Wednesday 31 March 2010

Skyeboy at Jaws!!!

Me and Finn sailed Jaws for the first time today! Was pretty fun. Will write more about it tomorrow, but for the moment, check out the pic.
John

Planche Mag: Julien cover and X-FIRE 112 test

Good news for RRD in last PM
X-FIRE LTD 112 test is very good !!

This is the translation of the Conclusion:

"This year, we'll have to keep an eye on it this RRD board because this is certainly one of the most complete boards on the Market. This is one of the more easy to exploit and to work very well, with keeping an easy control. And for people hooked on jibe, it is indeed the more easy/efficient in the group !"

Overall results :

FANATIC 104 points
RRD 103.5 points , but better control !!
MISTRAL 101.5 points
CARBON ART 98.5 points

Planche Mag test X-FIRE 122

Find below last Express test from March Planche Mag for X-Fire LTD V2
122

Translation in English for Web site :

All boards in X-Fire range are new in 2010 under Finian Maynard direction, vice world champion PWA.
The range increase with a new comer small 80 which is the replica of world speed champion 2009 board. So, range is now six boards : 80/90/102/112/122/135. Built on the deck with sandwich carbone biaxial, this 122 is compact with a generous that decrease on last 30 centimeters. Cut outs are soft, deck fine down, mast rail slope down at the front side, while rails under feet are among more thick on the market with JP Australia.
More floating and stable than a Falcon 122, Sonic 121 or Manta 75, RRD take off very soon to offer a very big potential in light and medium conditions; it's at same level of top performer! We ride it with foot in parallel with a huge hold under heels to go upwind, replace into the fleet or to pass in soft conditions.Wind can goes up, it is not too powerful under heels thanks to is pinched rear. The glide is very high with 7.8 to 9 m². We could take the risk to put 7.3 or 7 for XXL riders.
Very fast in medium/high conditions with 43 cm fin, it support up to 46/48cm in super light conditions.
It's this new compact board generation with which it forms a unit ,which offers the least resistance to the wind, especially support front foot back foot very well balanced.It is a very good relationship between power and glide. The versatility of this board has really impressed and especially its performance in the erratic and unstable wind direction. With it, you can navigate with economy without too much force. Its limits? it is thicker than average, it is high on high on the water and we felt a little less comfortable in control at high speed than with the trio Falcon 122 , Sonic 121 or Manta 75. Finally,this RRD size a little larger, extremely powerful in the light/medium condition with large sails. In the jibe, control is right, that relaunch strong with the possibility of breaking the curve thanks to the pinched rear.
A board that we recommend."

Shape : 2.31 cm
Wide max : 77,7 cm
Wide at 30 cm : 53 cm
Weight : 7 kg w/o fin and strap

Short Film -Global Fellaz- is out now.

Hey friends,

We just finished a little short film called "Global Fellaz". Even though it is quite short, it took us some long night , a good amount of coffee and Red Bull to put all the footage together. Filmed on different locations like Gran Canaria, Maui/ Hawaii and Cape Town...
Here the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns6bLWEI-9I

Enjoy it-

All the best

Flo

Monday 29 March 2010

First day in paradise!

Yesterday was our first day on the water in Maui. Conditions were super fun. By Maui standards it was pretty poor, but compared with almost anywhere else in the world it was great. 4.9 weather and a little over head high in the big ones. A nice warm up for next week when its getting massive. Nayra got a few shots for me. Check them out.

PKRA Thailand - Tomas Teixeira report

I would like to thank the support RRD in the championship held in Thailand, saying that it is an honor to represent the RRD, and put in the best ranking of Brazilian athletes.

I really enjoyed a great hospitality from Sam (RRD distributor for Thailand), who make me better understand the local culture, having a look at local Temples, local animals (monkeys, elephants) and enjoying the local foods.

This not only help me to learn about a great culture, but also strengthens me for future competitions.

The result could be better if I programmed in advance to the event...
I arrived on the event after 30 hours of flight and as you can imagine I was pretty tired...

But I eally hope I can attend the next event of the PKRA Championship and hope I can have the opportunity to improve my results and raise the ranking ... hopefully already in the next event of the PKRA which will be held in France.

