The British girls stole the show for the 2010 European Kitesurf Championship, the final event in Poland at the end of last month.
Swiss girl Celine Coullaud who has recently relocated to north Cornwall was crowned womens 2010 European Freestyle Champion, Flexifoil rider Johara Sykes-Davies took 2nd, closely followed by Nicky Rudd on Slingshot in 3rd.
The first ever European kitesurf Championship kicked off in Austria on Lake Neusiedler, back in early May, followed by stops in Holland, Germany, Switzerland, and Poland The tour has been immense, with great venues, plenty of varied conditions, and some insane riding.
Celine took the win in Austria, ahead of Johara in 2nd place. Unfortunately Nicky did not get off to the best start after her kite released in her second heat, and left her with a long swim to the judge boat!
Switzerland hosted the highest kitesurf event in the world at 1750m above sea level, on Lake Sliverplanna. Kiting on the lake with snow-capped mountains above was an incredible experience, and we couldn’t have hoped for better wind conditions.
Celine battled it out in a very close final against Anja Grzelinska, and took second place at her former home spot, followed by Nicky in 3rd who was hanging on to a 14m determined to be powered!
At the end of August we went to Poland for the final stop. After some interesting navigating we managed to get from Berlin to Swinoujscie, a name we will probably never be able to pronounce correctly.
Unfortunately there was not enough wind to run a double elimination. Johara had a good competition finishing in 4th and Celine and Nicky kept their overall rankings.
The Tour is hoping to have even more stops next year, it is a great stepping-stone between National and World level with a good number of girls competing, for more info on the European Tour check out www.kitesurftour.eu
Look forward to seeing you there next year.
Last Updated on Monday, 06 September 2010 16:35
Kiteival Barrow
BKSA Kiteival Round 2 Barrow
Sponsored by:
Event partners:
August 6th-8th
Location: Earnse Bay, Walney Island, Barrow, Cumbria Location Sponsor: Adventure Capital and ERDF Co-Event Sponsor: Deadman Clothing, North West Kitesurfing Tour Sponsors: Red Bull, Ion, Flexifoil, King of Watersports Disciplines: Kitesurf, Kitelandboard, Kitebuggy Freestyle and Kitesurf Course Racing
The BKSA came back to Barrow for the 4th year in the row.
The week leading up to the event was pretty windy and the forecast was not fantastic – however Walney for some reason always delivers!
Friday dawned with a strong cross off South Easterly with a lovely drizzle. The pros got on the water at 12pm with 9 meter kites, there were small kickers and some big moves going down with some spectacular wipe-outs. The rain slowly cleared however the wind then veered and dropped somewhat to a South Westerly direction – making the riding almost bang onshore. Riders were having to use larger kites most on 12 and 14 m – the most experienced riders showing there skills in the lighter winds
It was a battle in the men’s with Ned Taylor crashing out to a more consistent North West local Luke Whiteside while Ali Barratt showed everyone the skill he has with an amazing execution of landed tricks to take a well deserved 1st place .
Friday night and Gary from North West Kitesurfing did a fantastic BBQ for 150 people
Saturday and all other classes registered with most getting to compete by 11am for the racing 12pm for the freestyle and 12.30pm for the Landsports
Saturday afternoon saw kites of every colour pop up against the Lake District background in the steady increasing winds of up to 25 knots – what a sight
The racers on the water saw 21 riders compete head to head completing two laps over 8 races in one day – most riders could hardly walk at the end – it equates to almost 3 and half hours racing!! North Rep Callum Edge came out on top ahead of the Cornish duo of Denzil Williams and Lee Harvey.
The Land comp was a great site and drew a large crowd to watch at riders spun and looped there way over the hard pack sands of Earnse Bay.
The ladies showed great skills and bravery in the increasing winds – Karen Cartlidge took the win in the Buggy section while Pro Kitesurfer lady Sukie Robertson took the honours in the Landboarding
The Men’s buggy saw some huge moves go down and it was an all Flexifoil sponsored riders in the final. Craig Sparkes took the win ahead of Dave Roberts and last years champ Will Mckean in 3rd
The Men’s landboard saw some great kiteloops and board-offs. Ash Garwood was pulling all the stops out with some smooth stylish riding and so he look the win Steve Smith was going huge to take 2nd while Daniel Smith was managing to 1080 spins !
