The weather could not have been better for the weekend in terms of sun! The great weather attracted hundreds of competitors and even more punters. The car parks overfilled and had to turn people away. On Saturday the wind was nowhere to be seen. The kite demo area was a good distance down the beach, but due to the lack of wind we decided to set up on the main event beach where all the people were. Flysurfer UK team rider Greg Chilton was there to help. Plenty of people came down and had a look at equipment and asked questions. The lack of wind meant that Stand Up Paddleboarding was our main activity for the day. We got the chance to ride the Strider iSUPs in the world record attempt for the largest group of SUPers out together at once. There were a good 100 people out which was pretty fun.

The forecast for Sunday was much better. We set up at the kite demo area and got the 21m Speed 3 out. It was SUP time to start with, but a gentle breeze soon appeared. Greg went out with the 21m and the Strider iSUP and managed to keep upwind. As the wind improved it was enough for the FlyDoor and 21m. Before long the breeze had built a bit more allowing regular twin tips with the 21m and and the door with the 19m and larger riders. For the first couple of hours it was only FS kites on the water. Then some LEIs and raceboards. It felt amazing to ride in just shorts and a t shirt in September!

As the afternoon went on the wind continued to build. Before long we were overpowered on the 19 and 21m Speeds and had to drop down to the 12m Speed 3 CE. At this point all the other brands also managed to get some kites out and demo some kit. The water soon got a lot choppier and the new Radical 4 stood out for handling it so well and riding so smoothly.

It was a great weekend and no doubt as kiting’s profile continues to increase thanks to its inclusion in the Olympics more of these demos will take place. Also a good chance to catch up with some loyal FS customers.

Photos by Tom Beaton, Greg Chilton and Abe Alzouman.