Posts Tagged ‘kitesurfers’

What to do when there’s no wind….

Well, there’s always someone somewhere who will make a plan, and this time we have to thank tomasleeman for the entertaining video.

However, a cautionary tale here. My husband did something very similar in his mad and misspent youth, although in his case they were doing it off the back of a pick-up truck on a farm runway in the middle of the bush. He got up nice and high – 100 ft probably – when the driver of the truck, under the influence of a few too many beers, put his foot on the accelerator thinking this would send him higher. Of course all it did was snap the rope. All 100′ or so of it hit him in the face like a coiled spring and knocked him out. Luckily he came to just before he hit the ground, and having done some parachuting, went into the classic roll on impact.

But it didn’t stop him looking like the Elephant Man for several weeks!

Having just explored Cornwall’s rock climbing regions I thought I might just duck across into another of our favourite topics – kitesurfing – and see what Cornwall has to offer here…

Needless to say – it looks fantastic. Cornwall has the largest area of coastline in England, nine river estuaries and about 300 beaches… not bad, not bad. Whether you’re a first time flyer or a sponsored pro, there is something to challenge everyone.

As with most beaches in the UK, high tide in Cornwall can be a problem and it is not advisable to kite at least 2 hours either side of it at any of the beaches. And, as with many beaches all around the world now, some  have restrictions so you do need to check this out about before launching. It is this sort of thoughtless error which is resulting in more and more restrictions being put into place…

Watergate Bay,near Newquay.

An indication of the quality of this 2 and a half mile long beach for kitesurfing is that in 2002 it was chosen as the perfect site for the first European Kitesurfing Championships.  It is now used annually for the BKSA tour and it is probably the most famous kitesurfing beach in the UK. There is plenty of room for everyone to fly and, with a variety of winds, something for everyone. The beauty of this beach is its safeness (apart from high tide). There is a prevailing SW, but if it veers W, NW or even N it is still safe to stay out. Big Atlantic swells do come in quite often, so you need to be ready to turn quickly if trying to get out the back. However, it is still safe to stay on the inside and play on the large flat sheets of water where it remains shallow – although you stand the risk of being beached.

The main dangers are a small strip of rocks, just to the right of the beach when looking out to sea, and the high cliffs that effect the wind if you get too close.  There are no restrictions on this beach, but you are expected to walk up the beach to the more quiet areas before setting up.

Marazion, south coast and near the island St. Michael’s Mount

The sand on Marazion is coarse so it would probably be a good idea to wear protective booties. There is a small concrete wall separating the road from the beach and although this is useful – it can be a hazard for a kite surfer! Swells are smaller on the south side, but the S, SW or SE winds can still generate messy breaks for you to contend with. There is an outlet pipe further up the beach towards Penzance and also Longrock beach. Some kitesurfers will head over there for flatter conditions but there is the odd small rock and thick kelp so it is adviseable to seek local knowledge.

The main hazard here is getting the tide right because when the waves hit the steeper bank they create a lovely shore break that totally destroys kites! Restrictions are coming into place to stop people kiting above Red River near the town end of Marazion and to prevent any kiting activity near to the road and sea wall.

Sennen and Gwenver

Sennen Cove – also great for climbing, is NW facing. It is just 2 miles round the corner from Lands End and is suitable for all levels of kiteboarding. It has excellent access from the car park. Even at high tide there is usually a sand bank in the top corner where you can rig, launch and land in safety. The waves here are frequently monsters, making Sennen a favourite beach in anything from SW to N winds. Beginners should not attempt this beach at high tide, or in heavy surf. Also be careful of the rip currents outside the lifeguarded zones. These can be ferocious. If you are not confident in rip currents, don’t go out.

But when the lemmings have gone at the end of the day, then Sennen comes into its own – surfers and kiteboarders do battle in style.

Hayle Towans on the north coast in the bay of St. Ives

Hayle, otherwise known as The Bluff, is regarded by some to be the best place to kitesurf in Cornwall, but you can only go there when the wind is N, NW or NE. It is a river estuary providing flat shallow water as well as some swell where the water deepens. It is a great place for working on new tricks. However, as with all river mouths, there are strong currents so keep in the shallows where you can stand up to launch your kite and retrieve your board. Boards are often lost here, so a retractable leash is advisable.