The Juniors saw three riders compete Greg Chilton competing in both water and land on the same kite taking the win ahead of Tom Ford and Robbie Shire Maidement
The Freestyle comp kicked off in a strengthen wind – with Lewis in the commentary box with some banging tunes from the Red Bull wagon – and some cheeky comments
There were some great riding in all fleets – however standouts had to be Marcus Hawkins who killed it in the Final of the amateur men – at 35 no mean feat – winning King of Watersports for biggest move of the weekend!
Sam Bull new to competition put on a consistent run of heats to win the Youths and Danielle Durrant with some gutsy riding winning the Amateur ladies
Richard Jones showed great skill and won ahead of Dave Williams on a 13m and an unlucky Daniel Vaughn who lost his kite in the final of the seniors.
Last up were the juniors – some riders missing due to international competitions lead to a small fleet however Robbie and Callum fought it out – Callum taking 1st and Robbie 2nd
Saturday night saw the Red bull bbq and a fairly late night!
Sunday dawned with light winds – lucky for some.
Owen Stringer race director was keen to run more races however there was insufficient winds to get going even on the race boards
Prize giving was done at 1pm in front of a huge crowd
Special thanks go out to Gary, Jill and family for all the efforts in hosting another fantastic event.
Five times world kitesurfing champion Aaron Hadlow was a welcome guest at the BKSA Hunstanton National Freestyle event, which took place at the weekend.
Even Hadlow could not influence Friday's weather on the north coast of Norfolk though, as the strong sunshine and still conditions meant no wind, but the day wasn't a total write-off, as the competitors watched the BMX and skateboarders going off
Many of the athletes have a skateboarding or BMX background, so an enjoyable day was had by all, despite the unsuitable climatic conditions.
Saturday dawned with more competitors registering for the event, taking the total to 50. The wind was light form the South West however slowly built which enabled the juniors and Amateur Ladies to be run.
Blue Peter were on hand with a 5 strong film crew for there second day of filming the Bridge boys compete with presenter Andy on hand. All the moves were being thrown down to impress the cameras – Tom coming in first ahead of brother guy and Callum Asquith in 3rd.
We just got the Amateur Ladies heat re-run after the wind died once all ready – the standard here has soared as did the temperatures to almost 35 degrees as the wind totally switched off ! The evening was finished off with a setting sun and some great bands playing on the Hunstanton seafront.
Sunday began very windy much to everyone’s surprise and it was a 9.30 start for the Pro Men’s which was fierce – early standouts were Luke Whiteside and Ned Taylor – however it was a consistent Lewis Wilby who made it into the final with Ned and Oli Sweeney . The conditions were choppy and Oli stomped home most of his tricks to take the lead over the other two in the final to take the win.
Next up were the ladies- British #1 Hannah Whiteley showed her dominance of the field again taking the win ahead of the much improved Nicky Rudd and Holly Kennedy – think it will be a close season this year.
The Amateur men were next up with a mixture of ages from 20 – 35. and local riders Simon Light and Jordan Smith were showing good form on their local patch however it was new boy Xan Woods who took the win.
Last up was a mixture of heats in the Seniors and Youths however the wind was starting to die off as it switched to the West and kept coming and going – this left the final results in both fleets as 1st equals for the top 4 riders.
Prize giving was held at 6pm and then everyone said there goodbyes and headed home except for a few who stayed to watch the World Cup Finals! Results
Pro Men- 1- Oli Sweeney 2- Ned Taylor 3- Lewis Wilby
So that’s it the First Edge race cup is finished and it was a great weekend. The racing kicked off on saturday under overcast skies and light Ne Breezes, after registration the competitors moved down to the main event site on the beach in Exmouth.
