Leisure Log: America's Landsailing Cup, 2015

I pronounce the article finished. Enjoy!
CF

How it started for Count Ferrari:

Landsailing is an activity with the fastest sailors in the world. As a wet boat racer for 40+ years I was intrigued by the simplicity but part of simple means a big flat spot to mess about in. There are mini land boats like a Blokart out of NZ which can fit in ones trunk like a bag of golf clubs, some assembly required. These are small enough that a large autocross sized parking lot is a good venue. After the flat spot, one needs wind that is fairly stable and dependable. Parking lots in the Seattle area might get wind but the wait is not worth the trouble.

The Landsailing World Championship came to Smith Creek Playa in Nevada for July of 2014. I went. One had to be a bit nuts to think going to a desert in Nevada in the middle of July would be fun.

I put together my media team of photographer and creative director under the auspices of Scuttlebutt (www.sailingscuttlebutt.com). Reservations were made at a tiny motel about 40 minutes from the race venue and a road trip was planned. To read a bit more about this epic study in leisure click here.

That experience set the hook. I was able to get in a couple of test rides and even had a couple of articles published. Click here for Scuttlebutt article. Another was printed in Sailing World, the November 2014 issue. This notoriety put me in good stead with Duncan Harrison, editor of Dirt Boat Magazine, who it turns out is trying to get me to do more of this landsailing. (Comments from Duncan below!)

Duncan and I traded emails and it was decided that I could come down for a week in March for the America's Landsailing Cup. Duncan bought a used boat and loaned it to me for the week and gave me amazing coaching and tips to go fast. He is one of the top Manta Twin class racers and it shows! He had a journalist from Outside Magazine there too who decided to not race but get in some practice laps. Talk about promoting the activity!

Duncan and I will line up together for the starts in identical one design dirt boats but if he is in sight after the first up wind leg on the windward/leeward course it means I am doing amazing!

Gate into the desert to access Lake Ivanpah.

The race course for the America's Landsailing Cup is in California but just. It is held at Lake Ivanpah, which is contiguous to the border town of Primm, NV. This town is basically a casino and shopping mall construct with the only store in town at a camp ground for RVs. However, one can get a room and ignore the bells and clanging in the smokey casino.

First day impressions:

We are sailing in the dirt

View from out on the race course back to the 'beach' where the RVs and common tent are set up.

25 knot puffs, Dirt in the air, speed that pucker you up, when the weather wheel flies then it gets hairy.

30 minutes really was a good workout. Speed was unrecorded due to technical issues. The go Pro camera fell off and a man overboard drill had to be done. It was successful.

Chasing a skilled pilot was better than trying to go on my own. Jives are very exciting.

Over standing the marks was a very good idea. Just guessing at boat speeds in excess of 40 mph, soon to be documented.

It is likely that I will be slow in the race. My goal is to not crash into the desert or anyone else and finish the race. After the first race we will see how competitive I can get.

The weather is perfect 10 to 25 kn of wind. The temp 76 to 80°F a few wispy clouds in the air. A few puffs of dust rolling across the dry lake bed at Lake Ivanpah in California.

The casino and lodging is about a 10 minute drive at 30 mph. I can see the race course from my hotel room.

View from the 15th floor of Buffalo Bills Casino.

When I asked Duncan Harrison, my mentor and editor of dirt boat sailing magazine if the weather conditions were ideal, he mentioned it might be a bit much for a newbie. I observed that I was intimidated by the big puffs.

The rental van that was the cheapest thing I could get.
Just right for this activity.

Activities:

Tobin, my oldest nephew who lives in Las Vegas is picking up the Lynch mob, two more nephews (Patrick and Kellen) from Seattle, and they are all coming out to the desert on Monday. I hope to get them out on the boat. One at a time. I hope there is wind!

We will go out to the part of the lake outside the race course. It is a big space. A guy was doing 75mph in one of the big boats today!

