Banana riding

Posted on Dec. 5, 2005 at 10:44 AM - Link

Kids just love Banana Riding!!! And so do I...

Scuba Diving

Posted on Aug. 26, 2005 at 11:27 AM - Link

I've always wanted to go scuba diving, so I'm taking lessons and preparing myselg for my fisrt dive! It's gonna be Awsome! It's very important to have lessons with experient professionals in the sport and never dive on your own. This is gonna be really cool, see all of those beauties and different things at the botom of the sea!

Surfing is the best!

Posted on Jul. 30, 2005 at 8:42 AM - Link

I just love to go surfing, forget all of my problems and just concentrate on the waves. It's difficult and kindda dangerous too, so if you don't practice for very long, don't try to surf big waves or stormy seas and never go surfing alone.

Kite Babe Interview : Laurence Lignieres

Posted on Jul. 18, 2005 at 8:12 AM - Link

Some basic facts about Laurence:
Nickname : Chicken
Birthday : 04-12-76
Height : about 1,64
Weight : about 53 kgs
Years kiting : First try in 2000, but I was always  windsurfing, seriously start in 2001
Current Residence : Guadeloupe, Saint-François
Favourite Kite Spot : Guadeloupe : Saint-François, Caret… Los Roques, New Caledonia
Other Sports : Wake board, water-ski, surf, swimming, tennis, biking, hiking, fitness, skydiving…any sports I like every thing!
Sponsors : Cool Shoes, Sooruz, Takoon, Chicken Surfing
Website : not yet

Do you still live in Guadeloupe?  Where in the world is Guadelope?
Yes, I live in Guadeloupe.  It's a small island in the West Indies (Caribbean), belonging to France. I was born here, and my family has been here for a very long time….

When and how exactly did you get into kiteboarding?
I was very fond of windsurfing. I started when I was 11 years old, because my mother is a really good windsurfer, she still does it every week end ! In 1999 I had a great experience travelling alone all around the world with my back pack… I stopped in Hawaii for windsurfing and I bought a kite that I brought back home. At that time in Guadeloupe there were very few kites, I was among the first…Day by day I liked it more and more, and eventually I forgot my windsurfing equipment.

How often do you kite?
When I was working in a company, I was kiting only during the week ends (I did a business school in Paris called essec, one of the most famous). But now I work for myself in real estate, and I can plan my day to go kiting when there is wind, which is not very often where I live, but about 3 times a week …

What move do you enjoy doing the most?
I like no footers, high jumps, and power full jumps with a surface handle pass at the end, kite loops, and double front one footers.

Are you working on a new move at the moment?
Yes, Handle passes, downward loops…
 
What is your best move?
I like the Railey (or front) to blind  surface handle pass, unhooked kiteloops, high no footers.
 
Do you enjoy wave riding? If so, where is your best place to ride waves?
I love wave riding! It reminds me of when I was windsurfing (I was only doing waves). I ride the waves in my home spot of saint-François, which is just outside the lagoon on the reef.  There are some good waves, it is not the best spot, but it is nice.  You can find the best spots with big waves on the north shore of the island (caret, Moule…)

Have you ever been scared of kiting? What’s the worst that has happened to you when kiting? What was your best moment?
 I always keep in mind that it is a very dangerous sport and you never know what can happen, so I never stay on the beach with my kite in the air.  I never jump right in front of any obstacles and I try to avoid clouds with sudden power full winds. With all this, I think it is quite safe and a great sport. Extreme pleasure.

I had a lot of troubles, like every rider, especially because I started when the equipment was not as good as today. I try not to remember about  this, and anyway I have never been injured.

I think about the best : when I ride in the lagoon of my home spot (with my boy-friend), the colours are so beautiful it is real happiness and pleasure. I love to jump very high : the time stops and nothing else matters, I forget every thing, I fly…

Where was your most recent competition? 
2005 in St-Martin (Caribbean kite tour) 1st.
 
At which events in the future can we look forward to seeing you at?  Are you competing this year in the 2005 KPWT in Cape Town?  I hope to see you here, its gonna be good.

I don’t think I will be competing this year. Maybe next year. I would appreciate to meet you there….
But at the moment I prefer travelling with friends for kite surfing. We did a nice trip in a small island very closed to where I live « petite-Terre », a real paradise, you can find the trip in the kiteboarder mag of this month (with the cover in the lagoon !). In May I went with Harold Quinquis in a trip in Los Roques, very beautiful !