The wind took a bit of time to settle in so Beach volley ball contest was started which everyone enjoyed followed by a fiercely contested paddleboard race. Emerging through the rounds to the final were Callum Edge, Lee Pasty and local boy George Shoulder. In a dramatic final race in an ever strengthening tidal flow the lead changed hands regularly with Lee just edging it from Callum with George close behind.
At about 3pm the wind had increased just enough and combined with an outgoing tide there was enough power to get the race boards out for the first race. The trend for the racing was set early with Oliver Bridge (12 years) leading around the windward mark followed by Denzil Williams and Callum Edge. Unfortunately Oliver hadn’t concentrated hard enough at the briefing and probably not expecting to be leading headed off to the wrong 2nd Mark! Denzil the wiley old fox wasnt to be suckered into this error and went on to to win the race from a late charging Callum with Oliver and Jason McCaffrery on their heels.
Unfortunately that was it for day one except for the sail loft party which was a great night with fantastic weather and good company.
Sunday dawned with a bit too much NE gradient for the organisers to be that confident of their good sea breeze predictions however at about 11.30 the wind switched on shore and all looked set for a good day. Once the tide turned all was set for some racing. The new generation course racing boards were havin a ball in these marginal 8 -10 knots of wind. With flat out full power racing up and down wind when the twin tips couldn’t get off the beach!
Racing was tight with Steph and Denzil battling it out at the front of the fleet with Denzil having a slight edge upwind and Steph going quicker downwind. They split the races 2 each with Callum and Oliver never far Behind. By about 3pm the wind had increased enough for the directionals and twin tips to join the fray and the long distance blasting races were started. The course was a long figure of eight slalom course making the most of the wind against tide conditions.
In these increased power conditions it was cornish beef in the form of Lee Pasty that took line honours from Oliver in second. In the twin tip class Big Nigel Haworth was ruling and took a deserved bullet with local Doc Debenham wining the surfboard class.
There was just enough time for one last course race dominated and won by a very happy Oliver Bridge getting his first race win from Denzil in second with Nigel winning the twin tips.
It was all over and a great time had by all. A few things learnt and everyone looking forward to next year.
Results :
Race board category
1st Denzil Williams (Fone)
2nd Oliver Bridge (North)
3rd Callum Edge (North)
Twintips 1st Nigel Haworth
Directionals 1st Tom Debenham
Long Distance 1st Lee Pasty
Thanks to everyone that supported the event including: BKSA, Flexifoil, North Kiteboarding, Da Kine, Excel Wetsuits , West Wetsuits
Last Updated on Monday, 12 July 2010 15:14
HMS Kent is coming to MarineEx!
We are delighted to report that the Royal Navy will be sending the Type 23 frigate HMS Kent for the duration of MarineEx 2010.
The ship will be berthed in Portland Port and will only be open to MarineEx visitors. Due to current circumstances, a courtesy coach will be available to transport our visitors to the port where they will be escorted to the ship.
Ian Ferguson of Weyline 777777 Taxis is thanked for providing the coach and running a shuttle service to and from the show site . The coach will seat 16 which is the ideal number for the navy to take around the ship in a single group.
The service will commence at 10am and the last coach to Portland will leave at 3pm. This will allow around 1.5 hours for a tour of the ship. At 5pm a special 'Spectacular” event is being planned and more information on this will be announced shortly.
John Moyce of Osprey Marketing, who are the organisers of MarineEx 2010, said ” The Royal Navy and Portland Port are thanked for making this happen. It is rare that one has the chance of seeing a modern warship at close quarters and who knows when there will be another opportunity'.
This is the fourth year of the MarineEx show which has gained tremendous additional publicity since it was decided to enlarge the show by moving the venue to Osprey Quay. It now becomes the feature event for the first weekend of Weymouth & Portland’s Maritime Festival known as 'Spirit of The Sea’. There are over 50 exhibitors booked in to date and that number s increasing daily along with continuing interest from potential exhibitors and attractions. By moving the show to Osprey Quay we have been able to give our exhibitors more space both on shore and on the water.
There are still some sponsorship opportunities available for which we are interested in discussing with businesses.
The show will open at 10am on Saturday 3rd July with an official closing time of 6pm although some exhibitors will stay open longer. On Sunday 4th the show will again open at 10am but close at 5pm.
