We are pretty lucky in Gisborne to have some first class beaches right on our door step and even in the middle of summer still have plenty of space to self launch and kitesurf without the fear of hurting anyone. Golden sand and clean deep blue water what more could you ask for.....well some flat water would be nice.
We are known around the world for our surf breaks and local world class surfers. To learn how to throw down those new tricks would be a lot easier on some flat water instead of trying to time your move in-between a couple of double overhead sets rolling through and then if you mess up and drop your kite into the surf things only get worst real quick.
I guess we could always ask the Council if we could hire the local swimming pool for an afternoon, check out these guys for a great(?) idea.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Always respect local advice.....
While on the subject of kitesurfing safety, listening to local advice can save you you a headache or worst. So when the signs are obvious, pay attention and you might surf another day...
Friday, September 3, 2010
Kiteboarding can give you a serious headache.....
On those busy days on the water you have to be aware of those crazy kiters around you. Most times it happens so quick that nobody see's the accident just the aftermath, but sometimes there is a camera lurking.....Lucky this wasn't more serious if you ask me. Must be the luck of the English or something......eh Matt?
Special thanks to Lance Gelden of FreeLance Productions for allowing me to use this video clip from Perk Freestyle 07.
Special thanks to Lance Gelden of FreeLance Productions for allowing me to use this video clip from Perk Freestyle 07.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Kitesurfing - In Bruge
(Warning this post is not for the politically correct, if you're easily offended skip this post - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)
Bruge #1
Eight Bruging weeks I have been waiting for enough wind to get a kite surf in. Has an alcoholic ever waited eight weeks for his next drink, I don't Bruging think so! To say I was just a little stressed out from not having my adrenalin fix would be a major Bruging understatement. Here's how it went down.
It's the middle of winter and instead of getting our strong predictable on-shore southerly winds to keep any kite-addicted groupie, well, as high as a kite, this winters storms and wind have been coming down from the north, so mostly off-shore winds. So after a long windless eight weeks we finally get a southerly blow. The gear is thrown into the work van and I hit the beach in the blink of an eye. Yep nice wind lets get some action happening.
Bruge #2
Start to get the wetsuit on and the back zip is locked tight with salt corrosion, off comes the wetsuit to fix the zip. No worries only a minor set back. Check the wind, still a howling southerly.
Bruge #3
Pull out my new 2010 Ozone C4 12 meter, lay it out on the ground and pull the air valve plug out only to break the top off, leaving the plug in the kite bladder. Ah Bruge it. 10 minutes of trying to get the plug out of the valve and finally fix the problem.
Bruge #4
Pump the kite up, lay out my lines directly down wind. Checked the lines once, twice yep ready to launch. So I walk my lines around to the side of the (kite) wind window and complete a self launch as I have done hundreds of times before. Kite goes up nicely but half way up the lines they are bunched tightly into a knot at the stopper ball which stops your control bar sliding too far up your lines when you have to hit your safety release. So now I have a 12m kite sitting at 12 o'clock in a gusty southerly with no steering, no depower and no Bruging control while standing in a very small launch area next to a busy road.
Realizing that I don't have many choices and while I still control the situation, I pull my safety release system to release my bar. This should depower the kite and let it fall slowly downwind of me, only problem is the road is downwind of me so I start running backwards trying to pull the kite back away from the road. Bang! The kite dives hard into the tarmac on the lane closest to me, just missing an (old) hat driver in the other lane. The hat driver doesn't even slow down even though I am certain that my kite might have knocked his side mirror off his car. If my kite had been just a meter further away from me, it would have caught this car like a giant lasso with me still attached to it, who would now be travelling at 50kph towards the wooden barrier fence.
Stupid is, stupid does. So after untangling the knot in my lines at the stopper ball I reset my kite and lines ready for another relaunch. Kite starts to come up and at about 45 degrees I see that history does Bruging repeat itself with another knot in my lines. Before the kite gets any higher I hit the safety release again but this time I have plenty of room and the kite lands without any problems. Out comes the knife and that little Bruging stopper ball is gone for good. Reset everything for a third relaunch but this time no drama just a perfect self launch. Hey, if nothing else the entertainment value to those people watching would put me at the top of the You Tube ratings.
