Category Archives: travel

Where are all the female kite foilers?

December 14, 2020 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

by Cathy Padgett

When you see those foilers floating across the water, gliding along, making it look smooth and easy…why are so few of them women?

It’s not just at our local spot in Holbox, Mexico, where we currently have 2 ladies foiling.
In the “Women’s Kiteboarding Community” Facebook group, Nina Macaraig says that in Belmont Shore there are some new lady foilers this season, (awesome!) but they make up a small portion of the overall kiteboarder population.

I’m going to take a look at why you should give it a go and what has been holding the ladies back.

Kite Foil Holbox — Cathy cruising in Holbox

Why should you be thinking of learning to hydrofoil?

Do you want to feel like you’re flying, on a magic carpet floating on the water? If you want to see what crazy angles upwind you can go, covering greater distances and exploring more? Maybe you just want the challenge of learning something new, if you find you’ve reached a plateau with your twintip, or just sat out too many sessions as the wind wasn’t quite right for your twintip…

It’s not just something new and fun to try, it’s something to triple or even quadruple your time on the water. It makes choppy water or less than perfect winds become a pleasure to ride.

Here’s what other ladies have to say about it:

Steffie (Germany)– “I foil as it’s different, it so cool to just fly! I found I was doing the same old tricks with my twintip, and conditions on the lake great are for foilboarding. Foiling in the waves is something different and amazing too. I tried a hydrofoil race and it was just so much fun.”

Eva (Colombia) – “It’s brilliant! I love it, I’ve never done anything quite as cool as this. I tried (youth) twintip racing, heard about foil racing and now I’m part of the Youth Federation 2024 Kite Foil project.” (Edit: way to go Eva! One to watch for the future!)

Nina Macaraig (USA, Always Kiting) – “I love that there’s so much to learn on the foil. Foiling for speed feels like sailing more than kiteboarding, and so to me it’s almost like a different sport. The feeling of slicing through the water with the kite lines humming from the speed is really incomparable. Plus I have basically quadrupled my time on the water! I also love the fact that foiling requires so much more finesse than twin-tipping, where you can muscle your way out.”

Susan B (USA, Recoup Wellness Co-founder) – “It’s exciting to learn! The feeling is surreal, activating parts of your brain that are normally on autopilot. I love that feeling of awareness and awakening when you challenge your body and mind to something try new. “

Iris (Germany) – “I loved the idea of having another option for low wind days! I was curious and found it fascinating, and I enjoy learning something new. I love this feeling of being above the water – the silence and tranquillity – the waves below you – that you can go basically everywhere to all directions. You want deeper waters and this usually means less crowded spots with more space on the water, so you get to know and enjoy more beautiful spots. Foiling gives you so much more flexibility so you really can extend your personal wind range. “

So, what’s holding back women from getting into this different branch of kiting?

Checking in with the ‘She Flies’ group, (an awesome bunch of lady shredders), a few comments came back:

It’s only for low winds
It’s too expensive
I’m not good enough yet or lacking the confidence to try.
I haven’t even tried a directional yet
I’m happy with what I’m doing at the moment
I’m intimidated by the board

Let’s have a further look into these comments, and do some myth busting!

Myth #1 – “it’s only for light winds”

Hydrofoiling will allow you to go out in lower winds, that’s for sure, but it’s most fun from 12-18knots. It’s even possible in high winds – my boyfriend absolutely loves ripping around on his 6m in 20+knots…and as a heavier guy, it’s amazing for him to be able to enjoy smaller kites on his foilboard.

Learning to foil shouldn’t be done in super light winds, where it’s hard to relaunch the kite, or the kite falls out of the sky. In the beginning having good stable winds is helpful, just like when you learnt to waterstart on a twintip. Sure, as you progress, you’re likely to want to go out in lower winds, so your kite control will become key. You’ll find that foiling will improve your technical skills too.

