Yo-Mojo, Table View’s kiteboarding social hub, celebrates their one year anniversary this weekend. If you are a kitesurfer looking to meet kite buddies or if you are simply looking to mingle with some good, salt of the earth people, enjoy some good tunes and enjoy a sundowner, then head down there over the weekend.
Situated alongside Table View’s Primi Piatti, nestled quietly out of the wind, Yo-Mojo boasts an unbelieveable sea view and very friendly staff.
FRI 30 oct. SUNDOWNER SESSION WITH DJ KURT SAT 31 oct. REGGAE BAND 14:00 & COMEDY SHOW 20:30 Yo-Mojo now offers !!!24HR PIZZA!!!
SUP Culture’s Peter Petersen, wins the Driftwoods SUP Challenge, part of the Lagoon Life Festival in Langebaan, on the Cape’s picturesque West Coast. The race was held in hot, windless conditions, which were perfect for those trying their first ever SUP 7km paddle!
After starting the race from Main Beach, Peter (12′ Glide) got off to a bad start and took his time in catching up to Tyrone Rawlins (Naish 11′6″) and then managed to stick to Tyrone before passing him with 50m to go to the finish. Naish International rider and World Record holding Sjoukje Bredenkamp took the women’s honours ahead of Monika and Victoria.
Saturday’s course included a rounding of Schaapen Island and negotiating the ominously calm waters of Shark Bay back at the southern-end of Langebaan-Lagoon, the race finally finished in front of Driftwoods, host and sponsor for the race. Along with SUP’s the Men’s Health Surf Ski series were chasing a 12km & 7km course and over 100 paddlers were on the water.
On the Sunday, Naish boards were available for family fun and the kids took full advantage of the boards and a lot of fun was had by all.
Well done to all of those who enjoyed themselves so much and to all those trying out this great sport for the first time!
Results
DRIFTWOODS LAGOON DASH 7KM? SUP RESULTS ? 2009
1 Peter Petersen (Naish Glide 12′)
Male 01:00:05
2 Tyrone Rawlins (Naish Nalu 11′6)
Male 01:00:10
3 Jacobus Van der Merwe (Naish Nalu 11′6)
Male 01:10:00
4 Hennie Bredenkamp (Naish Nalu 11′4)
Male 01:10:29
5 Rob Munro (Naish Glide 12′)
Male 01:11:02
6 Peter Le Riche (Naish Nalu 10′6)
Male 01:13:15
7 Charles Visser (Naish Nalu 11′6)
Male 01:21:37
8 Luke McGillewie (Coreban 11′6)
Male - Junior (No official time)
9 Sjoukje Bredenkamp (Naish Nalu 11′6)
Female 01:30:40
10 Jacques Alblas (Naish Nalu 10′6)
Male 01:31:00
11 Monika Wohlgemuth (Naish Nalu 11′6)
Female 01:32:12
12 Victoria Jackson (Naish Nalu 11′6)
Female 01:37:07
13 Jo Munro (Naish Nalu 11′6)
Female 01:58:48
14 Terri Kidson (Naish Nalu 11′6)
Female DNF
We had a great turnout of over 60 kiters racing in the Laguna Mall around the island race, including guest appearance from Grant Baker, as well as a good turn out for the SUP race which took place alongisde the surfski race. First place overall was taken by Grant Ross (Cabrinha) and first place in the ladies was Caroline. Full results.
Thanks to the sponsors, Dimitri and Michelle and all the participants, for making it a fun day.
Registration for the kite surfing race around ‘bunny’ island in Langebaan is happening tomorrow morning from 08:30 to 10:00am. Note that tea and muffins will be served at Laguna Mall for all participants. The entry fee if R200 and for this you will recieve a dri-fit event shirt as well as a copy of the new Nov/Dec issue of GUST + Kauai Smoothie voucher. The total prize purse is R30,000 and all participants will be entered into a lucky draw to win a brand new Cabrinha kite. All top prize winners will be eliminated from the lucky draw, so this makes your odds better to win this weekend. The wind forecast is looking fine, and a final decision will be made tomorrow for the start time. In the event of postponement, the event will definitely happen on Sunday. See you there.
Over 30 kiters took off in front of Primi Piatti, Table View, on Wednesday afternoon, for the first race of the Wednesday night Oxbow race series. With squalling wind, gusting up to 32 kts, this was not a race for amateurs. Olaf Van Tol and his race team were very pleased with the participation of the riders, the water start proving a safe and manageable option.
