14th Landsailing World Championship in Nevada - Day 3
by Russ Foster 16 Jul 2014 10:16 BST
12-19 July 2014
John Eisenlohr, from tiny Lakeside, Montana prevailed in the intensely competitive 5.6 Mini Yacht class that comprised the first phase of the 14th Landsailing World Championship being held at this remote site in Northern Nevada.
Eisenlohr's win was a popular one, as he sailed a clean, uncontroversial race in a home-built land yacht of his own design against formidable international competition. Moreover, he temporarily disproved this reporter's claim, made yesterday, that the Mini yacht class was evolving into an expensive arms race.
Eisenlohr's yacht features parts he found at local home supply stores, not purpose-built marine hardware. He is doing a great job of showing that a home builder with innovative ideas and excellent sailing skills can still do well against exotic professionally-developed machinery sailed by highly skilled international sailors.
Meanwhile, in the late afternoon following the conclusion of the Mini Yacht regatta, the many other classes in the World Championship started their racing. The regatta for these other classes will continue through Saturday, 19 July.
Organising authorities:
www.nalsa.org
www.fisly.org