Recognising when the wind has changed, or starts to become flaky is an important skill. Since foiling I’ve learnt more how to read the water conditions to anticipate gusts or a hole in the wind. The dreaded foil ‘swim of shame’ comes when people have stayed out too long or risked foilboarding when the wind is too low. Your choice!

Myth #2 – “it’s too expensive”

A few years ago there was only race equipment available, lots of carbon, high end gear, which I agree, is super expensive. Fortunately now there’s a lot more entry level foils, different styles, and much less intimidating prices! If you wanted to ride in lighter winds and need to buy a larger kite, a new foil and board can even be cheaper than a new kite and bar. Not to mention it will be much more fun 😉

I really rate the Axis K series foils as a super set up – suitable from beginner to intermediate and more, plus the wings are interchangeable if you want even more choice. I chose a 600 front wing as it’s super stable, but also gives me chance to go fast. More importantly, I’ve made huge progress since changing to this wing from a faster racier setup.

Myth #3 –“i’m not good enough yet”

If you’ve read this far then you almost certainly are good enough!

If you can ride upwind comfortably, do a basic jump, and have good kite control, then you have enough basic knowledge to learn to foil. You don’t need to be an expert learning the latest unhooked tricks, or get the biggest airs, just a willingness to learn and have an open mind.

I strongly recommend taking lessons, as you’ll get the fastest progress in a short space of time. You’ll cover all the essentials in a safe and controlled manner. The idea is to foil when you decide, under control, rather than uncontrolled flights leading to wipeouts.

You WILL need a ton of patience, and good kite control as you start to figure out how the balance is different, and how the board works differently. I’m not going to lie, you will probably have a crash or few, but it’s part of the learning process!

From teaching kitesurfing I’ve found out that women are often more intuitive and want to understand how things work before trying it, often with a more subtle approach. Great news for learning to foil, as this ‘step by step’ approach works really well. You simply can’t use lots of force to get yourself up, it needs to be more thoughtful.

Myth #4 -“I haven’t even tried a directional board”

Previous experience on a directional or surfboard isn’t necessary. It helps later on, when learning to jibe or tack, but in the beginning you’ll be learning about the balance and trying to get that silent feeling as you glide above the water. Smooth!! By the time you’re learning to tack and jibe you’ll be hooked anyway…

Myth #5 -“I’m happy with what I’m doing at the moment”

That’s awesome if you want to enjoy your water time, and the current toys available to you. I’ll just say that foiling has allowed me to ride out in more conditions, and times when the conditions aren’t that good for my twin tip. If the wind is gusty or tricky, if there’s a current running, then I know I’ll have much more fun on my foil.

I guess I’m being picky about twintip conditions, as choppy water and gusty winds can be fine on a twintip…. but it’s just smoother and easier on a foil.

Myth #6 – “I’m intimidated by the board”

Maybe it’s the way women learn, or just that women plan and think things through that makes us more risk averse? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

There is an element of risk to learning to kitesurf, and we manage those risks by choosing the right equipment for the wind speed, safe places to kite, and going out with friends.

This also applies to foiling, we choose the right equipment (helmets are essential!), adjust the settings, plus we have a shorter mast to help get the feeling of starting and flying, before upgrading to a full length mast when you’re ready.

What are you waiting for? If it’s warm waters, and ideal conditions to learn to foil in, then drop us a line at whenitswindy.com. (or directly via Cathy Padgett (@super_padge) • Instagram photos and videos ). We’ve got beginner friendly gear, and we’ll help cheer you on!

Links:

www.axisfoils.com

www.holboxkiteboarding.com

www.recoupwellness.com

Hydrofoil, Kite, kite spots, travel

A great day off – Foiling around on Holbox

March 10, 2017 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

A day off is always great but even better when it’ windy too.

Winds were perfect for the foil. Initially 12 or 13 knots side off meaning fairly flat water. (we had boat support if things got tricky) Saulius and I foiled upwind 4 or 5 km to Punta Mosquito but as we got closer the point the wind shifted more side shore and stronger so I decided to head back to the main spot and enjoyed being very powered on my 10 edge. It was great to get some solid practice and consistency to my foiling tacks and jibes. Our trusty gopro and homemade linemount caught some of the action.