Where is your most favourite kite spot that you've been at and why?
Los Roques, because I was on a boat with my friends Harold, Julien Sudrat, Richard Boudia. I love this spot ! Nice warm turquoise water, sunny…Good wind but not too strong, and some waves ! But my favourite spot is home !

What do you do when you are not kiting? What else do you enjoy doing besides kiting?
I work, I do other sports, I stay with my family and my boy friend, I play with my dog, I take care of my home where I can see the lagoon and be sure that there is no wind, or I fly on planes…I always find something to do !

Rafting, that was hard...

Posted on May. 1, 2005 at 11:00 PM - Link

Kayating, one of the most difficult sports for me

Posted on Apr. 23, 2005 at 10:47 PM - Link

There are many great kayaking web sites that provide information about rivers and equipment. Many of them also have chat boards for discussion as well as a plethora of pictures.

The best kayaking sites in California are Boof and California Creekin'. The Boof site specializes in the rivers of the Sierra Nevada and has a well used chat board, tons of pictures, and links for gear. California Creekin' has mile by mile descriptions of over 150 different whitewater runs in the state. The sheer number and quality of pictures makes this an invaluable resource for both kayakers and rafters.

There are several smaller groups of kayakers that keep up to date web sites with information about their trips. Kev's Mom is a wacky site that has some good information about kayaking including pictures, stories, and a discussion board. The other classic site with a similar feel is CA-Chunk.

There are several great web sites with information about the sport of kayaking in general. Among the best is Wetdawg Kayaking which has a great chat board as well as many pictures and stories. The greatest part about Wetdawg is the up to date kayaking news and gear reviews. The other classic site is Boater Talk which has an amazing following of paddlers that discuss the sport of kayaking.

Both beginning and advanced kayakers that need kayak instruction should check out Current Adventures which offers beginning classes on the American River as well as advanced classes around the world.

In addition, many kayakers have posted great kayaking information on the web. Among the best of these pages are Craig's Wildwater Pages which includes a variety of information about rivers and geology.

Water Sports Enthusiasts -- Boating

Posted on Apr. 20, 2005 at 9:31 AM - Link

Boating...

Posted on Apr. 17, 2005 at 11:13 AM - Link

Do you definitely want a boat, but don't know what to buy?

I have always said that there is a boat for everyone and believe it or not, there is one for you. First of all, you can fish from just about any boat. And you may be surprised that there is a sailboat on the market today that takes a 50HP motor, gets up on plane and can tow a water skier. However, I think you and your family should spend the summer renting different boats each weekend to see which you enjoy most.

Posted on Apr. 15, 2005 at 11:57 AM - Link

Please fee free to email me to find out anything you would like to know about surfing and water sports in general...

cardocorredor_cardoalpino@hotmail.com

Surfing - How to Complete an Aerial

Posted on Apr. 14, 2005 at 10:55 PM - Link

From the earliest days of performance surfing, riders have been getting tubed, cutting back, and banking off the lip in one way or another. Variations on these moves have been staples in any serious surfer’s repertoire. As surfing progressed in the last 10 years, new maneuvers then began to appear like the floater, the tailslide, and of course, the aerial.

Taking to the sky seemed like a quirky abomination at best when open-minded wave riders began to experiment. What made aerials so annoying to the old guard was that they were seldom completed and seemed to waste the prime section of the wave.

Early Pioneers like John Holman and Martin Potter were getting high and blowing minds, but the majority of us looked rather spastic trying to break free from our regularly scheduled maneuvers.

A perfect kiting day

Posted on Apr. 8, 2005 at 9:17 PM - Link

Kiteboarding tips

Posted on Apr. 7, 2005 at 10:03 AM - Link

How to Jump Higher to Boost Big!

High jumps can be achieved with good technique and good conditions. By conditions, there should be:

1) High winds
2) Smooth water
3) Fast board that can quite an edge
4) Fast-turning kite
5) Rider skill

You need speed to get high. This is the key ingredient for boosting big. Speed will demand more skill to hold the edge, and more physical endurance on your muscles holding that much kite power down. To build speed reduce your edging so you travel perpendicular to the wind, rather than upwind. This will bring the kite back in the window a bit and your speed will dramatically increase. You should keep the kite relatively low at this point (45 degrees to the water) and as you reach the desired speed, slowly bring the kite up to 70 degrees to the water. If you're "lit", the kite will be pulling very hard and the board will be throwing up a huge spray of water even up into your kite lines. This is where rider skill comes in, being able to hold down the power of the kite and not losing your edge, sending you flying downwind or getting "teabagged".

