RichieRipz

I am 50/50 on this one still. Leander is definitely crazy enough mind you.

SON. Le-git. You throwin' down son. Massive props. Wagwan. No. 13. Samuel Pepys.

FYI, PD4 release is in about 4 weeks. More info here: www.kiteboarder.co.uk • View topic - JN PD4 - Coming in April

Amen to that brother.

I did a four month stretch out there, and didn't ride anything smaller than a 10m. 7m not required. Have a good one, and cram as much mango in as you can!

Mutants are great. I have one I picked up off here recently. It's about time they made a comeback. Get a mutant, stick some wakeboard bindings on it or something. The mutant needs to become legit.

That's very cool. But two bad thoughts popped into my head. You could ride it mutant. Could you do similar in the middle of the board and have adjustable inserts for optimum handle placement?

If you can live with the graphics, how about a JN Circus 133? It's very easy to pop, and Sarah/Iris get on well with it. Iris is a very similar size to you. Can ship you a demo if you like. Keep it in the family!

You can launch on the shingle at high tide. It's banked and can be a little sketchy. The waves are normally best there when it's high tide, but it's much safer, and better for freestyle a couple of hours either side.

If that's Ben Pine, you have the SLE 2009 Da Vinci version. You can retrofit a 5th line to it with the simple kit provided with the kite or fly it 4 line. It works with pretty much any 4 or 5 line system. The SLE version does not require any 5th line tension, as the bridle already handles the leading edge support. The 5th line is there as an extra safety and relaunch feature. The SLE version is a lot less sensitive to the high V split, and can be flown on 4 lines which split from the bar. I used one as a wave kite on a short 4 line low split setup for a while and it worked seamlessly. If anyone was interested, there are a few more of these hanging around available for extremely good prices. Drop me an email for more info and prices. And yes, we try and provide the best support and advice possible! Cheers, Rich JN UK

Talk to Rich at Kitesurf101 at Camber, he has demo kites at the moment in Kent in various sizes. We have had great feedback from riders of the PD3 this year. I am sure a few folks on here would agree. As always, it's best to test.

Ali Reader is a legend. Top rider and all round nice guy. Good to see some publicity.

Yep, PD4 will be in every size from 6 to 15m. Any adjustment will mainly be to the larger sizes 11m and above. Expected release is late spring next year. The spec for the WT has changed dramatically from that sheet as well, but as for how, that would be telling......

Yep, PD4 will be in every size from 6 to 15m. Any adjustment will mainly be to the larger sizes 11m and above. Expected release is late spring next year. The spec for the WT has changed dramatically from that sheet as well, but as for how, that would be telling......

http://www.cheshale.com/ I did a season here, and it was between 10 and 14m weather most of the time. Awesome spot here as well, flat water inside the reef, waves outside. Well worth the 2 hours up the coast from Mombasa.

and before anyone says anything, yes, yes, I need to mow the lawn. I am on it.

Unfortunately, its always best to hassle me.

http://www.jn-kites.co.uk/hostedpics/bouddok/IMG_0820.JPG http://www.jn-kites.co.uk/hostedpics/bouddok/IMG_0821.JPG http://www.jn-kites.co.uk/hostedpics/bouddok/IMG_0822.JPG http://www.jn-kites.co.uk/hostedpics/bouddok/IMG_0823.JPG http://www.jn-kites.co.uk/hostedpics/bouddok/IMG_0824.JPG Design features worth noting are the parabolic rails, flat rocker and wood core. Production is in the Atomic factory in Austria again, so the finish is excellent. It works very well for lightwind freestyle, or the larger gentleman (or lady). Oh, and if you were interested, Bouddok is the name of an imaginary sea creature, which was created by Iris who handles marketing at JN.