Hydrofoil, Kite, Kiteboarding, travel

Foilboarding in Mexico / Isla Holbox

December 31, 2016 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

Over the last two seasons, Holbox has started to develop a small but growing foilboarding or kite hydorofoil scene. Currently there are 8 local foilers and an increasing number of visiting foilers on Holbox so you’re unlikely to be foiling alone. The conditions there are perfect for learning and progressing.

#axiskiteboarding #holboxkiteboarding — Foilboarding together 🙂
Cath learns to ride the kite hydrofoil.

Water conditions are flat to small chop and always deep enough for a full length mast once you are 50 metres past the lagoon.

There are opportunities to make huge upwinders or downwinders if that is your thing. With Punta mosquito as a target 4km upwind which gives access to 40km long Playa Ensenada. Take a look., this view is of main beach. The point on the left hand side is Punta mosquito and the beach going off into the clouds is Playa Ensenada.

Holbox Kiteboarding School offer foilboarding or kitefoil lessons and rentals. They are currently using moses and slingshot foils, axis and slingshot boards.

Rescue service is available and the lessons are taught from the boat if desired or necessary. Radio Helmets are also used to help speed up the learning progression.

The traditional kite season on Holbox runs from Nov until end of May however with a hydrofoil that season can extend into the summer months too.

Its a great alternative to La ventana for an extended winter season and the town in Holbox has great accommodation and restaurants. The island is very safe and family friendly.

Isla Holbox is a short 30 min flight from Cancun or a 2 hour Taxi ride.

If you’d like more information please get in touch via

Hks@islaholbox.eu or jonny@whenitswindy.com

If you’d like to know more about kite foiling & foilboarding check out our Foilboarding section.

Hydrofoil, Kite, kite spots, Kiteboarding, travel

New Video for Holbox Kiteboarding School

December 20, 2016 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

We were lucky to be visited by travelling video maker Andreas Janthur. Andreas is currently riding his motorbike from Canada to Argentina. He called in at Isla Holbox to try his hand at kiteboarding and mastered the basics pretty quickly. In return for his lessons he captured some of the atmosphere, lessons and riding at the school and edited it into a really nice video for us.

Check our new video out here.

for more information about kiteboarding lessons on Holbox contact me jonny@whenitswindy.com or visit our website

Holbox Kiteboarding School

You can see more videos from Andreas on his website

http://andreasjanthur.com/

Thanks Andi, safe travels.

Hydrofoil, Kite, kite spots, Kiteboarding

Kiteworld Magazine – Readers Gallery issue #84

December 2, 2016 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

We’ve been having some awesome sessions here since we arrived back in Holbox both on and off the foil. Foilboarding fever has definitely spread on this little island. Locals Arturo and Steffen are now foiling here along with Cathy who has just received her new Axis Maroro Foil and Axis FREE Race board. She’s learning fast now she has her own gear and what a beauty it is too. More photos soon.

We also got one of Jonny’s pictures featured in Kiteworld Magazine Reader’s Gallery and won.

KIte Hydrofoil – Foilboarding backroll in Holbox

For more info about foilboarding check here

For info on foilboarding lessons get in touch with

Holbox Kiteboarding School

Kite, travel

Inside a Kite Factory – Zian Kiteboarding

Image September 11, 2016 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

Right at the end of our Sri Lanka travels we got wind that there might be a possibility to look around a kite factory. We were both eager to grab this opportunity and learn a little about how kite production happens and share it with you.

After a few emails with Tanja Rosenkranz from Zian Kiteboarding she had kindly arranged our tour of the Zian Kite factory, in Negombo, Sri Lanka.

We were both felt like we’d found golden tickets to Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory.

A few days later we met Tanja who’d only just arrived in Sri Lanka and she gave us a bit of a background of the company and their kite range before showing us around.