Peter Petersen (Airush generator 7.5 & Dean Geraghty custom wave-board) “the Danish” took line honours and was closely followed by local star, Greg Thijsse (Cabrinha Crossbow 2010 & Xelerator custom speed board). Anthony (Wainman kite & Geraghty production wave-board) “lean buns” Berzak took third place right behind Greg and Luke Skywalker snuck in with a close fourth place (Cabrinha Nomad 2010 & Geraghty custom speed board).
Special mention must be made to the two ladies, Fotini Babaletakis and Caroline, for braving the course as well as some of the younger finishers including like Oswald Smith and 11 year old Dylan Adriaens.
Congratulations to everyone who took part. Results.
The inaugural Lagoon Life Festival will take place in Langebaan this coming weekend 24 & 25 October. The Festival has its roots dating back to 2003 when the first paddling race organised on the Langebaan Lagoon was staged. This event has evolved, thanks to major input from Driftwoods Restaurant, who have sponsored the event for the last 6 years. Last year saw the addition of a Sunday paddling race and 2009 sees the transformation into a major outdoor sporting festival. Among the new events on offer this year are; Stand-Up-Paddling, Kitesurfing, Sailing, Trail Running and Mountain Biking. The unique Lagoon and weather conditions at this time of the year lend themselves to making these types of events spectacularly successful.
There is something on offer for everyone, with watersports leading the way as well as land-based for those who prefer to keep their feet dry. The paddling, SUP, running and Mtb events all offer an option for children to take part as well.
Registration online or on Friday night @ Driftwoods, Langebaan 1800-2100
Stand UP Paddleboard racing - Powered by Naish / SUP Culture
Saturday October 24th 2009
7km SUP Race
Location: Langebaan Main beach
Time: 10am
The SUP’s will be joining the Surfski race (short course) as long as the wind remains light. If wind is too strong for upwind racing, we will use an alternative course which will start from Shark Bay and finish at Pearly’s / Driftwoods. The course will be set on the day and you will need to be on the beach from 0900 for the skipper’s meeting. Limited number of loan boards will be available.
Restrictions: No craft over 14′ allowed.
Entry Fee R50
Around the Island Kitesurfing Race - There is over R30000 worth of prizes up for grabs at the kitesurfing event. Be sure to take part in this very exciting event. Contact Dimitri for more information.
The Western Cape has been blessed with the return of the SE, continuing into this week. For those of you who are interested in taking part in the Wednesday night races, this Wednesday looks good to race. Meet at Yo-Mojo on Wednesday from 16:00 for registration.You can enter online here.
GUST recently sponsored a fundraiser for Chris Bertish in aid of his representing South Africa at numerous internation Big Wave surfing events as well as SUP. He raised over R30,000.00 towards his travel and he is continuing to lobby support through his website.
This evening, we will be joining him on the IQ catamaran for another epic event - this time on and in the water. Only three tickets left, so contact Chris if you are keen to book your spot.
Also, had a chance to fly the new Riot XR, by Core Kiteboarding. Some of the comments from the people at the beach who flew the kite included “Amazing upwind ability and huge boost”, Jacques. “Very stable kite with massive air! I suggest the backlines are attached closer to the edges of the bar for faster turning speed, ” Peter James. In general, a very stable kite, light bar pressure. A few modifications could be made to the bar, as the ‘dead’ man loop does prove inconvenient when not in use - can power up un-intentionally. In general, great light bar pressure, cruises upwind effortlessly (good for racing!) one pump convenience and boosts with ease.
If you want to test out one of these kites, contact Cobus.
This Sunday 18 October the first slalom event of the Western Cape season will be held at MAC at Rietvlei, Milnerton and there is going to be WIND! 20 knot SE predicted.
Entry - Free
Skippers meeting - 1:30pm
Earliest possible start - 2pm sharp
Event organiser: Paul Wagstaff, Steve Rhodes
Spectators welcome – free entry to MAC this Sunday.
For some alternative ’sailing’ fun, pop down to sunrise beach at Muizenberg on Saturday morning 09:30 for a Blokart demo. Contact Shaun for details.
The South African Kiteboarding Tour kicks off in Durban this weekend. The wind is not looking too convincinng for Sat, but there is a chance for the competition to take place on Sunday. Keep an eye on the official website for updates on the schedule.
It’s that time of year, when we start planning our New Year’s Eve celebrations. Whether we are simply going to head up the coast with a group of friends, gather around a campfire, or join in on an epic all night party in the mother city.
