Kite Surfing! A fantastic new hobby to add to the ever growing list ;-)

After getting married on the 28th May 2016, Charlotte and I decided on a 2 week honeymoon to Mauritius at the beginning of July.

This was after many discussions about where to go, somewhere hot, somewhere with beaches, somewhere to relax etc. Importantly for me I also wanted somewhere I/we could do activities. Charlotte found Mauritius and it fitted the bill excellently. She proposed the idea to me by simply mentioning that it is one of the best places in the world to wind and kite surf – so obviously I was sold! Mauritius is one of the best places for wind and kite surfing in the world as the conditions are ideal with flat, shallow water as the island is surrounded by a lagoon, and great wind. This makes it ideal for beginners as well as more experienced kite surfers so of course I could not go to Mauritius and not learn how to kite surf! I’ve been wanting to learn to kite surf for years but could not justify the expense of taking lessons in the UK. It was far better value to take lessons in Mauritius and unlike the UK, you cannot complain about the conditions or the weather, and the scenery is just fantastic!

Windsurfing 15-4-14

Well I arrived at the club to find a fresh 15kts and a very low tide that was still dropping. Lots of friendly faces around and many of them were rigging up to head out on the water.

After rigging my gear up I headed to the changing rooms and when I emerged how the weather had changed…. The wind had dropped from the fresh 15kts down to 7 or so with a few fresh puffs coming through.

First race was set as a triangle and sausage course with one lap of each.
I had a reasonable start and made it to the windward bouy in around 6th place out of 8 boards that were out on the water.
Overall I finished 5th place after losing some ground on the run (as per usual).

Second race I missed.

Third race was a good one for me, fantastic start and pointing nice and high into the wind off the start line. Good speed and favorable tide close to the beach allowed me to grapple my way into 4rd place at the windward mark before being overtaken by Andy Gibson and caught up by Jenna Gibson. For the rest of the race a good battle was had between myself and Jenna which ultimately resulted in me having a better run (going out wide) than Jenna and I managed to pip Jenna to the finish line by around 4-5 board lengths and claim the 5th

The last race was uneventful and resulted in another 5th place for me.

 

Windsurfing Last Night

It is not just sailing that I enjoy doing out on the water, I also enjoy doing a bit of windsurfing and last night I was able to head out for the first time this year – much to the chagrin of my partner I might add 😛

A fairly warm evening welcomed me down at Hythe and Saltwood Sailing Club. A brisk 15 knots blowing from the west as I was rigging up my gear.

After not windsurfing since my last event (Bewl Water in November) I was keen to get out on the water. Sadly however I found that not all of my gear was present and accounted for in my storage slot at the club. My universal joint had gone AWOL. Kindly, Andy Gibson lent me a spare and off I went to get changed.