Kitesurfing - The Bluff goes off all weekend 26 & 27th February

Board off!

 The Bluff at Hayle River mouth must be one of the most iconic Kitesurfing spots in Cornwall if not the UK.  It is where many pioneering kiteboarders took their first steps in the ever changing and dynamic pools that were crafted by the tidal ebb and flows of this estuary at mid and low tide.  In the early days with rapidly developing equipment and styles of riding we saw a world champion Aaron Hadlow take his first tentative forays into the sport.  Many more have followed in his footsteps although maybe not quite pushing the envelope in the same way.....
 

The weekend of 26th and 27th February resulted in many an exhausted kitesurfer making their weary way up the path to the Bluff Inn car park.  A 20 - 30 knot North Westerly building breeze, with sunshine, provided them with the perfect conditions to kitesurf until they could hardly hold onto their bars or physically pick up their boards by the end of their session.

I had 3 hours before taking time to snap some photos of a few of the participants.  The North Evo 7m is really perfect with offering a super fast reacting kite for any change of direction yet provides a super stable reasuring power source at all times.  It is a great compliment to anyone riding a directional board - I certainly found it really comfortable allowing me to concentrate on the board which can be somewhat tricky in slightly unpredictable on shore swell. 

Steve T ...

Straps or No Straps(strapless) ?  - I tried both on this day  and would safely say that I think strapped riding seems to be the prefered option, especially if choppy conditions prevail. The North Whip 5'7 with no straps was a bit of a handful at higher tides with the severe chop but as the waves cleaned up it really showed how well it copes when you need to stay in close contact of any waves. 
   Anyone else have any feelings on this issue?  What do you prefer?



With the flat water pools forming at mid tide particularly over on the Lelant side it gave the twin tips some of the buttery smooth water to practice their freestyle tricks and just simple plain boosting. 

A month on from the start of the trial run of the full access to the harbour mouth rather than the limited 3 hour period prior to Feb - It was great to see everyone wearing their permits and proving that the KKC has done a great job in its all its hard work behind the scenes.   All the more reason to go along and support the KKC AGM on 20.3.11 at The Seiners in Perranporth.   More details on this link.

Busy

Mr Bentley I presume...

Have you read the code of conduct... and have you got your permit?

Pools on the other side..

I do have more photos if you are passing the shop drop by and check them out if you want any higher res one drop us a line at the shop...

Cheers

Peter

Kitesurf marazion - 20th Feb

A busy Sunday afternoon at Marazion

A classic South South Easterly breeze, Bright sunshine and a small swell greeted us as we drove west through the quaint narrow main street of Marazion.  The Imposing backdrop of St Michaels Mount with waves breaking on its dramatic rocks  always seems to make your right foot be that fraction heavier!  Not much help driving through the traffic calming in the village but psychologically it may get you to your launch spot that little bit quicker.  Parking at the village car park allows for a convenient piece of grass to rig up on be it windsurf kit or inflating your kites.  The tide was well out and checking the tide tables it looked to be one of the lowest of the year at 0.2m!  A few kites were already out and a frenzied burst of energy dragged my 11m Rebel, Cabrinha 6' quad, and one of my favourite boards for these conditions, a  5'7 North Whip (Also a quad and can be ridden easily strapless or with straps) from the back of my van.  Thanks to one pump the kite was up and ready to go in no time.

With a GO PRO HD surf mount on the front of the Cabrinha I had a great hour or so riding the on shore swell.  Video to follow!   Generally the wind was a little gusty from the launch spot so headed down wind (and swell) to the main beach between the Station House Inn / Jordans Cafe car park and Long Rock.

As the day progressed the tide turned, and although the weather clouded over and the wind steadied.  people were riding anything from 13m to 9m.  Not sure I have ever seen as many kiteboarders out  here before -

Dropping the Cabrinha back on the beach I grabbed the Whip - This board is one that certainly puts a smile on my face whenever I get out on it.  In These onshore slightly mushy waves it excels with a super tight turning curve keeping you in touch with  any wave that jacks up - We have one on demo if you fancy trying it. 

Heading home for a roast I managed to delay long enough to chat briefly with  Pasty and a few others as well as snap a couple of photos...

Late afternoon SUP at The Bluff - Thursday 17th Feb

I had to be in Hayle to drop some repairs off to our local sail and kite repairers RB Sails.  They not only offer us a great efficient service but they are experts in producing covers, sunshades and all manner of other stitched and material stuff. 
Conveniently the river mouth was once more producing quite a substantial swell and it was too good to resist.

It proved to be quite a popular spot especially as more people arrived as they finished work,  What a great way to get some exercise and make the most of some classic Cornish conditions.  Once again I took out the Starboard hero and for the likes of me 'a heavier rider', it is proving to be a real joy.  Some great waves and a bit of slalom once it got busier proved the board to be more maneuverable than I thought - Plenty of room for improvement!

Before work kicks out....