The Kiteboarder Magazine Vol. 16, No. 1

MARSHALL ISLANDS Reo’s Ticket to Paradise

DAMIEN GIRARDIN The State of Kite Design

RETURN TO ANAKAO The Red Island Revisited

WAV E

N O W

NEO

B Y

D U O T O N E

“ T H E N E O I S T H E P E R F E C T P U R E B R E D WAV E K I T E F O R A N Y WAV E A N D W I N D D I R E C T I O N . F O R 2 0 1 9 , T H E N E O H A S E V E N M O R E I M P R E S S I V E D R I F T, S M O O T H E R T U R N I N G A N D E X T R A P O W E R W H E N YO U N E E D I T. S O E N J OY R I D I N G I T 1 -2 S Q M S M A L L E R ! ” M A T C H U

L O P E S

R I D E R : M AT C H U L O P E S / P H O T O : T O B Y B R O M W I C H

RELATED PRODUCTS

PRO SESSION

PRO WHIP CSC

PRO WAM

COLOUR COMBINATIONS

CC2 RED

CC1 BLUE

CC3 ORANGE

WHAT

YOU’RE

LOOKING

FOR Whether you want the ultimate foiling and light wind weapon, high-end freestyle performance with added freeride versatility or simply a kite that puts a smile on your face every session, Naish has what you’re looking for with the new Boxer, Dash and brand new Triad.

Built with our industry leading construction, Naish Kiteboarding continues to march forward and progress the sport the same way we have for the past 20 years: to make everyday on the water a good one, no matter the conditions.

FEATURING 2

TRIAD, FOR ANYONE.

All-around Freeride SIZES 4–12, 14 • Easy handling with forgiving control • Smooth power delivery

BOXER, FOR ANYWHERE.

Lightwind Freeride/Foiling SIZES 3.5–12, 14, 16 • Amazing low-end power • Lightest single strut kite ever made

DASH, FOR THE NEXT LEVEL.

Freestyle/Freeride SIZES 5–12, 14 • Fast-flying for kite loops & big air • Great load, pop & slack

Pacific Boardsports LLC

•

(509) 493-0043

•

pbs@naishsails.com

NaishKiteboarding

Naish_Kiteboarding

NaishKites.com

frankiebees.com Ewan Jaspan: Dash Kite, Stomp Twin Tip

3

T R A X

S E R I E S

T H E F R E E W A Y T O R I D E THE TRAX HAS A LONG HERITAGE AND IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR TWIN TIPS ON THE MARKET. IT IS THE ULTIMATE FREERIDE AND FREESTYLE BOARD WITH A UNIQUE FEELING ON THE WATER, OFFERING BOTH SPEED AND COMFORT.

Ultimate performance freeride & freestyle

HRD Rail Technology: precision, stability, grip and comfort

3 ranges available: TRAX HRD Carbon Series, TRAX HRD Lite Tech, TRAX ESL

Learn more about our 2019 TRAX range!

W W W. F - O N E . W O R L D

F. o n e I n t e r n a t i o n a l

fonekites

North & Central American Distribution dealers@bayareakitesurf.com

M I T U

S E R I E S

R I D E W I T H A L E G E N D MORE THAN AN ICON OR A BEST-SELLER, THE MITU PRO MODEL IS FIRST AND FOREMOST MITU MONTEIRO’S OWN BOARD AND THIS CAN MEAN ONLY ONE THING: THE BOARD JUST AS THE MAN BEHIND IT REMAINS FIRMLY AT THE TOP OF ITS GAME YEAR AFTER YEAR.

100% dedicated to

Excellent for surfing

Intuitive and playful

3 models available:

strapless riding

and for freestyle

in all conditions

Pro Flex, Pro Carbon & ESL

Learn more about our 2019 MITU range!

W W W. F - O N E . W O R L D

F. o n e I n t e r n a t i o n a l

fonekites

North & Central American Distribution dealers@bayareakitesurf.com

E L Y T S E E FR & A J N I N P O O L A G E M E N I H MAC

HOOK

ED

D UN ASS? S, AN ER ATIVE D P A O B O IS ITEL OF I T PL E GTS4 GEN5.

R E D K DE C A DE E E H W T A S IM E E .

O K H A S P T N E E I C D C L E  H O YOU T ILL YOU SE RE FUTURE , E XPERIEN ITH CIT M Y, FREEST Y R T OU OW ATU S 5 W A GR UN T WAIT WITH RY. N S IG N D GT

A M NE OV E TS4'S GE ND E M. 5 F RO R . T E S T O IM P R S T D T HE G NC E I S L E OV E ' G N L O A E I L H R L W ' T E ID E WAR Y OU HE S UR N C ONF A R D. WITC WAVE TH O O S I G B T W N F I N R C S T ME C I S E T UR N S 72 0 S U M A GI A D JU ES E RE L D R APL OAP BR I T T S N I R 3O IN E MACH YLE BOLT T S WAKE

RE-C FU T U

5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.5

SH A P

ODES CIT M R ADIC

E

AC T A L RE

IPS ION T

EM S YS T E L D BRI HORT S A R ULT S& PART E D I DW WORL BILIT Y R A E IL A 6Y E AVA C I V R SE

15.0 17.0

FOLLOW US ON

6

corekites.com | facebook.com/corekites | instagram.com/corekites | twitter.com/corekites

CORE Kiteboarding USA +1 (321) 236-2673 sales@corekitesusa.com

+

TYLE FREES WAVE DE I FREER

7

FROM THE EDITOR Yep, we’ve been mainstreamed. Sure, over the years there’s been false positives and suggestive waypoints that our sport has been released from its niche obscurity, like Obama’s first session, Sir Branson and his naked (super model) piggyback exploits, John Kerry, 007 kitesurfing a tsunami (aka the scene that killed Pierce Brosnan’s Bond legacy) and Leonardo Di Caprio’s no-wind Malibu lesson to name a few. But beyond these popular mentions, my personal barometer of kiteboarding awareness has always been the reaction I receive when I explain to the uninitiated this obsessive activity that takes up an unhealthy amount of my time.

It used to be that I would get a response akin to a figurative question mark followed by curiosity, or a presumption that I was poorly describing the more widely known sport of windsurfing. Yet, these days, when I describe kiteboarding to someone, I more often than not see a lightbulb of comprehension in the eyes of the non-kiter, “Oh yes, I saw that on TV or on vacation to (insert place other than Maui).” Things are definitely changing but all these celebrity sightings and personal anecdotes are nothing compared to the monumental addition of two legendary cartoon characters to our sport: yes, Marge and Homer Simpson have joined the ranks of kiteboarding.

Have you seen the Simpsons’ kiteboarding episode? I believe there’s a pirated version on YouTube, but it’s a brilliantly sarcastic affirming statement of the sport. In between noting the over the top marketing names affixed to the equipment (Homer chose the Widowmaker), the writers riff off kiteboarding’s implied contradiction between simplicity and complexity and lampoon the instructor with a fake Aussie accent as he yells critical yet nonsensical commands at his students from the beach. No doubt, someone on the show’s writing team has infiltrated our sport and gained invaluable insight into the more jab-worthy aspects of it.

Make no mistake, kiteboarding has left obscurity, and to prove this, I point no further than the stories in this very magazine. First and foremost, Paradise Lost follows Reo Stevens as he whisks his clients to the last bastion of remote paradise on the premise that kiteboarding has spread so wide and far as to muddy the waters of our most popular destinations with crowds and chaos. If our kiteboarding destinations have become paradise lost, Reo is offering the promise of paradise re-found. If that seems a bit pessimistic, Duotone ambassador Gabi Steindl takes kiting completely off the grid and into the technological abyss of the culturally rich and unadulterated oasis of the Solomon Islands. On the other end of the spectrum, we then head to the southern hemisphere to follow SSF’s Delta Route on a group travel package that demonstrates the demand for a remote, yet fully orchestrated adventure in complete luxury. In State of Design, we catch up with kite designer Damien Girardin in his unending quest to inject his Naish kites with more user-friendly performance, a nod to the changing demographics of a broadening sport. And finally, the F-One team revisits one of its earlier missions to the Anakao outpost on the southwestern coast of Madagascar where little has changed in 10 years but for a few additional kitesurfers.

J. Boulding

CABRINHAKITES.COM 8

Having landed itself a 2-minute cameo in episode number 655 of the Simpsons TV show, kiteboarding has taken one large step towards universal recognition. Yet many of the stories we tell in this magazine suggest that as mainstream as kiteboarding has become, for those extreme and obsessive practitioners, there will always be new frontiers waiting to be discovered.

9

18

Paradise Found

Eight years ago, Reo Stevens stumbled upon a world class kitesurfing destination with one giant problem; absolutely no infrastructure. Last year, the legendary Martin Daly opened an exclusive surf lodge in the Marshall Islands and handed Reo the keys.

32

Behind the Lines of Cabrinha

From the open canvas of twin tip graphics to the confining process of kite screening, designing graphics for a kite company is no small feat. Behind Cabrinha’s lines you’ll find graphic designer and fine art painter Patrick Dunne living every artist’s dream.

42

The Solomon Expedition

Adventure-obsessed travel kiter Gabi Steindl dives head first into the abject simplicity of the Solomon Islands. Living in remote homestays and traveling to off-the-beaten-path beaches, Gabi explores the deepest of cultural connections in the isolated archipelago off of Papua New Guinea.

70

State of Design

Red Island Revisited

The Delta Route

In a personal exploration of group dynamics, team spirit and logistics-based kite vacations, Tkb’s most introverted staff member embarks on an organized downwinder on the northeast coast of Brazil.

10

14

Frontside

56

Profile:

Slawek Krause

Slow, steady and always against the grain.

58

Profile:

Lidewij Hartog

Exposing the anthropological power of film.

60

Exposed

104

Method

108

Wish List

110

Viewpoint

One decade later, the F-One team returns to the clay shores of Madagascar to explore the empty surf lineups of Anakao and freestyle slicks of Babaomby. While little has changed in the sleepy fishing villages, the F-One team brings radical new equipment to explore the terrain anew.

92

From the Editor

The unhooked frontroll tail grab.

Celebrating over 14 years as kite division leader and head kite designer for Naish Kiteboarding, Damien Girardin discloses the process of designing kites and his personal attempts to inject objectivity into a sport dominated by subjectivity.

80

08

112

The Forceful Ethos of Fun

Roots

Poolside Discoveries

114

Atmosphere Cold Fronts

116

On the Map

118

Parting Shot

42

110 80 18 70 32 On the Cover

Photographer Andre Magarao captures the unstoppable Carlos ‘Bebe’ Mario dominating the night session with amplitude and style in the slack water of Brazil.

92

MARSHALL ISLANDS Reo’s Ticket to Paradise

DAMIEN GIRARDIN The State of Kite Design

RETURN TO ANAKAO The Red Island Revisited

11

Marina Chang, Publisher marina@thekiteboarder.com Brendan Richards, Editor in Chief brendan@thekiteboarder.com India Stephenson, Designer/Editor india@thekiteboarder.com Seth Warren, Senior Contributor elementsmixedmedia@gmail.com Alexis Rovira, Editor at Large alexis@thekiteboarder.com Gary Martin, Tkb Ambassador gary@thekiteboarder.com CONTRIBUTORS Reo Stevens, Gabi Steindl, Karolina Winkowska, Brandon Scheid, Armin Harich, Shea Gibson PHOTOGRAPHERS Ydwer van der Heide, Jason Jones, Damea Dorsey, Patrick Dunne, James Boulding, Stephan Kleinlein, Slawek Krauze, May Meppe, Toby Bromwich, Vincent Bergeron, Andre Magarao, Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool, Matt Georges, Analice Diniz, Alexander Lewis-Hughes, Flysurfer, Jesper Gronnemark/Red Bull Content Pool Visit us at: thekiteboarder.com twitter.com/the_kiteboarder • facebook.com/thekiteboardermagazine ADMINISTRATIVE/ADVERTISING OFFICE 1356 16th Street, Los Osos, CA 93402 805.459.2373 SUBSCRIPTIONS orders@thekiteboarder.com • store.thekiteboarder.com | 805.459.2373 Have you got an idea for an article you would like to see in The Kiteboarder Magazine? Send your submission to: editor@thekiteboarder.com © 2019 Boardsports Media LLC. All rights reserved.

PROUDLY PRINTED IN THE USA

12

13

14

FRONTSIDE

Cabo Verde’s Ponta Preta is one of the few tour stops that offers perfect down the line surf within spitting distance of a vibrant spectator crowd. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide

15

FRONTSIDE

Jeremy Jones tests out a homemade rail at his home spot in Mille Lacs, Minnesota. It was a good kite season with plenty of white out sessions, and Jeremy topped it off with a second place at the 15th annual endurace race across the lake. // Photo Jason Jones

16

ANDRE MAGARO

Learn more at SLINGSHOTSPORTS.COM

We are so confident in our kite’s performance and construction that we back every NEW purchase with an exclusive 30-day performance guarantee.

Learn more at: www.slingshotsports.com/slingshot-30day

RPM

RALLY

SST

FREESTYLE-FREERIDE CROSSOVER

ALL-AROUND FREERIDE PERFORMANCE

SURF // FREERIDE // FOILING

TURBINE

Z

FUEL

LIGHT WIND PERFORMANCE

RELIABLE, PREDICTABLE FREERIDE

AGGRESSIVE WAKESTYLE // FREESTYLE

17

18

Dispatches from Beran Island Words by Reo Stevens Photos by Damea Dorsey 19

I’m quite often asked to describe the new location of my coaching camps, but it’s difficult to explain Beran Island to those that have never been. ‘Paradise’ is a word that is all too often used to describe the perfect kite destination, but it just doesn’t do justice to Martin Daly’s new kitesurfing outpost in the Marshall Islands.

