The Kiteboarder Magazine Vol. 8, No. 4

Vol. 8 No. 4 The Sherman Experience The Kids are Alright

Mission to the Maldives The Longest Wave

$7.99US

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contents

Features: 10 The Sherman Island Experience 22 Youth of Brazil 32 Mission to the Maldives 64 Pacasmayo: The Longest Wave in the World

72 The History of the Bridge of the Gods Festival

Departments: 40 Profiled: Grant Cook and Lisandra Godbout

44 The Scene 46 To the Moon

54 Exposed 62 Wish List 78 15 Minutes 80 Roots On the Cover: Bertrand Fleury in Indo. Photo Gromet

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Kirsty Jones, Lanzarote, Canary Islands.

Photo Rudolf Wild

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FROM THE EDITOR 6

A New Direction for The Kiteboarder As you can already tell, The Kiteboarder has a whole new look. You are holding in your hands the first issue of the new The Kiteboarder Magazine, the result of months spent rethinking what a kiteboarding magazine should look like. This magazine represents not just a new look for the magazine but also showcases our new direction as a company.

Founded in 2004, The Kiteboarder has always been a little different than the other kiteboarding magazines. Among many other industry firsts, The Kiteboarder was the first to offer a digital version of the magazine online for free. Over the years we have prided ourselves on being able to find up and coming talent and many of today’s well-known riders got their first taste of coverage in The Kiteboarder.

After working part time for the magazine for a few years, I replaced Ryan Riccitelli, co-founder and original editor of the magazine in 2010 as he devoted more of his time to outside projects. Recently, Ryan decided to step away completely from The Kiteboarder and we wish him nothing but the best of luck in his endeavors. At the same time, the rest of The Kiteboarder team including myself, Marina Chang, Gary Martin, Alexis Rovira, and Shana Gorondy took a hard objective look at what we were doing to determine if we could be doing it better.

Since its launch, The Kiteboarder has been continually evolving, not only in print but online as well. This evolution will continue, but the launch of this issue represents the largest changes made to the magazine since it was created.

From now on, the quarterly print version of The Kiteboarder will be the place for us to publish long form features about kiteboarding personalities, places, and other stories that grab our attention. Over the past year, our research has shown us that most kiteboarders get their information about kiteboarding gear online, so our gear reviews and other information relating to equipment will only be released electronically.

To accommodate this, we are excited to announce The Kiteboarder App, which is waiting to be approved by Apple for inclusion into the iTunes store as I write this. Through The Kiteboarder App, not only will we release an electronic version of the print magazine, but we will also be releasing special electronic-only editions on the topics of gear reviews, kiteboarding instruction, and an early look at 2012 kiteboarding products. The App will initially be available for iOS devices, followed quickly by an Android version.

Our research also showed us that most kiteboarders go online for kiteboarding tips and instruction, which led us to develop TheKiteboarderSchool.com. The Kiteboarder School is our new home for kiteboarding instructional topics and includes material for every level of rider starting with someone who is just interested in learning the sport.

The Kiteboarder is also changing the way we conduct product reviews. We will now be organizing TKB Test Weeks and will be asking our readers to join us to help us review products. Our first test week will be held in La Ventana, Baja, from January 8 – 15, 2012 (thekiteboarder.com/2011/08/ tkbtestweek-laventana2012). The Kiteboarder’s goal is to create the first truly honest kiteboarding product testing and we are relying on everyday riders to help us make it happen.

This issue is our first step in this new direction and we have relied heavily on input from our own readers to plot our new course. As always, we look forward to your continued feedback. If you like what you see on the following pages, consider supporting the magazine through an annual subscription. We are as excited about the future of our sport and the magazine as we’ve ever been, but we need your help to make it happen.

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Marina Chang, Publisher marina@thekiteboarder.com Paul Lang, Editor paul@thekiteboarder.com Shana Gorondy Art Director Alexis Rovira Editor At Large Gary Martin Technical Editor EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS Neil Hutchinson, Stefan Ruether, Rick Iossi, Toby Brauer, Brendan Richards, Matt Sexton, Kevin “Irie Dog” Murray, Kinsley ThomasWong, James Brown, Ginette Buffone, Maui Mike, Members of the Central Coast/Santa Barbara CKA

CONTRIBUTORS Dan Tealdi/www.kiteadventures.com, Julian Hosp/julianhosp.com, Lou Wainman, Chelu Guardati/www.perukite.com, Shannon Gormley, Corey Roeseler

PHOTOGRAPHY Gromet, Rudolf Wild, Sheldon Kiteboarding, Abreu Bros.

Photography, Jamy Donaldson, Rogerson Barroso, Martin Erler, Dave Oates, EZE Production, Epic Kites, Alex Irvin, Alexis Rovira, John Paul Bonetti, Jens Hogenkamp, Jimmie Hepp Photography, Bryan Elkus, Carlos Moncho, Pepe Romo, Hugo Valente, Marcelo Falavigna, Ben Miller, Tony Bolstad, Jim Stringfellow, Kinsley ThomasWong, Stephen Sullivan, Victor Sellinger, Kunta Kenta Forest, Michael Hindrith Thanks to all editorial and photography contributors for supporting this magazine!

Visit us on: www.thekiteboarder.com www.thekiteboarderschool.com www.twitter.com/the_kiteboarder www.facebook.com/thekiteboardermagazine

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Joe Ruscito kiteloops in the Sacramento River.

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Experience

Words and Photos by Paul Lang

The Sherman Island During the summer, the city of San Francisco remains notoriously cool and shrouded in fog while less than 100 miles away Sacramento routinely reaches temperatures of more than 100째 F. This large temperature difference between the two cities, commonly more than 30째 during the daytime, creates a large pressure gradient as the hot air in the Sacramento Valley rises and draws the cool Pacific Ocean air through the Golden Gate and over the part of California simply known as the Delta. Roughly midway between the two cities lies Sherman Island, located at the point where the two great rivers of California, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin, join together as they march onward towards the ocean.

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As the cool air is pulled inland from San Francisco, it’s channeled directly over Sherman Island by Mount Diablo on one side and the Montezuma Hills on the other. The temperature difference between the Bay Area and the hot inland valleys creates nearly ideal wind conditions for windsurfers and kiteboarders, routinely blowing from sunrise until after sunset and sometimes even all night long. During the summertime, there is probably no location in North America that features more dependable wind. “When I came out here for the first time from the East Coast, I couldn’t even believe this place existed,” said Nate Lincoln from Edge Kiteboarding. “It was so under the radar and people didn’t know about it. The reality of this place is that it’s the windiest spot in North America. For the months of June, July, and August there isn’t any other place where you can just go and sit in that one place and ride every day. It’s just phenomenal here.”

The unique geographical features of Sherman Island make it an ideal location to receive a lot of wind, but there is a lot more to know about it other than the fact that it’s a windy place. Sherman Island is not just a kiteboarding spot, but is home to a very strong and passionate kiteboarding community. It has a unique history and is not a spot where all kiteboarders can ride as the launch sites are small, crowded, and full of obstacles. I had been to Sherman Island a few times before heading up there for this story, but I had only shown up and ridden for the day. As I was to discover, the Sherman Island experience is completely different when you stay on the island for days at a time.

A seemingly contradictory aspect of Sherman Island is that it is both easy to access and remote at the same time. About an hour’s drive from either San Francisco or Sacramento, this spot does not take a lot of effort to get to, but once you are on the island, it’s difficult to imagine that large metropolitan areas are anywhere nearby. The nearest towns are Rio Vista, a small riverfront town, and Antioch, a larger town across the San Joaquin River. Rio Vista’s most infamous attraction is Foster’s Bighorn Bar, the walls of which are covered with an extraordinary number of rare and unique mounted animal heads, including an elephant.

Legend has it that when the elephant’s head was originally mounted on the wall, it was so heavy that it pulled the entire wall down.

There are no hotels within about a 20 minute drive of the main launch sites, which means that there are basically two kinds of people that ride at Sherman: Those who come for the day and then leave, and those who bring supplies for a number of days and sleep in cars, tents, or trailers. I arrived at Sherman Island midweek with plans to stay through the weekend. I pulled into Sherman Island County Park, paid the $5 day use fee, and noticed a lack of both people and wind. The park is operated by the County of Sacramento and offers both day use parking and overnight camping for up to 14 consecutive nights.

The camping fee here is a completely reasonable $7.50 per night on top of the $5 day use fee. The park is the main kiteboarding spot on Sherman Island and is one of only two launch sites here; the other one is Little Baja on the levee road. The camp hosts are the well-known and well-loved Indian Bob and his wife Mina, who will quickly find you and give you a friendly reminder to pay your fee in case you thought you could get away with staying below the radar.

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While many people have heard of the incredible summertime winds here at Sherman Island, fewer people know that the main kite launching site is far from ideal for kiteboarding. The main launch site is a relatively small grassy area within the park with a metal shade structure and parking area directly downwind of the launch. Midweek, there is plenty of room at this spot, but the weekend crowd can cause the launch to become overcrowded and hectic. It’s no secret that there have been a number of kiteboarding accidents here that have led to riders being taken away in ambulances and helicopters and most have occurred when launching kites. The metal shade pavilion has a permanent mark to remind riders what can happen when things go wrong as there is a dent on the inside of the roof from a rider’s helmet when that rider was launched into the structure. You can even still tell that his helmet was red by the scuff marks.

This small beach is the main launch site on Sherman Island.

Jeff Kafka’s midnight session.

Little Baja is the only site outside of the park where you can launch.

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This path leads to the beach from the launching and landing area.

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During busy days, inflated kites must be kept stacked and lines should only be laid out when you are ready to launch. Most people launch their kite in the grassy area and then walk down the designated entry path to the small beach.

On the beach there is room to launch and land one kite at a time, so some riders set up here to avoid walking down the path while flying a kite. The beach is small, full of sticks and logs, and the wind is straight onshore. There are tule reeds and blackberry bushes surrounding the launch, and there is little room for error. While it is possible to walk into the water and ride away, the safest thing to do is to first body drag away from the beach before putting your board on.

Sandy Parker, owner of the Kitopia kite school, gave up on riding away from the beach years ago after an incident put her in the middle of the bushes. “I dove my kite and didn’t quite make it past a group of sticks that stuck out,” said Sandy.

“I was launched into the middle of the blackberry bushes and had to fight my way out. I came out covered in red from both the blood and the berry juice and my wetsuit looked like someone had taken a cheese grater to it. After that, I gave up on trying to look cool and now body drag away from the beach before starting.”

