kiteing in a storm?

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Storm batters the Bay




Tyler Garnham photo

Kiteboarders took advantage of high surf and high winds at Boundary Bay Wednesday afternoon.
By Philip Raphael
South Delta Leader
praphael@southdeltaleader
Nov 17 2006

One person’s playground was another person’s worry Wednesday as the combination of gusting winds and a high tide brought out extreme sports enthusiasts and municipal officials to the shores of Tsawwassen’s Boundary Bay.

The stormy conditions were ideal for a trio of kiteboarders who took turns skimming the turbulent waters with waves reaching as high as seven feet.

“As far as conditions go, this is pretty extreme,” said Alex Noke-Smith, who was joined by fellow kiteboarders Don Armstrong and Colin Earnst.

“If it was a little less stormy you’d see 30 to 40 of us out here.”

The three belong to skypilotkitboarding.com, a web site for fans of the sport. The group even has a web camera perched on the chimney of a waterfront home at Boundary Bay so kiteboarders can check out conditions online.

“That’s what brought us out here,” Armstrong said, adding the fall and winter are the best seasons for kiteboarding Boundary Bay.

Also taking in the blustery day was Delta mayor Lois Jackson, who reinforced the call for the provincial and federal governments to provide adequate flood protection in the area.

Technorati Tags: kiteboarding

200000 kite surfers, this is really taking off.

With the windy season fast approaching, local kite-surfers took to the waters of North Sound to work on their skills.

A kite-surfer stands on a board with foot straps or bindings and uses the power of a large controllable kite to propel them and the board across the water.

However, this simplicity also makes kite-surfing challenging. Your body is the only connection between the kite and the board and you have to control them both at the same time, piloting the kite in the sky and steering the board on the water.

The sport is still in its infancy but is rapidly growing in popularity. In 1998, there were probably less than thirty kite-surfers worldwide. In 2006, the number of kite-surfers has been estimated at around 150,000 to 200,000.

There are reckoned to be in the region of 50 kite-surfers and learner kite-surfers on Grand Cayman, with the number growing steadily. According to local enthusiast Tristan Relly, “Here in the Cayman, kite-surfers, kite-boarders or simply ‘riders’ are in it for love of the sport and being out in nature.

Jacksonville.com: First Coast Community: Shorelines: Story: WAVELENGTHS: Nice to watch gulls, pelicans -- and kite-surfers in flight at beach 11/15/06