Tanja Rosenkranz, Product Management and Design, explained how the production planning starts up to 6 months in advance, working out how much dacron, ripstop for canopy material and bladder material will be needed and delivered by a certain date. The inside of the factory followed a flow process, starting with the outlines for canopy materials, running through to detailed sewing sections, to bladder insertion and final checking.

Jonny was flabbergasted by the shear quantities of ripstop polyester and Dacron stored beneath the benches and endless rolls of Dyneema line stacked in the Bar making section. Apparently fifty different parts are used per kite.

Leading edges rolled and awaiting seam closure.

Outlines for the canopy material are marked and then hand cut using templates, before very being accurately taped together. Tolerances are extremely tight to ensure correct flight. Next stages include sewing the leading edge (LE) sections together, and stitching reinforcement patches to the LE. Sounds simple enough, but then Tanja explained how the patches had to be pre-stretched, then sewn to the LE. Jonny was wide eyed and soaking in as much information as possible. He loves repairing kites and often has to figure out how a kite is held together but in reverse. It was great for us to finally see one being made from scratch.

A responsible job. Get this wrong and the kite may be rejected

Next on the production line were employees sewing extra details to the LE, the inflate and deflate holes and strut sections. Taping and stitching the leading edge seam is one of the most critical moments in the production of the kite. Tanja explained how quality control allowed the material to be only sewn twice. Any further errors would stretch or damage the fabric, causing the kite to be destroyed but this was very rare, as the employees worked to a very high standard. We did see some interesting lanterns and curtains made from kite material so these could have been ‘recycled’ or more likely made from offcuts!

Once the canopy is taped and sewn together it is taken to the graphics section, where the canopy is carefully aligned over a stencil, then the silk screen is aligned above before printing takes place.

Canopy aligned over stencil and ready for graphics application

Screens stacked and ready for graphics application.

Bars are also produced at the factory, their dyneema lines are imported from Austria. We’ve encountered line stretch and shrinkage in the past, so it was reassuring to see lines were being pre-stretched and checked, although Tanja confirmed that this was also a fine balance! Too much and the steering lines may shrink back. Too little and the power lines are likely to stretch. Once again precision work is required.

Bladder production and valve attachment was unfortunately not happening whilst we were there but Cathy was still keen to try and glean as many tips as possible regarding bladder insertion.

Inflated kites undergoing their final quality check.

At the end of the factory production line was a quality control check. Kites were inflated and left for 24 hours before being reviewed for balance . There is a small tolerance for errors in the manufacturing process as an unbalanced kite will not fly as designed.

The end result was a pile of brightly coloured kites waiting to be shipped to their new owners.

Build quality looked really good and solid too.

I spoke with Siril the production manager who told me he had many years of experience in the kite industry having worked at other kite factories prior to the Zian factory. He also expressed how keen he is to learn how to kite himself and apparently plans are in place for some of the employees to learn later this year.

Zian’s Kite Range

Kima II is Zian’s wave/school kite offering which Keira from Kite House Café had used on his 300km downwinder from Puttalam to Jaffna. We’d both seen it in action but not flown it.

Aquila II which is a freeride kite aimed at bigger air and oldschool riders.

Hantuu II this is a kite more suited to freestyle and wakestyle riders. Jonny had already flown and enjoyed a Zian Hantuu II 9m and we’d both seen the same kite being flown in the talented local hands of Mawfeer Khan. Mawfeer never fails to put on a show at Kappalady Lagoon, so there is no doubt to the kites capabilities.

With thanks to Tanja Rosenkranz and Zian Kiteboarding

Kite, travel

APEX PREDATORS & TUKTUKS

August 31, 2016 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

Warning This post deals with shark attack, snakes and tuktuks. If you are not happy about any of these subjects please stop reading now. Also it is a little longer than the usual post.

AGAINST ALL THE ODDS TWICE

Before setting off on our travels anywhere, I’ll often look for the lists of poisonous snakes or whether crocodiles frequent the local lagoons, what fatal tropical diseases might infect us and which kind of spiders might be lurking under the bed. It’s not that I’m truly concerned by them but more that they fascinate me as we don’t have to deal with them back home in Britain.

The fact of the matter is that these creatures are usually difficult to find or see, even if you are specifically looking for them. To be bitten or attacked by one is far from likely. On the other hand the severity of the consequences of an attack could be nasty to fatal. If we assess this risk logically rather than emotionally we find all of the above to be low to medium risks at worst.

Sri Lanka has one of the highest death rates per capita due to snake bite in the world. On our travels we’ve seen the grand total of only 5 snakes. The only venomous one couldn’t get away from us fast enough, much to my disappointment. I only managed a blurry photo of a 2m long cobra.

The traffic overseas offers far higher risks when just crossing the road or taking a ride in a bus or a tuk-tuk for that matter.

Tuktuk quizzes by. — Tuktuk wizzes past.

It’s quite likely that you may be involved in a road traffic accident whilst travelling. The severity of these accidents can obviously be high to fatal. Making these risks medium to high

Road traffic interactions are so common place however that we often don’t give them a second thought.

Two nasty situations have occurred so far during our stay here in Sri Lanka that most certainly could have resulted in serious injury or death. Both as it happens passed without injury. The odd thing is that one incident plays heavily on my mind whilst the other has faded away quickly.

The first and least memorable of the two was when our tuktuk driver crashed head on with a motor bike. How no one was hurt I have no idea. Did I even think twice before getting into the next tuktuk? No did I heck. The chances of it happening again are not unlikely given the crazed driving habits of Sri Lankan tuktuk drivers.

Second of the two was a little more harrowing. I had a brief but significant interaction with a large fish…

I was riding my foilboard or kite hydrofoil out in the sea next to Kappalady lagoon. Whilst attempting a foil tack I fell from my board. Several seconds later whilst about to bodydrag I received a heavy blow to my thigh from beneath. The force of which left me shocked and confused for a short time. This confusion was ended when a 2m long shark breached right next to me. At the realisation of what was happening to me, that ever useful and delicious neurotransmitter adrenalin kicked in hard. My board was several meters away which I needed back on my feet pronto. The few metres bodydragging to my foilboard felt like an eternity spent as a giant fishing lure expecting another attack at any moment. More or less safely back on my board the fear induced adrenalin was still at its peak as a result I have never returned to shore so fast, with such purpose or with such jelly legs. The guys on the beach listened to my story with looks of disbelief however they could also see that I was pretty agitated. Fortunately the impact left me with only a bruised thigh, two holes in my shorts and a revised sense of my mortality.

I’d researched, spiders, snakes, leopards, bears, dengue and malaria but I forgot all about the sharks. Apparently there are 60 known species that are found around Sri Lanka – Attacks happen but are uncommon.

So the improbable happened to me twice in the same incident. A direct full speed strike from a shark and not a drop of blood spilled. Perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket.

The probability that I will be attacked by a shark again is extremely remote even though I play with my hydrofoil in the sharks environment frequently. So why does this incident burn into the psyche so much more than the tuktuk accident?

Is it because it reminds us that we are not truly the number one we so often think that we are? .

Is it familiarity? We are so accustomed to road traffic we just accept it. Where as our interactions with snakes, sharks etc. are so infrequent that their risks rings greater alarm bells in our imagination.

Or is it that these animals are mostly unseen lurking in the depths or the long grass? Their strikes being unpredictable and their presence being left to the imagination.

Maybe they trigger a primal fear in us that lingers from when we were once listed on the menu.

One thing that is for certain is that we are terrible at assessing risk in our everyday lives.

Another certainty is that I will not forget the image of the shark as it pierced the water alongside me and leapt into the air as I floated in the indian ocean attached to a kite. As an ocean lover and kitesurfer this leaves me in a bit of a quandary.

Logic or emotion?

Right bed time for me as it’s windy and hopefully I’ll be out on the ocean again tomorrow.

The outcome

This happened a couple of weeks ago but I resisted posting until I’d had time to reflect on the shark incident.

I kited the very next day but in the lagoon not the sea.

I kited in the sea one week ago without a second thought however in a different place and with a twintip board.

I went to kite the sea on the hydrofoil at the same place as the attack happened and emotion was hard to overcome. My legs were like jelly for the first five minutes and my usual falls were considerably more exciting than normal.

I did however face the fear and got to ride some lovely waves with the foilboard for the first time ever.

Kite, kite spots, Kiteboarding, travel

Kappalady Lagoon

August 28, 2016 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

We’ve been getting some amazing winds here in Sri Lanka at Kappalady lagoon and Vella Island.

Here are a couple of new tricks we’ve been working on.

Cathy’s Pop to Blind with Ole Downloop Transition and Toeside backroll

Cathy has been riding blind for a long time now but this transition out of it looks sweet. I need to get this one in the bag too.

Double Backroll to Toeside Downloop Transition

I saw Patrick doing something similar in Holbox, then saw Zac Andrews doing them here in Kappalady and figured that I needed to learn. Not perfect but getting there. Sticking a tailgrab on the invert should be nice and throwing my head and shoulders back further.

Axis Limited — Double Back to Toeside at Kappalady Lagoon

Backroll Nose Grab

Cathy manages this nicely on the 7m Rally, I try and get some better shots or video of this soon.

Beach Slide – Darkslide on the beach

Ok I’ve been darksliding for a while but this is the first time over the sand. Inspired by Catching trade winds video and local rider Nalin. My lovely board stood up to the abuse but really didn’t deserve it.

Jonny Smith darkslides the beach at kappalady lagoon, Sri Lanka on axis limited.

Hydrofoil, Kite, kite spots, Kiteboarding, travel

Kiting at Kappalady – Voyage to Vella Island

August 16, 2016 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

A two hour car journey from Negombo saw us passing lagoons, rivers and lakes. I was getting excited about the fishing and already.

The journey showed us quickly the true pecking order of the road. Cyclists are very clearly the lowest, followed by cars, then trucks, then tuktuk and at the top of the pile buses. Sri Lankan buses will stop for nothing except passengers. We’d considered taking a tuk tuk but the eggshell fragility of them combined with the crazy driving put us off. Great in town, long journeys no way.

We finally drew close to our destination – Kitekuda –http://srilankakiteschool.com/ near the Kapalady lagoon. Google Maps was our guide and it kindly sent us the back route down sandy paths much to the horror of our driver. A 4×4 would’ve been more useful than his brand new hybrid. A few signs to the Kitekuda camp would’ve been handy too.

raley to wrapped — Angry Louis – Get out of my way

As we arrived we were greeted by our old friend John Clark. John had been staying at Kitekuda for a while and had recommended it to us. Zak, Nils, Ola, Maufeer and Nilanka were our hosts and promptly made us welcome with an impressive lunch. The wind was up so lunch was wolfed down in a hurry, boards assembled and then a short walk showed us what we’d been waiting for. A beautiful flat lagoon, 5 kiters and about 20 knots. Happy days. Incredible first day. Good winds, good vibes and great food.

Back to toeside — Jonh Clarke popping a nice back to toeside at Vella island.

Back at Kitekuda camp, Nilanka, and his team had rustled up a fantastic selection of curries, sides and rice all washed down with a can of special brew… which was unfortunately the only thing the local booze shop had to offer. Tramp juice and curry – yum.

Talk at the dinner table was all about a Kite safari programmed for the next day.

We hadn’t planned on going anywhere, having only just arrived but a few pictures and videos later we were signed up for a two day trip to Vella island via Dream Spot.

Leeward side of vella island sri lanka. — Leeward side of vella island Sri Lanka.

Kitekuda have a beautiful Kite boat, sporting twin Yamaha 90 engines. This rib was sure to fly.

We started the journey to Vella from Kalpitya lagoon. Kalpitya is the larger Kite lagoon in the area with more space but with gustier winds. Still looked pretty awesome but Kapalady is quieter and has a much shorter walk to the beach.

