The English Riviera - Part 1

The plan was to film on day with a good forecast and see what footage we could get.

Shot and edited in 24 hours on 8th June. Part one of the series celebrating a great summer of Kitesurfing in Devon.

UK conditions, UK riders.

Equipment:

JN Prima Donna 4 9m
JN Wild Thing 3 10m
JN Chit Chat Neo 130cm
JN Chit Chat Neo 134cm

Riders:

Jon Bleiker
Sam Lawman
Sarah Sylvester

jn-kites.co.uk
sdkc.co.uk

Summer 2011 clear out

Summer garage clear out:

Kite leashes:
• 6 x Powercord Handlepass (posh) = £30 (RRP = £42)
• 4 x Standard JN Leash (normal) = £15 (RRP = £20)

Boards:
• Used Jib Surfboard 5”10 Quadfin 2010 = £200
• Used JN Chit Chat 2010 134cm deck only = £225
• New JN Circus 136cm 2010 deck only = £180
• Used Slingshot Fuse 2008 149cm 6 fin mutant (complete north straps and Slingy pads) = £120
• Prototype JN Circus 136cm 2010 deck only (white, no topsheet, big JN sticker on it) = £100
• Old 180cm F-One (SX 90?) directional, needs a little TLC and some fins = £50

Pads, straps and fins can be easily organised for deck only boards.Kites:

6m JN WT3 2011 (with a few small patches) £375 kite only


Pads and Straps:
• Used Liquid Force Luxury straps and pads used, but VGC = £50 (cost £120)
• New B3 lace up pads and straps. These are dead posh, have interchangeable heel pads with different densities. = £60

Give me a shout on info@jn-kites.co.uk or pop in, or ring me, or carrier pigeon, smoke signals.

If anyone wants any pictures of the goods in question, let me know and I will send them on.

Used 2010 PD3 13m for sale - £350

Used 13m PD3 2010 available: £350

Kite is in great condition, and hasn't had a lot of use. Ideal for light wind freestyle. Fast turning and stable for a 13m.Will work on most 5 line bar systems.

* SOLD *

Beware youngsters....

Take heed: Too many kite loops and hard landings over too many years knackers your ankles.

I recently had a trip to the MRI scanner, where I spent 45 minutes being scanned in sections by a giant, and very noisy magnet. After declining the option to listen to 'Now 71' to drown out the weird noises, I lay back and managed to relax enough during the scan to nod off, the nurses found this all extremely amusing.

Well, it turns out the middle of my ankle has collapsed and as an added bonus there's a bit of bone floating about in there as well.

So where does this leave me? Good news is I don't have to spend any time off the water initially. I get a flouro guided steroid injection and see what happens. I also get special inserts for my shoes. I always wanted special shoes, so this is a bonus to be honest. Every cloud.

Getting owned (on camera)

I had a nice little swim at Bantham a couple of weeks back. I got munched and rolled by a wave, and binned the kite. My Go Pro HD got blasted off by the force of the wave, and went on a bit of a journey for a few days, and miraculously we found it washed up and it was 100% OK, even the footage was in tact.

I had to release the kite, and it also survived being washed into the rocks during a 3m swell with a couple of small holes. All in all, I count myself very lucky. Big thanks goes to the guys on the beach who kept an eye on me as I swam in.

Big thanks to Go Pro for making such a robust camera as well. We were sure it was mincemeat.

Oh and a big thanks to James at www.kentkiterepairs.co.uk for re-sleeving my bar and sorting the little holes in my kite. He's a legend.

2010 13m PD3 for sale - £350

Ex team rider kite, with a couple of minor pro canopy repairs in the wing tips. This kite doesn't look like it's had a great deal of use, and has just had one big impact which has been sorted. Bladders are solid and tested, material is pretty crisp.

This kite was instrumental in steering Pete Whiteley to his 2010 BKSA seniors title. By buying it you will no doubt inherit some of his mad skills.

* SOLD *

2010 JN PD3 5m for sale - £250

Amazing condition freestyle kite for mental winds. Really excels in the waves. Ultra stable in the gusty conditions you experience with this kind of kite size. Trees and houses will start falling over before you reach it's top end. Ideal for a Cape Town season.

Price includes delivery.

* SOLD *

Australia Article 2010

Last season we had a fantastic 3 months out in Australia chasing wind and waves, and found some great spots. We wrote an article for Rou at IKSurf magazine which is below.

IKsurf magazine article

Legendary local pest Mark Dingo from Supersaturated also knocked up a fresh batch of video for us as well, located here:

JN Down Under

Beyond Blouberg article in IKsurfmag 2009

Good news! We got published.

We wrote an article about our trip to South Africa, detailing all the spots we visited on the way up to Durban.

The link is here: http://www.iksurfmag.com/issue16/?page=71

BKSA 2009 Swansea

The first stop of the BKSA 2009 tour in Swansea, Wales was my first freestyle competition. I threw myself straight into the deep end (in the form of the Pro Ladies’ event), and came out the other end with a 3rd place ☺

All the pros turned up for registration on Friday morning. Being my first freestyle competition I was pretty nervous and as the wind didn’t kick in until the afternoon, there was plenty of time to let the nerves get on top of me. But I had already learnt from doing a wave comp in SA that the best strategy was to just chill out with the other riders and take lots of deep breaths! When the wind finally kicked in about 4pm, it came in pretty strong, was slightly cross off and very gusty. All the Pro’s heats were completed but the finals had to be carried over to the Saturday due to a sudden drop in wind (and there was me raring to go on my 13m). Friday also saw local school kids turning up to have a go on some trainer kites. Swansea might be seeing a sudden increase in the number of young kite enthusiasts.
Photo courtesy of Tony from www.kiteboarder.co.uk
Saturday arrived along with a lot of riders turning up to register for the Amateurs freestyle, Seniors and Juniors freestyle, course racing, landboarding and buggying. With the wind blowing full force and an occasional rainstorm soaking us and the locals who had come out to see what kitesurfing was all about, riders had to keep their wits about them. The Ladies final was well underway when a threatening squall meant the judges stopped our heat. I made the mistake of being tidy and wrapping up my lines, so when the heat re-started 10 minutes later, my lines had got in a muddle which left me a bit flustered. Still it was a great experience for my first freestyle comp. Once that was over and I had warmed up in the hot showers (thanks to the event sponsors for them!) I hung around and watched the other events (and poor Rich who managed to get lost in the course racing!). Both Saturday and Sunday were very busy days with the wind blowing solidly, and there was some great kiting action in all events, although I must admit I missed some of the action on Sunday when I escaped a rainstorm by heading for a pub lunch. But I was pleased to be there to witness JN rider Pete Whiteley’s classic Deadman rendition in his heat!

Swansea was a great success for JN. As well as myself taking 3rd place, Hannah Whiteley took 1st place in the Pro Ladies, and her dad Pete Whiteley took 1st place in the Men’s Seniors. Congratulations to all the riders, and to the organisers for such a great event. Thanks to the sponsors for the live music belting out on the beach, the barbeque, the pub buffet, and a warm beanie to counteract the freezing temperatures. Oh and thanks to Aaron Hadlow for my podium winners’ kiss on the cheek. I touched greatness!