April 2007 Diaries

It has been a long windless month, with several frustrating very light wind sessions seeing Sheryl and I struggling to stay up wind on our 9’s, so we were overjoyed with the news that Flexifoil were going to sponsor us, we are now so looking forward to those summer light wind sessions as we have the phenomenal 10.5m Ion2!!!!! And as for the high wind sessions and my love for small kites, I’m going to be in my element on the 6m Ion2. Not only did this week bring the Flexifoil news but we also received sponsorship from boardwear clothing brand Protest, who are also sponsoring us and supporting our trips and events! They say things come in threes and they did, the wind returned, needless to say all three Angels are in good spirits this week!

The wind made its come back in full force on Wednesday blowing almost 50knts at Newbrough so Debs and I tried to get a few pics of a nutter who was ripping it up on a 6m Ion2 but even though we were clutching onto one another we couldn’t keep the camera steady enough. Wednesday evening saw the first of the North Wales Kite Club, kitesurf nights, fortunately the wind had dropped so people got a great West Shore session. Charlie (Flexifoil) and the Angels were there and Charlie was pictured playing on the new pink Angels skim board Adam has just given the team! The night was fun for all even those who just came down to watch the shenanigans.

Friday morning I packed the Clio ready for the girly camp trip we had planned at Lligwy, we met up with Carrie Begg around lunch time and got a girly session in before the masses arrived, it was Ibbys stag weekend which had attracted kite surfers from all around the UK, it was great to see faces we hadn’t seen for a while and the guys know how to show off in front of their mates especially when there is a camera in front of them! so I came off the water for a few hours to watch some of their tricks. Our newest North Wales kite surf chick Cheryl, who runs the shop in Lligwi car park, has just received her Atom but was working all day so only managed to have a little fly of her new kite on the beach but with Easterlies forecast all week I’m sure she will be getting plenty of practice this week in preparation for the Egypt trip!

The evening came and Lukas did a fantastic BBQ for the Angels and Carrie, he then had a moonlight session which ended the evening perfectly! The girls were up early and we got a few girly hours in before the boys arrived, a fantastic day was had by all, the sun was out, the sky was blue, plenty of white horses and lots of smiling faces. Adam left his 10.5m Ion2 on the beach and Thompson who has now gained a reputation of being the beach gypsy, stole it and didn’t even have his Sunday afternoon nap as he was having such an epic session on it! Big Ians 13 year old son Blake has had lessons with Rob Hills and is now ready to start ripping along with Marcus, Marcus has been out at Lligwy all weekend and has now learnt to turn, is popping nicely over the waves and did his first few little jumps and landed them! 

Zoe

xx

Date: 27^th and 28^th April

Location: Lligwy

Mission: All day n all night

As I had an unusually long weekend zoe decided that it would be fun (ah hmmm) ;-) to camp at lligwy to make the most of the good easterly conditions forecast.  Always up for making the most of good conditions even if that does involve camping i arranged to meet her at the shop.  After unloading her entire house from her car, and managing to find room in my van we headed off to the beach, calling past tesco and buying the emtire sausage collection! 

            When we got to the beach it was fab,  sunshine, wind and water... what more could a girl ask for so without further delay headed out to play.  I had a fantastic time jumping off the back of small waves and weaving in n out of the group of stags that were up for the weekend.  ;-) alas the wind dropped and i came in for a breather.  It was up and down after that (the wind dropped whenever i put my kite in the sky, and dropped when ever i put it down :-( ) but was looking forward to the promise of BBQ and wine.

Lukas arrived to save the day and like the well trained bloke he is ;-) set up the bbq for the eve, good food, good wine, and with lukas providing the night time entertainment (kiting by moonlight!) a great eve was had by all.

Was up bright n early (well early, after the red wine consumed i wasn’t exactly bright) and with a good constant 20 knots and white caps quickly went out to play.  Had a really really cool sess out in the middle of no where.  Didn’t really realise how far i was away from the beach till i looked back but the waves were rolling so nicely and the scenery was beautiful.  Have decided that a kite surfing journey would be brill so have got my thinking cap on for that.  Decided that i needed to rejoin the rest of the world so headed back and spent a bit of time jumping and swimming (again, will i ever master landing?) before i decided that i was completely and utterly shattered, even struggled to walk back up the beach! Must be the sign of a damn good sess, roll on more overnights ;-).

Sheryl xox

Date: 25^th April

Location: West shore

Mission: Charlie’s Angels

Well i raced home from work with a keen eye on the weather forecast in the hope of getting a session in at west shore.  I avn’t been on the water for an eternity so any promise of a session is good.  On the way home got a text from zoe telling me that she was off to westy too as there had been rumours that the wind had dropped to a steady 20 knots whoo!  As i was driving through junction found myself behind Jo’s bongo and it appears that she too was off to the beach, yippee a session where all of us get out together :-).  Well got to the beach and tony was out on his 12 so quickly got changed and pumped up my nine, but alas the wind dropped and i was left stranded on the beach.  That is until tony decided that he felt sorry for me and loaned me his 12.  yippee yippee kiting time for me ;-)  had a good half hour riding up n down and was even brave enough to try some jumps, whilst desperately trying to avoid zoe who was having her own fun with our new skim board.  But the wind steadily increased again so swapped back to my nine while charlie from flexi tried out his 8.5 ion 2 (oh i want one of those, such a cool kite!)  It was soo good to be out with the girls and as the wind picked up more n more kiters came out to play, soon the water was full but everyone was having a great time.  As the sun set it was time to come in, but not before debs had managed to take some really cool photo’s of charlie n the angels ;-) 

Sheryl xox

Date: 9^th April 2007

Location: West Shore

Mission: Climbing???

It seems that we haven’t had a decent session forever.  We had a couple of days last week with light winds where we just about managed to get out at llandonna and llugwy, but that’s been it really.  Have started to think that i am the wind jinx as whenever i have time off work the wind goes to play somewhere else.  So with no wind forecast for the bank holiday weekend i went sea kayaking around anglesey on sat and sun, and made plans to go climbing with tony on mon.  Well Monday dawned overcast but as I haven’t climbed in the mountains for a while was still keen, so called tony and arranged to meet at west shore before heading off to one of the mountain crags for the day.  Piled all my climbing kit into the van and as i was walking out the house looked at my wetsuit hanging up to dry and decided to take it just in case...  Well got to westy and the wind had arrived, a surprise session, i am definately the jinx!  So... sat on the wall thinking about how i was going to tell tony that i had a more pressing engagement with the sea.  Thank God tony kites too!  He wasn’t too upset about being stood up (i hope) and went back home to pick his kit up.

            Had a cracking time on the water (what little there was of it) and was really enjoying myself with jo screaming at me to jump.  Think she’s a good influence on me cause was trying to jump higher and higher with some success (and a little body dragging, swimming, splashing and drowning to go with it!)  Stayed out till the water started to return and everyone else came out to play.  There must have been 20 or so guys out at one point but by this point i was shattered and avoiding everyone was hard.  I decided to stop while i was still smiling and watch zoe n marcus for a bit.  But.... the heavens opened, and for the second time that day i abandoned my friends for a more pressing engagement (with a shower, and lunch at one of the pubs in town.)

            I really really hope that it isn’t so long before we get another good sess... roll on next weekend, ;-)

Sheryl xox