Relentlessly Windy

Well it seems that October and November have just been off the scale in terms of wind and waves. We’ve had day in and day out of 20+ knots often hitting 35 knots and above! It has been crazy. I’ve got to be honest no matter how much I love the UK there just aren’t many days on the trot f wind, wind and more wind. Until now. It is a rare time when you can say ‘today Im tired of kitesurfing’. This passed couple of months Ive caught myself feeling that way twice! It has been phenomenal.



(Heading out in 40knots at Bigbury)

Pretty much the only kites out of the bag lately have been my 6m Torch and 7m Helix. However there was one day last week where we were lucky enough to be basked in sunshine and 10m weather. The waves were well over head high and the 5’7” Custom Global Naish waveboard came out to play.



(Neal Gent test rider for Kiteworld joining us a for a powered up small kite session)

With such a lot of wind this season there has been a lot of time to mix and match my riding. My wave riding is improving a lot while my freestyle although not going downhill has had to be put on the back burner a little. Its pretty tough to motivate yourself to keep working on unhooked tricks in this wind, so although I have been keeping my feet in and my level up I have been spending much more time on the wave board.



(Nailing some freestyle in 40knots... or was it getting nailed in 40 knots?? One of the two!)

This year I have two most memorable sessions which leave me talking endlessly for days about this one wave, or the sun setting and still riding or having my kite fully powered while making a blind judge. These days are a Tuesday in August and a Sunday earlier this month. Ive ranted about Tuesday enough and with Sunday being more recent I feel that I need to unleash about this epic day.



(The view down towards The Bluff in Cornwall)

I headed down to Cornwall for a 17ft swell forecast on Magic Seaweed. It was a Northerly wind of 30mph and wall to wall sunshine. Not bad for a Autumn day in the UK. I set off with Dan Parkinson a local RRD rider from Bigbury and Bantham and rocked up to Gwithian to watch monster size waves pulling through and endless white caps behind that. Not a soul in sight. It was a day to remember for sure. Together we walked down the beach with our smallest kites on our backs, wave boards tucked under our arms... And for me the die hard freestlyer just dabbling with the wave riding the twin tip as well.

We walked in an excited, perhaps slightly nervous silence and said to ourselves that we would play around on the inside for 20 minutes just to say we had been out. The waves were enormous pitching up fast and then menacingly breaking in one big frieght train like manner. Being caught in the wrong spot at the wrong time was definately not on our list of priorities especially considering the water rips out and just when you think you are out of the thick of it – it has only just really begun. So we pumped up.



(Testing the conditions in Bigbury)

Riding out on the first few runs gave us an insight to their real size. Standing tall Dan could reach his arm high and the wave would still be above that. Its was two times over head at least, but at times even bigger. Once on the water your nerves calm a little as you tentaively work out the timing. There was plenty of chicken gybing going on as you made it passed one wave but could see another peaking just behind that and another just behind that, but once you made it out back you were safe. This day was just phenomenal. I did ride some of these waves as the day went on, but to be fair I just spent a lot of time hugging in close to them as the peaked behind me. I would watch them form just yards from them and then let them break with the white water crashing up on my heels, back, shoulders... But just far enough ahead to keep myself away from a major munching.




(This photo courtesy of www.expix.co.uk)

Dan spent the entire day on his strapless surfboard and for a while I watch from the beach in wonderment. Every crashing wave dwarfing Dan, but it wasn’t long before i headed out strapless to. I have to confess Im not quite up to this level yet and spent a good half an hour or so trying. I made it out the back with good timing on two occasions, but far too often found myself caught on the inside and once I felt my heart beating enough I grabbed the twin tip on which I feel most comfortable with.

Dan and I could not tare ourselves off the water on this Sunday. We rode from mid morning until after sunset with just half an hour break to knock back a drink and a sandwich. It was truely one of those epics that will never be forgotten and one that we will look out for in the furture. This is kitesurfing in the UK at its finest and more to come.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. They are taken by Scot Baston whose website is currently being developed. For more of his awesome images you can check out his Flickr page. Thank you Scot

Bigbury and Bantham - Autumn Low Pressures!!

