The UK autumn and first half of the winter has got to be my most favourite times for kitesurfing in the UK. We are delivered with what many people deem as bad weather, but we see as a true delight. Deep lows swing passed us on the atlantic and some centre over the top and we are treated with unrelenting wind and sizeable swell.
(Bigbury firing in 30+ knots)
The unpredictability of these lows are one of my favourite things. You can rock up to Bigbury, Gwithian, Tiree or Rhosneigr and its a lottery whether you will be on your smallest kite in the quiver or your biggest! This year the wet weather hitting the UK has added and additional twist.
(Charging through the floods in Devon)
Sessions are the most challenging and just the day after boxing day I travelled to Bigbury for first light hoping to have an early morning session. I could see the sand hooning up the beach, but undeterred by the wind and rain I thought I’d stick with it. There are not many winds that are completely undoable in this country using my 5m Naish Torch so with my trips down south being so few and far between I wasn’t going to sacrifice this.
Normally you can see a bad day on the water is better then a good day in the office, but on this occasions Im skeptical.
(Down and out… for now)
Despite the wind hitting from a usually clean westerly direction I was delivered a barage of painful powerful shots of wind. The swell was delicious enticing me to stay out, but bam another gust would hit and holding my edge was close to an impossibility. I think I managed to get one wave in this session, but didn’t have the chance to enjoy it. My heart was in my throat and not willing to let myself run freely of the wave my satisfaction was missed. After 15 minutes battling a dark cloud loomed behind! It was on its way in. The gusts became more powerful and before I knew it one hit so hard that I went straight for the trigger releasing my kite on to its 5th line! I washed up on the beach grateful to be in safe.
There and then I decided to put off my journey back to Cumbria until the next afternoon so that I could get a chance at a decent session the next day.
(Bigbury on fine form)
True to form, timing is crucial with these things and not always do we have the luxury of being able to kite on a regular basis, but on this occasion I was glad to have the time to come down the following morning and start all over again. This time the wind was perfect for my 7m Naish Park and I could wash off the disappointment of the day before.
I am always quite glad to escape the Uk for the second part of the winter. It hits that time where its just that bit colder in the water and that bit less enjoyable, so as the swallow flies so do I and I generally head for the beautiful country of South Africa. Its an incredible place for many reasons. It is definately responsible for my level of kitesurfing now and also the varied conditions that I can handle. It provides a safe playground of long sandy beaches with various sizes of waves from flat water all the way up to overhead waves.
(A lake just one hour from Capetown and guaranteed to be a 10m weather respite when the wind is unrelenting in Capetown itself.)
The wind comes in around 20 knots, but can build to over 35 knots by late afternoon. It gives plenty of opportunity to ride in utterly incredible conditions, but then as the day wears on you can safely push your limits in what you can handle. It is certainly the place to ensure your level rises and that is why so many of the professional kitesurfers from the world circuit train there each winter.
(The lagoon where we spend half the trip)
South Africa is calling me once again. I love it for its incredible beauty and clean crisp air! Table Mountain towers above Capetown and the setting is so perfect with the deep blue sky all around. Surely something so beautiful can’t be that real, but on a daily basis you can wake to that view and its something I don’t think you can ever become complacent with. Complete with the beauty comes the great wind known as the Cape Doctor. It stirs bright and early delivering you with sessions to be dispersed throughout the day. The wind can stir lightly if baring from the south west or hit unrelentingly if baring from the south east.
(As easy as it is to find flat water, its as easy to find waves too)
Having spent so much time of my kiting career based in Capetown you can’t help but learn its little idiosyncrasies. You learn which beaches work best in which wind directions or even where to head when the wind blows so hard that hanging on to your 6m seems more of survival then a pleasurable experience. South Africa has all these spots to hand between 5 minutes and 60 minutes away. Hardly a day can go by where you can’t guarentee some wind and therefore an incredible session. Its a rare treat in the kitesurfing world and one I can’t sing enough praises about.
(Not all of South Africa needs a wetsuit)
This is why I choose South Africa year after year. The kiting is varied and incredible. The beaches are long and sandy and there is always another kiter around should you need a hand. The people, the food, the scenery are something to be experienced and top that off with the fact that it is predominantly English speaking and they drive on the left then its like home from home only with some extremely good additional advantages!
(A lesser published side of Table Mountain, but the base of a phenomenal walk to the top)
I will be in Capetown for a month this year looking to train harder and improve my level further. I have the idea that it will be nice to enter a world cup competition again, but I’ll have to wait and see if I can manage to squeeze that in to the agenda.
If you would like to join me on a South African Kitesurfing Adventure I am running a holiday from 27th January until 9th February 2013. We visit both Langebaan for a week as well as Capetown staying in beautiful holiday houses on our way. I will coach you intensively throughout the week in Langebaan and then guide you to the best spots to ride during our second week in Capetown. The trip costs £1,299 including accommodation, car hire and of course me and it will be a trip that you will never forget. If you would like to see more check it out here or give me a shout on jo@jowilsoncoaching.com