Saturday: Notes from the course:

Today I finally got my ski app to measure the top speed. It happened towards the end of the day when the wind was down to 10-12k. I clocked 32.7 mph!

Learning about a Manta Twin dirt boat.

Earlier it was a steady 20 with puffs to 25. I may have been over my head but didn't crash and all is still good!

Love the shower in my room at the end of the day! I can see the race course from my window in the casino. About a 15 minute commute. I was covered in grit and grinning from ear to ear.

I did note some skin flaking off my hands after I took off my sailing gloves. Blisters! Who knew. The dude from Outside Mag was not wearing gloves and really got hit hard on that score. He is only 26 and living the dream!

Practice racing today (Saturday) Registration ($100)

The Count got in 4 practice races today. One lines up sitting still on the starting line which is a string on the dirt, pointing more or less 90d to the wind. On 'go' we all sheet in and foot off for speed, hardening up as we accelerate.

We are working toward a weather mark which can be done with one tack but then one has to deal with some rough lake bed that is kind of flaked up. In light air this would definitely slow you down but today's practice was giddy UP air! Tacks are slow but the wisdom says make sure you overstand your mark!

If you reach off a bit the speed just HONKS on in the heavy air! When rounding the weather mark and heading 'down' in a broad reach the boats just take off! The back tires just jump sideways with the push and steering with your feet gets second nature very quickly. Flying a weather wheel is very normal but a bit tough to get used to.

Right of way is easy. Boats on your right have the right of way. Forget port and starboard tacks. Mark rounding can get crowded and I think there are about 40 Manta Twins at this gathering. This is thinking in fast think mode as the race lap will only take 10-15 minutes. We did a two lap practice race after the 3 single lap races. These races are tougher on the body than I had thought they would be. I was pretty tuckered out as were most of the racers. I even had blisters on my fingers from the sheet even though I had good race gloves on.

I was advised to be careful of boats that don't have sail numbers as they may just be out for some casual fun and not really know how to race. "Danger Will Robinson"

Sunday:

More registration and practice on the playa with maybe a race after 12:00 TBD.

The racing started on time after orientation and safety warnings. All needed. A well run event by the NALSA folks (North America Land Sailing Association).

There were 5 starts with the Manta Twin in the 4th position. I was able to beat a couple of boats and will confirm that after the standings are printed but mostly it was a humble beginning. Skills are needed, especially up wind.

The classes kept running and on our second race the wind died and we took a 45 minute stand down. On our return we had a a race in conditions that my mentor Duncan described as "somewhere between death and survivable". He congratulated me on my finish as baptism by fire. I was DFL except beating the dude who flipped over. Other boats had speeds over 55 mph downwind and I know no one moved away from me when I was going downwind so am claiming to be in the 50 mph club! New app coming.

On return to the beach, I chugged a whole lot of water as that was a HUGE workout! BIG FUN!

Monday:

The usual suspects all waiting for wind.

It was a wait until 4:15 PM and then the wind came and it was good! The RC got in all five classes before the 5:30 cut off. The Manta Twin is the 4th start (my class) was last to start and just squeaked in at 5:26 start.

Phil Rothrock and his shiny wing mast ride. He was going over 80 in the bigger wind on Monday. These are the big boats!

I started differently by stacking up behind 3 other boats at the weather (favored) end of the line. It was helpful to see them in front of me so I could point parallel with them and keep the good speed. I think I was cheating too much in the previous races. I was middle of the fleet at the first mark and then had a run in the mid to upper 30 mph range but lost the laminar flow at the bottom mark. I should over stand the mark more. Once the flow is gone the advice is to go to weather to reacquire it and then bear off and go fast!

Here is an interesting idea. Bring your boat as an RV trailer. All the way from Idaho. Kayak included...

I was going to try and put something together this AM. I barely have time to get breakfast and get to the playa for the daily 9:00 AM skippers meeting. I haven't actually made one since the first day... The course Marshall, Dennis Bassano, forgives and I get a pass due to my 'press credential' status.

