landsailing Adventures’ shaded welcome area, and listening to one of the passionate owners providing important safety and blokarting instructions. In a casual but professional manner, she first stressed safety precautions before explaining how to landsail, specifically on how to increase or decrease speed, as well as providing tips on how best to handle the corners. The friendly crew then outfitted us with helmets and gloves, and we were ready to go!
A couple of crew members walked us over to the pit area where we were literally strapped into the carts. In a blokart, you sit in a comfortable hammock-like seat with your legs out in front of you. You steer the front wheel with handlebars attached to long forks like an old-school chopper. The rear wheels of the kart are set far apart providing good stability and a smooth ride. As I was doing up my seat belt and looking around, I imagined this might be a little of what it feels like to sit in a formula race car – So low to the ground I was one with the kart. Once we felt comfortable, one of the crew gave us a little push onto the track and we were off to the races…
As I don’t know much about sailing, I was a little apprehensive about trying this new recreational sport, however landsailing turned out to be an amazing experience, and much easier than I thought it was going to be. Over-all the ride was surprisingly smooth too. I understand that with a nice breeze it is common to reach speeds of 20-25 miles per hour (30-40 km/hr) and even faster in strong winds. I don’t know how fast I was going – all I know is that I was having fun. I felt like a kid again. It was also exactly the adrenaline rush I had hoped it would be! I actually let out a little ‘whooo’ howl as that first gust of wind propelled me forward!
I started off by just wanting to get the thing to move, but like magic the wind filled the sail and off I went. Before I knew it, I was on the track with a small group of other tourists, including a family with two young boys who had big smiles on their faces. After a couple of laps, I was comfortable enough to try to go faster and maybe even pass someone. It was an amazing feeling to get the sail just right and feel the wind push me faster down the track! Honestly, I had set out to simply enjoy another sunny day in Bonaire with a leisurely sail, however after a few laps I started to enjoy the challenge of closing in on others and maneuvering safely around them. I could see that my wife was enjoying it as well, as she was always smiling as I passed her 😉
There were just enough other blokarters on the track to provide some friendly competition, however not too many so as to clog the course – I felt totally safe as there was plenty of room to move around. That said, it wasn’t surprising to see the occasional lizard or iguana stroll onto the track once in a while, although they can and do move quickly when they need to – like when they see a blokart bearing down on them.
As the steady wind provided consistent power to the sails, the straight aways were fairly easy to manage, while the corners added some challenging fun to the experience. When cornering into the wind, we had to properly manage our trajectory so as to avoid losing too much speed, whereas I had to let some wind out of the sail in the other corner, as I was pushed to the edge of the track if I went too fast. Then again, I really enjoyed a little slide/drift coming out of the wind-powered corner as it reminded me of growing up driving on snow covered streets in the winter. A couple of times I felt the inside rear wheel coming off the ground slightly, so it was a delightful balancing act for sure!
Meanwhile, while we were out there enjoying ourselves, the Bonaire Landsailing Adventure crew were positioned around the track in case anything went sideways, which is literally what happened on one occasion, when one of the drivers did a bit of a 180 on a corner – He was quickly pointed in the right direction again and was back sailing.
I tell you – An hour goes by pretty quickly when landsailing. While I enjoyed how the occasional strong gust of wind provided more power and speed to the sailing experience, it also kicked-up a little dirt in the air in the process. When we had finished our landsailing session, my sunglasses had a thin layer of dust on them, as did my teeth, as I was having so much fun, I couldn’t stop my happy smile from turning into wide open grin from time to time! The folks at Bonaire Landsailing Adventures also provide a great perk by posting downloadable photos of you landsailing – A great keepsake from your day of fun on the track. Personally, I enjoyed myself so much that I picked-up one of their T-shirts so that I can really remember our amazing experience there.
So, if you’re looking for a unique fun experience that will get a little adrenaline flowing through your veins, then landsailing is for you. Personally, I also love that the blokarts are like environmentally friendly go-karts, all the fun without all the noise and pollution – A great fit for a Caribbean Island whose motto is ‘It’s in our nature’! FYI – Bonaire Landsailing Adventures can be found on the main road to and from Rincon and Washington Slagbaii National Park. Of course, if you need a ride, they’ll come and pick you up as well.
For more information about Bonaire Landsailing Adventures, you can contact the good folks directly by visiting their website (just click on the link) below:
Bonaire Landsailing Adventures
For an overview of this amazing Dutch Caribbean Island, feel free to check-out our Bonaire Vacations page.
If you’re looking for more active things to do while vacationing on the island, click on our Bonaire Adventures blog for more great ideas!
For popular Tourist Attractions while visiting Bonaire, check out our Things to Do in Bonaire blog
ACT Staff
