The Kiteival is on.
Sunday the first of july, a mixed crowd of international and local kiters gathered up on the beach of the Preskil hotel ( http://www.preskil.mu ) on the South east coast of Mauritius to the launch of the first leg (course race) of the kiteival event.
Although the wind did not quite get up to racing strength, like the Americas cup in Valencia, the mood stayed on the fun side with a few die hards going to the water for ultra light wind cruising.
The event is to take the riders to all the rideable lagoons around the island over a period of ten days, with daily downwinders and various types of competitions to cater for all tastes (courseracing,freestyle,hangtime,wave, endurance)
For some new style pictures and comments from the man himself go to:
http://www.kiteforum.tv/component/optio ... Itemid,30/
Although mother nature is playing violin with the organisers nerves right now, regular updates will follow as thing heat up.
Nico
Kiteival Mauritius
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Toby
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Barra do Cauipe, Brazil - Favorite Beaches: same
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Toby
- Very Frequent Poster
- Posts: 50510
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
- Kiting since: 2000
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- Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil - Favorite Beaches: same
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- Gear: Rebel 2015 18
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the first race has been done!
Read here for more:
http://www.kitecommunity.com/index.php? ... Itemid=929
Cool, and exhausting race!
Today a fun downwinder along the E/NE coast is planned, and finishing with a freestyle session!
Read here for more:
http://www.kitecommunity.com/index.php? ... Itemid=929
Cool, and exhausting race!
Today a fun downwinder along the E/NE coast is planned, and finishing with a freestyle session!
-
Nico
- Very Frequent Poster
- Posts: 2645
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2002 1:00 am
- Local Beach: private kitebeach on my doorstep,
Le Morne. - Style: wave
- Gear: Drifter kites, wave boards
- Brand Affiliation: Cabrinha, naish
- Location: Mauritius, waterman since 1960
- Has thanked: 0
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15 kms downwinder in the lagoon off the north eastern coast was run yesterday. Conditions were perfect with 15 to 20knts side on shore and the odd little cotton cloud drifting through the tropical blue sky.
The ride took two hours with no pressure for arriving fast, so everyone had a ball.
To finish off the day a freestyle competition saw eight riders competing in the bay of "Anse la raie".
Next leg (today), downwinder to le morne where some wave action by all will be covered by helicopter footage, followed by an expression contest session for the partcipants of the Kiteival.
Updates to follow.
Nico
The ride took two hours with no pressure for arriving fast, so everyone had a ball.
To finish off the day a freestyle competition saw eight riders competing in the bay of "Anse la raie".
Next leg (today), downwinder to le morne where some wave action by all will be covered by helicopter footage, followed by an expression contest session for the partcipants of the Kiteival.
Updates to follow.
Nico
-
Toby
- Very Frequent Poster
- Posts: 50510
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
- Kiting since: 2000
- Weight: 95 kg
- Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil - Favorite Beaches: same
- Style: Airstyle
- Gear: Rebel 2015 18
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- Location: World (KF Admin)
- Has thanked: 842 times
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too bad I couldn't join the downwinder!
But everyone of you was pretty stoked! Good!
The local youngster did a nice freestyle show, winners to be announced on Sunday!
Now off towards Le Morne and lets see what helicopter footage we can make!
Expect a whole event video within the next 10 days!
Pictures of the day (yesterday and today) will be uploaded in the evening today!
But everyone of you was pretty stoked! Good!
The local youngster did a nice freestyle show, winners to be announced on Sunday!
Now off towards Le Morne and lets see what helicopter footage we can make!
Expect a whole event video within the next 10 days!
Pictures of the day (yesterday and today) will be uploaded in the evening today!
-
Toby
- Very Frequent Poster
- Posts: 50510
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
- Kiting since: 2000
- Weight: 95 kg
- Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil - Favorite Beaches: same
- Style: Airstyle
- Gear: Rebel 2015 18
- Brand Affiliation: None.
- Location: World (KF Admin)
- Has thanked: 842 times
- Been thanked: 2400 times
- Contact:
-
Toby
- Very Frequent Poster
- Posts: 50510
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
- Kiting since: 2000
- Weight: 95 kg
- Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil - Favorite Beaches: same
- Style: Airstyle
- Gear: Rebel 2015 18
- Brand Affiliation: None.
- Location: World (KF Admin)
- Has thanked: 842 times
- Been thanked: 2400 times
- Contact:
more pictures!