Most kite destinations, despite their turquoise blue water and highly sought after wind conditions, tend to feel like paradise lost. Clogged with tourism infrastructure and crowds, the natural beauty and everything that brings people to these destinations feels exploited. More often than not you’ve got to race to be the first kite out in an otherwise crowded lineup, or tack back and forth on the sidelines waiting for the wind to push the surfing crowd out. In my travels, I’ve explored some of the best kite waves this world has to offer, yet none have ever come close to the isolated solace and vastly untouched beauty of the Marshall Islands.

Beran Island Resort is the one place that restores that feeling we are all searching for, that of paradise found. shades of deep and vibrant purple. On the northeast corner of Perched atop the northern rim of a hidden undersea volcano, Beran is one of the most unique coral-rimmed islands of the Marshall Islands. Arising out of the floor of Oceania, Beran is plotted in the middle of deep water nowhere, halfway between the Philippines and Hawaii. The circular strip of sand hosts an oasis of small islands that dot immaculate coral reefs, sporting colors I’ve seen nowhere else in my travels. While other destinations in Polynesia and Hawaii offer clear blue water, in the Marshalls, you see vibrant hues of brilliant blue and turquoise, and spectacular

20

Beran sits a concrete and wood double-story plantation style surf lodge. The corrugated wraparound porch and open-plan rooms highlight wood-beamed ceilings with clean, modern lines designed for communal space. Outfitted with water reclamation systems and wind and solar electrical generation capabilities, the Beran Island Resort is built to be a sustainable home for 16 people at a time. The intentional limits on its capacity and remote location are the cornerstones of the Beran experience. Everything is designed to preserve the surfer’s elemental quest so that wherever you go, it will just be you and the people you came with.

LEFT: Spending most of his adult life searching for the ultimate kitesurfing wave, Reo Stevens sits aboard the Indies Trader surveying perfection. TOP RIGHT: Ferried in piece by piece by boat, the newly constructed Beran Island Surf Lodge is an oasis of comfort and sustainability in one of the most remote locations on earth. BOTTOM RIGHT: The turboprop touchdown on a vintage WWII coral runway beats the 24-hour boat journey required of Reo’s first visit.

21

My first time to the Marshall Islands was back in March of 2011.

I was aboard the Cabrinha Quest as the team was searching for a location to shoot photos for its new surf kite. Back then it was a 20-24 hour journey by boat, and when we dropped anchor, there was nowhere to stay on the island. This was the trip that I first met my good friend Keahi de Aboitiz and we ended up having the best trip of our lives—it was a huge discovery, both for ourselves and for the sport of kitesurfing, but Martin Daly had long been mapping out the surf breaks of the atolls that surrounded Beran and like a child showing off his new toy, he was excited to share with us what he had found.

Martin, an old Aussie ‘surf dog,’ is ingrained with the spirit of a restless pirate and eternal surf grom. Credited with the discovery of the Mentawais as a surfing destination in the 1990s with his boat the Indies Trader, he became the iconic surf boat operator running charters along the Sumatran coast to spots including Macaronis, Telescopes and Lances. In the late 90s, he collaborated with surfing giant Quiksilver and created ‘The Crossing,’ a multiyear boat circumnavigation devoted to seeking out new surf breaks around the world. In all those Quiksilver adventures, Martin never came so close to finding anything on par with Beran Island, a discovery he had long ago stuffed in his back pocket.

When the Odyssey went back to the Marshall Islands in 2014, I was on the boat with the Patagonia Crew and we scored once again. Martin had stationed a reliable diving vessel called Windward on the island and was about to begin the process of building a surf lodge along with the all-important infrastructure required to do so. It was during these trips that I got to know Martin, and I made every effort to keep in touch, knowing that, as this was one of my favorite places, I wanted to keep it on my radar. When the lodge first opened for surf trips, we talked about running dedicated kite weeks. While Martin had the place wired for surf, it was clear that kitesurfing off the narrow beaches and launching off boats was going to require a kite guide—someone familiar with running kite camps and the logistics required to give the ordinary kiter a fun and safe experience—and that was quickly becoming my skillset.

My plan was to ensure that Beran Island kite weeks would be completely geared towards kitesurfers. Anyone who’s traveled to Namotu or Tavarua will tell you that famed reefs like Cloudbreak can stay crowded with surfers even on perfectly windy days. There might be ideal kitesurfing conditions, but because the setup is still quite surfable, the wind never chases all of the surfers out of the water. There are so many guests and boats waiting to line up for just a couple of the waves that they flew halfway around the world for, it makes kitesurfing difficult, sometimes almost 22

Reo’s favorite wave on the atoll is a variable animal with strikingly different attitudes across the tidal range. Higher tides deliver a long sloping shoulder for playful off the lips while a low tide shortens the ride and induces a steroid-powered top to bottom ride complete with hydraulic cover-ups.

23

24

LEFT: Patagonia’s Jason McCaffrey shares Reo’s obsession with kitesurfing Beran Island’s surf breaks. RIGHT: No stranger to surf guide operations, Martin Daly built a pier in protected waters on the lee side of his island to streamline the logistics of finding good surf with boats.

impossible. Yet, when you fly to Beran for a kitesurfing week, any or all of the island’s reef breaks may still be surfable under wind, but it will only be kiters in the water because we are so remote. This might not be the case forever, but for now, it’s an experience that is unmatched in very few parts of the world.

island is so narrow, as your wheels touch down on the organic tarmac, all you can see from your window is explosive turquoise water. That’s when the Marshall’s effect first hits, and only gets more surreal as Martin’s staff picks you up by boat and porters you over to the pristine surf lodge.

From the final approach onto the WWII vintage crushed coral landing strip to the newly upgraded Dash 8 turboprop whizzing over immaculate coral finger reefs, everything about the Beran experience is notable. The islands in the Marshalls are unique because unlike other tropical islands, these are located in a geographical zone where the cyclones and hurricanes are just getting started. The Marshall Islands never get hit by the explosive brunt of tropical storms, so the vegetation is intact right up to the high tide mark and the forests are thick with hardwood trees, not just the coconut varieties. It is because of this incredibly diverse plant life that every tone of color in the Marshalls seems a notch above anywhere else. The airport

My days on the island typically start when first light bends over the endless horizon at 7am. The routine starts with a hot cup of coffee at the lodge and a quick surf check through a highgrade set of binoculars on the front deck of the lodge; from there you can get your eyes on two of the farthest surf breaks.

Being remotely located, our forecast models can give you the rough sketch of what’s coming so we may have a general idea of the wind and swell that is lining up, but when and how strong, you just don’t know until you see the surrounding surf breaks for yourself. In the quest to become a better kitesurfer, it’s essential to turn off the web cam, put away the wind meter and focus your attention on the water, training your mind to 25

read swell direction and ponder the nuances of tidal changes. I am a strong believer that reading waves and studying the bigger picture is an art that has broader implications to your surf game than most might think.

At Beran we never make a plan without consulting the tide tables and getting a full assessment of the swells running in the water.

We might load up the big, comfortable Indies Surveyor, or use one of the smaller yet faster boats to get to destinations quicker.

If there’s no swell, we may hang around the island in the freestyle slick or spend our days fishing or diving. The water is so clear in this ocean that on a brilliant day you can have 300-foot water visibility. We’ve dropped chain in 100 feet of water where you can see the fish swimming around the anchor. The Marshalls are known for their recreational diving, which is a great backup plan, but Beran is quickly putting itself on the kitesurfing map one guest week at a time.

My favorite reef pass at Beran is about three miles away and it’s probably the most consistent right hand wave you’ll find on this planet. It’s got a 6-foot tide gap on a spring tide, which means that the wave can experience gigantic shifts throughout the day. On a high tide, you get these long, peeling waves that cover the entire span of the reef. With that extra water you can take off 150 feet higher up on the reef than at low tide, the wave is friendlier and the chances of bloodying up on the reef below are significantly less. Yet this same wave at low tide demands you take off on the elbow of the reef, farther down the line. The lower section with the shallower tide delivers a shorter but more intense ride. This is the part of the Beran experience that gets me fired up. When the lip jacks up into a nice hollow section, you can stall and park the kite for a very makeable yet charging barrel ride that eventually folds into deeper water.

The wind is perfectly side shore on the predominantly northeast trade winds and the angle of the wave doesn’t really change relative to the wind. Most often, this wave offers a perfect down the line direction with a hint of offshore, which makes kite control fairly easy and just about the ideal setup for getting barreled. On the days where the wind clocks to the east, it can go offshore and the wind shadow from the coconut trees can be a problem. Martin has the place dialed in for surf, but every day we are learning more about the kitesurfing. Having spent eight weeks down here this year, I’m beginning to build a good mental map on the connections between swell, tide and wind direction. There’s a couple of different breaks that we know handle different sized swells, so we can always tune up or tone down the performance level based on the group we are kitesurfing with. We have spots that pick up swell from every direction and other spots that as 26

LEFT: The Marshalls are located in the epicenter of cyclone activity which means they rarely receive the full brunt of tropical storms. RIGHT: Tricks of the trade: Reo takes different approaches to the same wave. Backside surf shifts to frontside attack with a kite. The commitment and style are just the same.

27

LEFT: If the machine-like right isn’t enough, the real draw of Beran Island is the empty lineup and the rare escape to a part of the world that can still offer a low human density experience. RIGHT: When the wind isn’t firing, there’s always something equally spectacular for the adventurous traveler to see and do.

you turn the corner can be half the size of anywhere else. The hardest part about Beran is that you have to load the boat and head in one of two directions. You have options and with that comes a fateful decision and the corresponding fear of missing out (FOMO). On my earlier trips, we never quite knew exactly what to expect, but if I had to peg a theme to my second season working out of Beran, it’s been one of exploration and recording notes that help making those calls easier by the day.

Having started this sport at an extremely young age, my kitesurfing career has spanned most of my adult life. Much of that time I have spent traveling around the world trying to make a living while seeking out the best kitesurfing locations that rival my home in the Hawaiian Islands. As if fate almost had a hand, from the moment I first stumbled upon the Marshall Islands to the first days of my coaching career and now to the opening of Beran Surf Lodge, I can’t help but think things fall into place for a reason. And if paradise is a kitesurfing destination, I do believe it has been found.

28

29

Splashproof bags that separate wet from dry.

When you’re chasing waves off the grid, the last thing you need is a bag full of waterlogged gear. Hauling all your essentials while easily separating wet gear from dry, our new Planing Roll Top Pack offers streamlined functionality for all-day surf missions far past the end of the road.

“Just chuck it all like they do at LAX.” Reo Stevens and Jason Slezak hustle between connections in the Philippines. SCOTT SOENS © 2019 Patagonia, Inc.

Separation anxiety.

32

Words by Brendan Richards

Background photo montage by Patrick Dunne, a piece of art titled ‘Field of Dreams.’

33

“I wanted to be a doctor, but my father forced me to follow the family footsteps into art.”

Patrick Dunne and I share a laugh as he quips about the cliché of family and careers; “Yeah, I wanted to be a doctor,” he tells me, “but my father forced me to follow the family footsteps into art.” Coming from a long bloodline of creatives, Patrick was raised in an environment that actively encouraged his creativity. Following in the footsteps of both his grandma and father who both attended art schools, he headed east out of LA to one of the states’ most prestigious art schools to get his design degree at the Rhode Island School of Design. 20 years on, as the lead graphic designer for boards, kites and accessories at Cabrinha Kiteboarding, he scratches his head as to somehow, as an adult, he has finally landed the dream job of his youth, designing graphics within the action sports industry.

Having grown up in the west LA vicinity, Patrick spent much of his childhood at his grandparent’s beach house in Malibu. In his earliest years, guys like Stacey Peralta and the Dogtown and Santa Monica Airlines crews were skating pools around his neighborhood. Influenced by the budding

34

skate and surf scenes, Patrick also recalls fixating on his parents’ vinyl album art in addition to the work of Jim Phillips, Rick Griffin, Stanley Mouse, Victor Moscoso and John Severson. Because his father had worked as an art director at an ad agency in New York, unlike many middle-class upbringings, art was a viable career in the Dunne household.

When asked about some of his early artistic attempts, Patrick recalls illustrating his high school’s yearbook cover in airbrush.

The school mascot was a dolphin, and he jokes, “The airbrushed dolphin jumping over earth was when I knew I had made it; that was my claim to fame.” Realistically, a series of AP high school art classes led to four years at RISD where Patrick studied illustration with a short stint learning digital tools towards the end.

“I’d go back to art school in a heartbeat— its way better than doing real work for a living,” Patrick jokes. He’s a strong believer in the foundation you get out of an organized art curriculum. “Like most schools in general, you learn all the basic tools like drawing and sculpture, as well

LEFT: An excerpt from this year’s Cabrinha lookbook; you will find these lines as a common thread throughout every 2019 Cabrinha product. RIGHT: Titled ‘Pavilions’—a representation of Patrick’s acrylic work.

35

LEFT: The artist at work in his studio; Patrick’s medium of choice is often acrylic for its fast drying properties that allow him to layer on his vision much faster. // Photo James Boulding RIGHT: A collection of music posters for local Maui venues. This commercial work incorporates the artist’s penchant for illustration and mixed media.

as the fundamentals of design, like color theory and composition that you just can’t learn from a YouTube video.” Patrick is quick to point out, “Computer programs have become amazingly accessible and incredibly powerful tools, but if you don’t know what the tools are meant for or why they are there, you are missing a big piece of the puzzle.”

Patrick also credits art school with the all important four years of unrelenting beratement and harsh criticism that led to his thick skin and first job in a postproduction house doing graphic design and animation. Moving to Portland, Patrick worked for the powerhouse of the infomercial industry, pumping out animations for ‘As Seen on TV’ products like Bosley’s hair replacement, as well as Pacific Northwest corporations like Nike 36

and Adidas. From Portland, he moved back to LA to give his landscape portrait hobby a showing and enjoyed mild success in the galleries while selling some pieces amidst the strong art scene in Southern California. In his mid-30s, Patrick did the cliche ‘one-way ticket’ thing; he sold all his stuff, packed his bags and moved to Maui to start a new chapter where he began his career as a graphic artist in the windsports industry.