Today racing starts at 10:00 but we have been waiting for wind with only 4 classes completing a race yesterday. The Manta Twins got two starts but both got black flagged as it was too light of wind to finish in the 15 minute time limit. We are first up today.

Waiting 3 deep at the weather end of the line in the Manta Twin start. Somehow it worked
as I had speed enough to weave through at the start.

I am practicing my restarts as one is allowed to 'pedal/row' with one foot using three heel pushes at a time. The boat must come to a complete stop and then you can repeat. It is a good way to get to weather in these conditions.

I was leading the fleet a couple of times when I caught a puff and they didn't. I was in the middle of accelerating on a good puff when the course Marshall came through the fleet in his truck. I had no idea why he was trying to hit me so I crossed him at 20 MPH and kept going. Then as I was leading again, I noted there were no other boats anywhere close. It was a black flag and restart. Two black flags for the day! The Manta Twins will be first up tomorrow.

The usual suspects waiting for wind.

My latest app showing
speed.

Social events of the regatta:

There are daily prizes given out at the end of each day to the winners of the races. Last night was a bigger event with a new President stepping up and kudos to those who put on the World

Championship. Also honored were the World Champions who won the podium at Smith Creek in July.

Last night the SASSASS (Sunny Acres Sipping Sailing And Soaring Society) put on a feed for everyone including a whisky sipping event with several bottles of all kinds. 4-5 moonshines, 6-8 bourbons, 3-4 Canadians, 3-4 Scotches.

Whisky tasting table. Bring a bottle and eat!

The menu included 24 racks of ribs cooked on sight to perfection, beans with bacon, a salad to die for and rolls with a lemon bar. No charge! We all ate too much and there were serious dents in the whisky bottles too!

SASSASS Chef Walter with ribs.

The previous night the menu was 30 lbs of bacon, 5 cases of beer and two small bags of carrots. Some of the bacon made it to the beans. Tonight another club is cooking burgers for all.

A side note:

There is a pilot, (David), racing in the 5.6 Minis who is in wheelchair when not in his boat. He is racing a Blokart (and is a dealer too) and has done well on the race course. He can race because these boats have hand steering.

Following the America's Landsailing Cup is a Blokart regatta where 25 or more boats are expected.

Wednesday fun:

No practice when racing is going on. I had 4 races today and am bushed. I am taking the 3 Flying Monkeys to dinner at the casino buffet as a thank you for the cart.

Will find out results tomorrow. First 3 races... 26, 26, 23. Moving in the correct direction.

I had a bit of an issue down wind on my 2nd race today. I was reaching hard and moving at 35ish mph with a competitor on my right (he holds right of way, right makes right). Anyway, I wanted to gybe and go that way but he was too close and getting closer. Then I think (it happened real fast) another boat came in between us and I twitched wrong with my feet which put me in a spin 360 and ended up going backwards. WHOA! 35 to zip real fast. I got going again and maybe lost 6 spots. It is hard to look at the fleet when zooming on the dirt.

Thursday, the last day of racing:

We had three races today in 0-15k winds but mostly it was good wind. A few holes that I managed to find on my own.

Race 1: I thought I would foot off and follow the speedsters but then thought there was more wind to the right. I tacked and found a serious slow hole! I think this was 24 finish. I did bad! Pride goeth before a fall. I was improving and then took a beating.

Race 2: I followed the plan and stuck with my mentor as long as I could see him, then I followed Debbie who was in 5 or 6th. This was my best race with a finish at 13th!

Race 3: I followed Duncan again and was doing great until I lost the laminar flow near the leeward mark. I just bumped along in extra slow gear until about 6 racers came through with a puff and then I got going again. What a hoot! This was a 21st place finish.