For more information on MarineEx2010 please visit www.wpmd.co.uk or telephone John Moyce on 01305 823586
Kite Surf Irish Sea
The challenge is still on: July / August 2010
During Autumn 2009 we had to postpone many times and eventually cancel the 90mile kite surf crossing from Northern Ireland to Cumbria. A disappointing run of weather continued until daylight hours became yet another issue to contend with.
Whilst the excessive winds and waves were to thwart the crossing attempts, the team used the conditions extensively to train and test themselves and equipment regularly completing coastal trips of 40 plus miles in very mixed conditions.
The fantastic winter conditions have kept the riders busy and fit snow kiting around the Lake District and Pennines in what is normally a quiet time of year from a kite surfer’s perspective.
Now the team are gearing up to complete the crossing this year. We have set aside the inclusive dates of 14th-28th of July as our first window and then 7th-22nd of August in case the weather isn’t favourable during the July dates. As well as completing the adventure participants are also looking forward to honouring their commitments to all their sponsors and supporters.
Many thanks to you all.
Any publicity on the crossing would be much appreciated and or more details on any aspect of the crossing call Fraser Dooley, on 016973 71087 or 07803 264942 or
email:
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.
More details of the crossing including training photos, sponsors links, ‘just giving’ links and the new promotional video by WrightWalker Productions can be found at http://kitesurfirishsea.co.uk
Edge Race Event
THE EDGE RACE CUP
Exmouth is the place to be over 19th & 20th June 2010.
Organised by Edge Watersports THE EDGE RACE CUP includes Twin tip, Directional & Race Board category's plus a long distance race on Sunday. Exmouth has a thriving kitesurfing community and lots of success full local racers including multiple world champion Steph Bridge. Kitesurfing racing is an expanding part of our sport. Its ability to run in really light conditions (from 6 knots wind speed) and its high speed exciting and colourful nature are making it a serious contender for a slot in the 2016 Olympics.
Registration is £20 if done before or £25 on the day.
Goodie bag for everyone and loads of decent prizes to be won in the categories. The aim is to make it accessible for all kiters & encourage racing regionally. Saturday Night beach Party at the Boat Shed with BBQ , Band & drinks- £10
Race director- 'Spud Rowsell' (steph's dad) will create some awesome courses while rescue cover & beach support will be provided by Edgewatersports & Colin
Super saturated are covering the event & a helicopter is also planned for some footage.
For more info on accommodation, entry forms and coverage please contact;
Steph /Eric (01395) 222551 or 07887882866
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 May 2010 17:04
Redcar Kiteival 2010 Event Report
May 21st-23rd
The BKSA race team made the long drive north on the Thursday to what would be a sunny and hot Redcar in the Tees Valley.
The forecast could not look any worse for a windsports event – however we were confident that due to the temperature difference between land and sea that a sea breeze would come in and the event would go ahead.
The riders that made the effort to come were indeed rewarded with wind on every day!
Friday it was the turn of the Pro Ladies who managed to get a heat run – however it was too light to run the Pro Men’s.
It was a fired up Scot, Holly Kennedy, who took the win against last year's winner Hannah Whiteley and new Pro Lady Sukie Robinson.
The Red Bull BBQ started at 7pm with everyone coming off the water to freshly cooked burgers, a setting sun and sounds ringing out of the Red Bull DJ Truck.
Saturday, all the other fleets of Kitesurfing and Landkiting arrived and registered.
The day kicked off with the wind doing a complete 180 shift and sea breezing.
The Racers took to the water and awed the crowds with this relatively new discipline, completing 4 races on 14 and 16m kites – Jason McCaffery won race 1, World Champion Steph Bridge won race 2 however it was North / Ion Rep Callum Edge who bagged the last two races to put him in the lead at the end of the first day of racing.
On the land side the Freestyle Kitelandboard and Buggies were making the best of the sea breezes and pulling out all the stops – at one time a bank of 15 photographers were clicking away. Race Director Pete Shaw had this to say – “It was the busiest event with the largest crowds and photographers we have ever seen – a fantastic showcase for the sport”.