When asked about his commercial work for Cabrinha, he confesses: “I definitely pour my soul into it as much as I can; the most fun products to design are the twin tips because the boards are basically a blank canvas with different materials and a variety of methods of printing.” One of his biggest challenges is nailing each board while maintaining consistency across the

board line as well as the brand. “You want someone to look at a twin tip and have it relate to the surfboards, the kites and the control systems. You’ve got to stay on message with the brand, yet you want each board to be strong individually.”

While twin tips come closest to his childhood dream of designing skateboard graphics, Patrick finds that kite graphics are the most challenging. The task of designing kites can be very limited, constrained by the manufacturing process and cost. “The function or the style of the kite is typically irrelevant, it’s about creating a visual design that jumps out at you, something that looks good in the sky.” Patrick is well versed in the visual challenges of designing for how the kite looks at different distances; how it looks on the beach, in the air overhead and a half mile out to sea. “Use of color is really important; you have to know what materials look like in the sun, what screens will look like when back lit versus front lit.

While some people like technical designs and some like super crazy colors, you can’t design for one particular fan. You’ve got to design what looks good and what’s right for the brand,” he says.

In terms of process, “At first I design the way I like, and then pass my ideas around the office and go from there. A lot of times we get feedback from distributors or the local kite shop—they actually sell the kites—or the guys teaching in the local schools.” Patrick credits one of the biggest reasons for taking the job with Cabrinha almost five years ago was because of the similar visual vocabulary he shares with his boss Pete Cabrinha. “Pete is the visual identity of the brand; he’s here in the office every day and is stoked about design and art—we are always pushing each other and sharing ideas.” Patrick may be the only graphic designer, but “Pete’s always around to help out and get his hands dirty.

Honestly, so much work goes into the products before I even touch it,” Patrick 37

38

LEFT: One of Patrick’s more traditional acrylic pieces titled ‘Osaka’ evokes a cultural sense of place and mood. RIGHT: Patrick’s piece ‘Dreaming in Thai’ mixes photographs, fabrics and acrylic mediums to get a complex, textured collage effect. According to Patrick, his job using the computer every day as a graphic designer has a huge impact on his fine art and vise versa. “The computer is just another tool, much like a paintbrush, and it is all in how you use the tools you have in your art,” he explains.

explains. “In a sense, a lot of the design elements come from working with guys like Lars, James and Pete, and it is very much a team effort.”

Beyond his work at Cabrinha, Patrick has an extensive personal portfolio that spans from fine art paintings to mixed media collages as well as a solid collection of concert posters. When it comes to his fine art, Patrick pretty much always works with acrylic paint. “Acrylics dry fast and allow me to layer things much faster. I loved painting with oils in school, but they just take too

long to dry. I actually use a hair dryer in my studio all the time to speed up the drying process. I can achieve a very traditional look with acrylics, like in a landscape painting, but I can also layer photographs and fabrics with acrylic mediums and get a really cool collage effect,” he says of his mixed media pieces. With piles of hard drives of pictures taken over the years, oftentimes, he’ll come across archival images taken 10+ years ago and use them in his paintings. Patrick’s work demonstrates a keen willingness to play with textures and surfaces. “The key for me is to not be afraid of experimenting. If 39

ABOVE: ‘Buddha vs. Bukowski’—Some of Patrick’s allegorical characters laced with whimsical form and sarcastic realism.

something works, great. If it doesn’t work, I’ll paint over it and try something else.”

One reoccurring element seen throughout Patrick’s art is a character he calls ‘Thumbhead.’ Patrick recalls painting early versions of the character in the margins of his high school notebooks (pre-airbrush dolphin days), often seen surfing a wave or skateboarding.

If Thumbhead started out as a wacky character or a fun doodle, throughout art school, the figure evolved into a simplification of the human figure that nonetheless has proved to be an allegorical tool or subtle psychological representation that touches on serious issues. Patrick seems to revel in the ‘hidden in plain sight kind of thing,’ creating fun images with layered meaning and hidden references to hot button topics like Russia and Trump.

40

The one subject, however innocuous yet glaringly missing from our conversation is the details of his personal kiteboarding sessions. Patrick assures me that for the past 17 years he’s been ripping on paper as an armchair kiter. We share a laugh as he admits to being the most well-informed non-kiter out there and I believe him based on a previous slip in which he admitted to perusing kite forums on slow days at the office. Patrick took half a kite lesson nearly a decade ago, but between surfing and skating with his son, SUPing with his wife and the tugging demands of island life, I take his word when he says there just hasn’t been time. That said, Patrick’s son is turning kiteboarding age this year, which may just be the partner in crime needed to convert this armchair kiter into another completely kiteboarding obsessed Cabrinha staffer.

RIDEENGINE.COM

CARBON

R E I N F O R C E D CARBON ELITE HARDSHELL HARNESS

WHITE

SEA ENGINE GREEN

INFRARED 41

42

Words by Gabi Steindl | Photos by Stephan Kleinlein

“Miss, please step on the scale,” the rotund lady insisted. It took me a moment to understand, as she recorded in her manifest my bodyweight in addition to that of my surfboard bags. Amidst this surreal travel moment, the lovely lady with heavily stained bright red teeth gave a cursory third world TSA-style glimpse into my backpack and shooed me forward with a caring, “Have a safe flight ma’am.”

After a short walk across the dirt landing strip, I grabbed hold of a repurposed rubber hose that served as a handrail and headed up the tiny steps of the Twin Otter. As often happens with planes of this size, I banged my head on the battle worn doorframe before taking one of the 16 seats. When the pilot appeared through the entryway, he was awkwardly squeezing my rather large board bag through the miniature aperture. I watched as he belted my mammoth-sized bag into some empty seats with their backs fully reclined. The unorthodox practicality of baggage handling in the island nation of the Solomon Islands was my first inkling that I had bargained for more than just the adventure of a lifetime.

43

T

he plan was to search for wind and waves in the Solomon Islands and to explore parts of this island nation that not many, if possibly any, kitesurfers have ventured to. Largely isolated from the outside world and with limited tourist infrastructure, this is truly ‘off the beaten track.’ As a broad archipelago of 992 islands, the former British colony splays across the deep-water ocean between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. The wind statistics indicate sea breezes during the summer months, but the cultural adventure was the bait I used to hook actionsports and nature photographer Stephan Kleinlein to join me in the remote atolls off the eastern coast of Australia.

The dust-laden air and grimy streets of Honiara, the capital of the Solomons nation, confirmed my expectations; this wasn’t going to be a comfortable trip. Massive potholes paved the roads and every inch of the city’s real estate was clogged with traffic and bodies. Dreadlocked, blackas-coal-skinned locals roamed non-existent sidewalks with betel nut bags fixed around their necks, spitting unashamedly the red chew from the locally produced stimulant whenever and wherever they pleased. Bloodlike stains splattered across every surface. To the casual traveler this would seem like a state of anarchy, but for those seeking true adventure, the chaotic landscape would appear raw and authentic. The history of the islands has seen its share of historical anarchy. The Solomons boast an impressive collection of war memorabilia, both above and below the water. The landscape is riddled with footnotes from its historical role as an epic battlefield in WWII, as well as multiple rounds of severe ethnic violence known to the locals as ‘the tensions.’ Outside of these periods, the Pijin phrase ‘Hapi Isles’ plastered on the capital’s license plates is largely descriptive of the peaceful history that has reined its shores for most of the 19th century.

My first day on Solomon ground started with a magnitude 6.7 earthquake that literally shook me out of bed before I met up with my Aussie mate, Simon, who’s stationed

44

in the capital city as a diplomat for the Australian High Commission in Honiara. He had planned a freedive adventure at sunrise to explore the 450-foot long Kinugawa Maru, one of 11 Japanese transports attacked on its way to Guadalcanal on November 14, 1942. On our way there, Simon told us about his last dive at the wreck a couple of weeks before. He and his girlfriend were chased by a saltwater crocodile, and had to scramble out of the water onto the last little protruding bit of the ship. The ‘saltie’ circled them for hours until police arrived in a motorboat to rescue them. Despite the threat of crocs, Stephan and I were excited to explore the wreckage. With a bottom depth of 75 feet, most surfaces are open to sunlight and covered with colorful growth of intact and healthy hard and soft coral. Surrounded by gorgonian sea fans, orange little ‘Nemos,’ lionfish and batfish were all popping in and out of open parts of the wreck’s deck. It was diving wonderland and a great first step to start the trip off right. Later that day, we met up with Garedd Porowaii, a local self-employed travel agent. Simon had connected me with Garedd months prior, and in preparation of my trip, Garedd became more than just a travel fixer.

Inked up in ‘Ta Mokos’ storytelling tattoos and a mix of Melanesian tribal tats, Garredd, weighing in at about 260 lbs., resembled the living version of Chief Tui of Disney’s Moana and held the keys to our deep cultural immersion.

The first stop on our tour was Gizo, the capital of the Western Province, which is named after an infamous local headhunter. With my nose glued to the small plexiglass window for the duration of the 50-minute flight, I fixated on the multi-shaded turquoise waters splayed between countless islands poking out like emeralds far below. The landing strip for Gizo was so small that I had to blink a few times to convince myself I wasn’t hallucinating. Located on the nearby island of Nusatupe, loosely translated as ‘Coconut Crab,’ the entire island constitutes an airstrip with the surrounding aquamarine lapping up against both tips of the runway. Jeremy and Shamiah Baea, two fit local lads in their early twenties, were stationed on the docks to

TOP LEFT: Of the many shipwrecks, both old and new, the Ramos III was a passenger vessel blown ashore during a cyclone in the 90s. RIGHT: Richie from Lau in Malaita. The traditional facial scarification varies in size and curves to indicate his tribe. LOWER LEFT: The license plate says it all with a tagline that incorporates the Soloman language of Pijin. MIDDLE LEFT: With no signs of a saltwater crocodile, Gabi explores the Bonegi 2 wreck near Honiara.

45

LEFT PAGE: Launching off the whitest, most beautiful sand spit she’s ever put her kiter feet on, Gabi revels in her first session in the Solomons. RIGHT PAGE TOP: Life in the Solomons is simple; once the wheels are down, the co-pilot turns baggage handler and helps Gabi with her bags. UPPER MIDDLE LEFT: Gizo’s airport landing strip offers very little buffer. UPPER MIDDLE RIGHT: Bathing in a bucket; life in the outlying villages remains simple yet practical with little in the way of technological advancement. LOWER MIDDLE: Gabi catches waves at Titiana, a fun surf break off of Gizo. BOTTOM IMAGES: Gabi kites some of the most spectacular surroundings near the island of Santa Ana.

46

meet my plane. By boat we headed to Sepo, their family’s tiny private island where they had built quaint, picturesque waterfront cottages. Patson, the boys’ father, had inherited the island from his grandfather in 1950, from which they created a bed and breakfast that became known as the Oravae Islands Cottages. My island home was a simple yet magical wooden stilt bungalow built overhanging the vast expanse of surreal turquoise waters, replete with an outside shower and a hammock on the deck.

Our days at Oravae were filled with boat exploring, freediving, surfing and most importantly, kiting. Landing by boat on the most beautiful white sand spit I’ve ever put my kiter feet on, I launched my kite and glided over translucent, azure glass with small sharks underneath, stealthily chasing bright little fish. During one of my blissed-out kitesurfing adventures the wind died and I rescued myself to the next island downwind. After a narrow escape from a bad encounter with live coral, I hauled myself along with my equipment ‘Robinson Crusoe’ style onto the small island, with the owners watching me from afar. Once Jeremy and Shamiah arrived with their boat, I paid the kastom fee, a customary payment to local landowners and we set out a delicious picnic Ma Baea had packed for us consisting of cooked sweet potatoes, fresh seaweed and ngali nuts from a tall indigenous tree called Canarium Indicum. Suddenly a ‘gang’ of wild pigs appeared demanding their version of a kastom fee. I cracked a coconut with a small machete and passed it to my snorting friends. Satisfied, they trotted over to check out my kite and bathed in the ocean as I wondered to myself how an animal that loves to swim so much could earn such a reputation for being so dirty.

As my time with the Baea family came to an end, I pondered a gift for their kindness. Jeremy is the founding president of the Solomon Island Surfing Association and with a member base of 25 surfers—only 10 have their own surfboards so they share and take turns. When I left Gizo, I gifted Jeremy a surfboard, a leash and lots of surf wax, which would make a great prize for the winner of the next annual surfing competition at Christmas.

My next stop on the exploration tour took me to the UlawaMakira Province, a much less developed territory on the eastern edge of the island nation. Garedd had arranged for us to stay in Ripo village with his family’s tribe, the Ahetola. We would be the first ever homestay visitors in their village. The flight over to Ulawa Island involved the 47

TOP LEFT: In search of kite beaches with the Baea brothers. TOP RIGHT: The view from the airplane reveals an infinite playground to explore. BOTTOM LEFT: Flat water session on the island of Gizo. MIDDLE LEFT: Gabi indulges in a makeshift lunch after a kite stranding while making friends with the locals and sharing some of the sweetest coconuts around.

48

smallest plane I’d traveled in yet, and since my gear was so heavy, my luggage was flown on a plane ahead of us, forcing both Stephan and I to take the following flight.

Two stopovers later, the puddle jumper deposited us on a grassy, coral airstrip with my kite and boards waiting for us outside the airport terminal, which looked more like a decayed wooden shanty.

Only one road runs along the outer edge of Ulawa. Lined with two-story high palm trees, the 25-mile trip around the island takes several hours due to the rough condition of the unpaved track. During the day, things are quiet in the small villages; the men hunt in the bush, the women work in the gardens or take care of household chores, and for the families that can afford the $70 yearly fee, the kids spend their days in school.

My host on Ulawa was Garedd’s toothless 67-year-old Uncle Aaron, his wife Florence, their son Yanni and Great Auntie Harriet, who, with her great white afro, was estimated to be 100 years old, but nobody knew exactly.