I thought that I would suggest an awesome alternative to the GUST readers, and that’s a getaway to Kenya after Christmas, returning after New Year’s. Lindsay Kennaway and Boris Polo are friends of GUST, who run H2OExtreme school and the Kenyaways Kite lodge, and are keen to welcome more of you to their home and kiting paradise.
Read more about the history of this destination in Lindsay’s account here. The annual Safaricom Kenya Cup is a social event which many kiters from all over the world gather momentum for the new year! Also read about Lindsay’s trip from Cape Town to Cairo published in GUST a few season’s back. Contact Lindsay for booking enquiries or mail Boris about kiting and the event.
Check out the latest addition to Kenya’s medley of watersports offerings - a full range of Naish SUP’s/
A highlight in the BEST Kiteboarding Africa newsletter, is the BEST spring party happening this evening at the Doodles lounge. With a peacy17kt S.SE for this afternoon in Cape Town, looks like we’re going to have a typical summer line up. For more information about this evening’s party, mail Bob. Also, do not forget Chris Bertish’s braai this Sunday at Banana Jam.
Internationally renowned big-wave charger Chris Bertish has launched an innovative range of sponsorship initiatives to assist in raising the funds required to participate in the three prestigious big wave events in the USA in November and December.
“For the past 10 years I have dedicated my life to pursuing and riding some of the most challenging waves on the planet, and with your assistance, I’m hoping to take the South African flag even further,” says the 35-year-old Capetonian, explaining that while he has support from some of his loyal sponsors, mounting a challenge on these three international events requires a great deal more funding than he can afford.
The events at the notorious monster wave spots of Mavericks in California, Nelscott Reef in Oregon and the Hawaiian Mecca of Makaha, where he will represent South Africa in the inaugural Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) World Championships, all have long holding periods to ensure premium waves and conditions which means Bertish must spend a couple of months overseas waiting for the contests to be run. All the details on these events can be found on his website.
By donating any amount over R250, donors will have their name or company logo printed on a label and stuck on the surfboards Bertish will ride in the events and when he is practicing while waiting and practicing abroad. By donating R1 000 or more, a sticker twice the size will be pasted on his boards so all donors truly feel like they are part of this unique project.
And in the spirit of true watermen who not only look after themselves in giant surf, but also watch out for the well-being of others in the line-up, 10% of all funds received via these sponsorships will be donated to the Reach For A Dream Foundation to help youngsters with life-threatening illnesses to achieve their dreams too.
Bertish has also organised a fund-raising function in Cape Town on Sunday 11 October that promises to be both a gathering of the local big-wave fraternity and a great social event. Set for Banana Jam in Kenilworth and running from 3pm-9.30pm, the function features a jazz band, giant screen surf films, freebies to the value of R150 per person and an assortment of unique items that will be auctioned and raffled – all for the price of a R90 entrance ticket.
The items up for grabs include the Naish SUP on which he conquered Dungeons, two of his big-wave surfboards, a voucher to accompany Grant Spooner of Marine Scene to watch surfers riding Dungeons, a new Firewire surfboard, Freestyle dive-watch, Ocean Minded Footwear, Coreban and Naish SUP paddles and more.
And in keeping with his credo of ‘Sharing is Caring’, Bertish will also donate the first R1 000 raised at the function to the Reach For A Dream Foundation.
An accomplished marketing expert who has built and grown several major multi-national brands both in South Africa and internationally, Bertish has compiled a comprehensive plan to publicize his trip and activities that will be featured in all branches of both the mainstream and new media outlets, including a website, Facebook, Twitter and his personal Blog site.
He will also be posting unique video footage of big wave surfing on the internet. See the latest example of never-before-seen footage of him riding one of the biggest paddle days ever surfed at Todos Santos Island off the coast of Mexico
Full details for the fund-raising function this coming Sunday 11th Oct can be found in the GUST calendar.
Keep an eye on the GUST website for further news of this exceptional athlete’s exploits and details of the fund-raising activities that will provide further unique opportunities to get up close and personal with Chris and the global big wave scene.
Chris Bertish can be contacted via email or 079 524 8344
It seems as though the wreck is no longer posing any major threat to the environment, altough it has now been abandoned. For the full story, regional-office-media-release.
The notice of race for the Oxbow Race Series has been released. Download the entry form here notice-of-race-race-series. The first Race starts this Wednesday 7th October.
Best kiteboarding are hosting their annual get together this coming Friday9th October, 18:30 at Doodles Beachfront Restaurant. See you there.