The Landboarders showed their skills to the max. Greg Chilton won the juniors ahead of kitesurfer Robbie Shire Maidment. The Mens saw 6ft tall Jack Elston kite his way to an impressive win ahead of Steve Smith and Ash Garwood.
The Buggiers saw last years winner Will McKean pushed into 2nd behind an on form and fully recovered Craig Sparks. In 3rd place and also winning the best Big Trick “King of Watersports” was newcomer Adam Toms.
The Sea breeze slowly dropped off and everyone went over to O’Gradys Irish bar for a buffet meal and a fun evening of entertainment.
Sunday dawned hot with a Northerly wind however it was not long before the wind did a complete 180 degree shift to the South and the sea breeze kicked in enough for the course racers to do another race. This lead to Steph Bridge taking the win with Jason McCaffery and Callum Edge having a near tangle at the start of the race. The World Champ could not be caught!
The Freestyle Kitesurfing event almost got underway with the Juniors taking to the water. However, as soon as the first heat started the wind backed down and died away.
Prizegiving was at 3.30pm with Prizes being handed out by Lynne from EDF.
Thanks to our sponsors: EDF, One North East, Visit Tees Valley and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council for supporting the event.
Tour Sponsors: Ion, King of Watersports, Deadman, Flexifoil, Red Bull.
The BKSA are proud to announce that its Kiteival Festival events are supported and sponsored by two leading wind power and renewable energy companies.
Redcar Kiteival is sponsored by EDF, while Centrica are sponsoring Hunstanton, Barrow and Blackpool. The BKSA would like to take this opportunity to thank both companies for their support.
The sports displayed at the events harness the power of the wind with the kites pulling riders on the water and the land to enable them to perform amazing tricks.
There will be Kitelandboarding and Kitebuggy Freestyle which sees riders display aerial tricks on their four wheeled boards and three wheeled buggies, whilst on the water spectators can see Freestyle Kitesurfing and Course Racing Kitesurfing. All of the competition classes run at the same time and are free to watch.
Flexifoil kites will be at all of the Kiteival events teaching school children and members of the public about harnessing the power of the wind with a Powerkite in free 'have a go' sessions.
These partnerships with EDF and Centrica help to demonstrate how we can harness natural energies around us to convert them into clean power sources.
The BKSA kicked off the new season with a return to Watergate Bay for round 1 of the National Course Racing Championships and Wave Jam.
The competitors were greeted with an abundance of sunshine however little wind or even surf!
However the new course boards do not require a lot of breeze to get going and on Friday a race was almost started before the wind decided to vanish with a great many competitors being picked up by the safety crew on boats and Jet skis.
Saturday dawned with a light North Easterly slowly building and swinging to the North to provide 10-12 knots
Two races were held back to back which saw the guys on the specialist kit take the lead with ease. Racers had to complete two laps of a triangle course which took approx 20 minutes for the top finisher the rest of the fleet had 15minutes to complete the course
Up at the top of the fleet were Jason Mc Cafferry, Denzil Williams and Lee Harvey using longer line sets of up to 40 metres.
Race 1 saw Denzil Williams reigning British Champion 2008 and 2009 from Cornwall hit the finish line first with a great lead and showed he was the man to beat
Race 2 Jason McCaffery managed to beat Denzil by only half a board’s length on the final leg of the second race with Lee Harvey unfourtunaty coming in out of time
Other notable efforts were from IKitesurf mags editor Rou Chater from Kent and Martyn Carter from Weymouth on stock production equipment
Saturday night saw a party at the Extreme Academy with a few fireworks to round the evening off
Sunday had a forecast for light Northerly which did come up however not enough to race
The wind and waves did appear for a Wave Jam
Prize giving was held at 3.30 pm
As per the rules the winner of Race 2 in an event of a tie was awarded the win
Final standings
1- Jason McCaffery- Cabrinha
2- Denzil Williams – F-One/ Escape
3- Lee Harvey- North Kiteboarding
Thanks to Alison, Carl, Claire and Judi of the Extreme Academy
Race Crew Owen, Colin, the two Chris’s, Craig Sawyer and Joe Cockle
Also to Kite Kwik for prizes
Last Updated on Monday, 26 April 2010 10:32
End of Year Results 09
BKSA end of year results 2009
All land events and course racing were best of 3 rounds All Freestyle Kitesurfing were best 5 results of 6 rounds
All results will be updated shortly and be available on www.kiteival.com
Next years events will be published Jan 2010
Last Updated on Friday, 12 February 2010 16:39
Redcar Finals
Redcar
Dates – 8-11th October 2009
Sponsors – EDF Renewables, Redcar and Cleveland Council
Tour Sponsors- North, Flexifoil, Red Bull, Buff, Deadman, Alan Radios, King of Watersports
The final round of the BKSA Kiteival at Redcar was the last event of the year.
Over 100 competitors registered for the event on the stunning beach in the Tees Valley.
Thursday kicked off with light Westerly winds; however things soon picked up and the Pros hit the water for the Freestyle.
The Wind hit 20 knots and competitors were on 10 metre kites
The Pro Ladies managed to get all their heats done with tour leader Hannah Whiteley taking the win ahead of Helen Thompson and Nicky Rudd
However with a veering and dropping wind the three Pro Men were unable to complete their final – which was extremely disappointed for all concerned
Friday the wind forecast from the SE remained light however the course racers managed to get out in-between the 12-foot waves!The racing was hard and fast Denzil Williams showing how to do it most of the way however crashing yards from the finish line, letting Andy Gratwick take the win. However Denzil fought back and took the second race.
The Freestyle Kitesurfers were unable to compete due to the light winds however the Freestyle Kitelandboards and Kitebuggys took to the hard sand’s to strut their moves in a difficult wind
The Juniors, Ladies Kitelandboard and Ladies Kitebuggy managed to complete full rounds until the comp was called off due to a dying wind.
Saturday saw no wind at all with a good swell – a few going surfing and tow in on the jest skis. Saturday night everyone glammed up for the end of season prize giving – which ended in a very late night!
Sunday the wind was back up to blow the cobwebs away
The Kitesurfer freestylers went out to please the crowds with a “ please the crowd “ judging criteria. The moves were a mix of old school v new school and everyone had fun, taking the win was Ali Barrett with some lovely can cans and board offs!
The Kitelandboard and Kitebuggy guys had two hours for a Best trick comp the winners being:
- Buggy: Dave 'Stupid' Roberts, with a seriously powered 1080 kite-loop - Landboard: Kris 'Floyd' Beech, with a 25ft, fast and super smooth 1080 slapdown
Winner of the King of Watersports Sector nine was kitesurfer Oli Sweeney
That rounded a big weekend and all the competitors headed back to the 4 corners of the UK
Thanks to every one of the season sponsors, competitors, parents, race crew, media and safety.
See you next year dates out in January 2010.
Pro Kitesurfing
Men’s 1= Ned Taylor, Sam Light and Ali Barrett
Ladies
1 Hannah Whiteley
2 Helen Thompson
3 Nicky Rudd
Kitebuggy Freestyle Ladies
1 Karen Cartlidge
2 Nicola Hammond
3 Sukie Robertson
Kitelandboard Juniors
1 Greg Chilton
2 Ted Polkey
3 Sam Lawman
Kitelandboard Ladies
1 Sukie Robertson
2 Karen Cartlidge
Last Updated on Friday, 12 February 2010 16:52
Kiteworld # 41
ISSUE #41 – CONTRACTS AND SHOOTINGS
For a year or so, when the bridled kite revolution was kicking in, there were a few questionable design directions and styles on the loose, but on the whole, they did make the learning experience easier. Now it seems brands have really been able to put their fingers on what a kite should be able to do and to make it behave accordingly in order to push this sport forward. More and more often it seems like it's supposed to do everything for everyone.
Kiteworld went to Mauritius for the F-One dealer meeting recently to try out the new Bandit Three kite. It's got so much C shape to it that you'd think we'd moved backwards, not forwards. A world away from traditional C kites it is though, with astounding all-round performance, handling, wind range and ease-of-use. Many manufacturers' offerings this year will be the same, and won't it be fantastic when we all need just one kite for all conditions and riding styles. Simplicity has been lacking for a long time.