Bruce originally started kiteboarding in the park, but many of his windsurfing friends quickly turned on him, didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, and didn’t want this wildly dangerous looking sport near them.

Brian Smith on an old board that was found buried in the tules.

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When you come in off the water, there is a separate path to take you back to the grassy area and the small amount of space means you should quickly get your kite down, wrap up your lines, and stack your kite out of the way when you are done with your session. A busy day can see upwards of 70 kites on the water, so it’s really important that people follow these basic guidelines for launching and landing. Since the wind was light when I arrived, I decided to spend some time digging up the history of kiteboarding on Sherman Island.

Bruce Sheldon, owner of Sheldon Kiteboarding, is widely acknowledged as the first kiteboarder here. Located on the waterfront in Rio Vista, the Sheldon Kiteboarding shop is housed in a building more than a century old that was once a Chinese food restaurant. The business is part kiteboarding shop, part repair shop, and part windsports museum. Among the treasures hiding here are a teak windsurfing boom, a windsurf hydrofoil, and a mint condition Kiteski ski and reel bar. Before kiteboarding took over as the main sport at Sherman, the shop was known as Sheldon Sails, and Bruce made custom windsurfing sails on site. At one point, one of his sails held the world windsurfing speed record.

Hitchhiking was a very normal way to get back upwind in the early days. Photo courtesy Sheldon Kiteboarding

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Launching on Sherman Island used to involve walking across rocks while attached to a kite with no depower.

Photo courtesy Sheldon Kiteboarding

Spencer Lujan cruises through the parking lot with a trainer kite.

Before heading to La Ventana for the winter, Sheldon ordered a box of gear from Wipika, the only manufacturer of inflatable kites at the time. “I was on my way out of town when the box showed up,” said Sheldon. “I didn’t even open the box. I just threw it in the van and headed south.” Bruce stumbled through the basics of learning to fly the 5m two-line kite on 40m lines south of the border and returned to Sherman Island ready to kiteboard in 1998. Bruce originally started kiteboarding in the park, but many of his windsurfing friends quickly turned on him, didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, and didn’t want this wildly dangerous looking sport near them. As a result, Bruce would launch his kite at the entrance to the park while standing in the road. “We would stop traffic and I would stand in the road that goes to the marina,” said Bruce. “These were two line kites with no depower, so it took one person to launch the kite and another to hold me down so I could walk across the road and down the rocks to get in the water. When I didn’t have two people around, I would park my truck in the bushes next to the road, pull the seatbelt out, and close the door. Then I would put the seatbelt around myself and launch the kite.

I’d usually be picked up a little and get slammed into the side of the truck, but then the guy who launched the kite would run over, get me out of the seatbelt, and walk me to the water.”

Not wanting to be the only kiteboarder on the island, Bruce started slowly getting his remaining windsurfing friends into kiteboarding. Among the first to join Bruce on the water were Sherman Island regulars Carl Millman and Alex Hall. It wasn’t long before more windsurfers became curious enough to try kiteboarding, so Sheldon began giving lessons. “The windsurfers called it ‘going over to the dark side,’” said Donny Parker, who had been windsurfing at Sherman since the mid 1990s. “It was not received well at all by most of the windsurfers and they didn’t want us around.”

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The slowly-growing band of kiteboarders still launched at the gate of the park, a site known as the Access. After scrambling across the road and down the rocks that make up the levee, these early riders would often end up far downwind and have to self-rescue back to the rocks and either walk back or hitchhike along the levee road. The number of kiteboarders was still very small, but stopping traffic and blocking the road every time a kite was launched turned out to not be the best way to make friends. Fences that were in the way

at the launch site conveniently disappeared. Later a confrontation between a kiteboarder and a car led to a rock thrown at the car and ended with a call to the sheriff. “After that incident an ordinance was passed that said you couldn’t cross the road with a kite,” said Donny. “That ended us being able to launch at the Access and made it so that the only spots we could launch were either in the park or at Little Baja.”

The launch known as Little Baja became a popular kiteboarding launch site after the ordinance was passed simply because of a quirk with the levee road. Little Baja is the only spot along the levee where the road drops off the levee and moves slightly inland for a short distance. This makes it the only place where you can launch along the levee and get in the water without having to cross the road.

Some of the early kiteboarders, including Shledon, made Little Baja their main launch while others moved into the park and began kiteboarding there.

As kiteboarding’s popularity grew on Sherman Island, both Sandy Parker and Nate Lincoln decided to start their own kiteboarding schools.

Kitopia was founded in 2002 followed by Edge Kiteboarding in 2003. While they both operate out of the county park, they actually conduct their lessons a few miles upwind at Upper Sherman Island (also known as Kitopia Island), a spot only accessible by boat. “We knew about Upper Sherman as windsurfers,” said Donny Parker, Sandy’s brother who teaches kiteboarding at Kitopia as well. “We would say we were riding up to the tree house, because there used to be a tree house there that eventually burned down.” While

Eric Rienstra makes good use of the river swell. Photo Jamy Donaldson

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Sandy Parker scores a beautiful sunset session.

Slawek Krauze grabs over the tules at Second Island.

Before you decide to travel to Sherman, it’s important to know this is what the main kite beach looks like.

the launches on Sherman Island can be crowded and full of obstacles, Upper Sherman is wide open and offers a sandy sideshore launch. Both schools offer lessons at Upper Sherman away from the crowds and also offer boat rides for downwinders to beginner and intermediate riders who might not feel confident about launching at either the park or Little Baja.

At the height of windsurfing, Sherman Island was an incredibly popular place to ride. “One fourth of July weekend, a friend and I counted over 500 windsurfers spread out on the river between the county park and Rio Vista,” said Sheldon.

Early on, windsurfers would simply park along the levee road and carry their gear down the rocks to get in the water. Over the years, things became more organized and the Rio Vista Windsurfing Association (RVWA) was formed. After crossing the road with a kite was banned, kiteboarders came together and created the Sherman Island Kiteboarding Organization (SIKO) and eventually the two organizations merged. RVWA/SIKO is responsible for maintaining the windsurfing and kiteboarding launches outside of the park, which includes Little Baja. They keep the spots clean and accessible, provide porta potties, and lease the land from the Department of Water Resources. Any rider who launches at Little Baja should consider joining to help keep this spot open, and memberships are only $20 per year. The land surrounding the park and RVWA sites is private land that is mainly used for cattle ranching. Longtime rancher Richard Silva leases much of the island for his cattle and is often seen watching the kiteboarders and windsurfers. He introduces himself to a lot of people as cattle rustling is apparently still a problem and he likes more people around to help keep an eye on things.

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After wrapping up my history lessons on Sherman Island, I picked up some groceries in Rio Vista and ended up back at the park shortly before sunset to find that the wind had picked up dramatically. From this point on, the wind would continue to blow until after I left. Typically, the windiest times here are early morning and late evening. The middle of the day is usually a little lighter, but is

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You could say Sherman is a wind powered amusement park with the occasional freak show in the parking lot at night. I wonder if they lock the gate at night to keep us in?

often still ridable on a 12m or smaller kite. Really windy days can deliver solid 7-9m weather 24 hours a day with no mid-day lull. “We call it a working man’s wind,” said Nate Lincoln. “You can get in two great sessions a day here, one in the morning and one in the evening and still fit an eight hour work day in the middle.” After a sunset session, I cooked a quick dinner and went to bed. When I woke up in the morning shortly after sunrise, I looked out the window of the trailer and saw people already out riding.

One of the key elements of riding at Sherman Island is learning to pace yourself.

It’s tempting to want to rush out on the water, but you’ll just wear yourself out in a hurry if you do that every time the wind is up. Once you’ve resigned yourself to staying on the island for more than a day, it’s important to slow down. You can easily ride four to five times a day here and still have plenty of time to hang out.

Best Kiteboarding’s Joe Ruscito happened to be in San Francisco getting ready to ride a bike across the country, so he came out to Sherman for the first time to ride and get a few photos. We took off from the beach lit on 9 and 10m kites and quickly worked our way upwind to Second Island, which is a small island covered with tall plants and surrounded by tules. As soon as Joe saw the glassy water behind the island, he went nuts and yelled, “This spot it sick!” Back on the beach he said, “It was super windy and my smallest kite was a 10m. There are some nice rollers out there, but the flat water spot behind the island is pretty epic. You come into this slick about 300 feet long and there is some nice lift there. It’s really fun for kiteloops or anything you want to do. Everyone riding up there was stoked and cheering each other on, which is something you miss at some places now.”

Spending plenty of time on Sherman Island allowed me to really get to know the kiteboarding community here, which is one of the strongest kiteboarding communities I’ve ever experienced. For riders who only come to ride for the day, it can be hard to understand what really goes on here. “People are more than happy to help you here,” said Slawek ‘Suave’ Krauze, who has spent the last four summers on Sherman Island and is currently running the Live2Kite Sherman

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Island trailer. “You can’t be all closed up and full of ego here. You’ll make more friends here being nice than you can imagine. Bring a brewski and just stay a little longer to experience the place because it’s worth it. The party doesn’t start until the gate closes, and people don’t know that.” The gate Suave is referring to is the gate to the county park, which gets locked at 9 pm. “This place has turned into a community,” said Nate Lincoln. “It’s not just kiters coming here and being individuals, it’s kiters coming out here and being part of a sport and part of a community. That feeling is an amazing thing that makes the Delta unlike any place I’ve ever kited.

It makes people who come here for the first time want to come back and join the community, and that is really what makes the Delta special.” Chris Gatewood, owner of Kite Naked in nearby Benicia, can be found riding at Sherman most weekends.

“Every time I drive up the levee, I get these excited butterflies in my stomach,” said Chris. “It’s kind of like the anticipation of a big roller coaster at an amusement park. You could say Sherman is a wind powered amusement park with the occasional freak show in the parking lot at night. I wonder if they lock the gate at night to keep us in?”

By Friday evening, more vehicles and trailers were streaming into the park to get ready for the weekend. While the wind forecast looked dismal for the rest of the Bay Area, the wind was cranking at Sherman, so this was gearing up to be a busy

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should always have a plan B and a plan C when you come to Sherman.”

For a quick video about the Sherman Island experience, go to www.youtube.com/ watch?v=SKA9Viw-Pj4 or scan the code with your smart phone.

For More Info: RVWA: www.rvwa.com SIKO: Search for the S.I.K.O Group on Facebook Rio Vista Info: www.riovista.org Kiteboarding Lessons: Sheldon Kiteboarding: www.sheldonkiteboarding.com Edge Kiteboarding: edgekiteboarding.com Kitopia: kitopia.biz

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weekend. Also, a barbeque and party were being planned for Saturday night for Suave’s and Yuri’s (another Sherman regular) birthdays.