Find attached photos of the event held in Hua Hin in Thailand.

Full power!

Tomas Teixeira

Bravo a Julien

Bonjour

Bravo a Julien pour sa victoire sur la SXM challenge a St Martin et aussi pour la couverture du PM

SXM St Martin
1er Julien Quentel Rrd
2em Riccardi Rrd

Salutations

Eddy

Thursday 25 March 2010

ABEL LAGO about his 2nd place in PKRA Race Thiailand!

"Thailand was the first stop of the PKRA world tour with two disciplines Freestyle and Race.
The contest was hard, with light wind and good riders from all around the world fighting hard to score a good result.

I gained the second position in the final ranking of the racing discipline, but I am not really happy with this result.
In the last winter I spent a lot of time testing and working in the wave gear and I didn't give too much attention to my training in the Race discipline and now I am paying the consequences.
I'm pretty sad, because I have a good board designed by Werther and shaped by Aurelio, and new Addiction kites that fly incredibly well, but I miss some hours of testing and to work more on my fins.

My upwind was really good and my downwind the best, but I have still something to tune with my fins to have everything lined up for a winning strike.


So, no excuses: I have the best equipment and I just need to train harder.
See you soon at the world series in Texas."

Abel

Monday 22 March 2010

Report SKM in Egitto

2° trip Sardinia Kite Movement - Nabq Bay, Egypt - GAME OVER !

Si è concluso con l'entusiasmo generale dei 20 partecipanti il secondo trip didattico - culturale dell' ASD Sardinia Kite Movement organizzato in Egitto dal 28 Febbraio al 8 di Marzo 2010 al nord di Sharm el Sheihk dove si trova sia la laguna all'interno della barriera corallina perfetta per il freestyle, sia la baia aperta di NEBQ dove entrano onde mediamente di due metri e vento sideon, infatti grazie a questa versatilita' dello spot abbiamo provato anche i nuovi RRD Religion gentilmente messi a disposizione dalla casa madre.a settimana bsima al Tropicana Sea Beach di IN VIAGGI, sotto l'aspetto clima con temperature minime di 18° di notte e massime anche di 35°, praticamente non abbiamo usato quasi niente del contenuto delle pesanti valige, ma parliamo di vento: appena arrivati la domenica atterriamo in style drifting a causa di quei oltre 30 nodi che ci hanno accolto in terra Egiziana, un bel biglietto da visita per la settimana che ci attende...

Lunedi 1 marzo ore 7 del mattino 35 nodi ci smerigliano mentre salutiamo gli amici Diane Kev e Pedro del centro KITEJUNKIES che ci accudiaranno con il servizio sicurezza, rimessaggio, e area wi-fi come sempre organizzatissimi, prepariamo i 5 e i 7 e via alla prima session circa 6 ore di vento e trimm generale dei nuovi materiali.

Martedi' 2, colazione pesante e alle 8 andiamo in acqua con 20 nodi ... un parco giochi ! la baia è larga 1 km e lunga 6 km piatta e profondita' media un metro, mentre sottovento sale fino a 4 davanti al Zouara Beach club dove si noleggiano i windsurf, acqua cristallina e fondo sabbioso eccetto vicino al reef dove pullulano ricci del diametro di un pallone da volley, dimenticavo temperatura dell'acqua 25-26 gradi.

Mercoledi' 3 ci sveglia il vento alle 6 del mattino entra un altra bomba di vento, ancora 30 nodi e approfittiamo per risalire di bolina a NEBQ la baia con le onde fuori dalla barriera corallina, sensazione stupenda dal piatto assoluto a 2 metri lisci e surfabili, ovviamente siamo saliti con i RELIGION e li ci rendiamo conto veramente di quale arma per il wave ha creato RRD, niente strappi nel carving ala presente in qualsiasi raggio di surfata e frullata sicura ! ...mi ha preso un ciccio ed ho buttato l'ala in acqua che dopo la strizzata è uscita indenne e piu veloce di come è caduta, aggiungo velocita' sempre sotto controllo rotazione e inversione fulminea appunto come serve ad un'ala da wave vera, bolina eccellente.

