SUMMERSTAYCATION
SAND , SEA & SURF CONT .
insideKENT ’ s Kite Buggying Adventure
AT THE KITESURF CENTRE
I TOOK A LITTLE TRIP DOWN TO FIND THE TEAM AT THE KITESURF CENTRE , AT CAMBER NEAR RYE TO TRY MY HAND AT A SPOT OF KITE BUGGYING ! BY ASHLEIGH BRITTEN
I had high hopes for sunshine , and thankfully upon arriving , the sun did choose to make a miraculous appearance . At first , we were greeted by our instructor , Stan , and paired with a father and son duo who , from first impressions , we ’ d gathered were already experienced in the kiting department – I had a lot to live up to ! After a detailed chalkboard demonstration and talk on wind , ( incase you didn ’ t already know , the key aspect in any kiting sport ) we were led down with our equipment to the glorious Camber beach . Miles of flat sandy beach make for ideal conditions and most importantly ensure there is nothing to crash or bash into , well you ’ d like to think so anyway .
First we were introduced to the fundamentals of kitesurfing safety and theory , followed by a site assessment and then , of course , the setting up of the power kite . With a thorough and detailed demonstration from the lovely and quite apparently patient Stan , we were set to start flying ! At first we started one by one getting to grips with flying / feeling the kite and of course , me being a first-timer , I was up first . The most important and number one rule of any kite sport is kite control and that soon became very clear . Holding the bar in what was described as ‘ a t-rex position with Elton John fingers ’, I gradually got to grips with moving the kite with smooth , gentle movements on the bar – admittedly there were a few diving crashes in between . Next up , Lucy took control of the kite and she ’ d quite obviously done this before , thrashing the kite back and forth , she was having the time of her life – the smile said it all .
Once we ’ d mastered ( and I use that term loosely ...) the kite control , it was time to try out the buggy ! Using the kite techniques we ’ d learnt in the first part of the lesson , Stan demonstrated with ease the art of kite buggying , how to sit and steer a buggy whilst controlling the kite above , I mean what could go wrong ? Lucy was up , elegantly taking her seat , she got the buggy moving almost instantly , whizzing up the beach she ended up spinning round in circles , utterly unintended , we ’ re sure it must be considered a trick in the art of kite buggying ! Next I took to the buggy and to my surprise got it moving , using hand movements as instructed , the buggy ( might I add slowly ) moved in the direction it was supposed to – amongst a few failed attempts of course . After a change of wind direction , two wet kites and several more attempts , we had definitely taken a step ( or should that be wheel ?) in the right direction – gaining confidence and a feel for the kite . I mean , we are by no stretch of the imagination experts , but thanks to ‘ Stan the man ’, we were able to leave feeling as though we ’ d actually achieved what we set out to do . A great afternoon and experience all round , and a sport I will definitely be booking in for again very soon – you might even find me in the water next time . Watch this space !
A two-hour introduction to kitesports costs from £ 49 per person . A kite buggying and landboarding three-hour lesson starts at £ 69 per person . All equipment and tuition is provided .
The Kitesurf Centre Kite Beach Lydd Road Camber TN31 7SB www . thekitesurfcentre . com
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