The pressure is on more and more for manufacturers to meet production deadlines and get these kites out into a market already flooded with good equipment.
So how do you make your product stand out? You make your team riders work for their living and get a shit hot snapper and film team to take sizzling images of them shredding their heads off on the gear.
Sexy action images sell. This issue we let the seduction begin.
We've also got our second major interview with Martin Vari on his return to the industry, this time pulling the strings behind the scenes as the namesake of Vari kites.
Think the property market is fingered? Not in La Ventana, Baja it's not. In our Getting Shacked series looking at warm, windy places to set up camp, this issue we look at a property that two kiters have developed in this kiting hotspot for a fraction of what it would cost elsewhere.
We teach you the keywords that will help you learn your next trick, we divulge the secrets to the front roll to toe-side, the front roll-to-blind and the Hasselhoff in the Motor Drive Project and on test are the: Vari Condor One 9m, JN Mr Fantastic 10m, Gin Nazca 2 15m, Ozone Instinct Light XC 8m, F-One Revolt 9m, Wainman Blunt 135, Flysurfer Flydoor Medium as well as a depowerable pulley bar from Southwind.
We also remember one the best shapers that the industry has ever had, Colin McCulloch - a man with a real love for the water who always wore his heart on his sleeve. He will be sadly missed. Those who worked closely with him and knew him best share some of their best memories of the man behind Lost Cause and most of the Airush board range over the last six years.
-- Jim Gaunt Editor Kiteworld Magazine www.kiteworldmag.com
Sponsors- Fraserburgh Business Association, Aberdeenshire Council, Ozone, Synergy Kitesports, Deadman, King of Watersports, Granite Reef, French Fish Exports
Twenty competitors trekked to the north eastern town of Fraserburgh in Scotland for the BKSA Wavemasters 2009
The forecast was looking epic for the week and current 2007 and 2008 champ Will Bennett was there to defend his two year title.
Wednesday dawned with registration from 9-10 am followed by a Riders briefing.
The wind was light however picked up gradually during the day with a nice 4 ft swell – blowing crosshore from the left giving port tack conditions
Riders had 10 mins to be scored on their 2 best waves – scored out of 10 for Size, length of ride, turns, power, style and how close you are to the critical breaking part of the wave. It had been decided to run as many rounds as possible.
The comp started at the “Waters of Philorth “ in Fraserburgh bay with the ladies; Helen Thompson excelled in the difficult conditions on her Naish Surfboard, also competing were local organiser Maggie Cleeve and Ali Hendry – Helen took the win ahead of Maggie
Next up were the seniors, French rider Sebastian Harinkouck surprised everyone by competiting on a twin tip – however he ripped on it. Local rider Richard Wiseman put in a good fight to almost make it to the final however Martin Coulthurst from Blackpool pipped him to the final
The final had Paul Stebbing on his Naish quad fin take the win ahead of Martin and Sebastian
The Men then took to the water with a mix bag of styles and kit – strapped surfboards, unstrapped, bow kites, deltas and 5 line C’s. There were some big names and the riding was world-class.
The Losers final Dave Ibbertson was ripping on his 10m Vegas and 5”9 Kontact laying down some great powered bottom and top turns, however it was Neal Gent who had worked his way up through the loser heats to make it into the final with some great strapped riding.
The final saw ex pro surfer Richard Sills take to the water in an increasing wind and fading light all riders were on 7m kites- against Will Bennett and Neal Gent. Richard and Will were riding strapless with great style both breaking out with tail slides and big off the lips – however it was Will with his long rides who took the win ahead of Richard and Neal.
Thursday and the waves were up even more – it was decided to start at the town end – with the wind cross off and with 6 ft waves good enough to surf – the wind was lighter with most riders on 10 , 11 meter kites
The pro men were first up with a world class display – notable standouts in the first round were Lee Harvey who was excelling in the light conditions with great wave selection. Will Bennett and Neal Gent ended up in the semi final – however it was Will who just slipped into the final – it was a close call.
