 Riders Battle It Out In The 10th EDGE Race Cup The weekend of the 25th-26st of May saw the 10th annual Edge Race Cup, sponsored by Grenadier Estates take place in Exmouth, Devon. Over 30 riders registered for the event with one international riders arriving from USA. The striking fact is that the standard of riding on their hydrofoils has risen appreciably across the board in both fleets, both in terms of speeds achieved and success rate of tacks and gybes, notoriously hard manoeuvres to master. This year in the Gold fleet there were 5 women ‘Kite for Gold’ riders who hadn’t foiled at all last September and the top riders in that fleet weren’t lapping the slower ones as had been the case last year. Whilst the racing took place some way off shore, the colourful flags and tents at the beach race site were situated where the new Watersports Centre will be constructed within the next 12 months. It is an enviable location, with both extensive sandy beach and waters upon which to kitesurf. Visiting competitors were very complimentary about Exmouth as a venue and the initiative to make it a Centre of Excellence is fully justified. Representatives from different Kite manufacturers attended with demonstrations of gear and coaching available. Many members of public enquired about the event and were keen to find out more about the sport. Competitors were very appreciative of the benefit of free parking generously provided by East Devon District Council who are in the midst of rerouting the road in preparation of full site development. Saturday saw Champagne sailing conditions, sunny waters and winds of 8-12 knots, perfect for the hydrofoilers with 5 races for each fleet being successfully completed. These craft are so incredibly efficient, that the leading riders are able to sustain speeds in excess of 30 knots in such wind strength. The wind dropped on two occasions, necessitating some rescues by the attentive support boat crews. On Sunday, the forecast rain and drizzle held off, but so sadly did the stronger stable wind that was anticipated. The race team did well to set a course and worked hard to get the racing completed. Initially due to a drop in wind causing an abandoned start, the decision was made to initially race only with Gold Fleet because their ‘foil’ kites require less wind to be effective than the inflatable ‘tube’ kites being used by those in Silver fleet. This is the only distinction between the two fleets, although since the faster riders generally were in the Gold Fleet, they sailed an extra lap per race compared to their counterparts in Silver. After 2 Gold fleet Races, the Silver Fleet joined them to complete three races. With the wind finally stable and strong, the grins of racers were biggest when they returned from the final race. Racing was tight in Gold fleet with Connor Bainbridge and Guy Bridge having a battle royal and trading first and second places. They consistently opened a substantial gap from the others lead by Ellie Aldridge, Josh Carey, Lance Olner, Jemima Crathorne and Maddy Anderson with close racing within the whole fleet. A notable mention goes to Dane Wilson who scored five 3rd places on Saturday before having to return to his 49er Olympic campaign for his native USA. There were battles throughout Silver Fleet, notably for top spot with 15 year old Angus Fellows vying neck and neck with Lee ‘Pasty’ Harvey a Master with a long heritage of Kite Racing. Fellow Junior Mattia Maini had a strong Sunday to finish Third, behind Angus in Second and Pasty winning the chocolates. Chunk of Devon provided racers on both days with a choice of their delicious steak and vegetarian pasties between races. Following the racing on Saturday, racers were able to enjoy free beer at the Exmouth Festival generously donated by Crossed Anchors Brewing and discounted food from The Little Tavern whilst seeing the live Music on stage. . Edge Water Sports would like to thank all their sponsors who contributed to this year’s Edge Race Cup Grenadier Estates Chunk of Devon Crossed Anchors Brewing Salcombe Gin F-One kiteboarding UK Olly bars British kitesports Duotone kiteboarding UK FATFACE The Beach House Flysurfer Ozone kites Mystic Red Bull ION Da Kine , Maxtrack and Levitaz Final Results Gold Fleet: 1st – Guy Bridge 2nd – Connor Bainbridge 3rd – Ellie Aldridge Silver Fleet 1st – Lee ‘Pasty’ Harvey 2nd – Angus Fellows 3rd – Mattia Maini Women 1st – Ellie Aldridge 2nd – Maddy Anderson 3rd – Jemima Crathorne Masters 1st - Lee ‘Pasty’ Harvey 2nd – Ian Savage 3rd – Nick Ajderian Youth (U19) 1st - Angus Fellows 2nd -Mattia Maini 3rd – Francesca Maini Junior (U17) 1st - Angus Fellows 2nd -Mattia Maini 3rd – Sandy Bailey To find out more about EDGE Water Sports please visit: http://www.edgewatersports.com/    