Bruge #5
So I grab my board with my brand new, Litewave Hybrid laceup sandals and hit the water. Wind is a lot lighter now (as almost it knows my many kite relaunch attempts are over) but there's no way I am calling it quits at this stage. A few warm up laps up and down the beach sluicing up the shallows and my right leg is getting some serious cramp. My right foot strap is not tight enough so I have to hit the beach, drop my kite, tighten my foot strap, relaunch my kite (amongst a serious build up of driftwood) and maybe finally get a decent kitesurf in.
Bruge #6
Where's the Bruging wind gone. Like a scorned girlfriend the wind has packed a sad. There's blue sky poking through the clouds meaning the cold front has passed. No more kitesurfing today.
After waiting for so many weeks for a decent kitesurf, it just seemed that everything conspired against me. I sure everyone who kitesurfs can relate to a day similar to this, where Murphy just gets the better of them. Sometimes it's hard to describe in an articulate fashion your man feelings without coming across like some Bruging poofter. So from the movie "In Bruge", I present the following video to accurately portray my feelings about this particular days kitesurf. All you have to do is every time you hear the work "Bruge" replace it with "Kitesurfing" and you will get my drift.
Bruge #1
Eight Bruging weeks I have been waiting for enough wind to get a kite surf in. Has an alcoholic ever waited eight weeks for his next drink, I don't Bruging think so! To say I was just a little stressed out from not having my adrenalin fix would be a major Bruging understatement. Here's how it went down.
It's the middle of winter and instead of getting our strong predictable on-shore southerly winds to keep any kite-addicted groupie, well, as high as a kite, this winters storms and wind have been coming down from the north, so mostly off-shore winds. So after a long windless eight weeks we finally get a southerly blow. The gear is thrown into the work van and I hit the beach in the blink of an eye. Yep nice wind lets get some action happening.
Bruge #2
Start to get the wetsuit on and the back zip is locked tight with salt corrosion, off comes the wetsuit to fix the zip. No worries only a minor set back. Check the wind, still a howling southerly.
Bruge #3
Pull out my new 2010 Ozone C4 12 meter, lay it out on the ground and pull the air valve plug out only to break the top off, leaving the plug in the kite bladder. Ah Bruge it. 10 minutes of trying to get the plug out of the valve and finally fix the problem.
Bruge #4
Pump the kite up, lay out my lines directly down wind. Checked the lines once, twice yep ready to launch. So I walk my lines around to the side of the (kite) wind window and complete a self launch as I have done hundreds of times before. Kite goes up nicely but half way up the lines they are bunched tightly into a knot at the stopper ball which stops your control bar sliding too far up your lines when you have to hit your safety release. So now I have a 12m kite sitting at 12 o'clock in a gusty southerly with no steering, no depower and no Bruging control while standing in a very small launch area next to a busy road.
Realizing that I don't have many choices and while I still control the situation, I pull my safety release system to release my bar. This should depower the kite and let it fall slowly downwind of me, only problem is the road is downwind of me so I start running backwards trying to pull the kite back away from the road. Bang! The kite dives hard into the tarmac on the lane closest to me, just missing an (old) hat driver in the other lane. The hat driver doesn't even slow down even though I am certain that my kite might have knocked his side mirror off his car. If my kite had been just a meter further away from me, it would have caught this car like a giant lasso with me still attached to it, who would now be travelling at 50kph towards the wooden barrier fence.
Stupid is, stupid does. So after untangling the knot in my lines at the stopper ball I reset my kite and lines ready for another relaunch. Kite starts to come up and at about 45 degrees I see that history does Bruging repeat itself with another knot in my lines. Before the kite gets any higher I hit the safety release again but this time I have plenty of room and the kite lands without any problems. Out comes the knife and that little Bruging stopper ball is gone for good. Reset everything for a third relaunch but this time no drama just a perfect self launch. Hey, if nothing else the entertainment value to those people watching would put me at the top of the You Tube ratings.