We are just back from the dealer meeting in Tarifa, which was a lot of fun. What we have coming up in the next few months in summary: Mr Fantastic 2 - A further refined version of last year's delta kite. Good for beginners and intermediates. Extremely stable, predictable and easy to relaunch. The 14m is a specifically designed light wind kite, and is a powerhouse. Should be in production in time for Christmas. James Thorne was pulling some big kiteloops on it. Wild Thing 3 - Was in its early prototype stages. It will be an open C shape design on 4 lines. They are pitching it as the innovative model of the range. The protos were fast and extremely fun kites, with lot of lift. The impression I got is that this kite is a way off at the moment. The PD3 wont be updated until well into next year, and will be refined slightly in certain sizes. It will continue to be the flagship kite of the range aimed at freestylers. JN don't release new kites annually for the sake of it! Bouddok Board - Light wind freestyle board with parabolic rails. This was a suprise favourite. Light, beautifully made and dead easy to pop. It will come in a 142 and 138. I will bung a photo of this up tomorrow. Rich JN UK

Brand new, not removed from packaging. 11m PD3 5 line freestyle kite http://www.jn-kites.co.uk/jn/jn_equipment_2009/pd3_images/PD_sideview_flying_800.jpg £600 info@jn-kites.co.uk

Starring: Hannah Whiteley Toby Raw Luke Whiteside Robbie Shire Maidment Richard Flindall James Thorne Sarah Sylvester

Talk to Gavin at Cyclone, he should be able to sort you out board rental. TT or surfboard. I would hang onto your car keys (get an aqua pack) and don't leave any bags on the beach. The water should be nice and warm, it was when we were there. Indian Ocean is usually toasty. We kited a really nice spot north of Durban called Mercy Lagoon. There are loads of spots, and some big old waves. Pack both kites, anything can happen! Make sure you get out for a Durban indian curry. They are the bomb. Durban has a cool urban beach vibe to it, and has a huge surf culture. I really liked it.

It's still FCS system, but the moulding shape has changed slightly from the older boards, spreading the load a little more. I have had 3 Cyclone boards in various incarnations over the last 4 years and not had a problem. Generally on impact, in our experience the fin will snap before the plug on impact.

If you land like a sack of spuds on a surfboard, of course you can break it. Stronger boards I have used are South African customs, Xcelerator and Cyclone. Both of these take a fair old kicking, being built for big conditions, and aren't that heavy. It's always a trade off though. JN have chosen Cyclone for their board production this year for that very reason, after a lot of testing from various factories, including China.

I was lucky enough to live and work on Sal for 4 months at that windsurf centre at the Riu. We fished a few people off Ponta Preta, myself included. Rescue charges varied dependant on how grateful the rescue person was, and how many cheese toasties/beer they bribed us with. It used to be operated by Scuba Caribe who have the diving centre contract for the Riu, and they were always more than happy to pick people up. However if its really big, they don't launch their boat because of the monster shore break, so beware! Santa Maria is very safe, Cape Verdeans are friendly and respectful people. There are plenty of places in town which offer really good food as well. Odjo d'agua north of the pier does great seafood. There is a pizza place hidden in the new developments not far from Pirata as well. Sal is a great wave spot when it fires, but for freestyle there are way better places to visit. One of the most underused and underrated kite spots on Sal is Punta Leme, downwind of Kitebeach/Shark bay This has fantastic wave riding and flat water. The launch is sketchy mind you, but you can come downwind from Kitebeach. It's a cheeky little left hand point break. I would swerve the hideous all inclusive personally and stay at:Porto Antigo. You need to hire a 4x4 to get anywhere really. We used to use either Paulo or Tequila. They are both top guys! Paulo was the fastest and most drunk, and Tequila was normally fairly sober and slow. Ask around in town and you will find them. Its a small place. If you have the opportunity head for Sao Vicente. 2 years ago it was completely underdeveloped for kiting. There are massive beaches and some lagoons here if you look hard enough. Salamansa has some amazing waves. Its a monster shore break with a pool in front of it! Mindelo is an amazing city full of cool architecture, music and good food. This has made me feel very nostalgic. After 4 months there we were pretty fried and had islanditis, but I would love to go back at some point! There is also more about Cape Verde on my blog in my signature.