A mattress with a fly net was made up for me in Aaron’s wooden shanty on stilts, constructed of ngali nut wood, bamboo tied up with loya cane rope and a handwoven roof of sago palm leaves. A separate hut with no windows but two doors and an earth floor served as the kitchen.

It was equipped with a stone oven and fire pit (fishing floats and bamboo rods were stored above so the smoke would cure and preserve them), a table, raised sitting mats and a simple shelf for their version of a pantry that was stacked with yam, taro, kumara, pana and kasawa, the main sources of food on the island.

Daily business was done in a toilet bowl, fenced with banana leaves, at the edge of the jungle; the water to flush it had to be brought in by bucket. People in this corner of the world are very religious and customs stipulate that women have to wear skirts at all times. Women aren’t supposed to wear trousers (men’s clothes), yet, it is taboo for a woman to show any thigh. Thus, I spent my days clad in my sarong, reveling in an existence without internet or even electricity.

Uncle Aaron would sit on the front deck for hours telling stories in broken English, joking—his high-pitched laugh was infectious—singing, smashing betel nut into a paste in a little portable mortar (normally and less ceremoniously done with your teeth) and then happily sticking it in between his bright red lips. As an avid fisherman, Uncle Aaron was one of the few tribesmen to practice the dying, ancient tradition of kite fishing. He explained how the kite itself is made of two wooden sticks and a leaf of the sago palm or ivory nut tree. Instead of a hook, he uses a loop made up of the webs of five brown spiders that trails the kite along the top of the water. When the fish bites, its teeth get caught in the web.

While the conditions during my stay were never favorable for kite fishing, Aaron assured me he catches Kingfish up to about 3-feet long with this ancient technique.

The kids of Ulawa were shy at first; after all, they’d never seen a white person before, let alone a tall, muscly, wild blond woman. But it didn’t take long before I had a whole troop fighting to hold my hand wherever I went. Most fascinated by my blond hair, they stroked and brushed it—they just loved it and I loved it too. As we traded stories about our lives, something neither the kids nor the adults could understand, was that why as a married woman I chose not to have kids—as that is what ‘marriage is all about.’They were puzzled how it was possible that Stephan, fit and good looking in his early 50s, was not married. We were of two cultures, and the complex roots of these differences were surprisingly difficult to explain.

The coast on the west side of Ulawa, where the village of Ripo is located, only has sharp coral and volcanic rock, no sand and no beaches. Thus, every day I rented the only flatbed truck on the island to head over to the eastern side of the island, where we found a pristine palm-fringed beach with squeaky snow-white sand and little waves.

Each day, more kids squeezed into the back of the truck to come along for the ride. The majority of the kids from Ripo had never been to this side of the island, nor have they ever been on a moving truck. Of our seemingly small adventures they told me these were “the best days of our lives.” We body surfed (I adhered to my sarong and t-shirt) and played on the beach for hours. The kids

49

50

The coast on the west side of Ulawa, where the village of Ripo is located, is loaded with sharp coral and volcanic rock with no sand or beaches to kite from. Gabi rented the only flatbed truck on the island to head over to the eastern side of the island to kite at a palm-fringed squeaky snow-white beach. Each day, more kids squeezed into the back of the truck to come along for the ride. The majority of the kids from Ripo had never been to this side of the island, nor had they ever been in a moving truck.

51

scooped up sand balls and wrapped them up in leaves for the hour-long drive back to Ripo, proudly showing their friends and families the fruits of their adventures at the beach ‘on the other side.’

When the experience in Ripo came to a quick but eventual end, we headed to the most remote stop on my tour, the Namuga Village in the Star Harbour area, two flights from Ulawa and a 45-minute boat ride to the southern part of the island chain. I stayed with Alfred Murray of the Atawa tribe who runs the Star Beach Resthouse. Again, there was no internet or electricity, and there were no cars, just boats for transport. Star Harbour was regarded in the early pioneering days of surfing similar to Fiji and Bali, however those early explorations came to a standstill as a result of the violent ‘tensions.’

After a few hours looking at kitesurfing footage on my laptop, Alfred understood what I planned on doing. He mentioned a beach on the other side of the peninsula, near Toraa Village of the Amwea Tribe, which he considered difficult to access but gifted with a ‘million dollar view.’ We loaded Alfred’s boat with my gear and motored through an ominous mangrove forest, the dark water surrounded by thickets of roots and lush coverage. Eventually, Alfred lodged the boat in deep mud and from there it was still a 15-minute walk along a small riverbed through the rainforest. We passed several locals with large machetes before the jungle opened up to a small village built on sand overlooking a long, stunning, palm-fringed beach with high, misty, sea-sprayed cliffs at the western end. Big eyes were staring at me from all angles. I smiled, waved and greeted everybody asking for the chief of the village. Arriving at Eratus’s hut, the thin, 75-year-old chief greeted me with a beautiful white-toothed smile. I sat down for a chat in broken English while he introduced me to his family, which consisted of 10 kids and 20 grandchildren. I handed him some presents from Australia and asked for permission to kitesurf on his beach. He said yes, although I was pretty sure he had no clue what I was up to.

We waited, yet the wind showed no willingness to blow, so we returned to Star Harbour with the intention of returning the following day. That night I endured the worst pains of my life, the muscles in my legs ached like nothing I’ve felt before. I spent the subsequent four days in bed with a high fever, suffering through hot and cold flashes, endless sweats with severe joint pains and a throbbing headache. As I would find out later upon my return to 52

TOP: Florence and Great Auntie Harriet in the kitchen. Harriet is thought to be 100 years old, but no one knows her exact age. MIDDLE LEFT: Gabi’s travel agent, Garedd, watching as Gabi samples his family’s cooking during her homestay. MIDDLE RIGHT: Uncle Aaron shows Gabi the kite he uses to practice the ancient tradition of kite fishing. MIDDLE: Gabi with the local school kids and the school director, Christopher, who is obviously a lover of the betel nut.

LOWER LEFT: This local only needs a kite; he’s already got the board. LOWER RIGHT: Aunty Christina peeling taro, a root crop and one of the staple foods in the Solomons. RIGHT: The session out front of Toraa Village was worth the trek by boat and the hike through dense jungle. The villagers watched with big eyes as Gabi inflated her 14m Rebel and the kids ran around in excited commotion once Gabi hit the water.

53

UPPER LEFT: The children of Eratus’s Toraa Village hooted, hollered and jumped deliriously as Gabi kited back and forth. RIGHT: Gabi gave joyous piggyback rides, suffering quietly as the dengue fever still raged throughout her body. BOTTOM LEFT: The mystical sight of an inflated kite was enough to summon the entire village. CENTER: The trip through the dense mangrove forest was spooky yet incredibly beautiful, and most likely riddled with dengue infected mosquitoes.

54

Australia, I had picked up the dreaded dengue fever (aka breakbone fever). Not quite feeling 100 percent, I recovered in time to go back once more to Eratus’ Toraa Village, and this time it was windy. All the villagers and kids came to see the commotion as I inflated my big wing on the expansive beach. The people screamed as I launched my kite, the kids hooting and jumping deliriously. I took a couple of tacks before returning to the beach and taking a few children for a run on my back. The cruise out to the reef and back was the ultimate thrill for the tiny villagers. Yet for me, during each run, I could feel every limb aching, my muscles straining under the small load, as my body struggled with the havoc of dengue. I was in pain, but the joy of the kids and the expressions on everybody’s faces propelled me to push through the agony.

As we prepared to catch a series of flights back to the capital, a tropical storm landed, the sheer might of her fierce power earning her the name Liua. As our small fiberglass dinghy headed to the closest airport, heaving rain and 6-foot swells very nearly capsized our boat. Sheltered under a tarp, Stephan and I secured board bags and camera cases from going overboard as we tried to stay positive during the roughest boat journey of our lives. We landed on the beach of Santa Ana, completely drenched, only to learn our plane never left Honiara. Stranded on Santa Ana, a local airline agent by the name of Henry put us up in his guesthouse as Liua unleashed her rage with heavy wind and torrential rains. As we waited out the storm, a massive tree came down just inches from my room; had it taken a different path, it would have flattened the entire guesthouse.

When tropical storm Liau finally moved on, the sun emerged along with a swift clearing wind. Stephan and I went down to the nearby lagoon with my kite gear in tow. I pumped up my kite one final time and from the middle of the bay I was awed by the striking visual reveal of a rainforest soaked from days of rain—the intense colors of foliage were awash in the deepest shades of green I have ever seen. The movement of my kite could be seen through the palm trees, and the locals of Santa Ana gathered on the beach cheering, making this session a worthy last ride before boarding our plane back through the capital and home to Australia.

In those final and difficult days at the southeastern edge of the Solomons, pounded by weather and recovering from dengue fever, it was the perilous boat ride to meet a flight that would never arrive that framed the contrasts between western conveniences and the simplicity of island existence. The Solomon Islands are a mere three hours from Australia, yet the infrastructure gap has allowed these island populations to remain intact, free from the globalizing interference of progress. Without electricity, roads or widespread telecommunications, I was able to make rare connections and bonds with people living an authentic life of subsistence and rich in cultural heritage. As I ponder my remote explorations, I can’t help but credit the whimsical, almost magical, power of kiteboarding as a universal tool for bridging cultural gaps, stoking human curiosity and breaking down logistical barriers. While the conveniences and safety of progress are not lost on me, I savor every moment shared with the welcoming people of the Solomon nation, many of whom have no more than a roof over their heads, yet lead happy, peaceful lives, enveloped in the joys of family and a simple existence.

55

The progressive craftsman in his element, holding the tried and true tools of his one-off, high-end carpentry trade. As a windsurfer in his Polish youth, Slawek ‘Suave’ Krause’s path to kiteboarding was anything but linear, yet inevitable just the same. // Photo self portrait

56

PROFILED

SLAWEK KRAUZE San Francisco, CA

Against the Grain Step into Slawek’s world. Inside his San Francisco-based woodworking shop you will find amidst large chunks of koa, American elm and other specialty woods, a neatly lined army of wood clamps and an extravagant collection of router bits for every conceivable joinery—all pieces of an elaborate ensemble of craftsmen tools ranging from Old World hand planers to high-tech digital routers. Obsessed with the finest quality organic materials, Slawek Krauze is a detail-obsessed one-off tradesman and self-ascribed progressive woodworker. His studio screams of his commitment to precision craftsmanship with a creative approach and a technical eye for perfection.

eventually earned the nickname ‘Suave’ for his smooth buggy jumps.

Growing up on the northern coast of Poland, Slawek first spotted windsurfing on a VHS tape filled with naked women and guys ripping their surf sails in Hawaii. At 11 years young, Slawek convinced his dad to buy a board and sail setup and thereafter became obsessed with the European windsurfing scene. Having grown up in a family of craftsmen, his father a metal fabricator and his uncle a carpenter, it’s no surprise the independently spirited Slawek built his own house by the age of 20.With a diploma in metal work from Poland and precision carpentry skills from an apprenticeship in Germany, it was about the same time when Slawek found himself doing high-end construction in San Francisco in the early 2000s that he first discovered the power of kites. Slawek’s roommate introduced him to his first traction kite as well as his first kiteloop-tofaceplant on the grassy expanse of Caesar Chavez Park in Berkeley.

As if by some fateful plan, Suave’s infatuation with kiteboarding coincided with the moment he met Colleen Coyle, a fellow beginner going through the learning steps in Alameda. Suave gave her some kite control advice and invited her to go camping at a kiteboarding spot he’d heard of, the iconic Sherman Island, located in the Sacramento River Delta. The obsession hit hard and both quit their jobs to spend an entire summer immersed in the Sherman Island kite scene. After 11 years of shared kiteboarding adventures with Colleen, Suave made their kite partnership official by proposing in the kite launch area at Sherman and the two tied the knot last summer.

The next weekend, Slawek connected the dots between his roommate’s 3-meter traction kite and a pair of rollerblades on a cement path along the Richmond seashore trail. He recalls the traction kite pulling him somewhere in the neighborhood of 40mph and running out of paved path quite quickly. Slawek ditched the kite in the adjacent marsh just in time, but then ended up swimming after the kite while his roommate drove around to the other side, picking him up on the shoulder of the nearby five-lane highway.

While most windsurfers make the leap directly to kiteboarding, Slawek, skipped the water part and first became deeply embedded in the Ocean Beach buggy and landboarding scene. He recalls showing up at the open stretch of beach west of the city with a homemade buggy but it just didn’t work. His newfound kite friends directed him to buy one online, and from there, Slawek scored a Flexifoil sponsorship and

In 2005, as an active member of the traction kite scene, he ended up in Skyline,Utah for what is now known as the Snowkite Masters.Surrounded by 50 snowkiters, Suave struggled to make it to the top of the mountain, not because he couldn’t kite, but because he’d never tried snowboarding.

Determined to put the pieces together, Suave began spending a month or two out of every winter chasing snow, first in Idaho, then Wyoming and then finally Montana. But, in 2008, at the behest of some friends, he finally succumbed to the water-based version of kiting.

Over the years, Suave has represented his local shop Live2Kite, as well as Ozone and Axis Kiteboarding while becoming a source of creativity and energy in the Bay Area kiteboarding and Rocky Mountain snowkiting communities. Suave has worked tirelessly to bring snowkiting events to North America, and this winter pulled off the second annual Bighorn Snowkite Masters event in Wyoming.

During the last economic recession, Suave stepped away from the highend kitchen and bathroom remodeling industry to lay the foundation of his Evergrain Woodworks custom carpentry business.Tired of the single serve, planned obsolescence-focused modern consumer culture, Suave is now focused on his longtime passion, creating timeless woodworking masterpieces for discerning clients who want custom one-offs that stand the test of time.To those that know Suave, he is a force of creativity, a man surrounded by open projects and passion. His latest interest in growing food and keeping bees for a small batch honey label, are just some of his latest projects that reflect his aspirations of living a more holistic and sustainable lifestyle.