The rib absolutely flew with Nils at the helm who expertly navigated the surprisingly shallow lagoon. Twenty minutes later we arrived at dream spot.

John prepares for another pants session... — John prepares for another pants session…

A sand bar separated our play area from the sea, giving nice flat water with enough depth for my hydrofoil. Winds were unfortunately lower than expected but perfect for foilboarding. I had done quite a bit of research about foilboarding in Sri Lanka but couldn’t find much out. Dream spot works. Foiling was easy here with winds so smooth and water so flat. I even pulled off some nice foiling tacks. The water here is deep enough to foil even with a few touchdowns. I ripped about for an hour or so until the others gave up. Their hearts were only for Vella And the wind was a bit light so off we went. Dream spot is good but we were about to find out why the others were so eager to get to vella.

Vella island is a narrow but long sand bar, occupied only by fishermen and the odd kiter. The leeward side of the island has butter flat water tight against the shoreline, mix that with 20 knot winds and you understand why we made the trip. 10m edge and darkslide paradise.

Axis Limited, Vella Island, Sri Lanka — Darksliding the butter at Vella Island on the Axis Limited.

It was incredible to blast those flats with the rest of the group. Everyone was pushing hard and using the exceptional conditions for some good progression. John was really getting to grips with riding blind. Cathy was after a front to blind. Angry Louis was showing pure determination to nail his raley to blind. Omrii was getting to grips with jumping and Harry the backrolls.

Smile for the camera, john riding blind at Vella island, Sri Lanka

Cathy performing the classic foot out at vella island, on her axis division and slingshot rally 7m

Learnt to jump - Not too shabby — Learnt to jump – Not too shabby

Mawfeer threw himself into the mix with some crazy aggressive front roll kiteloops and interesting front loops popped from the beach. Maufeer is a great local rider to watch and is non stop comedy on and off the water.

Our digs for the night was an open sided fisherman’s hut which had space for at least 10. All of us were pretty broken and silence soon enveloped the camp. Apart from the 20 knots of wind howling all around us and the hourly visit from the local hounds.

The morning saw us rise with the sun and with the water all to ourselves it would’ve been rude not to have a blast before breakfast. Each of us had moments where we were the only one kiting in this paradise. It took about 90 seconds to rip from the tip of the island to the point where it bears off slightly downwind.

Jonny cruises the Vella flats at sunset all alone.

As you scream along the slicks inches from the beach the local fisherman are busy at work fixing their nets right alongside.

axis division — Cathy with nose grab at vella island, axis kiteboarding.

Tired from the kiting it was time to take the camera out.

The sun and too much kiting had obviously taken its toll on John. He was walking about in his underwear, muttering about tan lines. Next thing he was off kiting in the same attire. His riding was even better than the previous day though a couple of crashes saw some near lens shattering wardrobe malfunctions. Cathy was managing a few nice darkslides, omrii was boosting and Mawfeer was up to mischief as usual.

pointy toes, toby style, airstyle — John styles out a nice foot out – only in his underwear

I went for a wander to watch the fisherman at work. I asked permission before every photo and always received the head waggle. My head waggle understanding was still at the same basic level as in Negombo. Waggle means yes, I hope…

head wobble vella island sri lanka — Can I take your photo please, head wobble, OK

Local fishing vessels at vella island srilanka

The windward beach of the island was deserted apart from an army of nervous crabs scurrying along the shoreline.

Crab at Vella Island Sri Lanka — I’ve got my eye on you

Crabby — Only us, the fisherman and some menacing crabs on vella island sri lanka

An armada of kiters from another camp descended downwind onto our little paradise so it was time to leave and let them enjoy the butter too.

What a trip. Thanks to Nils and Mawfeer at Kitekuda for organising it.

If anyone wants to do a trip to vella island I would recommend getting in touch with Nils at Kitekuda – http://srilankakiteschool.com/

I highly recommend it.