At this point the kite should be quickly sent upward or even slightly in the reverse direction. While the kite is sent, you should be edging much harder to hold the edge more upwind until you cannot hold the kite any longer. At this point the edge should be released by pulling your feet up and the board out of the water. You can even "jump" off the water to help the kite pull you a bit higher into the air. Be sure not to let your feet slip out of the foot straps, or your board will "stick" to the water due to the added surface tension and you will wind up flying barefooted.

If you feel you're too lit, you can bear off a bit downwind (not downwind, but more even to the wind). Your speed will increase, but you can bear off and "pivot" the kite to point it straight up. When its pointed in the direction you want, push your feet forward and lean back and edge, leaning as horizontal as you can go to load up the kite lines. You will be torn from the water to heights never before realized. At this point, spot your landing and claim it by pulling with your forward hand a second before hitting the water. Bend your legs, take it, and after steering downwind toward the kite a bit, sit back and edge and continue off.

Just remember, as soon as you leave the water, depending on your kite size, you will need to steer the kite to control your flight. You don't want to steer it too far in either direction, or you will be slung across under the kite and it will hindenburg. Most likely, you will eat it hard a few times before getting the timing right - do not worry about that. Most people have a favorite kite that they are best with, also. The larger the kite, the slower it turns and the quicker you'll have to be with corrective moves - otherwise you'll have a stalled kite and you will plummet to the water with a resounding thud. This is what impact vests are for if you think you need one, get one. Some impacts from large jumps that were poorly executed could result in knocking the rider unconscious. Start jumping in stages. Don't go huge your first jump. Practice your timing by "sending" the kite with progressively more snap each time you jump. When you think you can go big, only then should you be trying to send the kite in the opposite direction. Kitesurfing delivers a violent surge of power through the harness to the rider which typically freaks most riders out when they first go huge.

As you progress and complete hundreds of jumps, you will be able to control the kite to a point where your hangtimes will be much longer, and you will be able to control where you land. Spins and rolls will come much easier when you master the art of high jumping, which is undoubtedly the most attractive feature of kitesurfing.

Water Skiing

Posted on Apr. 5, 2005 at 11:33 AM - Link

This is one of my favorite activities, here are some usefull tips:

Personal Equipment:A moderate ability to swim is advisable for a water skier, but swimming ability is no substitute for a well-fitting Personal Flotation Device (PFD). Wearing a PFD is essential when water skiing, even for expert swimmers, and is required by law in most states, including Washington.

The PFD should be Type III, approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, and designated as a ski vest. It should fit snugly. If it is too loose, in a fall it could slide up on the skier and pin his or her arms in a useless position, or it could be forced completely off by the pressure of the water

Signals:

1. Speed up the boat: Thumb up.
2. Slow down the boat: Thumb down.
3. Cut Motor/Stop (also used by driver or observer): Slashing motion over the neck.
4. Turn the boat (also used by driver): Circle motion with arms over-head then point in desired direction.
5. Return to dock: Pat on the head.
6. Speed and boat path OK or signals understood: OK signal with hand.
7. Skier OK after falling: Hands clasped over head.

Water skiing is a cooperative venture between skier, observer and boat driver. The skier and driver should agree in advance on the general path of the boat. A skier who inadvertently turns in the same direction that the boat driver is about to maneuver the boat will get line slack that could result in a fall or entanglement of the line. If the skier moves in a direction opposite to that of an unanticipated boat turn, a crack-the-whip reaction could follow, creating the potential for a high-speed spill.

Some signals in preparation for takeoff are vocal. When the skier is comfortable in the water with skis in position, he informs the driver that he is ready by shouting, "In gear!". The boat then moves slowly forward to take up slack in the line. When the line becomes taut, the skier shouts, "hit it!", which is the signal for the driver to open the throttle for takeoff.

Once on plane, the skier signals with one hand. A thumb-down motion requests slower speed, while a thumb-up movement signals the driver for more speed. An acceptable alternate to these signals is a palm-down or palm-up motion. When the speed is all right, the skier gives the familiar thumb and forefinger "OK" sign.

When the skier desires to turn, he makes a curving motion with palm horizontal, either the right or left, depending on the desired direction change. When the skier wishes to stop, he can make the palm-up, fingers extended, policeman-type signal, or he can draw a finger across his throat to signal the driver to cut the throttle. Of course, if he wishes to stop in a hurry, the skier can just release the handle.

When you fall:

Introducing

Posted on Apr. 3, 2005 at 11:29 AM - Link

Hi! I'm Will and I'll be posting about water sports here in this blog. I swimm since I was a child, and later on I started to try some new things - I love Water and I love sports!