Giovedi' 4, le previsioni annunciavano una termica pomeridiana e puntuale arriva, ma da SUD 16 nodi per provare e riprovare senza farsi male cosi anche chi stava imparando riesce ad uscire senza panico ed in questa occasione anche i notri begginer Mattia, Adriana e Valentina riescono ad esprimersi !, di solito il vento essendo un fenomeno katabatico arriva da nord per effetto della differenza di temperatura tra le montagne rocciose del Sinai e il mar Rosso.

Venerdi' 5 calma totale, camminata alla barriera per lo snorkeling e centro benessere la fanno da padroni, temperatura 37° !!!

Sabato 6 termichetta da 10 nodi da sud, per un momento ci emozionaniamo ma poi ci abbandoniamo ai lunghi caffe e the per prepararel'idratazione cutanea all'ultimo giorno di vacanza...

Domenica 7, ore 6 del mattino 25 nodi ci danno la sveglia e alle 7.30 siamo tutti in acqua e tiriamo fino allo sfinimento verso le 4 del pomeriggio dove culmina in una bella tavolata di birra locale per festeggiare il tutto ma anche il nostro allievo Antonio Dettori che ha planato e bolinato autonomamente.

Non dimentichiamo che Alessandro, Fabrizio, Nanni e Paola hanno surfato in windsurf nello stesso spot al Zouara beach Club con vele dalla 4.5 alla 5.7, perche SKM non è solo kite !!!

Nel frattempo tra una surfata e l'altra qualcuno si è divertito a fare shopping, gite nel deserto, visita al parco di Ras Mohammed, vita notturna e mangiare mangiare mangiare!!!

Questo report di viaggio di SKM credo tornera' utile a tanti che vorranno andare al caldo con tre ore di aereo in gennaio- febbraio o marzo, trovando una baia tranquilla e sicura dove praticare o addirittura imparare da zero, servizi, sistemazioni, ed esperienze interessanti senza dissanguarsi.

Chi volesse partecipare ai prossimi trip o avere ulteriori info sul posto ci contatti senza problemi

Ringraziamo tutti i 20 Parteciapanti al trip, l'agenzia viaggi Cisalpina di Valledoria, all'assistenza di Wael di InViaggi, il Tropicana Sea Beach, e il nostro Sponsor RRD per tutti i materiali messi a disposizione


Sardinia Kite Movement - let fly a kite and travels, for the body and the mind ...

ciao! Antonio Egris


Seb Garat: PKRA Thailand final report

6th in PKRA Thailand in Hua hin.

To Resume the event, the freestyle single elimination has been completed on the 2 first days, where I was able to pass only one round and lost on the 2nd due to a straps problem. Then, we had 3 days
without decent wind for freestyle, only course racing were runned. Please note the great result from my teammate Abel Lago who ended 2th overall in the Racing.

Those 3 days were pretty long, and I thought it was going to stay like that, that's mean a 9th place for me, with only a single elimination completed. But on the last day, the 20th, the wind finally picked up around 1 pm.
It first picked up around 12 knots, pretty light for freestyle, so the race director postponed the starts of the double elimination, and then one hour later, I was able to ride on my 12 meter kite.

I was on fire this day, and my 2 first heats of the day were really good. No mistakes, with an average of 18 tricks in 7 minuts with a good swith variety those 2 heats were similar. So I defeated Whiteside (UK), on the first and Paris (FR) in the 2nd.

On the 3rd heat, I was up against my RRD Teammate Tomas Teixeira from Brasil. It's bad for us because only one of us could advance in the double elimination ladder, but that's how it goes. That's Competition.

I went full power in this heat again, I did pretty well, but not as good as the 2 previous heats. And I don't know how, but I missed 3 times the bar trying a switch Slim Chance. The wind was a bit lighter, and we both did good but I wasn't sure to be the best. But I finally advanced 2 judges against 1.

After I heard the result, I prepared myself to go to the next heat. I had to drink water, and try to cool down ! The temperature was really really hot, even in the sea!

Now It was the time to take a revenge against Alberto Rondina (ITALY).
I went full power on this heat, the wind came back a bit stronger. I did almost perfect and just wasn't able to got for the back mobe to wrapped (just landed it in 540) at the end of my heat. We both had a great heat, but I really thought I was leading with around 18 tricks again, and 5 switch at least !

But when I heard the result, I didn't hear my name… I was a bit disapointed, but that's how it goes…

After seing the judging sheets, all 5 judges said the heat was really close, but they all gave it to Alberto, cause he was more « technical » with a crow mobe (toeside impulsion) and a grabbed front mobe.

So that's a 6th place for me to start the 2010 PKRA !


I'm learning again and again. But finally I'm pretty happy about this result. In fact, I had a small knee injury the day before leaving to Thailand while training in New Cal. When I went to the airport I
didn't even know if I would be able to compete. I just had time to see a doctor who said that my crossed ligaments were OK ! That's the most important. And finally with a good knee brace and setting my mind the right way, I was able to go Full Power !!!


Now I'm back to New Cal for one more windy week, and then I will flight back to France, see my family, and get ready for the Mondial du Vent, 2nd stop of the 2010 PKRA, in Leucate. Tramontane Power ! Over Power !

Stay connected, and keep supporting RRD Team !

Abel 2nd in PKRA Race Thailand

A total of 10 races have been completed thus far during the event. Bruno Sroka (Cabrinha, FRA) has taken the number one position in all races. The fight for second place has been mostly between Abel Lago (RRD, ESP) and Julien Kerneur (Takoon, FRA) however, in the end Abel Lago reached the final second position.
It was a really good start of the season for our Abelone, who was in Thailand with some new boards and kites developed with RRD Kite Designer Werther Castelletti.

Here you can find some video with Abel action and interview:


SXM results & pictures

RRD K race Caribbean Challenge Sxm in St Martin.

Riders from the Caribbean have now responded to this RRD K race Caribbean 2010. The 28 riders entered were all seduced by the potential of the K race monotype board. A versatile board that works at all speeds. All riders discovered the board, and it took them few minutes to understand how to run the beast. In the afternoom, the kiters even go faster than windsurfers. The 12 knots tradewind was perfect for the morning triangle. In the afternoon, a longest slalom course was launched. On Sunday, the 9 knots wind was enough dor démos on the K races, but the organization has not validated this races. So, a weekend intensive on both the water and on land at night with both parties appreciated. Congratulations to the 4 girls who have entered tamed "the beast". Thank you to riders from Martinique, Guadeloupe and St. Barts . See you in Martinique at the Pointe Faula (Le Vauclin) on May 29-30, 2010. Results page: http://www.sxmchallenge.com

All kitesurfing pictures here:

http://www.orientbayresort.com/windadventures/images/krace/index.htm

Résultats RRD K race Caraibes :

Classement Hommes

1er François Delaport Sxm

2eme Enguerrand Espinassou St Barth

3 em Eric Derepere Sxm

Classement Femmes

1er derepere Isabelle sxm

2eme Anna lisa St Barth

3e eme Véronique Chevenez St Barth


Windsurf: Wind Challenge Adventures Sxm challenge.

A total of 25 entered in windsurfing category in which 15 pro could run 5 races on Saturday. No surprises for the winner, Julien Quentel who wins 5 races, each time followed by Ricardy Maricel (great shape) and Jean-Marc Peyronnet.

After a race in Orient beach, the riders headed for Tintamare Island. The afternoon was punctuated by a downwind toward Orient bay and races with kiters.

On Sunday, the wind was too weak to windsurf around St Martin. The circumnavigation record is still 2h16.

Wind adventures Windsurf challenge

1st : Julien Quentel Sxm

2nd Ricardy Maricel

3rd Jean Marc Peyronnet

Junior

1 Remi Comte

2 Tristan Deguingand

3 Theo Demanez

Pictures and results http://www.sxmchallenge.com

All windsurfing pictures here:

http://www.orientbayresort.com/windadventures/images/wind/index.htm


New Pics from Fuerte

Hi!

I've some nice pics of my last trip in fuerteventura!

Enjoy

Ciao

Marco Juliot