57

Having learned from her father on the lake beside her family home in Holland, Lidewij Hartog has followed the steady rhythm of kiteboarding, both as a competitive rider and as a supremely talented filmmaker. A self-proclaimed storyteller from the heart, Lidewij warns, “film is such a powerful tool, let’s use it wisely.� // Photo May Meppe

58

PROFILED

LIDEWIJ HARTOG Tarifa, Spain

EXPOSING THE anthropological POWER OF FILM If you’re tired of the soul sucking banality of Instagram scrolling, aimless POV footage and narcissistic athlete Vlogs, then it’s probably worth checking out the cinematographic efforts of Dutch born kiteboarder and filmmaker Lidewij Hartog. Based out of Tarifa, Spain, Lidewij (pronounced Lee-deh-vay) has recently released some watch-worthy athlete stories, documenting life with talented riders like Stefan Spiessburger, Maxi Gomez, Guillermo Alvarez Diaz and Alvaro Onieva. Having mastered every aspect of production from filming to color grading, editing and sound, her work is as much about her technical skills as it is her ability to seek stories and capture human emotion in an authentic, visual package. Lidewij delivers intimate portraits of her kiteboarding friends, capturing in immaculate detail the emotional aesthetic of life on tour, with a vivid and crisp patina of the kiteboarding landscape mixed in with compelling kite action.

years, the pull of kiteboarding was strong and she fled Holland to Europe’s kite mecca in the south of Spain to seek out, once again, the authentic kiteboarding lifestyle.

Having grown up in a small town in Holland on an inlet just north of Amsterdam, Lidewij recalls watching her father kiteboarding from her bedroom window. When she turned 16 he taught her how to kite, and from that point on she was always looking for wind; as she puts it, “Kiteboarding was the first thing I wanted to be really good at.” When Lidewij turned 18 she headed to university to study anthropology and in those years, she temporarily left kiteboarding to focus on city life and her studies. But when she graduated, she returned to the kites scene, seeking to travel the world, learn some new tricks and explore her limits.

Now living in Tarifa, Lidewij is back on her own, doing some freelance work for her previous employer, but once again has refocused her efforts on improving her riding and bringing her cinematic storytelling skills to kiteboarding. One of the unique aspects of Lidewij’s work is that she captures people in their natural, undisturbed state, and it feels authentic and intimate. As a student of anthropology, she carries a strong fascination for human behavior, and is driven to capture emotion and convey feeling along with kiteboarding action. A small part of that, she admits, is accomplished by being “sneaky to capture the moment,” but for the most part, she works on building rapport and putting people at ease in order to capture images of them in their most raw and natural state. It’s her friendships with athletes like Alvaro Onieva and Stefan Spiessberger that have allowed her to push her limits.

They trust her vision and approach, and give her full support. Her ability to capture the human essence is crucial to her storytelling, as her main goal in her filmmaking, especially in kiteboarding, is to establish a new way of looking at the sport—to portray emotions and make a deeper connection with the viewer. Lidewij credits Noe Font with his Bubble Film and the production team at Eye Force for their Mystic trailer as other sources of kiteboarding work that evoke the compelling emotions of kiteboarding.

Lidewij entered some kite contests, but the pivot point was an impromptu video she created from her travels to Brazil and Morocco. The black and white short was meant to showcase her riding, but was also inspired by the landscape and foreign cultures of her travels. Serendipitously, this video caught the attention of Netherlands-based video production house, No Dutch No Glory, and she was invited for an interview over coffee. Hired on the spot, Lidewij began producing music videos and short promotional films, and gathered the technical production skills she would need to tell visually compelling stories, yet after a few

When complimented on her work, Lidewij retains the impression of a restless artist; she’s confident enough to know the value of the work she’s done so far, but seemingly hesitant to take too much credit because she’s only just begun. In her words, “For me it is weird to talk about my success, I have such a long road to go, and it’s hard to say what I have done has been amazing because I can always see how things can be better.” Lidewij doesn’t have one specific goal, but rather her latest return to the kiteboarding lifestyle is to advance her own riding style while pushing the cinematic boundaries of the kiteboarding experience.

59

FREERIDE / LIGHTWIND / FOIL

N O W

JUICE

B Y

D U O T O N E

“ T H E F E E L I N G O F B E I N G AT R A C E PA C E I N 6 K N O T S IS ADDICTIVE! THE PERFORMANCE FROM THIS YEARS J U I C E G I V E S M E A N E W F R E E D O M O N T H E WAT E R , I T ’ S T H E U LT I M AT E L I G H T W I N D W E A P O N ! ” J E A N

R I V A U D

G U I L L A U M E

R I D E R : J E A N R I VA U D G U I L L A U M E

PHOTO: TOBY BROMWICH

CC1 BLUE

RELATED PRODUCTS

PACE

FREE

SPIKE

SPIKE TXT

60

EXPOSED

This highly powered kiteloop renders Joshua Emanuel fully inverted in classic King of the Air conditions. // Ydwer van der Heide

61

EXPOSED

The master of his domain; Mitu Monteiro skillfully threads the needle of this Ponta Preta barrel on his way to claim the first tour stop of the GKA. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide

62

63

64

EXPOSED

Colleen Carroll puts on a rail clinic in Soma Bay, Egypt during her ‘Sum of 5’ trip. Working with four young female team riders, Colleen lays down the gold standard of hard work, riding and teamwork. // Photo Toby Bromwich

65

66

EXPOSED

It’s not the wall ride, it’s the #NewWallRide.

Alex Fox jamming backside off a sedimentary lip in Brazil’s protected lagoons. // Photo Andre Magarao

67

EXPOSED

Jeremy Jones places an inaugural hit on his friends’ home-constructed, streetinspired slider. Ratcheting up the size and consequences, this multi-faceted feature combines a kicker and rail option on either side for double the fun. // Photo Ryan Osmond

Looking to hire or find a job in water sports industries? www.awsijobs.com

Introducing a worldwide, online tool where water sports jobs can be posted by brands, retailers, schools, instructors and more. It’s simple to use, affordable, and specific to jobs within water sports industries POST AND SEARCH FOR JOBS IN:

Windsurfing • Kiteboarding Stand Up Paddle Boarding • Surfing Wakeboarding • Waterskiing Kayaking • Boating • Rafting

68

SOUL FREERIDE, FREESTYLE, LIGHTWIND 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 15 / 18 / 21

// X-LIGHT CONSTRUCTION // EFFORTLESS BOOSTING // SUPERB RELAUNCH & HANDLING

Photographer: Alex Schwarz

The SOUL combines high comfort with a sporty character. The inspiring technical lightweight kite construction, the highest safety standards and precise control and bar feedback. The great water relaunch and improved drainage system bring it all together to make the SOUL truly user friendly. Experience a new way of kiting!

FOLLOW

FLYSURFERKITEBOARDING | FLYSURFER.COM

... AHEAD OF ITS TIME 69

Intro by Brendan Richards

Damien Girardin recalls an earlier time in his life when both he and the sport were just getting started. Somewhere in the early 2000s and fresh out of engineering school, the young Frenchman spent hours just staring at kites, watching them bob, thrust, turn and pull—from the limited view out the windows of his seaside rental in the south of France. The movement of kites, completely detached from riders, spurred hours of subconscious and then conscious kite observation. From this he learned a great deal about shape, airframe construction and efficiency—all manners of observation he uses today in his work as product manager and head kite designer for Naish Kiteboarding.

As a kid growing up in Montpellier on the southern seashore of France, Damien got an early start in windsurfing and became a talented athlete in national and international windsurfing competitions.

Having grown up in the same town as Raphael Salles, the French kitesurfing pioneer handed Damien his first 2-line kite in 1996. Damien got the hang of it right away, almost immediately learning how to jibe and jump. Back then the joke about the new sport was “What’s the difference between a kitesurfing pro and a beginner?—One week.” And while the lure of the pro kiteboarding path was strong, Damien put kiteboarding aside and enrolled in a Masters of Engineering program in Marseilles, punctuated with summer internships with Gaastra in Maui. Rooming with Maui kite pioneers Lou Wainman, Elliot Leboe and Mauricio Abreu, by day, a young Damien studied windsurfing sail design at Gaastra and at night he suffered the relentless taunting of Mauricio’s mantra, “Windsurfing has been cancelled.”

Upon graduation in 2001, Damien connected with Franz Orly, an old windsurfing friend, and landed a job as product designer building bars and accessories for Takoon, a startup based in the south of France. Having learned a great deal about product development and testing but not yet advancing into kite design, when Naish came knocking, Damien made the jump to Maui where he worked alongside Don Montague. Quickly becoming involved in all aspects of design, Damien climbed to product manager of the kite division and ultimately took on the role of head kite designer. Fourteen years later, Damien still spends a great deal of time staring at kites, using the simple tool of observation as a designer’s sixth sense. We caught up with Damien amidst his recovery after knee surgery to get an insider perspective on the state of design at Naish today.

70

Photo: Frankie Bees

71

ABOVE: Naish’s head of kite design at work in his shop dialing in bridle lengths. According to Damien, bridle lengths are highly tuned for each size kite in order to get a cohesive feeling across an entire kite range. // Photo Frankie Bees RIGHT: Performance is in the details. Damien is quick to point out that he designs his kites to be inflated to 10-12psi. If you’re not pumping your kite firm, then you’re not riding the kite he designed. // Photos Frankie Bees

72

How have the tools you use to design kites changed over time? Are there additional dimensions of designs that you didn’t have at your disposal five or 10 years ago?

DG Some of the tools have evolved, but in other ways, the process

is very much the same. It starts with a goal that’s in my head, or maybe some feedback from a distributor or a customer. We set the goals which dictate the design rules. To this day, a lot of kite design comes from just looking at the kite, watching for how the leading edge twists during turns, how tension transfers from the front lines to the back lines and watching for flutter in the canopy. A lot of it is feel but you can learn a lot from closely watching a kite in the air.

The tools we use have evolved. For instance, in the old days, the process of designing each size in a kite line took quite a bit of guesswork to get each size right. A couple of years back, I opened an old physics book and found a rule; a formula that could take me from one kite size to another. This was a huge step because it allowed me to really focus my energy on one size, and with minimal effort, get the entire range very close to being ready. From there it’s a smaller amount of massage work to get to the finished product. A lot of us designers use the same software, but Naish has its own custom version which streamlines the process. Above all else, every year I have a bigger database of kite designs I can pull from. There are over 3000 kites in my database, and I can pick through that knowledge base for what works and what doesn’t.

In terms of extra design dimensions, probably the biggest advance for design is in the materials we use. We started using Quad-Tex three years ago. This material is so much stronger and has allowed us to remove a lot of reinforcements. Every gram you remove is a gram you don’t have to fly; a lighter kite is always better. I still remember my first session with Quad-Tex; it had been six months of working with a Japanese manufacturer, but that first prototype was night and day. I remember the team asking what I had done to the prototypes; my answer was nothing . . . but make them crisper and lighter.

If the science behind physics is the governing law of the land, does that make kite design an objective or subjective endeavor? How does that affect your process?

DG Kite design is subjective, especially for the kites we make. If I

was designing race kites, I’d probably just use computer models to calculate air flows and that would be completely objective.

73

The kites we make are judged by how they feel in our hands.

I wish that were objective; it would make life much easier for me, but it’s just not that simple. Sometimes we fly our kites low to the water and then 20 meters higher where the wind can be stronger. Our conditions are often turbulent and gusty, and we constantly move our arms and legs and twist our torso while the kite is changing its angle of attack and turning. It’s hard to find anything objective in the experience of the end-user and that is why I try to set up objective performance rules that make sense to me.

Each prototype test starts on the beach going through the bridles, adjusting them until everything looks right and then putting the kite in the sky to observe how it flies. Then I test the kite under load on the water with a steady routine. It’s objective in the sense that I repeat a particular jump or a downloop, and load the kite and then test depower, stability and lastly, the relaunch. From how it feels and looks in the air, there might be some more bridle adjustments to be made, but these first two stages are the most analytical stages of testing. When it feels right, I then ride the kite for fun, not hyper-focused on testing, but just riding for overall impression. In our three-phase approach, most people think of kite testing as the third part— fun freeriding, but that’s not where the hard objective work lies.

How often does the way that you conceptualize kite performance match up with the layman?

DG As a designer, it’s really important to work with kite testers that

use words that make sense to me. It’s not about skill level—I can have an average kiter give me really good feedback, while at the same time, an athlete or team rider is saying something that makes no sense to me. I listen, but maybe it’s just not translatable in my brain. The value of a tester really depends on how they formulate what they are saying. A less talented kiter might be better at finger pointing the various characteristics of a kite—separating what is bad from what is good. Some people cannot feel those details and that’s why it is key to have a good crew of testers that can feel exactly what the kite is doing and more importantly, put that into words and speak the language.

How does constructive criticism and negative feedback on the forums play a role in your work?

DG I hate criticism for about a minute, but then I love it because

critical feedback is the only way I can get better as a designer.

I remember walking though the competitor pen at the King of

74

LEFT: Damien going through the test process with his team of testers. Damien uses the tools at his disposal to inject objective analysis into a highly subjective sport. // Photos Frankie Bees RIGHT: The first step in the testing process is tweaking bridle tension until it’s perfect before observing the kite in the air and testing it under load. // Photo Frankie Bees

75

LEFT: 2019 King of the Air Champion, Kevin Langeree, earns his second back to back championship with the Pivot. // Photo Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool TOP RIGHT: Testing the Triad, the entry level kite tuned to suit 99% of kiters. // Photo Frankie Bees MIDDLE RIGHT: Once the tweaking and objective testing is done, then it’s time to have fun and put some mileage on a kite. // Photo Frankie Bees BOTTOM RIGHT: Kevin Langeree celebrating the sweet victory of the sport’s longest running and most acclaimed competition. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide/Red Bull Content Pool

76

Air a couple of years ago and some riders from other brands came up and patted me on the back after trying Kevin’s kite.

