As the month of August rolled around, time came for the Bin Hai Chinese invitational Kitesurfing event.

Just like last year, the event seemed to gather momentum very late, and with 3 weeks to go, I received confirmation that the event would take place.

Again I would represent South Africa at this invitational event hosted by the provincial Government of the Shandong province.

I knew what to expect as I attended last year’s event. Not much wind, a huge opening and closing function and a big party…

So I got the boys at Peter Lynn Kiteboarding to send me the Charger 19 so i would be able to deal with almost any wind. (I had the 12 and 10 with me)

And as expected, the party was crazy, and the opening and closing functions of mega proportions… but, one thing was different, the wind blew!

On the 1st day it came up suddenly out of nowhere, I was ready to launch with the 19 for the race, but then decided to launch the 10, I was slightly under powered, so settled on the 12.

The Beginning of the race was rather cahottic, it took a good hour to get everyone ready, then there was a false start. By the time we were ready to do a re start, the wind dropped.

So we went back to the hotel, late night jamming sessions in the lobby…

The next day, early morning reported wind was up.

As we got to the contest area, I rigged up the 19 for the race. The wind was rising, but I thought rather over powered than under. The start was again chaotic with some of the chinese riders taking some risks… I started badly having to do some serious stunt flying to avoid collision… Started at the back but made up ground…

Finished somewhere in the middle. The 19 behaved well. Not the size kite I’m used to!

Then onto freestyle.

6 elimination heats of 6 people, top 2 go through to semis. I almost didn’t enter as freestyle is not really my thing. But the judges wanted a show… So i thought I’d go and do some big loops…

I rigged up the 12 (The wind had come up some more by now) and went out in the 6th heat.

To my absolute amazement, I came second and proceeded to the semi finals

Somehow the wind gods were on my side, I landed all my tricks… Started with a big kite loop and a dead man which impressed the crowds and obviously the judges…

So it was with some disbelief that I took part in the semi finals.

The wind dropped a bit, but also the level of kiting had become beyond my reach. Guys like Eli Zarka were pulling some serious moves.

He ended up taking first place in the final.

We then had a free sessions in a nearby lagoon with awesome flat water. Was great to see all the riders pros and non having fun and boosting serious moves. Nice to see all those smiles all around.

The last day the wind was off shore and light, and with a pending flight, I thought it best not to get my gear wet.

What a fun time with a great bunch of guys and girls. now I need to catch up on some sleep.

Till the next trip…

Ced

I know, you wondering why I would write such a title.

Well this is the story… Test day for Peter Lynn kite Chargers in Tuscany. On the 15th of august… Public holiday when all italians go mad. The beaches get full, the stomachs get full and the wind doesn’t blow much… Hence the presence of a Charger 19 on the Italian beaches and the hope for some wind.

I had arrived the day before in Vada to meet up with Roberto, the Italian team rider. This happened under the pouring rain and no wind. Kiting looked dismal. At 5 pm the rain stopped and we went down to the famed, ‘White beaches’.

If you have never been to Italy, you need to know that along the Tyrrehnian sea, the beaches are dark because of the past volcanic activity. These beaches are white due to the presence of this…

This factory has been dumping Bicarbonate into the water for decades, the result is tropical white lookalike beaches when the sea is flat. However when the waves pick up, the bottom gets moved around and the layers of Bicarbonate mix in the water, result…. Milk.

Before the waves picked up on the first evening, the wind picked up… giving us (Amazingly enough, the few kiters on the 14th of August) a really cool session in clean water (or maybe the sun was too low). We started with the Charger 19, but soon enough, we jumped on the Charger 12 and had a whole lot of fun. I think someone took pictures, and I will add them to the post once I get my hands on them. We then rushed off to an amazing pasta at Dario and Cecilia’s place. The tuscan food is something else!

However the next day, the waves had picked up and the wind was dropping… and the water was  milky  (They say it’s safe… but I’m not totally sure…) So I let everyone else have a go…

Thank you To Dario and Cecilia of Blue Reef Kite shop for putting us up. Dario is a top guy knowledgable about kites of all kinds which is not always the case in this industry. I hope his shop and school grows from strength to strength. I also hope to be able to welcome both him and Roberto to Cannon Rocks for a little African adventure.

Thanks for the hospitality guys.

Update, here is a link to a video posted by Dario … THANKS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njf8ckGxZxc

A presto

Ced