The final saw Lee, Richard and Will display some excellent strapless waveriding in an increasing swell – Lee took the wind with Will in second – Will had a smile from ear to ear!
There was a short break while we all got treated to freshly caught fish and chips courtesy of fellow competitor Richard Wiseman – fantastic thanks !
The seniors were up next however the wind was not great – 3 heats were run and then the comp was then called off for the day
Thursday night saw a pub Quiz which saw Team Synergy take the win.
Friday saw no wind – everyone went surfing in the 4ft swell
Friday night saw bowling with Neal Gent showing his skill in the lane to take the highest scores.
Saturday an early start at 9.30 am – however riders were late to the beach so the first heats did not start till 10.30 am – everyone was on 5, 6 or 7m kites with cross offshore port tack on the 2 ft waves.
3 heats were run until the wind went off the scale – we waited an hour however it kept increasing topping out at near on 50 knots!
We packed up and all headed to the Tufted Duck for a BBQ
Sunday briefing was 8.30 am with the senior finals taking place at the town beach end in cross off 30 knots a little less than the 50 of the day before.
Paul Stebbings made it again into the final through the loser bracket to meet Sebastian and Martin. However it was all over for Martin in the first minute as his kite went down It was then a battle between Paul and Sebastian with two different styles Quad fin versus twin tip. The wave were peaking at 12 ft and a great show was put on – however it was Paul with his wave selection and great ripping style that gave him the win .
The ladies were next out with Helen Thompson from Tiree showing her skills in the waves ahead of Ali Hendry and Maggie Cleeve – well done girls.
The Swell was increasing by the minute and the judging vehicles were taken further back as we were not sure how far the big swell would come in. The faces were double to triple overhead! Everyone gave it their best shot – quite a few kites went through the rinse machine – however surprisingly all survived – giving testimant to how strong kites now are.
The wind started off strong riders were using 5-7 m however as the morning went on kites got bigger. Dave Ibbertson was ripping like a man possessed on his 10m while Neal Gent was on his 5m!
The big upset was Will Bennett not making it to the final being stopped by Dave Ibbertson.
It was now up to Richard Sills to win to take the British title – however Lee Pasty and Dave Ibbertson were both on fire ; Richard although getting a storming first wave was unable to find another high scoring wave in the 10 minute heat – dashing his hopes .
All riders gathered on the beach and the winners announced Dave Ibbertson took the win ahead of Lee Pasty and Richard Sills
Prize giving was held at 3pm
Thanks to all the sponsors, race crew, judges, organisers, riders and the weather gods for delivering the epic conditions
Also to the Adventure Show – wait till you see this – 40 mins in Nov of the Wavemasters
And Hoverflyphotography.
Overall Results – British Champions 2009
Men
1 Will Bennett 2 Richard Sills 3 Lee Harvey 4 Dave Ibbertson 5 Neal Gent 6 John Ellman Brown 7 George Noble 8 Gareth Morgan 9 Chris Simpson
Ladies
1 Helen Thompson 2 Maggie Cleeve 3 Ali Hendry
Seniors
1 Paul Stebbings 2 Martin Coulthurst 3 Sebastian Harinkouck 4 Richard Wiseman 5 Richard Gowers 6 Jason McCaffery 7 Phil Clarkson
last month. 
Entry Form
still conditions meant no wind, but the day wasn't a total write-off, as the competitors watched the BMX and skateboarders going off
early standouts were Luke Whiteside and Ned Taylor – however it was a consistent Lewis Wilby who made it into the final with Ned and Oli Sweeney . The conditions were choppy and Oli stomped home most of his tricks to take the lead over the other two in the final to take the win.
overcast skies and light Ne Breezes, after registration the competitors moved down to the main event site on the beach in Exmouth.
and Steph going quicker downwind. They split the races 2 each with Callum and Oliver never far Behind. By about 3pm the wind had increased enough for the directionals and twin tips to join the fray and the long distance blasting races were started. The course was a long figure of eight slalom course making the most of the wind against tide conditions.