That kind of feedback feels great—because I’m the man for 30 minutes, but then I’m back to wondering what’s next. Over the years, I’ve learned that listening to people’s complaints is the only way to get better. When I first started working at Naish, we’d go to a distributor meeting and Robby would have people telling him that everything was amazing. We’d compare notes afterwards and I’d have to explain how I’d had a different conversation with the same people. Because I am not a legend like Robby Naish, I get a different story. Without his reputation and universal respect, people tend to be more honest and critical.

Robby now understands that he has to dig for criticism, and we always try to get that out of people.

There’s a theory called the Paradox of Choice (actually it’s a TED Talk and best-selling book about the famous Lyengar Jam experiment), but it basically says that more choice leads to greater anxiety and less post-purchase satisfaction. Are we splitting hairs with large model lines and niche kites?

DG For sure, if you have too much choice, you might not choose

right or anything at all. In reality, the Pivot and our new Triad kite cover 99% of what people need. The Triad is more accessible and forgiving while the Pivot offers a little more high-end performance. Naish is a global brand and some markets have conditions that put certain kites in high demand. Take a kite like the Dash; not a big hit in the US, but it’s loved in France.

The old Ride was a huge success in Holland, while the Slash has been a hit in the US where strapless riding first started. When you go into a shop, you probably won’t see the entire line, just the kites that are most popular for the conditions in that area.

Yet take a kite like the Pivot, it has been hugely popular in all of our markets.

There’s a ton of crossover in these categories. For instance, I designed the Pivot with strapless airs in mind, because that can be really challenging. Yet, the Pivot turned out so user-friendly in jumping that it excels with twin tip jumping just the same.

Kevin Langeree won the last two King of the Airs on the Pivot, but before that, he was strongly committed to the Torch. I told him to try the Pivot for jumping, but it wasn’t until a trip to Tarifa where he was forced to borrow a Pivot from a local shop, that he decided to swap to the Pivot for big air. I think his backto-back KOA titles say it all.

77

aruba hatteras

bring only your harness!

Leave everything else at home and rent the latest Cabrinha gear at every Vela center. Yes, it can be that easy!

As always, a trip to any Vela destination means you’ll find an operation featuring the friendliest, most experienced staff possible, exciting lessons from trained professionals, and the latest and safest new gear on the market.

See you on the water!

WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU CAN GO where to go when you can go

FrankieBees Photography

78

CALL NOW: 800-223-5443

velaresorts.com

baja

hood river

maui

belize philippines

brazil st martin

cabarete tobago

colombia turks & caicos

COOL PLACES

FRIENDLY FACES

GREAT GEAR

PRO INSTRUCTION

© 2017 Vela Resorts

Design: hauser-advertising.com

79

T

en years may have passed, but the stories of F-One’s first trip to Madagascar have long been told throughout the company’s headquarters in Marseilles, France. Filled with empty waves, perfect lagoons and completely undeveloped coastlines, it was the trip of a lifetime full of memorable sessions and unforgettable accidents. Micka Fernandez punched a giant hole in his jaw after a bad crash and company owner, Raphael Salles, spent the night floating around on a jetski after rushing Micka to the nearest hospital. Like most good stories, it wasn’t fun at the time, but it created deep-rooted memories that the team sought to revisit with F-One’s next generation.

80

Red Island Revisited Introduction by Joe Winowski

Photo Ydwer van der Heide 81

LEFT: Mitu scores an evening session at Flame Balls, a spitting left barrel 30 minutes offshore of Anakao. The nearest land is three miles away, so you guess rig, head downwind and hope you picked your kite size somewhat right. // Photo Gilles Calvet CENTER: Life is hard in this part of Madagascar. The women chase squid in the nearshore waters while the men fish offshore in sailing pirogues, a trusted boat design their ancestors have used for over 2000 years. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide RIGHT: According to Camille Delannoy, Anakao has one of the best kitesurfing waves in the world, but when it isn’t firing, the strapless freestyle and foilsurfing options are endless. // Photo Matt Georges

82

83

84

LEFT: Raphael Salles charges Jelly Babies with his SUP foil. With its long ride and forgiving shape, this is the friendlier wave in the Anakao area. Only a short distance from shore, this wave was built for foilsurfing. // Photo Matt Georges CENTER: Village life is harsh; four out of 10 children die before their first birthday. Playing with the kids, Raphael was inspired by their resiliency in the face of hardship.

Since F-One’s last visit, some of the villagers have learned to kite and become kite instructors at the local resort. Raphael knows better than most that tourism and kiteboarding can be a powerful economic force for these remote outposts. // Photo Matt Georges RIGHT: Raphael commits to the Flame’s powerful wall with a gutsy off the lip. Straps afford him the luxury of three aerials per wave and extra control as a regular foot going frontside goofy on a left. // Photo Matt Georges

85

LEFT: The flat water inlets around Babaomby Island Resort on the northeast tip of Madagascar turned out to be perfect mega loop terrain for Maxime Chabloz. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide CENTER: Getting to paradise isn’t always so easy. After three flights and an hour drive by yellow taxi, the crew boarded a boat for a two-hour sail across the bay to Babaomby Island Lodge. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide RIGHT: Navigating the mangrove slicks, Rafael hears nothing but the slicing sound of his foil mast effortlessly cutting through the super still water. // Photo Matt Georges

86

87

88

LEFT: Maxime Chabloz nails a needle in the haystack hand stall at Babaomby Resort. The place proved to be an invariable wind tunnel with 30 knots of wind every single day. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide CENTER: Guiding the group downwind through mangrove channels, veteran Micka Fernandez sets a barefoot speed record over this remote sandbar playground. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide RIGHT: Pauline Valesa and Set Texeira chose the boat over kiting upwind and opted into a long, wet ride back to the resort, a mistake they only needed to make once. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide

89

The best boardshorts are defined by the details.

Our all-new Hydro Series boardshorts feature innovative fused waistbands, performance fits and superlight recycled polyester blends with 4-way stretch. They’re also Fair Trade Certified™ sewn and fully backed by our Ironclad Guarantee. Deceptively simple but technically advanced, they’re the latest additions to our line of trusted trunks.

Reo Stevens logs some switchfoot tube time on a midwinter session in the Marshall Islands. DAMEA DORSEY 2019 Patagonia, Inc.

Hydro Series Boardshorts

The

Delta Route Overcoming group phobia and other miscellaneous thoughts about downwind kiteboarding

Words by India Stephenson Photos by Analice Diniz

92

Sweet passionfruit disguises the fermented sugarcane cachaça rum as the inebriant quickly clouds the mind of the San Francisco-based coder midway through her third caipirinha.

The alcohol dampens her hearing and her highpitched giggles and squeals dominate the space as she works feverishly into the homestretch of a tale regarding her recent missing luggage antics. At the end of the table, the opinionated entrepreneur from Toronto catches the eye of the coder and calmly places his commanding index finger to his lips. Her eyes widen with understanding and the dark-haired software engineer registers the silent but forceful message, toning her diatribe down to a whisper and targeting her story to the closest person who will listen.

To be honest, I’ve never really been a fan of organized travel; do this, do that, go there, now stay here and always with a mash of strangers loosely tied by the single strand of kiteboarding. Call me skeptical, but more often than not, the de facto itinerary caters to general group interests and typically, the lowest common denominator of skills runs the show. Drained by the social obligation of group interaction, my inner introvert screams for time alone and avoids situations that lead to social exhaustion. I’m in the mindset of do what I want, when I want, where I want—so much so that I can’t even commit to an occasional carpool to my local beach on the slight chance that my friend turns into an endurance kiter, leaving me to rot in the car for the remainder of her session.

Group trips are a crapshoot—you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes it’s a rowdy, tightknit crew from Massachusetts (you know what they say about those guys), or the kite couple violently seesawing between

paradisiacal romance and logistics-based kite rage.

Other times it’s the adorable kite-obsessed father/ son pairs, but more often than not, it’s a quirky grab bag of solo missionaries. Don’t get me wrong.

There’s a place for organized group travel and a good-sized clientele throughout the kiteboarding world who prefer it. These souls dream of preplanned adventures where every detail is attended to without the burden of research, organization and coordination. Who could be blamed for wanting a stress-free trip that allows you to meet and travel with like-minded people with the same passions in a pre-calculated adventure? However, if you’re the lone wolf and anti-carpool kiter like me, just the thought of pre-organized activities, a locked down itinerary and forced social interactions brings a cold sweat to every part of my body, and for this reason, I entered my Surfin Sem Fim trip along the Brazilian coast with great apprehension and a slight dose of skepticism.

93

G

athered around the communal dinner table are the six participants of Surfin Sem Fim’s Delta Route and final downwinder of the season.

Sharing crispy tapioca cheese fritters by candlelight under the carnauba palm frond roof of Prea’s Rancho do Piexe restaurant, the group is eclectic but largely professionals and above all else, obsessed with kitesurfing. Across the table from me there’s a quiet but serious Rio de Janierostationed American who moved to Brazil when he was seven and has been here ever since; next to him there’s the South-Korean born Silicon Valley software developer; to my left is the Toronto-based tech entrepreneur and to my right is the excitable accountant from Amsterdam who is probably the most obsessed distance kiter of them all.

The world’s number three freestyler sits a few seats down; Brazilian local Set Texeira is our designated professional rider and next to him sits red-haired Aussie expat and Surfin Sem Fim’s logistics coordinator Matt Garrick.

Small talk ensues over drinks and appetizers as we get to know one another—it’s the basic surface level stuff: Where are you from? What do you do? Where have you kited? And so on. However, despite the fact that we’re all stretching to find personal commonalities, our strongest unifier is the Surfin Sem Fim challenge that lays before us; the unknown of kiting 200 miles across

three Brazilian states in just seven days. And with that understanding, my suspicion is that the adventure ahead is going to be far more unifying than previously thought.

94

The next morning, down on the beach in front of Rancho Do Piexe, Matt is skillfully packing our luggage into the Land Rovers when he throws me a navy Surfin Sem Fim-branded sun shirt. A map of Brazil’s northeast coast is printed down the sleeve: Prea, Guriu, Camocim, Barra Grande, Isle dos Poldros, Tutoia and Atins—these are the towns in which we will stop during our 200 miles of downwinding through Brazil’s Rio Parnaíba Delta. I hold up my sun shirt hiding my disdain… it’s a nifty keepsake, but it reeks of team spirit. I deliberate whether to wear it or not. I’d heard rumors of Brazil’s oppressive sun and I had been warned to cover up from head to toe, yet it was hard to believe that the rays were really that strong. Would I turn into a lobster (big, red claws included) if I went without? Would the printed map save me if I took a wrong turn at a river estuary or got left behind at one of the reef breaks promising surf?

As I look up from my all-consuming thought process, Set is headed down the stairs to the beach, his freestyle twin tip tucked under his arm. Fresh off the World Kiteboarding Championships, he’s taken on a new role this week, and instead of his usual contest bib, he’s clad in an orange SSF staff-branded rash guard. I watch as he puts the last of his gear into a dry bag: some extra water bottles, sandwiches, a GPS tracker and a satellite phone. He rolls it up and throws it over his shoulder greeting some of the local instructors with shakas and high-fives as glints of his braces flash in the sun. He’s the local boy who’s made good, and from the looks of things, ranks high on the hero list of nearly every kite instructor on the coast. Based on his quiet demeanor around the dinner

LEFT: SSF logistics operator, Matt Garrick, skillfuly packs everyone’s gear into two Land Rovers, strategically locating the sandwiches and snacks within reach.

RIGHT: F-One pro rider and Brazilian local Set Teixera, boosts a lofty tail grab as the fishermen spectate on their way out to sea.

95

TOP LEFT: The morning scene at Surfin Sem Fim; clients pick their kite size out of the Land Rover and rush to pump up, each day just a little bit slower than the last. MIDDLE LEFT: While the downwinding water route is fairly arduous, the logistics of transporting luggage, supplies and the rescue quad across the Delta is an adventure in and of itself. BOTTOM LEFT: Hat, neckie, headmount, GoPro, long sleeves, fingerless gloves and drypack; armed to the gills, a SSF client is fully prepared for a long day on the water. RIGHT: Brazil’s northeast landscape is as diverse as its kite options. A downwinding team makes their way from the Atlantic to a mangrove-laden lagoon. The scenery on the Delta Route is always shifting.

96

table the evening before, I would have pegged him as the shy type, but it’s now clear that his conversations in his native Portuguese are far more animated and full of energy. In northeastern Brazil, being a professional kiteboarder is like playing in the NFL back home, yet even if Set is a celebrity here on Brazil’s beaches, he remains courteous, respectful and humble towards the local kite kids.

Running his own kite school with his brother, Thomas, just south of us in his hometown of Cumbuco, Set is more than qualified to run sweep on our trip and as it turns out, happy to give advice and share his passion for kiting with anyone who asks.

My clothing indecision still lingers when the rest of the group descends upon the beach. To my horror, they are clad in multi-layered sun shirts, floppy-eared hats, kitesurfing-specific sunglasses, Camelbacks, neckies, lycra pants with boardshorts overtop and faces smeared with carnival-colored zinc. My reaction has two components; a snarky critique of the infinite list of awkward fashion faux paux, and the second, how the absence of geeky paraphernalia in my list of equipment is a glaringly apparent sign of my lack of preparedness. My elitist attitude is not my fault; I come from a tight-knit kitesurfing community in Northern California where the line between surfing and kiting is thin—no one wears a helmet, flotation vest or even a kite leash and the minimalist culture is comprised of surfers who only fly kites in order to expand their water time into the windy months when the waves are too blown out to surf.

As guests mill about choosing kite sizes, laying lines and adjusting their attire, I hear a click as Set snaps the floppy ears of his short-rimmed baseball cap together under his

chin. “Great, even one of the world’s top competitive kiters has got a ‘kook’ hat,” I think to myself, quickly realizing that I’m out of touch with the severity of the strong Brazilian sun. I dash back to my luggage before it’s packed deep into the Land Rover for overland transit.