After a spell of no wind it seems as though the Autumn low pressures have kicked into the UK. With warm seas and fairly warm air temperatures its still all good to wear a 3mm wetsuit down here on the south coast. In 9 days I kitesurfed 7 of them on mostly on my 6m, but a couple of days on the 10m to. Bigbury and Bantham provide a range of conditions depending on the tide and it has perfect flat water in between little kickers on higher tides and waves when the tide is a bit further out.



(Photo thanks to: Julie Morrish)

I have been mixing up the riding such a lot and generally spending 50% of my time on the twin tip and 50% of the time on my 5’7” Custom Global Naish waveboard. Its my pride and joy because being known as a freestyler its not exactly on the top of Naish’s priorities to send me a waveboard, so when it finally turned up on my doorstep a couple of months ago after longer then 1 year in waiting it really is my most treasured item in my Naish collection.



(Photo thanks to Scot Baston)

Having both wave riding to work on as well as freestyle and living at a beach that lends itself to both conditions I have to be sure to throw in the Van some good snackage to keep me going for the day. I’ll spend an hour or two on the twin tip, come in for my surfboard for an hour then be in dire need of some sustenance. Stocking up on the chocolate muffins for around 30 mins and a hot drink Im ready again and once more the surfboard comes out for another hour before a final session on the twin tip. Its brilliant. I love the kiting so much lately and its a fair day in the UK to be able to say – today I NEED a day off which I found myself saying down at Marazion in Cornwall last week. However, Im sat here 4 days or so later and chomping at the bit for round two of the Autumn low pressures which gladly begins tomorrow.

During this windy time last week I was lucky to meet some photographers on the beach and kindly Julie Morrish of http://www.juliemorrish-photography.co.uk/ took some pictures in the beautiful Autumn sunshine. It seems like this is the season of photos and via the South Devon forum I was led to the link of Scot Baston. Scots photos were brilliant and tomorrow he is coming to the beach for a westerly strong wind, some sun if we are lucky, swell and RRD riders Neal Gent and Dan Parkinson. Watch this space for some of the great shots and should luck be on our side then perhaps a spot guide to Bigbury in Kiteworld magazine or Kitesurf UK next issue! Fingers crossed!!

Jo

The Philippines Kitesurfing Coaching Trip

There has been a date change to the below trip. It will now be running from January 21st - January 27th 2010 NOT 19th - 25th January 2010.

Kit for Sale

14m Naish Torch 2009 for sale brand new complete with bar and lines and 132cm Naish Thorn 2010. Extremely good condition because only used 5 times. Open to offers

Jo Wilson Coaching - Cornish Kitesurfing Exploration 2009

I have just got back from a fantastic week coaching freestyle on a residential course down in Cornwall. We scored great conditions and almost wall-to-wall sunshine and come the end of the week we all tootled back to our homes muscles aching, mind refreshed and happy that we had maximised the hours of the day and time spent on the water.



(The crew)

There were 5 people on the course plus myself and we rented out The Surf Sanctuary in Newquay where we could make ourselves at home and have full use of the house. We scored wind on 5 days out of the 7 but were fully on the case to choose the best location for the day in order to have powered sessions. With the highest of local knowledge from both Mobius Kite school and Dom Moore of The Surf Sanctuary we headed to spots where the wind was working against the tide allowing everyone to get riding in flat water with a few extra knots of wind then anticipated, so we can definitely knock on the head that high pressures mean no wind.



(Ian powered back loops inbound!!)

The guys were working on various tricks from their first back loops to front loops and raileys all the way up to unhooking and surface handle passes. The conditions were absolutely spot on. I generally stood on the waters edge and either filmed the action or called each individual person aside to give them tips or start them onto a new move.




(me calling Ian over to give him a quick tip and to ask him if he actually signed up to the trip in the Phillipenes - his quick 5 minute blast with no wetsuit soon turned into a 4 hour session)

Watching the video footage back was more than valuable and having the ability to use an example of one of the group doing a trick well for others to learn from was way more valuable then using an instructional dvd.