No kitesurfing is allowed in the river when the water is above knee depth or boats are present. Fishermen are making complaints about kitesurfers and this is jeopardising the future of kitesurfing at Hayle. Enjoy it while it lasts…

Gwithian Bay in St. Ives

This is the longest continuous piece of sand in Cornwall but it is named differently depending upon where you park. It is NW facing and is an excellent wave riding spot with N, NW, W, and SW winds. There is easy access from the cliff top carpark and there is generally plenty of space. The beach sand is hard which makes it perfect for buggies and mountain boarding too. There are a couple of big rocks that you need to pinpoint before the water covers them and the water tends to come right up to the cliffs on big tides so watch out.

This beach can get busy with holidaymakers and surfers. There are no restrictions on this beach as yet so make sure you stay in the clear area and then with a bit of luck there will never be restrictions…

That should keep you busy for a bit… there are a lot more beaches down there – 300 didn’t I say? but we have picked out a few on both the north and south coast. Once you start exploring Cornwall you will no doubt be bewitched by a beach I have neglected to mention…

Just one more thing.

It is adviseable to have valid insurance of at least £5m.The BKSA (British Kite Surfing Association) offers worldwide cover which covers all kite activities, even snow-kiting. It costs £30 and can be bought online from the BKSA.

If you can’t get out there to kitesurf today, perhaps you’d like to indulge yourself with your feet up, drink in hand, and enjoy this 9 minute kitesurfing video from referee1the2great.

… and dream of your next trip on the water….

For the third year in a row, the Vanuatu International Kitesurfing Classic will take place on Efate Island.

And you can still register if you would like to take part…

This year the VIKC will be introducing 2 new catagories – along with the traditional freestyle and long distance categories, you will also be able to compete in Waveriding and Air Time.

Kite surfing competitions are all about lots of spectators and everyone having a good time all day long and into the night, so there will be the usual music concerts, barbecues, beach volleyball and rubgy sevens competitions, vendors selling food and souvenirs, and more.

The first 4 days of the competition will be at Pango Village where the waveriding will be organised. And if the wind is off, Pango provides some very good surf breaks. During this time there will also be two long distance races along the pristine coastline between Pango and Mele Bay’s Hideaway Island Resort. As in previous years, the show that most of Port Vila will come to watch is the freestyle and air time competition on the final two days, the weekend of the 19-20 September.

You may well be asking yourself  “where in the world is Vanuatu?” Well, it’s a beautiful archipelago of volcanic islands that will not only host the internationally acclaimed Vanuatu Kitingsurfing Classic, but it will also do its very best to see that you have a fantastic holiday too.

Vanuatu is in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,750 kilometres (1,090 miles) east of northern Australia, 500 kilometres (310 miles) north-east of  New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.

Now you have it pinpointed in your imagination, I can wax lyrical…

The Islanders believe that bungee jumping originated here… see a much earlier blog of ours at: The origins of bungee jumping

The prehistory of Vanuatu is obscure; archaeological evidence supports the commonly held theory that peoples speaking Austronesian languages first came to the islands some 4,000 years ago. The main languages there now are English, French and Bislama, a pidgin language which essentially combines a typically Melanesian grammar with a mostly English vocabulary. It is the only language that can be understood and spoken by the majority of Vanuatu’s population as a second language.

Bislama was a fairly inspired idea actually as in Vanuatu‘s 220,000 + population there are 113 indigenous languages still actively spoken – the density of languages, per capita, is the highest of any nation in the world with an average of only 2000 speakers per language!

It has been placed before Costa Rica as “the happiest nation in the world” though perhaps the Costa Ricans would dispute that… It does, however, have another huge advantage that would make it very appealing to many people: it’s a tax haven with no income tax, withholding tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, or exchange control!!! … mmmm, nice….

