Kiting Anegada, BVI in 2000!

[ricki]

I came across some prints Susan Bendon mailed to me years back after our catamaran trip through the BVI on the HiHo event in 2000. I scanned some images of what may have been one of the first kiting sessions in Anegada.



The organizer fly is up as racers ready to bolt back south to Virgin Gorda across open water.



We were setup up in the lee of the western end of the island and inside Horseshoe reef shown above extending outward to the south and west. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anegada




Jim Bendon and I are preparing for a kiting session in the offshore wind over calm water off the west end of Anegada. I am flying my first four line LEI kite, a Naish AR5 15.5 m C kite and riding my first kiteboard. It is a Fox, 7.5 ft. long directional kite board designed from tow-in boards in use in Maui in 1998 when I purchased it. It was a great board and a pivotal kite for the sport.




We're talking vintage gear here. Checkout the massive bar, wrist leash, never liked those, NO quick release, the static harness line and no helmet. I was scheduled to have my 165 ft. lofting and head bashing in another three months unbeknownst to me at the time. You try to learn from your mistakes.




Heritage Charts




Passing the kite to Jim and not in the best way either.









A shot of me riding earlier in all that calm blue-green water in an offshore wind. I can recall being filmed by professional photographers chasing around windsurfers in inflatable boats. The imagery was probably flushed long ago. Even in 2000 there was a little discomfort between the two sports ironically enough.


You can read more about the HiHo at http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=11740


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