Bruge #5
So I grab my board with my brand new, Litewave Hybrid laceup sandals and hit the water. Wind is a lot lighter now (as almost it knows my many kite relaunch attempts are over) but there's no way I am calling it quits at this stage. A few warm up laps up and down the beach sluicing up the shallows and my right leg is getting some serious cramp. My right foot strap is not tight enough so I have to hit the beach, drop my kite, tighten my foot strap, relaunch my kite (amongst a serious build up of driftwood) and maybe finally get a decent kitesurf in.
Bruge #6
Where's the Bruging wind gone. Like a scorned girlfriend the wind has packed a sad. There's blue sky poking through the clouds meaning the cold front has passed. No more kitesurfing today.
After waiting for so many weeks for a decent kitesurf, it just seemed that everything conspired against me. I sure everyone who kitesurfs can relate to a day similar to this, where Murphy just gets the better of them. Sometimes it's hard to describe in an articulate fashion your man feelings without coming across like some Bruging poofter. So from the movie "In Bruge", I present the following video to accurately portray my feelings about this particular days kitesurf. All you have to do is every time you hear the work "Bruge" replace it with "Kitesurfing" and you will get my drift.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Kitesurfing 101
Welcome to kitesurfing 101. As its mid winter and everyone is looking forward to those long hot summer days on the beach, with perfect sea breezes for kitesurfing, its time to think about the basics in safety and kitesurfing skills.
You know what its like, sitting on the beach while everyone else is on the water kiting their heart out.
Or worst still having to bring all the gear down to the beach for your better half, I mean whats up with that?
But before you get too carried away you better learn the basics, kite beaches can get busy.
And you really don't want any aggro by brassing the locals off, do we?
So before we gear up.
Lets sit on the beach and think about what we need to do to have a great kitesurfing experience.
First we should get plenty of practice with a trainer kite, to perfect our kite flying skills.
Next, selecting the right size board is critical to your success. How do we do that, well each to their own.
If you don't get a board that is a good fit, you will keep losing it for sure.
They say the right board just fits like a glove.
The next step is to pump your kite up.
Once the kite is fully inflated, always check that the struts are fully inflated, no holes etc.
Once the kite is checked, get your friend to flip the kite over. It makes it easier to carry.
And maybe get them to take the kite down to the beach for you.
It's always best to have a friend keep an eye over your kite while your grabbing the rest of the gear.
You just never know if your in for a big blow.
Time to grab your control bar.
Walk downwind of your kite and find a nice clean bit of beach to lay your kite lines out.
Run your lines out along the beach.
Check the lines for any knots or tangles, this is very important.
Okay, everything looks good from this angle, now to grab our harness.
Make sure it's a good tight fit and is comfortable.
Ok, we have inflated the kite, run out our lines and attached them to the kite. Got our harness on, time to grab our board.
Launching the kite is very important. It is always safest to have a friend give you a hand.
Kites up, now lets move down to the water.
When first starting out from the beach it can be helpful to have a friend pass you your board.
Making a stylish departure from the beach will always grab attention.
Once on the water it's time to lay down some tricks and show em what your got.
Sometimes you know when your got it wrong!
But with some sheer determination and concentration......
You will be nailing those slick moves.
Remember, safety first so I always recommend that while you are out on the water have a friend watch over you from the beach.
After a long hard session on the water remember never let yourself get too cold, so always hit the beach and wrap yourself up warm.
Never get a case of the guilts, you know how it is. Your at the beach everyday working your kite surfing moves while your buddies are chasing careers, money, promotions (aka working overtime, stress, heart disease) and sometimes you wonder should I be doing the career thing?
Who would you rather be, this old kite-surfing dude with man boobs, a beer gut and a 20 something year old sweetie hanging off his beach towel or working your ass off in "your cubicle" for some boss for him to take the credit for your hard work?
Kite-surfing is all about personal freedom, great mates and long summer days at the beach. What more could you ask for? So why not try this fantastic sport, get some lessons, be safe and then rip hard into the sunset.
You know what its like, sitting on the beach while everyone else is on the water kiting their heart out.
When first starting out from the beach it can be helpful to have a friend pass you your board.
Who would you rather be, this old kite-surfing dude with man boobs, a beer gut and a 20 something year old sweetie hanging off his beach towel or working your ass off in "your cubicle" for some boss for him to take the credit for your hard work?
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