Among kiteboarders in California, the Sherman Island barbeques have taken on an almost legendary status. The man usually behind these meals is Maui Mike, whose name has almost become synonymous with Sherman.

“Maui Mike has been the biggest host of the island,” said Suave. “He’s the best guy I’ve ever met here. There’s just no word for him. If he asks us to do something, we’ve got his back.

He just needs to say the word because he’s such a giver. I think sometimes people take advantage of that and just assume that the parties and barbeques just happen here, but there’s a lot of work that goes into them.”

By mid day on Saturday, the parking lot in the park was nearly full and the launch site became amazingly hectic. The wind had been blowing strong for days and most riders were on 7-9m kites. As the launch site became more crowded, tensions were raised a little and there were a few confrontations.

So many kites launch and land from such a small area that one person leaving their lines out or standing still with their kite in the air can affect a lot of other riders. “Everyone’s concerned about safety here, but different people have different ways of voicing it,” said Maui Mike. “People’s feelings can get ruffled and some of them walk away with a bad first impression, but there have been some bad kiting accidents here, and we’re just concerned. We’re trying to keep accidents at an all-time low. The launch is pretty difficult, and everything is structured here. Simply walking down the wrong trail can really mess up the program on a busy day. The best thing to do is to talk to the locals. We also have really strong ebbs and floods here, and if you don’t know what the current is doing you could find yourself washed downwind. You

On Saturday, the wind never let up as it often does in the middle of the day and it continued to blow long after the sun went down. As Suave said, the party doesn’t start until the gate closes, and shortly after sunset the barbeque was going and resident kiteboarder and DJ Guacamole DeeJay was spinning. A keg was tapped and the party went on late into the night. Sometime around midnight, the wind was still up, so Jeff Kafka launched his kite in the parking lot and rode in the flat water next to the boat ramp with a large crowd of kiteboarders in various states of soberness cheering him on. The moon wasn’t out, so at times we could only see a vague shape flying around in the darkness. More than an hour later, my night was brought to an end by an impromptu limbo contest. Midway through seeing how low I could go, I felt a pop in my right knee and fell to the ground. I got up, limped around for a few minutes, and decided it was time for bed.

The next morning, I woke up feeling fine, but realized quickly that something was not right with my knee. As soon as I started moving around, my knee swelled up and the pain increased. My first reaction was denial. There was no way I had been kiteboarding for four days only to injure myself on the limbo. I made my way to Maui Mike’s trailer and soon had a small crowd around me asking if there was anything they could do. Phone calls were made and Walt, a kiteboarder who is also a doctor, was lined up to take a look at my knee when he arrived at Sherman to kiteboard. His guess (which was confirmed later by an MRI) was that I tore my MCL. Yes, I tore a ligament doing the limbo. As far as I can tell, this is the first kiteboarding-related limbo injury in the world. Since I couldn’t drive, arrangements were made to store my truck and get me part of the way towards Santa Barbara for my wife to pick me up. Over the past few days, I had realized how friendly and tight-knit the Sherman kiteboarding community was, but the care I received after injuring myself showed me just how caring and supportive the kiteboarders here are. My gear and I were loaded into the car and the wind was still blowing as we pulled out of the parking lot. It hadn’t let up for more than 72 hours.

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the kids are alright

By Dan Tealdi | www.kiteadventures.com Photos by Rogerson Barroso

According to their parents, kiteboarding has kept Icaro, Rafael, and Luis Emmanuel out of trouble.

When your plane drops in TO LAND at the Fortaleza International airport, you will quickly realize just how beautiful the northeastern state of Ceara, Brazil, really is. Its endless white sand beaches bordered by beautiful blue water and the sprawling untouched sand dunes make it a kiter’s paradise. You will also quickly realize that the natural terrain isn’t the only thing that is beautiful here. The culture and the people are special and unique as well. No matter where you go, whether it is the large metropolitan city of Fortaleza or the tiny fishing village of Icarai, you will observe the locals greeting each other with a smile and a hello. There is a unique sense of national pride and happiness to be Brazilian – something that I greatly respect and that you just don’t find many places when travelling the world anymore. This unique sense of pride is prevalent all throughout Brazil and it seems to help define their sense of community and brings them together as a culture. Since 2008, I have been frequenting Brazil on a regular basis for business and pleasure, but a particular trip I made in 2010 touched me in a special way. I am sharing it with you as I hope my experience will touch you as it did me.

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It was a warm and beautiful mid-October day when I arrived at the Fortaleza International airport. As I stepped off the plane, I took in a deep breath and my face lit up with a big smile as the familiar scent in the air reinforced the fact that I had arrived in Brazil, my home away from home. As I walked out of the terminal I noticed “Mr. Tealdi” spelled on a white arrival card being held by a taxi driver. As we made eye contact and acknowledged each other the gentlemen asked me in broken English with a Portuguese accent, “Hello, are you Mr. Tealdi?” I nodded my head and said, “Sim, Obrigado” (yes, thank you). As he began to assist with my luggage and kite bags he introduced himself as Fernando. Fernando and I then made our way to his taxi enjoying small talk and loading the car for an approximately 90 minute drive through the back streets of Fortaleza, the fifth largest city in Brazil, to our ultimate destination of Paracuru, Brazil, a small fishing town approximately 50 miles northwest of the city. Little did I know how this one taxi ride with Fernando would profoundly affect me when I learned how our sport can positively impact a community in ways I had never imagined.

As we made our way through Fortaleza, Fernando and I began to engage in conversation about kiteboarding and the pride and joy of his life, his son. “Mr. Tealdi I just want to thank you so much,” he said.

Assuming he was referring to the use of his taxi service I replied with, “Your welcome Fernando, it’s my pleasure.” Fernando continued to thank me again and said with a quivering voice, “I want to thank you for helping to bring kiteboarding to our community. Before kiteboarding kids here did not have much to look forward too. The towns were having problems with rising violence and crime and the kids’ outlet of choice was getting mixed up with the wrong crowds. There is less violence and crime here now because of kiteboarding. The availability of local jobs in the community has increased and the kids have opportunities again.” I proceeded to ask Fernando about his son and whether or not kiteboarding had directly impacted his life. Fernando said, “Yes, kiteboarding has impacted our lives in a big way. My son is the love of my life, but because I work all day I can’t oversee what he does after school. My son is 15 years old and I know for a fact that if it wasn’t for kiteboarding coming here, my son would be involved in some kind of crime or gang. My son loves kiteboarding and now I can be confident knowing that my son is not getting into trouble at night when I am working because of his dream and the goals that he has set for kiteboarding. My son has a goal and dream to become the best kiteboarder in Brazil by the age of 21. He is currently only able to ride on a 2-line kite and uses very old equipment that does not work properly, but he has fully dedicated himself to the discipline and work ethic to accomplish this dream.”

It is difficult to translate through words and reveal the true sincerity and genuineness coming from Fernando’s voice at that particular moment — he practically had tears running down his face so it was an intense and special moment for me at the same time. Listening to Fernando make that statement was extremely touching as it revealed to me that kiteboarding can be so much more than just a cool sport or recreational activity. Our beloved sport of kiteboarding has the ability to improve and positively impact entire communities not only in Brazil but all around the world. Fernando continued to mention how discipline and a strong work ethic would have been difficult for his son to learn on his own, given the way his local community was going before kiteboarding came to the area. Through kiteboarding boys and girls like his son can have passion for something that is positive and productive in their lives.

Fernando said, “I see my son setting personal goals for himself and I am so proud of him. I work this job as a taxi driver every day so I can support his dream of becoming the best kiter he can be. I don’t know how to thank you but my son is my life and he is very important to me.”

As we arrived at Paracuru, I asked Fernando not to think about how to thank me but rather I would like to thank him for sharing such a personal and genuine story about how kiteboarding had such a positive influence not only on his son, but an entire community. Unfortunately, I lost contact with Fernando but his words stuck with me. I wanted to find out more about how kiteboarding had affected other kids in Brazil and found three families in the town of Paracuru that have sons with dreams similar to Fernando’s son. Here are their stories.

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Kiteboarding is helping to bring new opportunities to Brazil’s beautiful northeastern coastline.

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Icaro Barroso:

17 Years Old, Riding for 3 Years Icaro’s father Rogerson started kiting about five years ago. As a seasoned surfer, he taught himself with a trainer kite and progressed very fast from there. Two years later, he taught his son Icaro how to kite.

Icaro said, “My father started before me, so he taught me and I always find the sport fun and challenging! I love kiteboarding because of the adrenaline and it allows me to be healthy and be in the ocean. When it’s not windy, I like to play soccer and basketball with my friends, but

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my week is pretty busy. I go to school from 7 am to 5 pm and then have to do my homework at night. I can only kite on weekends but when I do, I kite every possible second I can!”

Before kiteboarding, Icaro’s father was a photographer, mostly shooting weddings and birthday parties. After he started kiting, he thought that repairing kites would be a great help to his family’s income as his wife already had sewing machines for fixing clothes. Now Icaro is learning how to fix kites from his mom and dad to save money for the future and get more gear. His father said, “I want my son to learn and keep the business but I also want him to go to school, graduate, and do whatever he wants for his future.”

Rogerson said that kiteboarding has brought more jobs, restaurants, bed and breakfast properties, and more tourists to his community which has been very good. “First, kiteboarding gives you the positive discipline in life. Second,

kiteboarding takes the kids out of drugs and other bad habits. In my case it’s also good that I can be with my son more as well!” He added that he would like to see more opportunities from the kite schools for the local kids to learn who have no money.

As for Icaro, he loves kiteboarding but would like for visitors to be more considerate of others while in the water and to respect the basic right of way rules known around the world. When Icaro was asked if he thought he would be involved in kiteboarding for a long time, his response was, “Yes, as long as my knees hold in place!”

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Rafael Ferriera de Sousa: 18 Years Old, Riding for 4 Years

For Rafael, it all started when a visiting tourist gave him a trainer kite. Rafael flew it for about a year and felt he was ready for the real stuff. Since then, due to Raphael’s passion and dedication, he has placed fourth in the Ceara 2009, fifth in Ceara 2010, and sixth in the Brazilian 2010 competitions. His typical day consists of going to school and then helping his father at a local restaurant for an hour before he can go kite for four to five hours a day. “Kiteboarding helps me get the stress out of my other daily activities like school and work,” said Rafael. “I will kite for the rest of my life!” Like Icaro, if he could change anything about kiteboarding in his local community it would be to give more opportunities to other kids less fortunate than him.

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Raimundo, Rafael’s father, is happy that his son is so dedicated to kiteboarding. “Instead of being involved with drugs, Rafael has developed good friendships and is doing better in school because he can’t kite if he does not have good grades. Also, the sport showed him new opportunities to work in the kite industry as well as possibly becoming an instructor.

Kiteboarding has opened a new horizon for him.” When asked how he would like to see kiteboarding become more involved in his community, Raimundo replied that he would like to see more opportunities for the local people to work in kiteboarding as many foreign kite schools bring in instructors from their own countries for the season. Like any father, Raimundo wants the best for his son and is working hard to give Rafael the education he needs so he has more options in his future.

Luis Emmanuel Nascimento: 19 Years Old, Kiting for 7 Years

Luis would enthusiastically watch the kiters in Paracuru ride while dreaming of the time when he himself might be able to join them. He developed a friendship with a visiting kiter who helped pay for his lessons and he hasn’t stopped kiting since. Luis said, “I love the water and kiting is a good excuse for me to spend a lot of my time on it!” His training has paid off earning him fifth place in the Ceara 2009, fifth pace in Ceara 2010, and fourth place in the Brazilian 2010 events. After school, he usually manages to get in two or three two-hour sessions every day. His mom, Maria Elisete, said about kiteboarding, “Like in any other sport, there are good and bad influences but kiteboarding showed me that my son can be a better person, making good friends from all over the world and giving him the opportunities to speak another language.”

Luis would like to see kiteboarding companies and schools help more kids with kite lessons, used or new gear, and sponsorships. As to his future, his goal is to become world champion and then to coach the next generation of future champions. He said, “I want to work in kiteboarding, so I see myself involved in the sport for the rest of my days.”

My chance meeting with Fernando made it clear to me that if kiteboarding can have such a positive influence on Fernando and his son’s lives as well as the families interviewed in this story, it can have a positive influence on many more kids’ lives not only in Brazil, but in other kiteboarding destinations around the world. This was the inspiration that led me to create a charity foundation called Kite4Kids last year. It’s just now getting off the ground, but its mission is to raise funds to support kiteboarding for underprivileged kids in Northeastern Brazil. Whether it be having equipment that is safe and works properly or paying for entry fees for kiteboarding competitions, Kite4Kids is a means for kids like Fernando’s son, Rafael, Icaro, and Luis to achieve their dreams in kiteboarding and hopefully also have a positive impact on the community they live in. I hope this article has revealed an insight as to how kiteboarding can make a big difference in many people’s lives in more ways than just the sheer pleasure of riding.

For more information or to learn how you can get involved, visit www.Kite4Kids.org

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What’s New at The Kiteboarder?

The Kiteboarder School

We posted 8 years of instructional online – a great resource for all levels looking to up their game at www.thekiteboarderschool.com

2012 Gear Preview Guide

The industry’s first and most comprehensive gear and accessory guide with links to manufacturer’s full product catalogs, product videos, and more! Available in digital format through The Kiteboarder App starting October 5.

The Kiteboarder Beginner Instructional Guide

So you want to be a kiteboarder? This guide will be full of info, tips, and videos to help you on your way. Available in digital format through The Kiteboarder App starting November 3.

2012 Gear Interviews from Surf Expo The TKB Video Crew will be at the annual industry trade show interviewing designers and reps on their 2012 product lines for our 6th year. Available starting September 8 at www.youtube.com/theringmedia

TKB Test Week La Ventana January 9-15, 2012

The first of many to come, TKB Test Week gives you the chance to ride, test, and review the latest gear in a given category with the TKB Crew! Check www.thekiteboarder.com/2011/08/tkbtestweeklaventana2012 for more info.

The Kiteboarder 2012 Calendar

Available starting in November at your local kite shop or online at http://store.thekiteboarder.com/

2012

Be sure to check out

Bookmark www.thekiteboarder.com and www.facebook.com/thekiteboardermagazine for upcoming promotions, giveaways, and events

Mission to the

Maldives

By Julian Hosp/julianhosp.com | Photos by Martin Erler

It was during an event in Turkey when my phone rang.

The caller ID showed an Austrian phone number that I didn’t recognize. I picked up and Alois Männer, CEO of Nautilus, an Austria-based diving company that operates in the Maldives, was on the line. His first question was, “Are you Julian Hosp?” His second question was whether I could fly to the Maldives with him to get some pictures to promote a series of kite safaris. Of course I was interested, so I asked when he wanted to do this. Alois said, “Well, this might be too sudden, but it’s next week!”

At first I was shocked with the realization that my plan to take a little time to chill out and relax from my hectic travel schedule would go down the drain if I accepted. However, very quickly I knew that I could not let such a once-in-a-lifetime chance of going on a fully paid trip to the Maldives slip away. I cleared my schedule and eight days later I found myself sitting on a plane to Malé International Airport.

Located about 250 miles southwest of the southern tip of India, the Maldives are made up of almost 1,200 separate islands, about 200 of which are inhabited. These islands are spread out over 35,000 square miles and more than 99% of the Maldives is made up of water. During the monsoon season, humid ocean air is drawn towards India, creating consistent wind across the islands. On paper, the Maldives appeared to be an ideal place to explore its kiteboarding potential by boat.

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Consistently strong winds and crystal clear water make the Maldives ideal for kiteboarding and scuba diving.

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The Nautilus-Two is the largest dive safari boat in the Maldives and it was to be our home for the trip. It can accommodate 24 passengers plus crew and the boat mainly operates during the winter season from October until June, the main vacation time for divers. During the summer months the boat is not very busy and sometimes even sits idle.

During one of his trips, Alois had seen and tried kitesurfing and has been addicted to the sport ever since. Very rarely coming across other kiteboarders in the Maldives, Alois asked himself, “Why not have the first kite safari boat in the Maldives?� From May until October, the Nautilus-Two was mostly empty as the divers were driven away by the persistent strong winds of the monsoon season. It would be my job to figure out if a boat-based kite safari would be possible here and to explore some of the small coral islands to find the best kiteboarding beaches in the area.

On this trip I was joined by Alois and eight other kiteboarders from Australia, Singapore, Austria, Germany, and Sweden. Almost immediately after arriving we realized the Maldives are a paradise for any kiter. The water is turquoise blue and the wind blows as constant as a fan.

The water is mirror-flat behind the many little islands and lagoons and there is no shortage of places to explore.

For everyone on the Nautilus-Two, it felt like we were still dreaming when we woke up in the morning anchored in front of an unnamed and uninhabited island. This exact place might be nameless, but who cares about a name when it’s blowing a steady 18 knots, the sun is just rising, and a completely flat lagoon is waiting just for us.

Julian Hosp cruises in front of the Nautilus-Two.

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Christelle enjoying the amazing kite conditions.

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The sunsets were amazing every night of the trip.

Together we took the dinghy ashore to a small sandy beach inhabited by just a few lonely palm trees. For kiteboarding, this first spot was as close to ideal as possible, and we were almost completely confident that nobody had ever ridden here before us. The morning light made the colors seem even more magnificent than they already were and the Nautilus-Two was reflected in the crystal clear turquoise water in the background. Everybody had a lot of fun riding and we even put together a quick coaching session to help the other riders improve their skills in the ideal conditions.

After our morning session, we had a great breakfast onboard served by a crew that would quickly become our close friends. Normally the boat is host to scuba divers, so it was a totally new experience for the crew to work with kitesurfers. Musaf, one of the younger members of the crew, immediately wanted to fly my kite and try to get on the board. For our afternoon session, the NautilusTwo raised its anchor and transported us to our next kite island. This second island didn’t have a name either, but it was a lot larger than our morning island and featured a huge waist-deep lagoon in front of its c-shaped bay. I could almost hear the island calling, “Please, come and kite on me!”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place better suited for learning to kiteboard, so Musaf joined us on shore for his first kiteboarding lesson. After a quick lesson and just a few minutes in the water, Musaf was able to get up on the board and take his first turns. It’s incredible how quickly people can learn kiteboarding when the spot seems tailor-made for it. The whole time Musaf was in the water, the rest of the crew was cheering as if their team was winning the Soccer World Championship.

During the rest of the week the wind blew every day except for one and we had some of the most incredible sessions of our lives. One would never be able to experience the diversity of spots available in this vast group of islands if situated on one island, but on the Nautilus-Two we looked at the forecast daily to catch the best waves and/or wind, adapted to it, and moved to the one spot that best fit the conditions.

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On one day, the wave forecast looked amazing, so in the evening we moved the ship to an outer reef to be near the surf in the morning. When we woke up, incredible clean waves were there to greet us good morning. Even though we could not get any pictures this day, as we had not brought lenses long enough to shoot photos at this break, the amazing wave riding will stick in our memories forever.

On our one day without wind, we went ashore to visit a village to catch a glimpse of the country’s rich culture and traditions. It is so fascinating to see how cultures develop in areas completely secluded from the outside world. The kids would come up to me and try to touch my blond hair while their mothers offered us their handcrafted products. The people here smile all the time despite owning only the absolute necessities. Later in the day we also went snorkeling with whale sharks and manta rays. It was incredible to be so close to such huge but calm animals! After a nighttime dive, everyone fell into their beds totally exhausted but extremely happy and ready to go kiting again the next day.

As the trip drew to a close, the crew put together a special celebration for our last dinner together. Instead of dining on the boat, the whole crew prepared a candlelit dinner on a deserted island, complete with a whale shark sculpted out of sand for us to gather around.

We all had an amazing time enjoying our last meal of the trip, chatting about our experiences, and making plans for future trips and safaris. Before I had even left the Maldives, I already had plans to come back to continue exploring the amazing kiteboarding potential of this incredible chain of islands.

For More Info: www.nautilus-liveaboard.net

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The Nautilus-Two sits mostly deserted during the windy season when the divers stay away.

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Where did you first see kiteboarding? I first saw a kiteboarding poster in 2001 at a shop in Rio Vista, CA. A year later, I saw two kiteboarders next to the Pismo Pier, later discovering that one person was Kinsley ThomasWong. That day I went to a kite shop and bought a little two line foil kite and knew right away that I wanted to be a kiteboarder.

In 2005 my family moved to the coast and I began the long journey of meeting kiters and trying to get into the sport.

For those that don’t have a kite club to be a part of, can what’s it like to be in an active CKA? Oh man, it’s the greatest thing ever. The general kiteboarding community is good but nothing beats having your own smaller group of people your age that are in the same classes and enjoy the exact same things that you do. We are constantly passing the latest videos around, pushing each other on the water, going on trips, sharing gear, having little get togethers at the kite house, and occasionally we even study together.

It seems that the central California coast has become the most active area in the country for college kiteboarders. Why do you think this is? I think it’s because we have two great colleges (Cal Poly and UCSB) in prime kiteboarding territory. Most people that go to Cal Poly or UCSB see us out there. We are very visible and get a lot of attention. The clubs offer an easier way to enter the sport by providing access to gear, lessons, and a group of solid riders willing to help people get going.

What do you think is keeping more young riders from taking up kiteboarding? Cost is a big hurdle for most poor college students, but the biggest problem I have been seeing lately is a lack of commitment. Even when they have the money or the gear available, a lot of college students lack the commitment to watch the wind and show up at the beach.

What do you do when the wind isn’t blowing? It’s sad to say this, but mostly I’m in the library studying. However, I do find time to wakeboard with the collegiate wakeboarding club and I also do like to surf and SUP. What’s your ideal day on the water like?

A day where the whole collegiate crew is out in full force and pumping techno music on the beach with lots of good riding, but mostly goofing off out on the water.

Photo Dave Oates

Currently a fourth-year Aerospace Engineering student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Grant grew up inland in Clovis, CA, but moved to the coast in 2005. He now lives three minutes from the beach and says he wishes he lived three minutes closer. Grant is a member of the very active Central Coast CKA and lives in one of the few places in the country with healthy collegiate kiteboarding clubs.

Photo Paul Lang

PROFILED 40

Grant Cook

Age: 21 Years kiting: 4 Favorite Spots: Floras Lake, Sherman Island, and Pismo Beach Sponsors: Epic, Hyperflex Wetsuits, Spy Optics, GoPro, H2O Audio

GEAR

Boards: Epic Droid, Cabrinha Custom 140, 5’7” Reef ATV Kites: Epic Judge 8/11, Screamer 7/10 LTD, Infinity Harness: Liquid Force Comp

Tips:

Shake hands on the beach. The more kiteboarders you know, the more fun you’ll have on the water. n Get good gear and have lots of variety.

Having multiple boards and exciting kites will keep things fresh and amplify your sessions. n Don’t get stuck in a rut doing the same thing over and over. Travel to new spots, try new tricks, and ride with new people. n

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PROFILED

Lisandre Godbout Recently sponsored by North, Lisandre Godbout is a French Canadian based in Montreal who has spent the last five years working as a marketing sales representative and traveling around the world. Soon after learning to kiteboard, Lisandre relocated to Maui for six months and became addicted to the sport. Earlier this year, she headed to the Caribbean with just a backpack and kite gear and ended up on a kite sailing trip all over the islands.

Where did you first see kiteboarding? I first saw Kiteboarding on St. Francois Lake, where my family has a house. I kept telling myself that I should save up and buy some gear to give it a try, but then my mom bought some gear for the family to use.

How did you get started? I was working with a guy named Nicolas Bélanger and I told him I was going to get some gear and try kitesurfing.

He laughed and said, “How do you think you are going to learn?” When I told him I would just teach myself he laughed again and offered to help me learn. He showed me it wasn’t as easy as it looked.

Later, we booked one-way tickets to Maui where we both became totally hooked on kitesurfing!

Having just landed a sponsorship, what was the process you went through to be picked up by North? We focused on shooting videos and photos to build a profile to send to North Kiteboarding. I knew I wanted North as my sponsor because I’ve liked the brand since I started riding.

I got in touch with North’s rep Dan Schwarz and he happened to be coming to Montreal, so we met and he offered me a sponsorship.

How are you able to travel and ride so much?

I work as a sales representative for a marketing agency, which allows me to work for a couple of months to save enough money to travel and kite in different destinations every year for a few months. I teach kitesurfing along the way, which helps me keep on going. My boyfriend and I just started EZE Production and you can see a video of our latest trip to the Caribbean at http://vimeo.com/24186966.

Not many people in the US have a good understanding of the kiteboarding scene in Canada. What’s it like up there? The waves are amazing on the coasts and the middle of the country has the best flat water spots you could imagine. On the Great Lakes you have a combination of flat spots and wild open sea conditions in amazing light-blue fresh water. In Montreal we have some great spots around the city, and contrary to what people think, the water is very warm in the summer, so it’s really nice.

What’s your ideal day on the water like? I wake up with my friends and drink my latte as the wind rises to 18 knots. I get my 10m Vegas and ride on flat water in the morning and practice tricks. In the afternoon, I head out in the waves with my Evo and go for a nice 20-mile downwinder. This ideal day has to end with a glass of wine and a good BBQ with friends on the beach!

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Photos EZE Production

Age: 27 Years Kiting: 3 ½ Favorite Spots: Union Island for flat water and Magdalen Island for flat water and waves Sponsors: North Kiteboarding, Ion Essentials

GEAR

Boards: North Jaime Pro with boots and Whip 5’7” Kites: North Vegas for freestyle and North Evo for waves Harness: Ion Essentials Nova

Tips:

Focus on one thing at a time and do not get discouraged if you do not see results as fast as you would like. n Crashing is part of learning, so go out there, try, and crash. n Don’t push it if you don’t feel it. n

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the scene

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1. Read Lisandre Godbout’s profile on page 42. Photo EZE Production 2. Ben Wilson giving a surf clinic in Pismo. Photo Paul Lang 3. Kurt Miller plays through the water hazard. Photo Paul Lang 4. Dimitri Maramenides, always the showman. Photo courtesy Epic Kites 5. Strapless boards, strapless dresses. Photo Alex Irvin 6. Stuck in the tules at Sherman Island. Photo Paul Lang 7. After-session rooftop beers on the Live2Kite trailer. Photo Paul Lang 8. Chris Schey unpacks the Slingshot van. Photo Paul Lang 9. Brendan Richards enjoys a hot water rinse and a beer. Photo Paul Lang 10. Zach Goepel doing the Red Bull dance. Photo Paul Lang 11. Live2Kite’s Evan Mavridoglou at Sherman. Photo Paul Lang 12. Jason McCaffrey wraps up at sunset. Photo Paul Lang 13. The Santa Barbara CKA knows how to party. Photo Paul Lang 14. Grom, victorious at the Tenacity Games.

Photo Alexis Rovira 15. Cynbad Brown shows off a gnarly wetsuit rash. Photo Paul Lang 16. Lou Wainman spotted in Maui. Photo John Paul Bonetti 17. Team Slingshot at the Tenacity Games. Photo Alexis Rovira 18. Delta Unified Kitesurfing District. Photo Paul Lang 19. Gary Siskar in a windstorm. Photo Paul Lang If you have a photo you would like to see in The Kiteboarder Magazine, send it to editor@thekiteboarder.com.

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to the moon Photos courtesy Jimmie Hepp Photography Photos Jimmie Hepp Photography

To the Moon is a new column we will be bringing you every issue from the mind of industry pioneer Lou Wainman.

For his first column, Lou describes an interesting way to beat boredom and stay stoked on the water.

Lately out here on Maui we’ve been adding a new twist to our routine by throwing a Frisbee around on the water. It’s super super fun and a great addition to our sport. It’s summer now and the wind is cranking every day, but just like eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it gets a bit lame after an hour of going back and forth in flat water with 25 knots of wind in your ears.

About two summers ago we had three weeks straight of 25 knots on Maui. After the second week, most of the riders here were burnt out with sore necks and knees and took some time off to get the stoke back, so the beach was pretty empty with the exception of me and my friend Lance. Just like me, Lance will ride rain or shine, so we were the only two out on the water. After about 15 minutes I pulled out the Frisbee I had hidden in the back of my rash guard and yelled out at my buddy 100 meters downwind of me to go for a pass. It’s amazing how far that sucker will go in the wind!

I threw it at a 45° angle and the wind took it way way up. It traveled like a rocket across the sky straight for Lance and he adjusted his speed and trajectory just right to make a perfect catch on the first throw! Right then, I was like holy crap this is awesome! We rode for the next two hours passing the Frisbee back and forth.

Then the Frisbee broke and I forgot about the whole trip until last week when I saw another one in a used sporting goods store.

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On another windy day, I played the same game with Kimo Harlancher, owner of Kiteboarding School of Maui. This time, a bunch of us got into it and we found new tricks and techniques like throwing the Frisbee upwind when you come in for a jibe or tack, then catching it again on your next tack as it comes back to you. If you get tired of

playing or see a tasty wave to ride you can quickly stuff it in your shirt with the top towards your back and you can’t even feel it.

It really helps your coordination and ability to time your speed and direction, which makes it easy to think of just doing a normal trick or off the lip without having to think about a flying object heading your way. Catching the Frisbee is another challenge not just due the fact that you’re moving around on your gear, but the thing comes down really fast if it’s thrown upwind in lots of wind by your friend. It helps if you can find some left handed riders too!

Maybe our sport has some hope for a game after all where we can all participate and not spend much money on the tool to see it happen. Before you play, make sure you check if your Frisbee floats and get one that is brightly colored. The Aerobe ones fly the farthest, but they don’t float, are hard to see, and are super dangerous due to the metal in them. You have to go for the decent conventional plastic type, but not the super-cheap ones you get for giving blood. Also, you should play in areas where no unsuspecting rider will get bonked on the head or get teeth knocked out.

Lastly, remember that normal fins on surfboards and kiteboards will break the Frisbee edges making for a sharp object to catch on the next throw, so don’t run it over if you can help it. Keep your eyes on the “bee” because sometimes it will go way farther than you expect it to. Have fun and be safe!

Special Advertising Section

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January 19-22, 2012 Crossing, Racing, Big Air, Paddle Royale, Kite and SUP Manufacturers Expo, Nightly Parties All Proceeds Benefit the Local Community

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TIRED OF THE HYPE? TKB Test Week — La Ventana January 8-15, 2012 Tired of the smoke and mirrors behind magazine gear reviews? The Kiteboarder is opening up testing to all brands and will be holding TKB Test Weeks throughout the year where you can become part of the TKB Test Crew and try out the new gear. The TKB Test Week is open to eight testers only. Deadline to apply is September 23, 2011. All submissions will receive an answer by October 7, 2011.

Our first TKB Test Week will be held at Palapas Ventana in La Ventana, Baja, Mexico, January 8-15, 2012. We will be testing 8m and 10m all around kites and freestyle twin tip boards. Cost is $799 plus tax for double occupancy and $699 plus tax for triple occupancy. Here’s what you get: u

A chance to be first to ride all the new 2012 kites and boards 7 nights 8 days accommodations at Palapas Ventana u Breakfast and lunch every day u Kite support on the beach u Four dinners at Palapas Ventana u Compressor to fill kites u Transportation for one downwinder a day u One day trip to Isla Cerralvo, lunch included (weather permitting, replaces downwinder for a day) u Use of Palapas Ventana’s kayaks and snorkel gear u All you can SUP: 8 boards ready to go! u World famous Baja Hot Dog Tour u

To submit your application, please see details at www.thekiteboarder.com/2011/08/tkbtestweek-laventana2012 Special Advertising Section

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or beginners, this is the ultimate “FThe most comfortable rooms learning spot. And the hot tub rules.”

The biggest hot tub Lots of alternate activities... t Ventana Windsports, we stayed “A

right ON the beach, and wow is the food good. What a relaxing and windy And it’s be allback right the paradise!” water! trip!

We’ll to on kiters’

Ventana Ventana Windsports Windsports www.VentanaWindsports.com www.VentanaWindsports.com

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Special Advertising Section

BAJA GUIDE LA VENTANA DOWNWINDER INN Owners Wayde and Char Yates invite you to experience their piece of paradise with six rooms in a garden setting conveniently located near great beach launches. With WiFi access throughout the property, each room has a queen bed, storage shelves, personal refrigerator, coffee maker, and complete bathroom with hot shower for $50/night.

Roof tops are available for relaxation to enjoy the fabulous sunrises, sunsets, or just star gazing like you have never seen. A spacious outdoor community dining area provides all necessary items from the quick breakfast to a relaxing sit-down dinner. NEW THIS SEASON: Complimentary cars for local transportation around town and daily downwind shuttle service. www.downwinderinn.com LA VENTANA BUILDERS La Ventana Builders founder Mike Donahue has been involved with the land and real estate market in La Ventana/El Sargento since 1996.

Mike’s many years of experience have provided him with a wealth of local trustworthy contacts to assist people in locating, building, purchasing, or selling their ideal piece of property or home in Baja.

Whether building your dream home or retreat or representing your

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interests in real estate, La Ventana Builders’ 14 years of experience will provide you with a single point of contact and save you many potential headaches. www.laventanabuilders.com PALAPAS VENTANA: Founders of the La Ventana Classic Race, owners Tim and Jimena Hatler’s property is located upwind of the main riding area where waves often break when there is swell or a strong El Norte. You’ll know you’re at the property when you see the palapa roofs of their quaint casitas with large porches, each overlooking the Sea of Cortez and Cerralvo Island. Lodging includes authentic homecooked meals (breakfast/lunch) served at the convenient restaurant/bar located just above the launch area or stop in for a killer espresso and WiFi. With a location central to riding, area markets, and restaurants, Palapas Ventana’s warm atmosphere will make you feel like you have a home away from home. Sport fishing, diving excursions, the infamous hot dog tour,

Special Advertising Section

and day trips to the island are also available. www.palapasventana.com VENTANA BAY RESORT Located halfway between the main town and the hot springs, Ventana Bay Resort offers you a choice of accommodations from beachfront rooms to private bungalows nestled in a beautiful desert landscape. Their on-site private restaurant serves delicious and healthy meals which are anticipated by both locals and guests alike. Guests can keep to themselves on their private patio or join other guests for a cocktail at the clubhouse overlooking the bay. The Resort also offers a semiprivate beach for launching/landing and lessons for all levels with all of the latest windsurfing and kiteboarding equipment along with a sports package with mountain biking, snorkeling, and kayaking equipment. www.ventanabay.com VENTANA WINDSPORTS In the middle of the action but seemingly a world apart, Ventana Windsports offers a casual laid back atmosphere in an upscale setting with super comfortable rooms. With a large launch/land area directly in front of the property and a 2,000 gallon hot tub for soaking after your session, you’ll also enjoy healthy gourmet meals in the new ocean view restaurant overlooking the entire bay (included in accommodations),thick futons, feather beds, and fine bedding and furnishings along with plenty of hammocks and lounge chairs for your “Baja Deluxe” holiday. Lodging also includes WiFi and use of sports gear (SUP boards, kayaks, bikes). www.ventanawindsports.com

LOS BARRILES VELA KITESURF Vela has been creating and perfecting the windsports resort experience for nearly 25 years. Whether you are looking for long tropical beaches with reliable sideshore winds, perfect flat water, or good surf breaks, Vela offers stand alone lessons or packages with gear, lessons, and lodging options at many locations around the world. Check out their website for their full offering of destinations with wind reports from their center managers, videos, and feedback from other travelers to give you a sense of what to expect. NEW FOR 2011/12 SEASON: Gear rentals – leave your board at home and try the new 2012 kites! www.velakitesurf.com EXOTIKITE: ExotiKite Kiteboarding School has been teaching kiteboarding in Los Barriles since 1998. An IKO certified and insured school on the East Cape boasting professional and experienced instructors, jet ski lessons and rescue, radio helmet instruction, and a guaranteed safe, successful, and enjoyable learning experience, they operate year round offering kiteboarding lessons, advanced wave riding and trick clinics, rentals, SUP tours and rentals, snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, and accommodations. Visit their new store next to Smokey’s Cantina or their school one mile north of town at kitebeach. www.exotikite.com

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exposed ROOM FOR ONE Louis Hutter finds his own private place to ride in South Africa.

Photo Jens Hogenkamp

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exposed

KEEP IT LOW Billy Parker gets low on his way to winning the 2011 Ro-Sham Throwdown in Hood River. Photo Isaiah Downing

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exposed

FAME AND GLORY Competitors at the REAL Triple S sign autographs for their fans. Photo Bryan Elkus

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exposed 60

HEELS OVER HEAD Rui Meira discovers a flat water paradise in Dakhla.

Photo Carlos Moncho

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wish list

1. Amphibian USA

Scan for the TKB Review

2. CAMRIG

6. Firewire Surfboards 3. FCS

1. Amphibian USA SPEX AMPHIBIAN EYEWEAR — Polarized anti-fog lenses, and they float. $59.95, www.SpexUSA.com For the TKB Review, visit www.thekiteboarder.com/2011/08/spex-amphibian-eyeware or scan the code with your smart phone.

2. CAMRIG STRUT CAMERA MOUNT — Bomber strut mount for GoPro cameras. $84.99, www.camrig.com 3. FCS SURF SHIRT — Constructed from polyester and bamboo fabrics. $30-$40, HARD RACK SYSTEM — Portable, fits any car. $33, www.surffcs.com 4. Firewire Surfboards DEVIANT FIN — Auto adjusting rear fin. Looser board feeling and better upwind performance. $35, www.firewiresurfboards.com

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Scan for the TKB Review

6. HEATED WETSUITS 5. Mystic Boarding

8. HITCHSAFE

7. GOPRO

5. Mystic Boarding HYPNOTIZE STEAMER 5/4 — Cool new color for the 2011/12 season, the Hypnotize Series is the premium women’s wetsuit from Mystic. $339.95, WARRIOR III LEN10 HARNESS — Mystic’s best selling harness with the most back support and features. $275.95, www.MysticBoarding.com 6. HEATED WETSUITS THERMALUTION — Uses two 7.4V batteries and Far InfraRed Ray Technology to warm your core. $390, www.HeatedWetsuits.com For the TKB Review, visit www.thekiteboarder.com/2011/08/heatedwetsuits-thermalution or scan the code with your smart phone.

7. GOPRO FLOATY BACKDOOR — Keeps your GoPro from sinking. $14.99, www.gopro.com 8. HITCHSAFE KEY VAULT — Secure and concealed key storage. $69.95, www.hitchsafe.com

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Guilly Brandao bottom turns on one of the longest kitesurfing waves in the world. Photo Hugo Valente

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By Chelu Guardati | www.perukite.com

Pacasmayo:

Discovering the Longest Wave in

the World

Four hundred miles north of Lima ,Peru, in the land of one of the most ancient and complex cultures in the world, there is a little nostalgic fishing town where you will find a wave that can be ridden for four minutes. Discovered many years ago by surfers, this world-class spot is the dream of every kitesurfer. That’s why my boyfriend Octavio and I put our kites and boards in the pickup and took a trip to see it for ourselves. Pacasmayo here we come!

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Photo Hugo Valente

official story is that in 1967 “ The Hawaiian surfer Chuck Shipman, returning home from the World Surfing Championship in Peru, saw from the window of his plane a perfect wave, a wave superior to the known surfing spots of the time.

�

The Unofficial Discovery of the Mythical Wave With the trip about to start, I wanted to know a little more about this legendary wave and how the first surfers discovered this spot. The official story is that in 1967 Hawaiian surfer Chuck Shipman, returning home from the World Surfing Championship in Peru, saw from the window of his plane a perfect wave, a wave superior to the known surfing spots of the time. Using a large detailed map of Peru, Chuck identified three promising headlands north of Lima: Viru, Chicama, and Pacasmayo. At that time, Peru was a country with an unexplored coast. There were only a few known surf beaches outside Lima, so the rumors about a perfect left in the north was on the mind of surfers, but it was still just a tale. Chuck encouraged his Peruvian friends to find the way to the elusive breaks, which they finally did. With this discovery they presented the Pacasmayo and Chicama waves to the world.

I was wondering if this could be true. How was it possible that there weren´t stories about other local surfers on this wave before? So, I decided to keep researching. A friend contacted me with the story of Otto Montoya, one of the first Peruvian surfers, who told me the unofficial story about the first surfers in Pacasmayo.

The story begins with Sebastian Velazquez. A local, Sebastian found an old wooden Hawaiian board belonging to “El Gringo Dean,” a Californian surfer who worked at the Pacasmayo cement factory in the early 1950s. He told his surfer friends in Lima and they traveled to the north to try it. The board was in really bad shape after being abandoned for so many years, so they painted it with anticorrosive paint, attached the fin with wire, and then, according to Otto, rode “the best wave of their lives.” They decided to keep the wave secret, but this kind of info is difficult to keep secret for long. This was one of the rumors circulating amongst Peruvian surfers in Lima and might be the one that inspired Shipman and his friends to look for the mythical waves in the north.

Road Trip to Pacasmayo Talking to Otto got me even more excited to kite this legendary spot. I’m Argentinean and Peru has always been one of my favorite destinations. Octavio and I live in Peru because of the waves and the wind, so when we received an invitation from Jaime Rojas of El Faro Hotel to participate with PeruKite (www. perukite.com) as sponsors for the Pacasmayo Classic, a kitesurf, SUP, and windsurf competition, it was the perfect excuse to go for the first time and ride the wave I´ve heard so much about.

Leaving Lima, we started our amazing journey by heading 400 miles north while passing deserted beaches, blue seas, and little fishing villages all along the way.

The Adobe City and the First Surfers Just 60 miles before Pacasmayo is Trujillo, known as the City of the Eternal Spring. Trujillo is Peru’s third largest city and shelters the 2000-year-old history of one of the most important cultures of the country, the Chimú. The Chimú people were the pre-Inca culture who built Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in Latin America and the second largest in the world. The site covers an area of twelve square miles and just walking around the city is a journey by itself. It’s like a giant sand castle constructed of adobe brick walls and decorated with figures of birds, fish, crabs, and turtles. You can hear the sounds of the sea from every corner.

Once there I could understand the strong relationship of this culture with the sea and the waves. All the archeological remains of the Chimú represent the movement, force, and power of the ocean as a source of life. Their complete knowledge of the sea and their ability to ride waves were necessary for the survival of their society. Contrary to popular belief, heavy evidence suggests that the local fishermen, riding their caballitos de totoras (reed boats) were the world’s first surfers, not the Hawaiians. After

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The wind is light in the mornings, which allows you to paddle for a few waves before the wind comes up. Photo Pepe Romo

can´t describe the “ Ifeeling when I rode this wave for the first time.

It was perfectly formed, breaking constantly, and powerful, like an energy train along the beach.

”

2,000 years, local fisherman still maintain this tradition and we have seen the caballitos de totoras surfing waves on their way back to the shore on nearby Huanchaco beach.

More than a Myth: The Longest Wave in the World After walking around the adobe city, learning about the Chimú culture, and travelling for eight hours, I was definitely ready to finally discover Pacasmayo. We arrived at sunset and my first impression of Pacasmayo was priceless. Standing in the hotel I could see the entire wave as the sun dropped over the sea and lit up the famous lighthouse while high and powerful waves broke without end. This place was definitely more than what I was expecting!

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Pacasmayo is for kiters what Chicama is known worldwide for surfers: A dream. In June of 1984, a group of local windsurfers, trying to find the perfect combination of waves and windy beaches, travelled along the north coast from Lima stopping every day at different possible spots until they arrived at Pacasmayo. Here they found all the right conditions: side-offshore wind and a long perfect left wave. The origins of kitesurfing in the area are still being researched, but the first kitesurfers in Pacasmayo were seen in 2002 and were foreign riders that were travelling in the country. The first

riders that took kitesurfing in Pacasmayo to the next level and fully exploited the conditions of the spot were Brazilians Guilly Brandão, Roberto Vieira, and Dudu Schultz in 2005. Six years later these first pioneers came back, kiting in the same spot for the Pacasmayo Classic contest. I was about to understand what brought them back.

There are plenty of hotels in Pacasmayo, but we stayed at El Faro Hotel, located just in front of the main riding area, where Jaime, the owner, hosted us in a comfortable and relaxing environment. The spirit of this place is all about having a good time and riding long waves with friends. Jaime was the first local kiting these waves a few years ago, so he has the wave spirit in his blood. Everything at his place is well thought out to accommodate needs of surfers and kitesurfers and all their gear. In order to be prepared for the following day, I asked Jaime for all the information that we needed about the spot. He told us Pacasmayo usually serves up three breaking points: one at the lighthouse (the best and biggest one), another in the middle of the beach, and the third one to the right of the beach. Depending on the size of the swell, these breaks can be very definitive and separate or can combine to let a big wave roll across the whole beach. The wave starts the first 650 feet with a tubular section and continues on, breaking for close to a mile.

A First Unforgettable Session My first session at Pacasmayo started at 11 o´clock. As Pacasmayo works on a thermal wind, you can surf in the morning without wind and kite later when it starts to blow. The waves were about 4-6 foot and breaking soft and long. The wind was blowing super steady so I launched my 8m Slingshot Rally at the hotel beach and rode upwind to the lighthouse point.

I can´t describe the feeling when I rode this wave for the first time. It was perfectly formed, breaking constantly, and powerful, like an energy train along

The adobe ruins of Chan Chan.

Chelu Guardati gets ready to ride Pacasmayo.

Photo Hugo Valente

Photo Marcelo Falavigna

the beach. The wave is so long that if you lose it, you can recover it over and over again. If you can´t catch it, don´t worry, because there is another coming, and another, and another! Pacasmayo is a wave machine and is going to give you endless waves to ride until your legs give up. The sea is not going to surrender and has waves for everyone all the time. I finished my session with a smile on my face and my body ready to go to sleep. Everything here is about the waves, so life is relaxing and there isn´t a night life, but that really doesn´t matter. Everyday everybody finished so tired that the only plan was eating an early dinner at the hotel or in town and going to sleep early to be prepared for another exciting day.

A Town from another Time The town and the northern people also give Pacasmayo the magic that characterizes it. In the early 20th century Pacasmayo used to be an important port of the north coast. Evidence of this period of brilliance is reflected in a friendly but melancholy waterfront with charming mansions. The town is small but friendly with narrow streets, a few cars, and lots of moto taxis.

I was always trying to be aware of not crashing into one as they were everywhere! Local people move around in their own time and space and the surfing culture is integral to the town. They are always attentive, helping you to find the place

where you want to go and asking about the waves of the day, making you feel comfortable and at home.

Secret Spot After some sunny and windy days, the fourth day dawned cloudy with no possibility of wind, so we decided to go to a secret spot located just 40 minutes away: Gallito Ciego (Blind Hen) Dam. We took a road towards the mountains, directly in the opposite direction from the sea. While we were approaching, the clouds disappeared and we started to see the wind moving the trees and flags along the way. Between the mountains there is a big lake with sweet warm water. It’s the last place we thought we were going to find a kiteboarding spot. There wasn´t a clear way to get in the water, so we had to leave the pickup next to the road near a tiny restaurant and walk between dry plants with spines for 400 yards with all the gear to arrive at the lake. But it was definitely worth it! Our reward was an incredible freestyle session with 8 and 10m kites, constant wind, and flat water.

A One Way Trip Pacasmayo offers travelers a mix of culture, waves, flat water, and chill out time. We had a great time, kited the best waves ever, improved our surfing a lot, and met many interesting people from all over the world. The feeling after kiting such a long wave is so indescribable that it only can be understood by riding it yourself. Don´t doubt that Pacasmayo serves up one of the world’s best breaks for kitesurfing. Plan your trip, pack your gear, take a flight, and come discover the country of ancient cultures, the ceviche, the Cusqueña beer, and the longest waves. Just be aware that Pacasmayo is a one way trip meaning some waves are so long you won’t be able to stand up by the time you hit the beach. If you’re paddle surfing, it will take you about ten minutes to walk back out to the point and paddle out again. Just experiencing it once will make you want to come back to ride this wave again!

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Alberto Junior hitches a ride on the back of a moto taxi. Photo Hugo Valente

Photo Marcelo Falavigna

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Wind Season: All year long with an average of three-four days per week of 15-25 mph side-offshore wind.

Waves: Peru is famous for receiving one of the most consistent swells on the planet. April-October is the best wave season with waves from 8-20 feet. In summer, the waves average from 4-10 feet with some larger days. In winter, the average is 8-15 feet with very frequent larger days.

Access: The launch area consists of both rocks and sand. There are some shallow areas you should be aware of that can be easily seen when the tide is very low. Booties are recommended.

Temperature: In the spring it is normally warm and sunny from 60-83°F. Pacasmayo and northern Peru are close to the tropics so the temperature doesn’t change much with the seasons. Temperatures can drop at night because of the dry desert climate.

Current: There is a strong current that increases depending of the size of the swell. Be careful if the wind drops! If you catch a nice wave but the wind is dropping, be aware that there is a pier one mile downwind from the lighthouse break.

Wetsuit: In winter, the water temperature is around 66°F, so a 4/3 or 3/2 is needed. The water is warmer in summer, around 75°F, so a shorty or rash guard is ok for most riders.

Freestyle: Between the waves and at the dam the water is super flat, so don´t forget to take your freestyle board too!

TRAVEL INFO

For a sneak peak of kitesurfing in Pacasmayo check http://vimeo.com/27499962. To read a TKB trip report on other riding areas in Peru including Mancora to the north and Paracas to the south, check out www.thekiteboarder.com/2011/08/perufrom-paracas-to-mancora or scan the code with your smart phone.

Caballitos de totoras, the original surfboards.

Photo Ben Miller

Even though it’s a small town, Pacasmayo is prepared to receive tourists, so it´s possible to find all levels of accommodations to fit your budget and needs as well as restaurants with good food.

How to Get There: A good thing about Peru is that it is a really easy destination to get to wherever you are coming from. Direct flights arrive from every point of the planet. Once you get to Lima, there are a few different ways to get to Pacasmayo.

By Plane: Fly to Trujillo (60 miles to the south) or Chiclayo (60 miles to the north). Airlines Lan and Taca travel everyday and tickets start at USD $125.

Once there, you can take a taxi (from USD $50) or arrange a transfer with The Faro Hotel.

By Bus: Cruz del Sur travels every day. The ride takes eleven hours from Lima and the price of the ticket one way is USD $30-40.

By Car: There are many rental car agencies in Lima. They cost from USD $60 per day and the journey takes nine hours.

Where to Eat

Like in every small fishing town, the seafood in Pacasmayo is amazing. Ceviche, the popular dish prepared with fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices, is originally from this area. Some of the most popular and traditional places are: Cevicheria El Tábaris: Every day they serve fresh rockfish, crab, snail, and octopus ceviches.

La Pietra: A small Italian restaurant with a casual atmosphere and homemade pasta and pizza.

Café Café: Traditional Peruvian food, renowned for its chifa (Peruvian version of Chinese food).

Where to Stay

Hotel El Faro: Recommended for surfers, windsurfers, and kitesurfers. From USD $84, includes breakfast. www.elfaropacasmayo.com Hotel Pakatnamu: From USD $105, includes breakfast. www.actiweb.es/hotelpakatnamu Hotel La Estación: From USD $48, includes breakfast. www.hotellaestacion.com Hostal El Mirador: Surfer’s hostel, from USD $30. www.pacasmayoperu.com Hotel Duke Kahanamuno: www.eldukepacasmayo.com

SPECIAL EVENTS The Pacasmayo Classic is a sport festival organized every year in June by Jaime Rojas from El Faro Hotel. The event is open to all ages and levels of riders from diverse disciplines like kitesurfing, windsurfing, and SUP with the objective of enjoying and sharing experiences and moments in the waves between friends with a little healthy competition. This year’s event attracted high-level competitors from Peru, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. www.pacasmayoclassic.com

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This year Pacasmayo will host the most important kitesurfing event in Peru, the second stop of the KSP World Tour. From October 19-28, the best kitesurfers in the world will compete against each other on the longest wave of the world. www.kspworldtour.com

reservas@elfaropacasmayo.com

WWW.ELFAROPACASMAYO.COM

History

of the

Bridge of

the Gods Kiteboarding

Festival

By Shannon Gormley

The phrase “Summer in the Columbia River Gorge” has a certain ring to all kiteboarders.