Freestyle day:
Locals
http://www.kitecommunity.com/index.php? ... d=99999999
Pros
http://www.kitecommunity.com/index.php? ... d=99999999
Wave day:
http://www.kitecommunity.com/index.php? ... d=99999999
Results coming soon!
Freestyle day:
Locals
http://www.kitecommunity.com/index.php? ... d=99999999
Pros
http://www.kitecommunity.com/index.php? ... d=99999999
Wave day:
http://www.kitecommunity.com/index.php? ... d=99999999
Results coming soon!
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adjas
- Rare Poster
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In the News
Spectrum News
Kitesurfers catch the wave in Mauritius
Published Date: August 08, 2007
Her blond hair dripping with salt water, top Austrian kitesurfer Gabi Steidl cuts through the translucent, emerald green waves of the Indian Ocean. Kitesurfing a hi-tech hybrid of surfing and kite-flying is fast winning converts: riders harnessed to kites who stand on boards and skim, surf or even leap, often hanging in the air for several seconds. With its world-class winds, plenty of breakers and calmer lagoons for beginners, Mauritius is determined to cash in. "It's just the most beautiful island and th
e conditions are perfect," said 31-year-old Steidl, who gave up a career in publishing to follow her passion full-time.
It's like a huge wave playground."Back on the beach, a dozen kitesurfers check lines and launch their kites as the midday sun hits its peak.
Thomas Brennwald, 46, from Cape Town, says his home waters in South Africa are rather cold for kiting in July. He was bowled over by his first visit to Mauritius 10 years ago. "I hope people here stay this friendly," he said. The waters around Le Morne a huge clump of rock where runaway slaves used to hide are a mixture of reefs, crashing waves and lagoons. Some kiters also known as kiteboarders come just to test themselves on the notorious "One Eye", says Felix Nollmann, who runs the nearby Club Mistral w
ater sports centre. His guests are not allowed to try it-it is just too dangerous. Huge, green walls of water roll in from the ocean, gathering pace as they curl into a perfect tube before breaking in a ferocious thunder of foam. "This is one of the fastest waves worldwide," Nollman says. "If you're kiting on 'One Eye', you always have a bit of speed -- and you need it ... If not, it catches up and smashes you on the reef where there are lots of sea urchins and coral.
GOLDEN RULES
According to Toby Braeuer, whose Web site http://www.kiteforum.com says on average five kitesurfers die each year around the world, technical improvements and increased kite control mean the sport has become safer. Braeuer advocates 10 golden rules, including staying away from hazards, keeping a close eye on the weather and taking advice from locals about potential dangers such as currents and rocks. "If you stay within these rules, it is a very relaxing sport. But if you break these rules, you can die," he says.
Go and take a lesson. That's very important." After three lessons in a lagoon on the island's windy east, this correspondent is still looking forward to being able to stand up on the board-apparently the hardest part of learning. French and Hawaiian enthusiasts began experimenting with early versions of kitesurfing more than 20 years ago. As late as 1997, only a few dozen were dabbling. Today an estimated 200,000 people worldwide kitesurf. The technology has evolved from flat kites with two strings to sp
ace-age ones with inflatable rims that help fallen kites relaunch. "Strong gusts come, you just push away the bar," Braeuer said, adding that safety improvements had been key to boosting the sport's popularity.
TARGETING TOURISTS
Kitesurfing could help Mauritius reach its ambitious target of two million tourists per year by 2015, more than twice the current number. "We have the lagoons, we have the space for it," Nico Kux, an instructor and early enthusiast, told Reuters. "Mauritius is an incredible place for kitesurfing and it's not just Le Morne." He believes kitesurfing could account for 10 percent of tourists in Mauritius by 2015, although his early forays into the sport were not initially welcomed. "Everybody wrote me off, of
course-big boy, playing with a kite," he joked. Last month, he organized a "Kiteival", inviting top kitesurfers from around the world for an event over several days to showcase the island's attractions. Some needed no persuasion.
Where else can you kite all around the year?" said Jobst von Kirchmann, a European diplomat based in Mauritius. "You put your MP3 player on and go for a ride for a couple of hours, looking at the mountains." Von Kirchmann may enjoy it, but the need for physical flexibility, stamina and an appetite for risk means champion kiters are getting younger and younger.