Coming up

Light winds throw up a big surprise.

kite spots, travel

Sri Lanka – Negombo, food, fishmarkets and wobbling heads.

July 27, 2016 Whenit'swindy! Leave a comment

After several years of listening to stories about the beauty of Sri Lanka for kiteboarding and exploring we finally got on a plane and arrived.

We flew Heathrow – Delhi – Colombo with Air India who appalled us by asking 150 GBP per kite bag. We told them it was water ski equipment. It then flew for free!!!

Curry was the inflight meal and a sign of good things to come. Cathy and I could happily live on curry alone, this as it turns out is a really good thing.

Cathy had an airbnb place booked for a few days stay in Negombo after which we planned to go to Kappalady in search of wind and water for a spot of Kite surfing.

Chillies in the garden — Chillies growing in the garden

We were greeted by our host Asha from Leisure Villa and we were impressed by the accommodation. Simple but perfect. Clean, cool and quiet. She had beautiful flowers and chillies growing outside.

I wasn’t expecting much from Negombo but was actually nicely surprised. The Dutch canals made for a nice walk that eventually led us to the tail end of a fish market. We caught glimpses of what could be a spectacular event.

Seeing the fish market in full swing was a must so plans were made to return at first light the following day.

Asher offered to cook dinner for us, which we of course accepted. Arranging the best time for dinner was tricky given our inability to read the head waggle properly. I decided that until further experience was gained, the head waggle would mean yes… Can I take your photo please? Head waggle – yes. I hope I’m correct.

Asher’s cooking was phenomenal. She prepared five different curry dishes to accompany the string hoppers. Lightly spiced devilled potatoes, dahl, sweet fried aubergine, coconut sambal and a fiery cinnamon chicken . String hoppers we were to find out are a kind of vermicelli rice noodles and a great alternative to rice.

This was all accompanied by gallons of tea 🙂

6am saw a tuktuk whisking us back to the fish market.

What met us was a world apart from what we’d seen the day before. The streets were full of tuktuks, people, bikes and most of all fish stalls.

Negombo,Sri Lanka — Tuna awaiting the chopping blocks.

In one area tuna were spread across the floor. Some nearly five feet long.

Nearby were the chopping blocks where several men were hacking the tuna into more manageable chunks. Machete – saw – machete achieved this in seconds.

Another building was for smaller fish of all shapes and sizes. Most of which I didn’t recognise except for some jacks and groupers.

Prawns were arranged in size order from tinthumbnaily sized shrimps upto tiger prawns that could nearly be classed as lobsters.

I was in camera heaven. Even if every now and then the lens needed a good wipe. Water and fish have a habit of splashing about.

The atmosphere at the market was frantic. Fish would hit the deck only to be heaved away seconds later by its new owner.

We came across one area where three women were selling their fish. Their outfits seemed to help the sales.

There were only three women selling in the whole market. Their fish were smaller but still she pulled in the punters.

Two things saddened me. One, was to see a truck of shark carcass’s missing their fins. A true waste. The other was what we suspect were three dolphin carcasses. Nearly impossible to distinguish from the other big fish than the angle of the tail fluke. All other identifiable parts had been removed. Unfortunate bi-catch I presume.

Once the excitement died down we wandered over to the smaller fish market where we saw the smaller fish being salted, dried and processed. The pace was a little slower there and more relaxed.

Sinhalese fisherman relaxing after hard work in the catamaran.

Hessian mats were covered with drying fish as far as the eye could see. Spanish mackerel, sardines, jacks and baby barracudas were all in the line up. The aroma of the drying fish is unique and intense but to me not disagreeable.

Negombo Fish market — Sri Lankan lady preparing the fish for drying.

The people were very welcoming and so polite, with genuine smiles and questions about family and work. At first I was a little suspicious of these questions and the motives behind them. It became quickly apparent that I was completely wrong.

What an amazing start to our trip.

Next stop Kapalady – Kitekuda for some much anticipated wind.

When It's Windy!