The climate is sub-tropical with approximately nine months of warm to hot rainy weather and the possibility of cyclones (between December through to April) and three to four months of cooler drier weather characterized by winds from the southeast.The water temperature ranges from 72 °F (22 °C) in winter to 82 °F (28 °C) in the summer. South-easterly trade winds occur from May to October.

Sounds ideal doesn’t it?

So what are you waiting for. Any riders interested in going who would like to get more information about the event (registration, accommodation options, logistics, etc) can contact the organisers on 2009VIKC@gmail.com or mobile +678 7775875

Here’s a little something from WESTOZRIPPERS1, Australia I’m afraid not Vanuatu, to get your imagination working on that wave riding…

“Rugby? Hikkaduwa Beach Fest? Nah, I’d rather be kitesurfing! It’s extremely addictive and loads of fun. You’re completely free, and the only noise you hear is of the wake coming off the back of your board. It’s just you, the wind and the board,” says Dilsiri Welikala.

Ok, so it’s still only February, and we are still deep in winter with some of the coldest weather still to come – perhaps. But… but but but, spring will be here shortly and we’ll soon be dusting off our kiteboards, untangling the strings and heading to the closest beach.

I know you guys in such exotic places as Montana, New Brunswick, Idaho, Saskatchewan, Norway, Finland, etc have probably been having a fabulous winter kiting on your broad open plains and frozen lakes, but down here in the south of France we look to the unfrozen Med for our kiting entertainment… and spring is coming closer.

This is Hyeres where we do most of our kitesurfing, a lovely spot with good wind, a good kite school and lots of windsurfing and scuba diving in the vicinity. Keeps the whole family amused.

But the best places to kitesurf in the world? Kiteboarding or Kitesurfing is attracting novices and athletes from the surfing and windsurfing worlds and people are always on the look out for ‘… the next beach.’

Well, we’ve touched on this subject before and I don’t really think you can say “this is the best…” because it is very much a matter of choice, preference and ease of access, so below I will mention a few far-a-field beaches which might be counted as ‘easy access’ if you happen to be passing that way!

The well known beach of Tarifa on the southern tip of Spain should ring a few bells. It’s famous for its reliable winds and so most visitors to this region are windsurfers and kiters. It’s a great place to learn, but is even better for intermediate and advanced kiters – and the apres-kite life is excellent! Definitely a good place to hang out. The beach starts in town and extends about 6km to the Club Mistral at the Hurricane and then goes round the small headland past Las Dunas to another 8km of sandy beach – all this space ensure that beginners and experts alike have plenty of room – even in the height of summer. However, one drawback… if you are planning to travel between May and October it is imperative to book at least four months ahead due to the limited amount of good accommodation. Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Thanks Sarmitel for this wonderful video.

Another place you hear about all the time is Cabarete in the Dominican Republic. It is said to be the most perfect kite surfing destination in the world – quite a claim to fame. In fact, it is so good that many a kitesurfer has moved there in order to be able practice kiting all year round. It also hosts the largest kiteboarding competition in the world – always the third week of June. The main beach has now been officially designated the Cabarete Kite Beach. The reason for its popularity? The trade winds provide a steady consistent easterly wind, which gives Cabarete perfect side-onshore kiting conditions most of the time. In fact the wind is so reliable that you can generally guarantee that there will be no wind until 11a.m. and that this first wind is usually good for beginners. At around 12:30 – 1:30 the thermals kick in and make the wind a lot stronger reaching its strongest at about 4p.m. At around 6 the wind dies off again. If you are holidaying in the Dominican Republic you can bank on the fact that 8 out of 10 days will have good wind. Not bad… and thanks to drtouristtv for this video.

Cape Town has at least 10 wonderful kitesurfing beaches. The consistent wind, great waves and stunning views make Cape Town one of the worlds kitesurfing hotspots. It is one of the best kitesurfing locations in the world, and by far the best kitesurfing location in South Africa. Professional kitesurfers move here between October and March to get in some good practice. Generally the southern peninsula is better suited to more experienced surfers whilst the northern pensinsula favours the intermediate surfers – except for Hakgat which is only for experienced surfers. Langebaan Lagoon is the best spot for beginners as, in contrast with all the other beaches which offer great wave riding and jumping experiences, Langebaan has some of the best flat water conditions in the world.

