Bonaire land sailors claim British title and world championship silver in Wales

KRALENDIJK - Four pilots from the Bonaire Blokart Racing Association (BBRA) have returned from Wales with a British title and a world championship silver medal in land sailing. Andrew Sands stole the show.

Sands won the British Open in the Heavyweight Production class at the end of September, with six wins in seven races. He then became world runner-up at the World Championships (29 September to 2 October) at Llanbedr airfield in North Wales. He finished level on points with world champion Levente Csaszar but lost on the tiebreak. Sands won five races. The World Championships drew 120 participants from 20 countries.

Land sailing is done on a blokart: a three-wheeled sail-powered cart that can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h.

Martinez, Vaccani and Felida also perform well

Tim Martinez won the first three races in Lightweight Production at his first World Championships and ultimately finished fourth, just one point off the podium. At the British Open he also finished fourth and won the final race.

Amedeo Vaccani finished fifth in Medium Production. Lennart Felida sailed all 18 races in the Medium Performance class.

Caribbean Open on Bonaire

“We are a small island and these pilots learned to race on our own track, with our almost perfect wind,” says Donna Hudgeon of the BBRA. “Coming home with a British title and world championship silver, and seeing Tim leading after three races at his very first world championships, shows what Bonaire’s wind and our people make possible. I am incredibly proud of this team. Next April we will host our first international event. We look forward to welcoming pilots from all over the world to the Caribbean Open.”

The BBRA will host the Caribbean Open Blokart Championships from 23 to 25 April 2027 on Bonaire.