Regatta Notes:

They stopped racing after 10 races and allowed for 2 throwouts. I managed to finish 23 out of 36 registered boats of which maybe 32 raced in some races. My goal was to beat Ross who was doing his own first dirt regatta and he owns his own Manta twin. He was 25th! I am good to go with my head held high.

GPS recordings:

The illustrations below are off my bicycle app from Strava. The part I like is the graph that shows the speed.

Thursday, race 1

Thursday Race 2

Thursday race 3

Observation on Manta Twins:

This is a great dirt boat! No questions about it. If you want to sail fast and not futz around the one design aspect is wonderful. For a bit under $3000 you can get a new 'Twinjammer'. (link to a sales page) Used boats are for sale for less money and new stock parts are easy to get.

Why? First they are comfy to race and sail. They are very fast and stable. You don't have to keep tweaking them as the one design rules won't let you. You can take a friend along and go even faster as weight just helps keep the boat down. (This requires a bit of wind). Easy to rig which takes under 20 minutes.

Sailing for fun:

If you are a wet boat sailor you might think you know how to do this but when the dirt is just a couple inches below your rear and the weather wheel starts to lift your adrenalin kicks in like it might in a broach. My own wet boat experience is mostly big boats for the past 40+ years. This dirt boating is a learning curve I am climbing for my first regatta.

The laminar flow is everything and way more delicate than wet boats. When it is connected you just rock on! When the flow is disconnected you have to go back to weather and try to reattach it or go slow for a long bumpy ride on the playa. Pointing to where you want to go is just slow. Gybes are not slowing or too scary after the first 20 or so. Tacks can be slow and one should really go deep after turning and get speed before pinching up.

You can judge your speed by the noise of the wheels over the playa. More noise usually means more speed. When the wheels are jumping off the ground and slipping sideways you have speed!

I am claiming to have gone 50 mph in winds in the upper 20s. The race committee saw 29 mph (everything in dirt boats is mph). I am here to tell you that is VERY SCARY! I think I only beat one boat in that race and that was because he went over. My own semi-crash was a spin out when my foot got twitchy in a tight traffic situation. 35 to 0 mph in a very fast moment!

Starting technique:

If you have ever seen a Flintstone car go, you now have some idea on how to 'paddle' with one foot. You get three strokes to get going and then have to wait until the boat is totally stopped before paddling again. You may stop the boat with your foot too. It is a very needed technique in the light air.

In heavier air, one sits on the line with the sail barely sheeted in and foot down to keep from going over the start line prematurely. When the flag goes down a single paddle is usually good and the sheet is teased in as speed develops.

Racing: This is easily the largest class at any desert regatta and very competitive at the top of the fleet. The racers all support each other so if something breaks there is probably a spare somewhere in the camp.

The races are a windward / leeward format with a crossing of the finish line (Not the start line, which is separate) on each lap. The races are timed to 15 or 20 minutes. One gets in as many laps as possible and if you get through before the checked flag you get another lap. The scorers are real good on following the boats on paper!

Caveat: Don't take them in the salt or salt beaches as the stainless bolts going through the aluminum act like a battery and eat up the aluminum over time. There may be special beach tires.

Other opinions:

Here is a link to SAIL that has two articles and photos that show things from other perspectives than the Count's. Kimball Livingston, yachting journalist and Russ Foster, dirt boat racer of high skills give insight and photos at this link.

Land Sailing History:

Don Ripinsky, who started NALSA, has 1976 Fenix that is the same as the boats that went across
the Sahara. He has US 1 as his sail number.

Here is Count Ferrari in a 1955 Wind Buggy. Tiller steering, handbrake,
two seater in comfort! It can even be car topped.

Comments from Duncan Harrison:

(I did not make this stuff up, Duncan is quoted accurately in this section)

The Count was fun to hang with - at first he didn't sail as fast as he thought; but after a few days the big guy was so totally humbled - he was like putty in our hands. He likey got close to the 50 mph range late in the week and was making good progress in learning TO F------ HAUL ASS! I showed him my most recent bestest speed recorded on a GPS at 66.2 MPH (El Mirage, November) and it's very interesting the way speed works on these things:

10 to 15 is a total fun!