(Alex demonstrating the front hand action on the front rolls)

After these full days of action which sometimes even combined mountain biking, stand up paddle boarding and surfing our bodies were feeling the usuage so on an non-compulsory basis at 7.30am every morning people could roll out of bed to the smells of fresh coffee and fall out the door for an early morning jog down to Fistral beach which is less than 5 minutes away. Here I ran some yoga stretches to prepare us for the onslaught of further action to come.

I couldn't have been happier with the group I had. They were awesome and although a mix of ages, professions and nationalities it was a winning combination where everyone gelled really well. Everyone had the same focus - to get outside, learn to improve their kitesurfing and most of all have fun!



(The crew respecting the rules!!?)

It was not all spent action action action and relaxing in a pub or café at the end of the day gave us time to sit back, relax and reminisce over the stunning conditions and scenery that Cornwall has to offer but also laugh and joke or smugly take on board the crshes and landings of the new moves that day!



(Owen mastering the back loop to one footer landing and big smile)

As a bonus Craig Saywer of Craigsawyerphotography.co.uk joined us for a windy, sunny day in the west of Cornwall plus don’t be surprised if you see a quite concerning Richard Branson and Danni Parkinson remake when you least expect it - afterall Dom Moore the editor of Kitesurf Magazine made the occasional cheeky appearence to spur some mischief on and a lot of fun was had by all. The group left with a dvd containing a selection of photos and all the video footage plus of course a new bag of tricks up their sleeve to either unleash or work on when next out on the water.



(Amy having it mid unhooked railey)

Thanks guys for a great trip and you all worked really hard. Hope everyone has recovered from all the action and especially recovered after the last night blow out. See you soon.

Watch out for my next coaching trip that will be run in Boracay - The Phillipenes between Jan 19th and Jan 25th 2010 www.oceansource.net.

China experiences from another world

This week I returned from a very last minute trip to China. To be precise I went to Weifang and Binhai which are around a 1 hour flight from Beijing.



I headed off on this trip pretty much with my eyes closed. Oceansource.net called me to say about this opportunity and that it would be an all expenses paid trip out there. They were adamant that it would be a great trip and are enthusiastic watersports people themselves organisng great trips around the globe for both windsurfers and kitesurfers, it wasn’t long before I was persuaded. China is somewhere I have always had an interest to visit but perhaps not one of my highest priorities so with an all expenses paid kitesurfing trip I couldn’t see where it could go wrong.

This trip had its troubles from the start and having just 5 days to arrange my VISA was cutting things a little fine and I sent my passport and credit card details into what seemed like the abyss and beyond. All I had in my hand was an online appointment that my passport had to make itself to with only the help of a next day delivery ticket from the Royal Mail and some hope of a small Chinese person carrying my passport from A to B. I had visions of interception on the streets of London and instead of a Chinese Visa and a trip to go on I would have a case of stolen Identity and cash removal. Well to be fair it wouldn’t have got much further then Holland with the cash that I have, but still I wasn’t the most comfortable with the Chinese Application Service System. In the end and much to my surprise it worked out perfectly and I was able to pick up my passport with Visa on my way to the airport.




(The first kites were made in China 2,500 years ago. These were dotted everywhere once we arrived))

Flying to Weifang involves 3 flights. London – Dubai – Beijing – Qindao and a 3 hour bus ride to Weifang! Its far... And all for 4 days. I cant tell you how many movies I watched after having completed my book, draining the last minutes of power out of my laptop battery followed by hearing the last song on the battery power of my ipod! Endless hours of waiting and travelling! Its the biggest journey in my experience and despite rating this trip in my top 5 best experiences in my life I am glad that I dont face such a journey again for a while

On arrival we were treated like kings and queens. Approximately 20 countries attended with 1 kiter from each.



We were staying in a 4* hotel and each had our own personal assistant/translator/slave driver. Without fail every morning I’d be woken with the faint knock knock and voice ‘hallo jos wilson’. It became a welcoming that I wouldnt forget because before every question, every statement or every chase up the grand statement of ‘Hallo Jos Wilson’ would come from their mouths. TV interviews were fun ‘Hallo Jos Wilson, how do you find Binhai?’ followed by ‘Hallo Jos Wilson do you like the kitesurfing here’. ‘Hallo Jos Wilson’ at 11pm, 3am and 6am to single, double and triple check my flight times was just not funny!! But they were sweet people just massively excited to see foreigners and very eager to help, so baring this in mind it was great to have them at hand.



