Wisconsin blokart Videos

[GeoffS]

Here are a few videos from the past month of sailing around southern Wisconsin:

Miller Park, Milwaukee
Sept. 14, 2014:


DMV (Dept. of Motor Vehicles), Madison
Sept. 21, 2014


Miller Park (smaller lots)
Oct. 12, 2014


Miller Park
Oct. 18, 2014


Madison College (aka Madison Area Technical College - MATC)
Oct. 19, 2014

[GeoffS]

I was intrigued by some of the shots in the 2014 blokart Worlds video taken with the camera mounted at the top of the mast. They were especially cool because the way the camera was mounted/angled it looked like they were taken with a drone.

I wanted to try and get some shots with the camera mounted above and/or away from the mast-head (for example with the top of the mast visible in the shot).
I attached a standard GoPro bike-frame mount to the mast-tip tube and mounted the camera on the end of two articulating arms:


In retrospect, I should have realized that using a light-weight plastic mount and cantilevering the camera on the end of a fairly long lever-arm maybe wasn't the greatest idea I've ever had.
The good news is the plastic held together for the runs, but just barely...

Any way, here is a few shots from the experiment:

[GeoffS]

Now that summer's here (and the iceboating is done) there's been some blokart sailing action here is Wisconsin.

Here's a very short video "teaser" from some sailing in a local parking lot a couple of weeks ago:
(hopefully I'll get the longer version edited soon...)

[GeoffS]

Here's the (long overdue) extended version of the previous video:

[GeoffS]

If anyone is interested, I've found a very nice clamp mount for a GoPro-sized camera.

I've posted DIY instructions at: http://geoff-s.net/DIYBallHeadClamp/

And if you want to save the effort, I'll even sell you one already assembled: http://performancesailingproducts.com/PSP600.html



I beat my first one up pretty badly the first time I tried it (video), and it was also used to mount a camera to my blokart axle when I was plowing through tall weeds (video).
It seems to have suffered no ill effects from the abuse:

[GeoffS]

Here's a video from yesterday sailing around a 415' (126m) parking lot course.
I'm following the fellow who let me sail (and flip) his blokart many years ago.
This was his first time out in quite a while, and the first time he's ever sailed a 5.5m (thankfully he's a very good sailor, so my loaner sail survived the day without any luff tears!).

Sorry for the length.
Right at the end there are a couple of "full speed" laps around the course to give an idea of what it was like:

[GeoffS]

Transitional blokart sailing (transitioning between the blokart and iceboat...).

A couple of laps last Friday in freezing temperature. Next time I'll be sure to wear my facemask and goggles (and probably put the POD on for a bit more wind protection).

It's kind of a boring gray video, but it's very different from the more common "shorts and t-shirt" sailing...

[GeoffS]

Short cell-phone video from last Sunday.
Current North American co-champion (tie for 1st last spring) Kyle Metzlof with the black sail, and neophyte blokart sailor (but experienced Nite iceboater) Don Sanford with the green:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_2M5hTbXSU

[GeoffS]

Some extraordinary conditions last September.
Perfect surface, temperature, and wind:

Best quality on Vimeo:


OK at YouTube: