Riding the Breeze at Mavillette Beach

Eco wind adventure blows into southwestern Nova Scotia

On an early and foggy morning on June 19 at Mavillette Beach, when the tide was low and the beach was empty – except for a few motivated dog walkers – the land sailing carts emerged from the fog.

And with this, a new batch of brave adventurers got in sync with the outdoors' natural elements, harnessing the wind for an amazing time with ReWIND Adventures.

The bright coloured sails of green, blue, red and yellow seemed to cut through the grey fog, and the giant orange octopus and other kites splashed more colour on an otherwise dreary day.

“All around us was grey, but it felt like I was in paradise,” noted one participant.

Land sailing – also known as land yachting, sand sailing, or dirtboating – is the act of moving across the land in a wheeled vehicle powered by the wind through the use of a sail. These land sails came from the New Zealand company Blokart and at this moment, this was the only group in all of Canada riding them.

Between coffee, juice and sandwiches, riders sailed up and down the hard, sandy ocean floor. Tidekite – a local kite flying initiative that made its debut years ago – was also part of the fun.

Before or after a ride, Tidekite's locally made and imported kites were flown and friendly conversations flowed amongst participants. There were locals, tourists, young and old, grandmothers, brothers and sisters, moms and babies, and, being Father's Day, there were dads too.

No matter one's age, everybody felt youthful and alive.

One local, coffee in hand, said if he hadn't seen the bright sails and had come down to see them, he would have been drinking that coffee at home, alone.

Another local grandmother was riding to show the younger generation how to get outside, have some fun, and to convince her grandson to come visit to ride them together. Tourists from Germany loved that the activity was great family fun, despite the foggy and grey, windy weather that had already limited some of their other activities.

Blokarts have been used to cross the Gobi Desert, and Blokart racing is done throughout the world – with national championships held each year in countries including USA, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Spain, Belgium, France, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Lithuania and the Netherlands. They are super easy to assemble and very light. Also, the wheels can be replaced with ice blades for winter sailing?

ReWind Adventures is a local, eco-wind adventure company based in southwest Nova Scotia and activities can be booked or customized through their website at www.tidekite.ca .