Standing nearby in dreadlocks and dark glasses, Thomas Cocquelet, a 20-year-old Frenchman who was world champion in 2005 and is still one of the world's top 10 kiters, says he rates Mauritius highly. Greg Thijsse, a laid-back 22-year-old from South Africa, has been competing at top levels for several years. "It can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing," he says. "Ever since I started, I was hooked." -Reuters
Kitesurfers catch the wave in Mauritius
Published Date: August 08, 2007
Her blond hair dripping with salt water, top Austrian kitesurfer Gabi Steidl cuts through the translucent, emerald green waves of the Indian Ocean. Kitesurfing a hi-tech hybrid of surfing and kite-flying is fast winning converts: riders harnessed to kites who stand on boards and skim, surf or even leap, often hanging in the air for several seconds. With its world-class winds, plenty of breakers and calmer lagoons for beginners, Mauritius is determined to cash in. "It's just the most beautiful island and th
e conditions are perfect," said 31-year-old Steidl, who gave up a career in publishing to follow her passion full-time.
It's like a huge wave playground."Back on the beach, a dozen kitesurfers check lines and launch their kites as the midday sun hits its peak.
Thomas Brennwald, 46, from Cape Town, says his home waters in South Africa are rather cold for kiting in July. He was bowled over by his first visit to Mauritius 10 years ago. "I hope people here stay this friendly," he said. The waters around Le Morne a huge clump of rock where runaway slaves used to hide are a mixture of reefs, crashing waves and lagoons. Some kiters also known as kiteboarders come just to test themselves on the notorious "One Eye", says Felix Nollmann, who runs the nearby Club Mistral w
ater sports centre. His guests are not allowed to try it-it is just too dangerous. Huge, green walls of water roll in from the ocean, gathering pace as they curl into a perfect tube before breaking in a ferocious thunder of foam. "This is one of the fastest waves worldwide," Nollman says. "If you're kiting on 'One Eye', you always have a bit of speed -- and you need it ... If not, it catches up and smashes you on the reef where there are lots of sea urchins and coral.
GOLDEN RULES
According to Toby Braeuer, whose Web site http://www.kiteforum.com says on average five kitesurfers die each year around the world, technical improvements and increased kite control mean the sport has become safer. Braeuer advocates 10 golden rules, including staying away from hazards, keeping a close eye on the weather and taking advice from locals about potential dangers such as currents and rocks. "If you stay within these rules, it is a very relaxing sport. But if you break these rules, you can die," he says.
Go and take a lesson. That's very important." After three lessons in a lagoon on the island's windy east, this correspondent is still looking forward to being able to stand up on the board-apparently the hardest part of learning. French and Hawaiian enthusiasts began experimenting with early versions of kitesurfing more than 20 years ago. As late as 1997, only a few dozen were dabbling. Today an estimated 200,000 people worldwide kitesurf. The technology has evolved from flat kites with two strings to sp
ace-age ones with inflatable rims that help fallen kites relaunch. "Strong gusts come, you just push away the bar," Braeuer said, adding that safety improvements had been key to boosting the sport's popularity.
TARGETING TOURISTS
Kitesurfing could help Mauritius reach its ambitious target of two million tourists per year by 2015, more than twice the current number. "We have the lagoons, we have the space for it," Nico Kux, an instructor and early enthusiast, told Reuters. "Mauritius is an incredible place for kitesurfing and it's not just Le Morne." He believes kitesurfing could account for 10 percent of tourists in Mauritius by 2015, although his early forays into the sport were not initially welcomed. "Everybody wrote me off, of
course-big boy, playing with a kite," he joked. Last month, he organized a "Kiteival", inviting top kitesurfers from around the world for an event over several days to showcase the island's attractions. Some needed no persuasion.
Where else can you kite all around the year?" said Jobst von Kirchmann, a European diplomat based in Mauritius. "You put your MP3 player on and go for a ride for a couple of hours, looking at the mountains." Von Kirchmann may enjoy it, but the need for physical flexibility, stamina and an appetite for risk means champion kiters are getting younger and younger.
Standing nearby in dreadlocks and dark glasses, Thomas Cocquelet, a 20-year-old Frenchman who was world champion in 2005 and is still one of the world's top 10 kiters, says he rates Mauritius highly. Greg Thijsse, a laid-back 22-year-old from South Africa, has been competing at top levels for several years. "It can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing," he says. "Ever since I started, I was hooked." -Reuters
-
Toby
- Very Frequent Poster
- Posts: 50510
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
- Kiting since: 2000
- Weight: 95 kg
- Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil - Favorite Beaches: same
- Style: Airstyle
- Gear: Rebel 2015 18
- Brand Affiliation: None.
- Location: World (KF Admin)
- Has thanked: 842 times
- Been thanked: 2400 times
- Contact: