Best Kites in South Africa

A pretty neat movie, of the best boys having a giggle in Cape town South Africa.

Unleash The Be(a)st!!! from Michael Schitzhofer on Vimeo.

Starboard Ultra Sonic wood Carbon 147L 2011

I had to put a few pictures of this new Starboard 147L 2011 Ultra Sonic Wood Carbon up, I am sure there won't be many of them about. This is a real thing of beauty, the carbon finish laid over a thin wood veneer has been hand sanded to remove every last once of weigh. Picking this board up, I was expecting it to weigh X amount and it didn't, it was so much lighter I nearly through it at the ceiling. The top deck has been hollowed out reducing volume in the mid and forward sections of the board. The wingers on the tail section are very subtle and the new cut outs are sharp and clean. This has surly got to be one of the fastest light wind beasts ever made. A stunning board Starboard, well done. Want to go really fast in lighter winds, this would be your weapon.

Strava & Boa Vista Cape Verde Kitesurfing

Well, just back from a brilliant time in Boa Vista ( Cape Verde islands) we only had 3 days of wind out of the week but we were well looked after, thanks to Strava (stravatours@hotmail.com). Now a little background on Boa Vista it is not your normal type holiday destination, there is a distinct lack of roads, tracks river beds etc is more the norm, and I learnt after visiting this wonderful venue that just hiring a car and trying a little self exploring is not really a goer at all, so finding a local kitesurfer with a four wheel drive and willing always to go the extra mile is a god send in a place as wild as this. Meet Strava Below.
Being meet at the airport ( four of us went) by Strava all the hassle of getting transferred to the 5 star Rui hotel was a breeze, over 250kg's of kit was lashed on, and off we went, Thomsons reps are good, but even they were not really to impressed with all the amount of gear we all had. Dropped off at the hotel and we agreed to meet Strava the next morning. The Rui is great you just can't beat ice cold beer on tap free of charge when ever you need to blow the head off a few. Girlfriends and wives also are super happy in this luxurious resort, pampered and well feed, and if they are happy then the boys are free to go and play.
Unfortunately we did not have any wind for the first few days but Strava was a legend, always being honest with the forecast even bringing a printed wind forecast for us to see. Always upbeat and sounding us out how we would like to fill ours days. Sharks were often a topic of conversation and Strava thought it would be a good idea for us to get close up and personal, so being reassured it was safe as houses going swimming with sharks off we went, reef and nurse sharks. Oh joy of Joys,lol. Dan you big Girl, taking photos instead of getting up close and personal is not a manly excuse,

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Other days were spent looking for waves, being taken to Bahia a little surf spot, where we hired some surf boards and my little italian mates got some Sups, sorry I couldn't hire one, the piss taking would of been to much (Ollie). Fishing with rods and then with spear guns and snorkerling was another great day, finding the bait, then catching probably the best part of 15kg's of fish, where then Strava got us to find drift wood and BBQ'd fish was the order of the day, really super fresh fish then a beer at a local hostel on the way home, seems beer has been mentioned a lot so far, oupps.

Then dead on time, as per the Strava forecast the wind and a 3.2m swell came in, the wind started off light, but again having a local guide we arrived on the other side of the island where the wind is always a little stronger and had the first of a brilliant three days, kites used 12m to 7m, We explored big onshore swells, with super mirror flat water between the swells to cross off shore a point breaks, where numerous top and bottom turns could be linked, and a brilliant time was had by all. Try Boa Vista it is a really wonderful base, but would be a great idea to grab Strava (stravatours@hotmail.com) before you go, or you will miss out on what most of this amazing spot has to offer.

Slingshot RPM 2011 Kite

The new Demo 9m Slingshot RPM Kite,(Kitesurfing has just become even more fun) the 2011 RPM has just turned up on our door step, so if you fancy popping past and giving it a go you are all more than welcome. As you can see from the pictures those wing tips have increased in size, I am sure this will spin the kite really fast. The bridle seems to have a little more throw in it. I never found the wind range bad on the old rpm, but with a little more I guess this kite will be better for the wave riders now the Octane has disappeared. It seems Slingshot is aiming at the freestyle as well as the wave market with this kite. The RPM feels very light with just 3 struts but with inflated wing tips, and boy are those wing tips big, it gives the impression of a five strut kite. Combine with this the great slingshot build quality, I think the RMP will be another solid performing kite for them for this year.