15 to 30 (with the low end acceleration - is a total kick in the pants) seems like freeway speeds

40 to 50 takes some practice with 'hook up' and sailing in the groove . . . CONCENTRATE!

50 + is a RIPPING FRICKIN' BLAST! BOAT BOUNCES AND SLIDES; KICKS AND GIVES YOU THE GIGGLES!

60 + You think I'm gonna melt down here and go FULL BLOWN SPEED JUNKIE ON YOU?

DONTCHA!?!

YOU'RE RIGHT!

JIBES at 60 + (or even near 60 MPH)

ESPECIALLY WHEN PULLING TIGHT VICIOUS TURNS INSIDE GUYS ON THE MARKS CAUSE 'G' FORCES THAT SLAM YOU AROUND AND THROW YOU OUT OF THE BOAT!

I'VE FOUND MYSELF GRUNTING TO HANG ON TO THE SHEET WITH ONE HAND, HANG ON TO THE BOAT WTIH THE OTHER HAND - WHILE USING MY FEET TO STEER AND ALL THE TIME PUSHING AGAINST THE PEDALS TO LOOK OVER MY SHOULDER AT THE GUY JIBING NEXT TO ME!

closer, closer , closer . . . . WAHHHHHHH! HOOOOYAH! I'M INSIDE! ONE MORE LEG TO THE FINISH LINE!

Calming down - deep breath . . . .

Ahhhh so much to adrenaline!

When can we do this again?

On the FUN SCALE:

Ferrari was tickled pink (or was he a bit sunburned?) at the pick up these little MANTA dirtboats have. On strong acceleration in puffs they really shove you back in your seat!

If you can find some time to try this . . . we need to get you to El Mirage dry Lake before the heat is too much for comfort - maybe 3 hours (one way) from San Diego and plan to spend the afternoon on the dirt - having great fun. It's really just sailing as you know if - if you've ever just cut loose and thrown all caution to the wind!

Dirtboating - is wild!

I liked your use of the life raft photo with Bill Robertson in it - photo taken on Smith Creek Dry Lake a few years ago. The raft was some time past it's usefulness having served us on 4 Transpacs (there and return) on board Willow Wind my Cal-40. I signed up to go again this year.

Landsailing ocean sailing, living the dream somewhere on or near the left coats!

Duncan

Some comments right after a race into the recorder:

We are sailing in the dirt

25 knot puffs, Dirt in the air, speed that pucker you up when the weather wheel flies. Then it gets hairy.

30 minutes really was a good workout. Speed was unrecorded due to technical issues. The go Pro camera fell off and a man overboard drill had to be done. It was successful.

Chasing a skilled pilot was better than trying to go on my own. Gybes are very exciting.

Over standing the marks was a very good idea. Just guessing at speeds in excess of 40 mph, soon to be documented.

It is likely that I will be slow in the race. My goal is to not crash into the desert or anyone else and finish the race. After the first race we will see how competitive I can get.

The weather is perfect 10 to 25 kn of wind. The temp 76 to 80°F a few wispy clouds in the air. A few puffs of dust rolling across the dry lake bed at Ivanpah in California.

The casino and lodging is about a 10 minute drive at 15 mph. I can see the race course from my hotel room.

When I asked Duncan Harrison, my mentor and editor of dirt boat sailing magazine if the weather conditions were ideal, he mentioned it might be a bit much for a newbie. I observed that I was intimidated by the big puffs.

Photos from the race: (photos below by Blake Learmomth)

Count Ferrari was using sail number 381 and here are some action shots in the racing.

I am guessing this is going to weather as the dust clouds off the tires is less.
Note the solar mirrors and freeway in the background. They are miles away.