Clawing through my suitcase, I find my lycra leggings and a baseball cap. I’d packed these items begrudgingly per SSF’s packing list of suggestions although I hadn’t really planned on wearing either of them. Rushing hurriedly to throw everything on before my fellow kiters noticed my lagging, I was now a walking kite accessory model, albeit with less ‘stuff ’ than some of my fellow kite companions. Securing my harness, I hooked in and noticed that Matt was picking up my kite. Thinking to myself, “no self-launching here in the lap of luxury,” he throws my kite up for me and I grab my board, making my way across the large, white sandy beach and into the warm Atlantic with the rest of the group.

The route begins along the more populated beaches of Ceará where kite schools and resorts butt up to tiny, colorful fishing villages. It’s these more populated areas that are home to the pros and boast warm, flat water, monstrous sand dunes and single swaying palm trees.

Our captain, Andre, leads the way while Set takes up the rear. I watch as some of the spectators point and gasp from the sidelines as Set boosts big airs and practices a few tricks close to the beach on his oversized freestyle C-kite. He makes sure to stay behind the last client, keeping the pack relatively grouped together while running sweep just in case anyone needs a rescue or a relaunch.

The beginning part of the Delta Route runs past stretches of dry, arid, white sandy beaches that are perfect for cruising, practicing front rolls on the chop and connecting turns on small, mushy waves. I spend the majority of my day hacking turns off the small beach break and chasing after my baseball cap which spent more time floating in the water than on my head. I’d always detested the floppy-eared sun hat, but fashion be damned, less than an hour into day one of the seven-day downwinder, I’d do just about anything for a chin strap. As I would later learn, given the oppressive

97

thrashing of the Brazilian sun, I’d practically wear a bag over my head if it’d keep the sun from burning a hole through my face. How quickly I’d lost the battle with almighty Mother Nature, her blinding rays beating down relentlessly; turns out I’d spend the rest of the trip clad in sunglasses and slathered in a mask of cakey white zinc.

adorned with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lagoon in which the sun has long set, a round of caipirinhas is ordered and banter surrounds the table until eyes begin to close and we slowly drift off to our respective rooms, taking respite from a full day of constant kiting under Brazil’s severe sun.

With our kites packed up at the end of the day, we watch as our luggage-carrying rescue vehicle drives up onto two very unstable looking wood planks, precariously boarding a makeshift ferry. Constructed out of plastic barrels and beams of wood, the planks flex something scary, but the ferry’s operation is nonetheless smooth and indicates routine practice. As the barge shuttles us across the lagoon to our accommodation, I think to myself, ‘here I am stuck on one giant floating carpool.’

I admire the sunburn on my arms where I’d rolled up my sleeves and examine the burned skin where my quarter-length lycra left my shins exposed. I listen as the Danish accountant and self-proclaimed downwinding Dutchman gripes about the short distance of our first day. The bald-headed, bright-eyed distance kiteboarding enthusiast has already completed both SSF’s Ultraman (1000km from Sao Miguel do Gostoso to Atins) and Ironman (600km from Cumbuco to Atins) routes. With an air of endurance travel superiority the overachiever reminds us our day was child’s play or ‘a holiday.’ He takes advantage of our floating captivity to boast how he’s been on so many of these trips that he could guide one blindfolded, dropping one of his many not so subtle hints to Matt that his sun shirt should be upgraded to the vibrant orange staff color.

Roosters crow at the break of dawn as I’m awakened by the sound of distant hammering from a local fisherman repairing the wooden hull of his boat.

Stumbling out of my room and down the stairs to the dining room, I’m greeted by a full breakfast spread of Brazilian coffee, local fruits and juices.

There’s a basket of pão de queijo, Brazil’s famous cheese rolls, and a smorgasbord of sliced meat and cheese, as well as made -to-order tapioca pancakes, crepes, eggs, and omelettes.

“Omeleta completa,” orders the entrepreneur with a childish grin that says he’s amused because he’s made a rhyme out of the limited Portuguese that he knows. Laying claim to Toronto and the fresh waters of the Great Lakes’ cold and rugged surf as his home, the businessman is well traveled, having been to many of the world’s top kiteboarding breaks, so it surprises me when he starts in on a lecture about my use of a standard surf leash for strapless kitesurfing. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but his misplaced authority on the matter is tough to swallow. I politely explain why leashes become the habit of people who kite in real surf locations, but his obsession with

As the typical evening on the Delta Route would play out, we settle into our rooms before a lavish dinner; vegan zucchini noodles for me, and local fish for the carnivores.

It’s a grand meal, carefully curated and beautifully presented by a small but very capable kitchen. Long and tiresome days on the water are met with extravagant evenings, far from what you’d imagine finding on a sparse coastline of remote fishing villages. Each night’s accommodation and subsequent meal hold par with the luxuries of a big city experience. In a minimalist but modern dining room,

98

LEFT: Comprised of massive mounds of sand and freshwater lagoons created by the rainy season, Lençóis Maranhenses National Park offers up an extremely abstract visual experience. TOP RIGHT: Perched atop a private 3000 acre island with no infrastructure, a tractor takes guests from the beachhead to Ilha dos Poldros. MIDDLE RIGHT: Dinner is served; local fish drizzled with olive oil, complemented with edible flowers and spiralized vegetables. BOTTOM RIGHT: Captain Andre Penna pulls up Google Earth on his laptop to brief the group on the day’s travel.

99

TOP LEFT: From vibrant colors to sultry sunsets, the landscapes during a Brazilian downwinder are intense to say the least. MIDDLE LEFT Captain Andre is watched by horse and buggy as he sets off downwind through a flat and shallow lagoon. BOTTOM LEFT: A little bit of a walk at the end of a long day is rewarded with 5-star lodging. RIGHT: Vast, open and endless. This image is the epitomy of what Surfin Sem Fim stands for; surfing without end.

100

safety and robust self-esteem is unshakeable. Eventually I realize I’m on the wrong side of a monologue rather than a discussion. My eyes glaze over as I think to myself “Okay, got it. Thanks Mr. Safety Captain. Now, could you please go lecture Set on the dangers of wakeboarding boots.”

After breakfast, with our group gathered around a laptop, Andre, our captain, pulls up Google Earth for a briefing of the day. He’s one of the pioneers of distance kiting in northeastern Brazil and has explored a majority of the coast solo and unassisted, so it’s safe to say we’re in good hands. While most of the Brazilian coast is sandy, Andre shows us the shoreline, explaining where the wave spots are and where to proceed with caution. He indicates where there’s jutting rocks before the point break and shows us the finger reefs to avoid. He points out where we’ll head out to sea from the coast to avoid getting stuck inside a bay with onshore winds and where the wind switches offshore. Then he explains where we’ ll enter lagoons and where they’ll spit us back out into the ocean. Finally, using Google’s ruler tool, Andre measures the distances we’ ll travel that day, and designates a rendezvous location with the Land Rovers on an expansive stretch of sand, where we will pause for a quick lunch before relaunching and heading to our final destination.

The next few days of the route will be longer and much more strenuous, perfect for the downwinding Dutchman. As an enthusiastic ambassador for a Dutch kite company, he insists on rigging a kite

size smaller to boast the efficiency of his obscure and largely unknown branded kite. Most of the route is fun beach and reef breaks, but there are choppy river crossings and a couple of long detours that take us out to sea to avoid a fish trap or stay in the line of clean wind.

As a surfer who has never used straps, these stretches left me wishing I had opted for the convenience. Hours of strapless downwind rallying in open ocean chop can be hard on the knees and ankles, but watching others ram into the back of waves at Mach 5 speed, taking huge wipeouts and cartwheeling in spectacular fashion provided a healthy dose of distraction.

The point where the awe-inspiring Rio Paranaiba dumps into the Atlantic marks the dividing line between the states of Piaui and Maranhao. Paranaiba’s river delta is the third largest in the world with over 70 islands and five large river branches descending into the Atlantic—all of which we had to cross. The landscape is vast and varying, morphing between large dunes and empty beaches to lush river banks packed with mangrove forests which play host to an abundance of flora and fauna, most notably a large variety of birds. On the day we cross the Paranaiba River, the greenery is vibrant and the water dirty brown from recent rains, bringing soil particles and sediment to the mouth of the delta and exiting into the Atlantic.

It’s the powerful runoff of the Paranaiba that creates the famed white sand dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park to the west. The interplay of the river and the strong winds change the geography of the expansive sand dunes, and the torrential rainstorms of the winter create the interlinking maze of crystal clear lagoons that lay backdrop to the Red Bull Rally dos Ventos kite race.

Although visiting Lençóis was a day trip that was not on our itinerary, we crossed the delta, making up for lost experience and got our fix of shoulder-high, mushy, side-onshore waves. These are the conditions that both myself and the San Francisco coder had been waiting for.

As a ‘travel kiter,’ she rarely kites in California, where the ocean is cold and rife with apex predators. Instead, she opts for warmer destinations, having signed up for a Reo Stevens coaching trip at the Marshall Islands last spring and then tagging along on Surfin Sem Fim’s Mauritius trip with Willow-River Tonkin. The

101

San Franciscan was chomping at the bit for waves, and the next stretch of the journey is where she’d find the biggest practice arena. While most of the group heads downwind at a relatively quick pace, missing out on what I believe was the best part of the trip, the coder and I hold up the rear, making sure we get the most out of the delta sandbars. Riding upwind seemed almost inappropriate after the previous days of downwinding, but we tacked back up to some of the better breaks in order to prolong the wave-riding experience before returning to the next open-ocean segment.

As we headed west along the coast there seemed to be a correlation between increasing wave size and decreasing populations. With merely a few small villages dotted along the interior of the delta, only the most bold and courageous fishing boats charged out of the river mouth to make their catch. We’d kite past deserted beaches, oversized windmills, and most notably, a point where the forest meets the sea and the heft of the ocean has left nothing but dead, stumpy trees in its wake. This eerie stretch has earned the name the ‘Meat Grinder’ and is neither friendly to kite nor person. The delta landscape was vast, varied and unknowing. Some days we’d walk over a sand spit, leaving a wave spot in the Atlantic with our boards tucked under arms to cross into a nearby flat water lagoon where we’d synchronize our turns on the smooth downwind ride until the lagoon dwindled and spilled back into the sea. The visual diversity of dry expansive dunes butting up against mangrove jungles and the constant transition between the ocean and lagoon made the voyage feel like one giant playground with unknown riding spots hiding around every corner.

While some of our group preferred surfing through endless windswell, others favored the smooth glide through flat lagoons and some took enormous pride in an all-out downwind speed race for bragging rights at the front of the pack. Although our agendas all differed, throughout the week it seemed our preferences became less apparent as we all faced the same challenge: making it to our final destination. With so much of our time spent logging miles on the water, afternoon appetizers around the pool and subsequent meals became some of our only

102

time to converse about the day’s events. Recounting wipeouts taken and waves ridden, we lingered in the experience of watching stars in the dark night sky from atop monstrous dunes and bonded over evening boat tours up mangrove inlets searching for wildlife by flashlight with a guide crazy enough to dive in and rustle up some baby crocodiles.

When you become focused on one all-consuming goal, having all the logistics ironed out by someone else is refreshingly convenient. If at the outset of my trip I feared the constraints of a set program, once someone lands your kite on an empty island spit, hands you a delicious tapioca crepe, and your luggage magically appears in your chic beach bungalow at the end of a long day, your fear over loss of control and independence goes right out the window. It didn’t feel like I was on anyone else’s schedule because we all had the same agenda; kite as soon as the wind picked up and stop once we’d arrive at our accommodation, then eat, sleep and repeat. Never did I feel like I could orchestrate a better experience. Personality quirks became less apparent as we bonded over experiences on and off the water, and as everybody got on the same page, it felt less like a grab bag of strangers coming from different places and more like a close-knit group focused on the same goal—replete with its unique bonds and inside jokes. And at some point, we became a well-oiled team and in a bizarre sense, this dynamic helped me not just survive, but thrive in what may be the biggest kiteboarding carpool ride of my life.

LEFT: Kiting past the ‘Meat Grinder.’ The broken trunks of a forest long gone are inhospitable to kite and kitesurfer. TOP RIGHT: Snuggling with a baby crocodile during one of the many pre-planned evening extracurricular activities. MIDDLE RIGHT: Kiting past boats that look as though they might double as pirate ships, the vibe along this coast is friendly and safe. BOTTOM RIGHT: If the purpose is kitesurfing, there is plenty of time for sightseeing. The group sets out on an evening boat tour to cruise the delta inlets and watch the sunset before treking up a sand dune to gaze at the stars.

103

104

METHOD

UNHOOKED FRONTROLL TAIL GRAB

WORDS BY KAROLINA WINKOWSKA | PHOTOS BY ALEXANDER LEWIS-HUGHES

The unhooked frontroll tail grab is a super stylish trick that you can easily work your way up to. You can start off with some hooked in attempts to practice where to grab your board. Once the grab feels second nature, then ratchet up the skill level by unhooking before the frontroll. When going for a grab, I always grip the bar with the depower line split between my fingers so the kite won’t move when I'm in the middle of the rotation.

Start the trick with good board speed and the kite at 45°. Begin edging against the kite to build tension and then release your rail up out of the water and into the wind. When learning most tricks, I recommend you keep the kite higher in the window on your first attempts, and then as you improve, you can put your kite lower during the move; this will help invert your rotation.

As the board is leaving the water, roll your head towards your front shoulder to initiate the front roll rotation. When you feel your body stable in the rotation, take your back hand off the bar and grab the tail of your board. For those who are less flexible, you can extend your front leg and bend your back leg to put the tail within hand’s reach.

With your hand securely on the tail, pull the board towards you and poke your front leg out to tweak the grab. The goal is to hold the grab for as long as possible, but also be prepared to stick the landing.

When your body is nearing full rotation, let go of the grab and return your back hand to the bar as you extend your legs to slow the rotation. Spot the landing with your eyes and bend you knees to absorb the landing. Be prepared to fly your kite to power up and ride away.