Main Beach, New York is just minutes from Napegue, Long Island, and is perfect for ocean riding in any breeze: and the breezes come from nearly every direction – from the west, south-west, south, south-east and easterly directions. Main Beach is a long, golden, clean beach. There is plenty of space and so far no rules…The sandbanks are piled high and the waves are some of the best in New York. There are many sand bars just off-shore which makes for some fun kickers to jump off. It is a 2-hour drive from New York city, but you can find some really challenging and exciting kitesurfing spots. It can get extremely cold in winter though!

That’s it for today. I’m sure there will be more later…

Just remember, if you are just beginning to learn how to kitesurf “You need to get over a certain fear point – doing so gives you an adrenaline rush,” so says Mischi Walter – a professional kitesurfing instructor based in Sri Lanka, but he adds “Even children can learn the sport, overseas there are people who are over 70 who are kitesurfing!”

Although winter is just around the corner in the northern hemisphere, there is still time to get in some good kite surfing before the snowboards get dusted off and the mountains beckon.

So, since I live in France I thought I’d start there…

As you well know, any location is suitable for kitesurfing as long as it has consistent and steady winds. Large open stretches of water and good launch areas help too. Kite surfing is not restricted to seas and oceans, it can also be practiced on large lakes, inlets and, occasionally, rivers, but because of the requirement for guaranteed wind some locations become more popular than others.

St. Pierre La Mer, Narbonne.

This is a wide strip of sandy beach on the French Mediterranean coast, reserved for kitesurfing, with a safety boat as the wind is often off-shore. Lessons to all levels of kitesurfers are given by IKO qualified instructors in French and English. The prevailing wind direction is the north westerly Tramontane, which gives strong off-shore winds giving beautifully flat water. When the Tramontane doesn’t blow the seabreezes bring small waves and cross/onshore condition. Thanks silibleu for the video.

… and just for a bit of fun, melletamara posted this video on other highlights in the St. Pierre La Mer region:

Wissant, Calais

From one side of the country to the other, from the Meditteranean Sea to an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, Wissant is one of the most famous kite surfing areas in Europe and the main wave spot in France. It has a beautiful fine sandy beach although at low tide the sea is quite a distance from land. However, at high tide there is just a strip of sand and the world’s your oyster. There are no rocks and no problems with launching and landing a kite, but it is more for intermediates than beginners. Thanks sensibleblue

Mandelieu, Cannes

Also an intermediate beach, but beautiful blue skies, turquoise waters and all the lure of the Cote d’Azur. It has many fine sand beaches. Kite surfers tend to meet at the nautic centre beach. A school provides lifts to the outer sea if you wish provided you can safely stay upwind.

Beauduc, Camargues

Beauduc is a wonderful isolated beach in the salt-digging area of the Camargues. It is a long u-shaped beach with lots of space and shallow water for the first 100m offshore. As with most of the Meditteranean there are no tides and vitually no waves unless bad weather comes in. The beach is a fairly hard sand which means you can drive up to the water’s edge. Thanks fabdelob for the video. This area is suitable for all levels of kitesurfing.

Ste. Marguerite and Blanc-Sablons, Brest:

Ste. Marguerite, on the Brittany coast, is an excellent spot to kitesurf with reliable south west winds. This beach is suitable for all levels of kitesurfers. However, Blanc-Sablons is more for intermediates and experts when the wind is up. The waves can get up to 3m here and rocks can be a hazard. Thanks to moreimagination for the video.

La Franqui, Languedoc-Roussillon

La Franqui is one of the most popular spots to kite in the region. It is a beautiful long beach with soft sand and no rocks. There is a special kite zone as this area can be packed in the summer. If you find the off-shore Tramontane wind too much you can cross over to the lagoon side and surf in the more protected area of La Palme. It is easy to launch and land kites and is suitable for all levels of kitesurfers. Thank you sketokite for this video.

And that’s it for France. They are, of course, by no means the only kitesurfing beaches in France… just a handful of suggestions. If you go to any of them I hope you have perfect weather conditions, fabulous wind and a great time.