The event site was just 40 minutes from the hotel involving several buses and a police escort. On arrival at the site we found it to be a harbour with a beach built just for us. The beach was compact mud and so a massive white sheet had been laid over the top to protect out kites. The water was a huge flat inlet perfect for freestyle and it was the temperature of bath water. It was quite surreal with it lapping over your ankles while riding a long. It was pretty shallow, so you felt safe and the temperature meant that wipeouts were a joy.

The opening ceremony was unlike anything that any other kitesurfing event has ever organised. I havent been to them all, but I'd put money on it. 3,000 government officials were invited alongside approximately 2,000 other people and television companies, radio stations and all other manner of film crews were there for the spectacle. The riders were carried to a barge docked several meters out from the harbourside and on the barge we paraded around carrying our flags alongside a Chinese Model carrying a pole with a sign stating our country.



(Britain didn't get allocated the hottest model but she was pretty nice)

The ceremony was a 3 hour experience with endless speeches, fireworks and a jetski display. Despite the weather (typicall rain and no wind) hords of people turned out to watch wearing colour cordinated ponchos



(there were 4 teams of colours. Im not sure what they represented, but we waved and they all waved back)

In the time we were out there we had one afternoon with wind for my 12m Helix. It wasn’t gusty at all and just perfect. We played around doing freestyle and then ran a 500m race which can only be described with two words ‘FUN’ and ‘CARNAGE’. I finished joint 6th with Willy Kerr from Northern Ireland while the Peter Lynn entrants (kites only) finished up on electricity pylons creating a beautiful explosion for the Chinese to say ‘oooooooooo’! No one was hurt and actually miraculously apparently the kites are fine (cant be said for the lines) so perhaps that gives a little advantage to the Peter Lynn kites should you kite near a power station???



(Jalou Langeree and I keeping it real for Naish 5th and 6th respectively in the mixed category)

Being blonde and fair skinned the Chinese thought it the perfect opportunity to get a photo with this ‘alien’ and with a lot of ‘hoi hoi hoi’ and arm grabbing I found myself having my photo being taken day in and day out. Everywhere we looked there would be some local chinese person grabbing a kiter to get their momento. It was a pretty special feeling and really nice to be part of.



(Jalou Langeree from Naish hiding from the papparazzi)

In the evenings we were treated to some awesome banquets and Chinese Hosting. They really went out of their way to make us feel special. The food was perfectly prepared and some of it delicious but i have to be honest they have a strange diet! On day one I began by cantapulting a chopstick up over my head and determined not to be beaten I settled to have a few spares put by my plate and felt more at home when the guy sat beside me also did the same followed by tipping his glass over with the remaining chopstick. Our coordination skills after a long long flight were something to be desired. Over the course of the next 4 days we swapped marvelled looks at our inability to use chopsticks and their inabilities to use forks.



(thats me embarking on a daunting culinary experience that I will never EVER forget!! Sea Slug - their most expensive and 'delicious' sea food delicacy)

Im waiting to find out how I can get my hands on some action pictures of the kiting, but for now hope you like my pics of this amazing, but extremely bizarre adventure.

I would just like to say thank you to www.oceansource.net for organising with the Chinese officials this amazing trip. Also thank you to Liu Zhipping!

China n North Wales

Bleary eyed at 5am I have just woken up to set sail again. Forecast has been awesome for the whole of the UK until 2 days ago and now to get my kitesurfing fix it looks as though I have to make the drive north before heading east to China!

China are holding an invitational kitesurfing tournament. Its the first one and will be held in Qingdao - Binhai Weifang! Im not too sure what to expect, but cannot wait! Story to come, fingers crossed for wind. If its anything like what they had in the windsurfing Olympics then it could be hard work to get off the ground, but fingers crossed!!

Peiking duck please. Keep you posted - back around the 26th Aug.