Over a typical summer, there will be countless sessions, a few self rescues, some beers after those self rescues, and a seemingly endless lineup of competitions and events. Professional kiteboarders come and go like the clouds, and the youngsters dream of crossing over into kiteboarding fame. But it hasn’t always been that way here. Before Kiteboard 4 Cancer (now Tenacity Games), the Race Series, and the RoSham Throwdown, the Columbia River Gorge was littered with windsurfers and a small group of rebels who dared to attach themselves to kites. It was in these early days of kiteboarding, days when this writer was starting high school, that a group of radicals came together and put on the first kiteboarding event in North America. The Bridge of the Gods (BOTG) Kiteboarding Festival, held at the then mostly unkiteable East Point Beach in Stevenson, Washington, was born.

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Paul Porter was more than thrilled with his $50 in prize money. Photo Tony Bolstad

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Alex Fox not only won in 2009 but also landed a sponsorship with Slingshot. Photo Š Abreu Bros. Photography

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Tony Bolstad helps organize the event and competes in the Master’s Division.

Photo Jim Stringfellow

Stevenson is one of the most beautiful places you could imagine to hold a kiteboarding competition. Photo Jim Stringfellow

Early in the summer of 2000, a group of misfit windsurfers turned kitboarders were sitting around a pitcher of beer in Stevenson. Unaware that their actions would change the lives of aspiring pro kiteboarders for years to come, they searched for a way to show kiteboarding to Darren Porter, a television producer working for Adrenalin TV. He was headed to the Gorge to film an episode focusing solely on kiteboarding. Since kiteboarding was so new at the time, hardly anyone in America knew what it was or what it looked like.

Floyd Wilkes and a handful of other pioneers decided the best way to showcase the sport was with a competition. Wilkes lived in Stevenson and was tired of driving east to kite. He had seen former pro windsurfers like Tony Logosz escaping Hood River to kite in Stevenson and decided it was time to show the kiting community what Stevenson had to offer. Wilkes went to the Skamania County Chamber of Commerce and the Port of Skamania to get the go ahead. Posters were printed and distributed throughout the Gorge and t-shirts were made up for the event. Naish North America got on board as a sponsor and kicked in $1,000 for prize money.

There was some confusion on the August morning of the first BOTG considering most of the riders had never launched from Stevenson before.

Fortunately, one of Wilkes’s major goals was a beer garden on the beach as well as music for the riders to hear while kiting, so everyone was all smiles.

Another major goal was to expose people to the sport who would never think of going in the river. Wilkes purposely went out of his way to choose judges that were from the town of Stevenson who had never seen kiteboarding.

Twenty-some guys and three ladies threw their names in a hat and heats were organized.

It didn’t take long to show that Stevenson’s new kite beach was ideal for a competition. It gave Porter the perfect shots he needed for Adrenalin TV and proved an excellent location for spectators to sit arena style with a kiteboarding show directly in front of them. The townsfolk of Stevenson loved seeing extreme kiteboarding so close and riders were stoked to have a beach full of cheering fans.

By the end of the day, it was obvious that Adam Koch and Renee Hanks were the best in the Gorge. Immediately following the event, Koch moved to Maui with Darren Porter, and together they produced Fluid Revolution, one of the very first kiteboarding movies. The movie starts at the first BOTG event, follows the trip Koch takes to Maui, and shows how he was picked up

by Naish and Red Bull following his win. When Fluid Revolution was released, kiteboarders across America learned about an amateur rider who turned pro within weeks and the BOTG’s fame was born.

The BOTG was so popular that people were talking about the second BOTG months ahead of the event. Wilkes received more help the second year from Hanks and others and in August 2001, 36 men and eight women were ready to compete. It was Dave Tyburski, the current Product Manager for Airush, who turned out to be victorious that year on his 8.4m Wipika Airblast and his Forsyth Custom Mutant board with four fins on the tail and two on the nose.

Hanks supplied the jokes that year by wearing a plastic butt over her wetsuit while going on to win the women’s title again.

Over the years, the faces of the organizers have changed, but the excitement around the event has not. Sadly in 2005, due to a lack of volunteers and organization, the competition didn’t happen. However, it was clear to everyone that this competition had become an important part of the town and must keep going. In 2006 it returned in full swing and hasn’t missed a year since. Slingshot moved their headquarters to Stevenson for a few years and became a large part of the BOTG event in 2009 by creating Slingstock. They made the event huge that year and everyone was thankful for the amazing time. Slingshot couldn’t be the only sponsor in 2010, but that didn’t stop the festival from happening. 2011 brings the 11th annual BOTG Festival and is shaping up to be nothing short of spectacular.

“

By the end of the day, it was obvious that Adam Koch and Renee Hanks were the best in the Gorge.

Immediately following the event, Koch moved to Maui with Darren Porter, and together they produced Fluid Revolution, one of the very first kiteboarding movies.

”

Britney Todd spins her way to a win in 2009.

Photo © Abreu Bros. Photography

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Since 2000, hundreds of men and women have competed in the BOTG and dreamed of “Crossing the Bridge” from amateur kiteboarding into the world of sponsorship. However, only 10 men and eight women have ever won. All of them have gone on to become well-recognized figures in the kiteboarding community. North Kiteboarding’s Surfboard Product Manager and Chief Kite Tester Sky Solbach won the third BOTG event in 2003. Solbach was excited to welcome 2010 BOTG winner Tommy Fields to the North Kiteboarding International Team after his win last summer. 2008 Women’s Champion Marie Leclerc is also a North Team rider and owns her own kite school. Slingshot has always kept an eye on the event for potential team riders and sponsors BOTG champions Alex Fox (2009), Reed Brady (2007), Shannon Gormley (2007), and two-time women’s champion Laura Maher (2004 and 2006). Amery Bernard won in 2004 and went on to become a kite designer and professional musician. Best Kiteboarding’s poster boy Joe Ruscito won in 2008 and has been in countless magazines since. Naish picked up Ben Chambers after his 2006 win and Britney Todd after her win in 2009. Warenka Valle won last year for the women and went on to win the Mexican Kiteboarding Nationals. The big question on everyone’s mind: Who will win this year?

For 2011, there will be some differences from the original event 11 years ago.

Instead of 25 competitors, there are expected to be over 75 ranging in ages from 10 to 60. Many different divisions have been added to accommodate the vast age differences including a Grom’s Division for kids under 17 and also a Master’s Division for anyone over the age of 40. In 2010, a Mini Grom’s age group was added for kids under the age of 13. Also, on the Friday before the event, all the previous winners and pros are called to compete for bragging rights and beer. A photo contest has been added for the photographers to showcase their talent.

Due to the efforts of Tony Bolstad, winner of the 2006 Master’s Division, Steve Fisher, and some friends, the BOTG lives on. They will try to keep some of Wilkes’s original dreams alive by having music loud enough for the riders to hear while kiting and a beer garden on site. On competition days, the amateurs will rule the water while the pros sit respectfully on the beach. In addition, there will still be judges from the local community who don’t kiteboard as well as previous winners. Just like the first festival, there’s going to be a large party for everyone to come together to talk about their sessions.

For some, this will be their first kiteboarding event. For others, it will be another chance to shine. Austin Keillor, Vetea Boersma, and Trey Roeseler aren’t teenagers yet but they were out there doing front and back rolls last

year and hopefully we’ll see them again this year.

Trey and his brother Levi have both promised to be competing, and their industry pioneer father Cory Roeseler couldn’t be more proud since he competed in the BOTG 10 years ago. The men’s division has seen returning faces to the podium including Grom, Paul Porter, and Jeff Takashima, who all plan on competing this year. For the ladies, it’s going to be a close competition between Carol Bolstad, Rachel Callahan, Colleen Carroll, and Jaz DeLille.

The Master’s Division involves handle passes and mega loops, so don’t expect anything less from Jan Boersma, Jim Hunt, Ken Ishida, and Wally the Gator when they hit the water. These are just some of the riders who plan on attending, and we all know it can be anyone’s game. If prior events are any indication, there is no telling who will show up and who will win.

Kiteboarding has changed a lot over the years.

The competitions, tricks, kites, boards, riders, and clothing (thankfully) are all radically different than they were 11 years back. A summer in the Gorge will always have some similarities though. The BOTG Kiteboarding Festival has been here throughout the years to showcase those changes to a small town in Washington and the kiteboarding community as a whole. It grows every year with more excitement, stoke, and riders from around the world. All of us know that kiteboarding is here to stay, and so is the BOTG Kiteboarding Festival.

By the time you read this, the 2011 BOTG Kiteboarding Festival will have crowned its latest round of winners, giving exposure to kiteboarders who may be taking the step from amateur to professional riding. Visit www.botgkitefest.com for more info and results.

77 patrick rebstock/ jason wolcott

~ mauricio abreu / leo estevao

15 minutes

Mike Campanaro at St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Photo Stephen Sullivan

Get your 15 minutes of fame and a chance to win some killer swag by submitting your photos to editor@thekiteboarder.com.

Ella Johnson all smiles at Sherman Island. Photo Paul Lang

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Cameron Maramenides at the Pismo Beach KiteXpo. Photo Paul Lang

Mike from KilledtheWind slides through the flats.

Photo Kinsley ThomasWong

Cynthia Brown’s strapless air in La Ventana. Photo Kunta Kenta Forest

Andrew Miller cruises by the camera in Pismo. Photo Paul Lang

Victor Sellinger scores a head high day at Castles. Photo Victor Sellinger

James Ropner, strapless back roll at Waddell. Photo Paul Lang Jean-Claude Farre all fired up to be on the water. Photo Paul Lang

Caution’s Peter Schiebel navigates the windsurfers.

Photo Kent Forest

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ROOTS Cory Roeseler, 1997 This photo captures the Kiteski product in action. My dad and I founded Kiteski, Inc. in 1992 and we were awarded a US patent for the system that included a kite, board(s), and reel bar for deep water starts. After years of early trials in the 1980s with cumbersome stacks of sport kites, we thought independence was a critical key to the success of the sport, so that drove the design process. We’d simply swim out to deep water or stand at the water’s edge, throw the kite up, reel out the lines, and ride away unassisted.

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—Cory Roeseler Photo Michael Hildreth

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