105

106

107

DUOTONE Mini Click Bar The Duotone Click Bar revolutionized how we control our kites on a completely new level. Now available is a narrower version of the original Click Bar with a width of only 42cm and a line length of 20m plus 2m extensions, compared to the regular bar at 49cm. The unique Trim Unit of the Click Bar enables you to power and depower in precise steps at the flick of a switch. According to Aaron Hadlow, it’s not only for small kites.

“The small Click Bar is designed for smaller sized kites, but I ride it on all my sizes. I like the small design as it gives the kite a more progressive turn, especially in kite loops. For unhooked tricks the kite on a small bar is not quite as reactive which allows me to do handle passes with ease.” $640 // www.duotonekiteboarding.com

PATAGONIA Planing Duffel Bag 55L All new for 2019, Patagonia’s Planing Bag line allows you to carry wet and dry together while staying happily apart. The Planing Duffel Bag keeps your wet and muddy things separate from your dry, everyday essentials. It has a two-tier design with a large main top compartment that holds enough gear for an entire weekend—while the bottom compartment acts doubly as a changing mat and is designed specifically for all things soppy (wetsuit, drippy towels, waders). It has taped seams to keep water where it belongs, an easily cleaned fabric coating and a burly zipper that scoffs at grit. Outside, there’s a mesh pocket with drain holes for additional storage for small wet stuff that closes with a zipper for security. The adjustable grab handles feel soft in the hand and pull double duty as shoulder straps when you want to carry the duffel as a backpack. Two haul loops at either end provide a myriad of lashing and lifting options. This workhorse of a gear bag features a tough yet limber 300-denier, 100% recycled polyester with a TPU-film laminate and 100% nylon mesh. $139 // www.patagonia.com

MANERA Blizzard Jacket Winter and spring is all about strong wind and cold days and this is exactly what the new Manera Blizzard jacket is made for. This 3-layer jacket allows a far better resistance to cold, even with a regular wetsuit. Designed to be worn with a harness, it is light, waterproof and windproof. It will keep you warm whether you are on the water or debriefing the session on the beach and works great for instructors on a boat or jet ski. Available in blue only with sizes ranging from S to XL. $199 // www.manera.com

GLOBAL KITE APPAREL Sessions Jacket Get in synergy with a range of colors to match your quiver and gear with the Sessions Jacket from new kite accessory company Global Kite Apparel (GKA). Windproof, rainproof and tested against leading brands in the Shetland Islands by a panel of locals who live the beach life, its lightweight with an integrated hood, elasticated cuffs, a full front zip and zip pockets for the essentials. Every GKA purchase receives a bespoke, uniquely crafted wooden placemat.

By purchasing an additional three placemats, a percentage of profit from sales will directly benefit marine protection initiatives. $104 // www.globalkiteapparel.com

108

PLATINUM SUN Unisex Windstopper Jacket Made with top quality 2.5mm Dura-Flex neoprene that ensures its flexibility and prime quality, the Windstopper Jacket is all you need to keep warm in chilly temperatures during and after your kite sessions. You don’t have to take your harness off between sessions—just use the harness hole to close the jacket, or simply ride with the jacket on. Drainage holes in the hood make sure it doesn’t fill up when you crash. Available in four colors from S to XL, make sure to order a size up if you will be using it over a wetsuit and a harness. $93 // www.platininum-sun.com

RIDE ENGINE APOC 4/3/2 Hooded Wetsuit This wetsuit is not for you if you’re looking for a suit you’ll find on a closeout rack at the mall— keep on walking. If you want a cheap rubber outfit you’ll wear a couple times a year and store in a wet heap in the garage, this isn’t your cup of tea. If you’d rather lounge by the pool than spend an afternoon in the cold water, wind, salt and sand, don’t even think about buying this. This is a high-performance suit that demands respect for the vital piece of equipment that it is. It likes cold and windy walks on the beach, big waves and small margins for error, long sessions and endless games of fetch (your board). $499 // www.ridengine.com

DAKINE Cyclone II Dry Pack 36l Backpack Tough as nails and keeps your gear dry and organized! The ultimate surf pack has been updated with all new features sealing its place as the ideal fully waterproof pack. A roll top closure and welded construction make for a totally waterproof seal in the roomy main compartment big enough to stuff a hooded 5/4 wetsuit and booties, while PU coated zippers provide water resistance in the dual outside pockets for your bits and pieces. You’ll appreciate clever details like the two-way purge valve for inflation (to make the bag float) or space saving compression and integrated board carry system. The breathable back panel, sternum strap and laptop sleeve are the finishing touches for easy-style traveling on your next trip or whenever you need total waterproof protection. $150 // www.dakine.com

109

VIEWPOINT

THE FORCEFUL ETHOS OF FUN Words by Brandon Scheid | Photo by Vincent Bergeron

When you choose a place to work, the ethos of that company is incredibly important. It was something I weighed out a long time ago when I was first hired onto the Liquid Force team. When I started riding for LFK in 2007, the company vibes were quite a bit different than what they are today. Our kites were black canopies covered with skulls and sported edgy names like the ‘Havoc.’ The general attitude was one of rebellion. At the time, kiteboarding was still young and unsure of where it was going and Liquid Force was trying to stay true to their wakeboarding roots, while pushing our little sport in that same niche direction. The expectation back then was that core surfers, skaters and wakeboarders would see this new, emerging sport and gravitate towards it, however, that’s not how it panned out.

Kiteboarding would see massive growth, but not from the established boardsports segment. It takes a special person to find kiteboarding, well at least it did back before we became mainstream-ish; heck, even Marge and Homer Simpson kiteboard now. You had to be dedicated, with plenty of free time and some extra disposable income to make the trek. As the sport swelled, it became pretty obvious that the cool guys’ imagery wasn’t winning over the sports’ mainstream customers.

It was around this time that our Brand Manager Gary Siskar came on board, and with him, he brought a new outlook on the sport and a new attitude at LFK. Our brand image started to shift from a super hardcore-based brand to one focused on bringing user-friendly and fun products to market. We have carried this ethos all the way forward to today, and I think our Hippie Stick line is a great example of what our mission in kiteboarding has

110

become: to bring smiles and fun to the faces of our customers.

Inspired by snowboarding, we saw that the ‘fun shred’ segment was growing and snowboard products were starting to reflect this in their outlines, rockers and overall riding vibes. We wanted to emulate that, so we started tinkering with directional-optimized boards, beginning with some really outlandish shapes. After all, most kiteboarders have a strong stance and often don’t focus their tricks on their switch side—and even if they do, they still favor that comfortable stance when ripping turns.

We also noticed people were looking for something new in their quiver; the surfboard trend was only picked up by some kiteboarders and many were riding their surfboards much like a traditional twin tip. For this reason, kite surfboards are often overbuilt and can be really stiff and less playful in order to handle the abuse from boosting and landing on them. This fired us up to make a board that could be ridden, jumped and abused like a durable twin tip, but had some fun, surf-like performance built into it. Because the Hippie Stick boards are optimized for one direction, they can still be ridden both ways while also being really engaging for carves on your strong foot. We think they’ll increase the amount of fun you can have on the water, and give our customers something new and exciting to add to their quiver.

The Hippie Stick line represents LF’s desire to translate that fun snowboarding carvey feeling to the water, and it also showcases LFK’s newfound focus of helping everyone have the most fun.

While we still make hardcore performance toys, we aren’t afraid to be a little weird, step out of the cool zone and embrace every aspect of this amazing sport.

Brandon Scheid’s riding style is as diverse as it is fun; from hardcore wake and park style to old school big air, this LF thoroughbred is always the one to watch.

111

POOLSIDE DISCOVERIES Words by Armin Harich | Photo courtesy of Flysurfer

In 2004 kitesurfing was still relatively new in Germany and like many kite companies back then, Flysurfer attended as many tradeshows as possible to spread the appeal of traction kites. The Boot Show in Düsseldorf was the largest watersports exhibition in Europe with over 1600 vendors from sailing, power yachting and windsurfing.

Flysurfer was on a mission to show how foil kites could be easily relaunched and were capable of flying in significantly less wind than their LEI brethren; they even handled gusty winds well if you knew how to fly them.

The morning before the event started I headed to the Rhine River in the middle of Düsseldorf city. Most people would have never thought it possible to kite in the center of a big city so when I launched my kite it was an eye opener for a lot of them. While the show had designated a small grassy field for our customers to test fly our kites, once we started walking through the massive halls lined with super yachts, we spotted a giant pool with wind machines. The World Cup used to have indoor windsurfing races and freestyle events, but no one had ever tried to fly a kite inside.

The emcee for the event was Dirk Gion, an extreme sportsman and TV personality, and he loved our idea of flying kites inside.

112

We showed a few hundred people how to launch, fly and relaunch a kite in the pool and it worked well without any problems.

After our presentation, Dirk approached me about an idea to cross Australia from the south to the north on a kite and a landboard for a total distance of over 1800 miles. At first I thought he was completely crazy; it seemed impossible. One year later Dirk used a landboard and a Flysurfer kite to cross Australia in just a few weeks, becoming the first man to cross a continent with a kite. He encountered big challenges like powerlines and more traffic than expected, yet nothing could stop him. If kiting was impossible, he walked or pushed his landboard. There were days where he crossed hundreds of miles using his 7m kite and mountain board, reaching top speeds in excess of 40 mph at times—to this day, his record still stands as the longest distance traveled with a kite and landboard.

Looking back at those earlier days, I think Dirk would have loved to have the latest version of our Soul kite on his trip; it would have been a lot easier. But more importantly, it’s funny how ideas can start in the strangest of places . . . particularly an indoor pool at a tradeshow.

113

ATMOSPHERE

COLD FRONTS Words by iKitesurf Meteorologist Shea Gibson

We have all heard of cold fronts, but how do they affect wind forecasts and how do they affect our decisions to go kiting? A cold front is a zone between two air masses where the advancing cooler and more dense air undercuts warmer air. It is typically associated with an area of low pressure and sweeps across a zone, creating instability and in many cases, severe storms. The process of cold front development is called frontogenesis, in which energy increases ahead of the line of cooler air as it races in to replace the warmer air. The front then feeds off of the warm air and grows in intensity until the warm air is replaced. Frontolysis is the weakening or dissipation of the front, as the front breaks away from its parent low.

Winds ahead of a cold front are convergent in nature, meaning that the warm air ahead of the front is lined up in a parallel fashion and flows ahead of, and along the boundary towards the parent low. The stronger the low, the more momentum the convergent flow has, which ultimately means more wind. Since wind is driven by instability, this can frequently become the perfect recipe for strong, gusty winds. Additionally, super-cell thunderstorms may develop ahead of the front causing severe weather outbreaks. For safety purposes, it is important that kiters carefully choose the correct times to ride before dangerous conditions occur. Storms can unexpectedly pop up and race across the area almost anywhere where instability triggers strong updrafting. The resulting storm energy releases as it moves overhead and causes intense downdrafting in the form of damaging straight line winds, microbursts and tornadic activity. Winds can instantly switch directions as well. In areas where tall buildings exist along the beaches, such as Miami up through Pompano Beach, Florida, as the cells head offshore,

114

strong vortices can develop under storm cells, resulting in the development of large waterspouts. It is important to note that not all water spouts and tornadoes are associated with cold front activity, but perhaps that is an article for another issue.

Convergent winds are driven by a forecasting term called low level jetting. As aforementioned, warm air is forced up and ahead of the front towards the parent low pressure, not just at the surface, but higher up in the atmosphere as well. Depending on the jet stream connection, winds can be very strong, reaching speeds upwards of 150-200 knots aloft. As we look down towards the surface, not all of the lower level jetting winds are mixed down. We tend to see stronger gusting and severe weather inland rather than on the coast due to increased instability from inland thermals, strength of the front and diminishing effects from cooler sea surface temperatures.

For example, along the East Coast, an increasing onshore flow can affect incoming storms by cool air injection off of the ocean.

The cool air becomes ingested into the updrafting phase, which in turn acts as a stabilizer and weakens winds as they approach the coastline. This is especially common in the fall, winter and spring.

Forecasting becomes more difficult during these times of the year.

Models tend to over exaggerate surface wind speeds based on the low level jetting profile. However, the computer models are not always right, so it’s good to read between the lines of the model forecasts, know your area and listen closely to the wind experts.

Our iKitesurf app has an entire suite of models to choose from, so we recommend viewing all of the models when a cold front is approaching in order to make an educated decision, see the bigger picture and unlock the secrets to your local spot’s wind pattern.

K UP C A R

T N E U Q FRE

S E L I M FLYER .

ALL

YE AR LONG

Uncrowded, beautiful and accessible.

BookTheCoast.com 115

ON THE MAP

Patrick Dunne on his uke with the Cabrinha crew // Maui, Hawaii

116

Damien Girardin’s handiwork in action // Maui, Hawaii

Reo Stevens // Marshall Islands

Gabi Steindl // Solomon Islands

Set Teixera // Ceara, Brazil

Rafael Salles // Anakao, Madagascar

117

Spring isn’t always that warm, but it is often windy and full of kiteboarding for those willing to suit up and brave the early season sessions. Therese Taabbel unhooks this raley in Copenhagen, Denmark. // Photo Jesper Gronnemark/Red Bull Content Pool

118

119

CABRINHAKITES.COM

J. Boulding & P. Sobolev

NEW

MOTO & XO MOTO Versatile Freeride Crossover Sizes: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14

LIVE FREE. RIDE FREE. 121

PRINT + DIGITAL

+

20

19 FREE GUIDE FDE OILGEAR REVIEW NORTH AMERICAN TRAVEL RI S INS

TRUC TION

AL G

UIDE

DAMIEN GIRARDIN MARSHALL ISLANDS RETURN TO ANAKAO OFF THE WALL GIRLS The State of Kite Design Reo’s Ticket to Paradise GREEN ROOM The Red Island Revisited CALLING IPANEMA Medysky’s Westward Grind Breaking Through the Barrier Kitesurfing Brazil’s Fronts

Access over 50+ magazines including gear guides, gear reviews, travel guides and instructional guides when you subscribe to North America's longest running and most respected kiteboarding publication.

www.thekiteboarder.com/subscribe

122