Earliest Videos of Land Yacht Sailing
by Magnus Smith 15 Sep 04:00 PDT
Wind propulsion on land is almost as ancient as the wheel © GSBM
We possess an extensive collection of sailing-related videos, and today we’re revisiting footage of land racing from the 1910s to the 1970s. There was far more than one might anticipate, so we’ve narrowed it down to our top ten selections.
Previously, we examined ice yachting, with the earliest video dated back to 1924. However, focusing on sunny beaches instead of frozen lakes brought us to an even earlier date – 1918!
British Pathé excels at providing pre-war newsreels in the UK, and this silent footage is particularly entertaining due to the gaff rigs being used.
We skip over the 1920s and leap forward two decades. In The Desert – Egypt, 1938 seems to depict a purposeful capsize using a wooden ramp for one wheel. (The Sahara also features in a 1967 video where a crossing attempt is made.)
Now shifting to the other side of the Atlantic in the 1940s, the sand yachting mass race at Daytona Beach, Florida in 1946 is quite a remarkable event.
From 1954, this clip showcases an effort to construct the Largest land yacht in Britain, and you’ll want to closely observe the spar construction techniques used.
Now we see color footage – Land Yachting in the 1950s at Gransden Lodge, featuring a fascinating array of designs. Some appear dated while others look futuristic.
As we move into the early 1960s, you’ll need to endure some beach scenes from St Peter-Ording, Germany before the land yachting footage appears (0m35s).
In the video from the British Open Sand Yacht Championships 1965 at Lytham St Anne’s, we witness the first appearance of a “DN” on a sail. Prior to this, the only sail identifiers were “A” and “B”.
The European Sand Yacht Championships 1966 occurs at the same UK venue, with the DN proving significantly more popular just a year later. (Check out a similar video from the same year if you’re still interested.)
Our final video from the sixties features the DN class in Lancashire, 1969.
Lastly, we present some silent footage from the 1970s – Sand yachting in 1973 – though the location remains unidentified (we sincerely apologize for the UK footage bias!).
What about other countries?
Are you aware of any other intriguing videos from the analogue period before the year 2000? We would be delighted to share them with fellow sailors. Please feel free to submit video links for our prompt review.
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