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 Having picked up a rib injury this week, meaning I am now off the water for a bit, I can look back on the past couple of months which have been going off!After a windless summer, the wind and waves turned up in Cornwall just as the new DUOTONE kites and boards were launched. Boy the new kit is so good, perfect for all kitesurfing disciplines. Check out the full range in our shop http://www.pastyadventures.co.uk/duotone-kitesurfing-shop.html or at https://www.duotonesports.com/ The middle of September saw the British Kitesurfing Wave Championships held at Gwithian. With a great turn out and two days of wind and waves, I was super stoked to regain my title for the 6th year in a row, winning the Pro mens division riding the Duotone Neo 9m and Pro Wam 6’0. Read the full event report at https://www.britishkitesports.org/news/bksa-wavemasters-2018/ Next it was back on the Foil for the Edge Cup, British Kitefoiling Championships in Exmouth over the last weekend of September. The biggest turn out for the last few years had light wind on Saturday followed by 7 races run all on Sunday in tricky gusty nw wind. After limited time on the foil this year I was happy to take 2nd in the Masters, although my legs paid the price and I struggled to walk on the Tuesday after! Well done to Olly Bridge for making it 5 years in a row as British Champ. Here come the storms-  October kicked in with storm after storm producing great Windsurfing and Kitesurfing all over the Country. With a crazy forecast we decided to head north for The Tiree Wave Classic windsurfing event. Big winds and waves challenged everyone over the week with a lot of cancelled ferries but in the end we managed a full day of competition at the Maze. In 40 mph cross on, logo high closeouts, i was super pleased to take 2nd place in the masters. See the event video here - https://windsurfing.tv/video/tiree-wave-classic-2018-full-story/ We then headed back home to great surf, before the 2nd event of the British Windsurfing Wave Tour at Gwithian over the last weekend in October. Northerly winds made it super cold but fun conditions, allowing a double elimination in all fleets. Sadly I missed out on the final as the wind died towards the end of the day but 6th place was enough to take 3rd Overall for the year. Well done to Mark Dowson winning the masters title, Adam Lewis the Pro mens and Sara Kellet the womens. With the comps over for the year the storms kicked up a notch and from the first weekend in November it blew over 30mph with 10ft plus waves for 3 weeks.  The kitesurfing and Windsurfing was world class at Gwithian, with some of the biggest days for a few years. Amongst this we had some classic surf days and some super fun south coast conditions. At times it was a toss up wether to kitesurf or windsurf, so on the really good days I did both, switching to the kite as the wind dropped below 30 mph. The last couple of weeks has seen the swell drop down a bit but the wind has still been blowing hard. On the lighter onshore days I have been loving the new Fanatic surf foil and sky surf board, getting to grips with super long rides at Marazion.
Unfortunately on Sunday I landed on the mast windsurfing in 40 mph at Maza and have picked up a rib injury. Fingers crossed it will heal soon as we have more big waves and wind on the way. Thanks to Steve Clarke and John Carter for the pics and my sponsors for making the best gear out there- Duotone Kiteboarding, ION, Duotone Windsurfing, Fanatic. Cheers and see you on the water soon Lee ‘Pasty’ Harvey  Summer 2017 has been producing amazing conditions for kitesurfing in Cornwall. Both Marazion and Gwithian have seen perfect flat water days as well as wave days for the more advanced riders. We have had wind from 10 - 40 knts with an average of 5 windy days a week. Pretty good for kitsurfing in the UK over the summer months. Fingers crossed the conditions carry on and we have an amazing windy and wavey autumn. As well as beginner kitesurf lessons we have also been running lots of advanced and intermediate kite coaching sessions and we also have our Autumn Wave Clinics. Get in touch with us if you want to improve your kitesurfing in Cornwall whatever your level or style. Keep and eye on the website and facebook page for all the details  We are pleased to announce that the Intermediate Twin Tip kite clinic is on this Saturday 13th May at Marazion, Cornwall.
Come and improve your kitesurfing skills with coaching from BKSA Coach Lee Harvey. There will also be kites and boards available to demo from North Kiteboarding There are 2 spaces remaining so if you are looking to start jumping, doing loops or just generally improving then now is the time. Only £60 per person. Email or call to book on. All the info on the clinic page www.pastyadventures.co.uk/kitesurf-clinics  The sun is shining and the wind is blowing which means its time to brush up your kite skills and make 2017 the year that you up your game whatever your kitesurfing level.
Join in on one of our spring kitesurf clinics in Cornwall, run by British Champion and BKSA Senior Coach, Lee Harvey. There is for everyone - Refresher clinic at Marazion or Hayle on the 29th April which is the perfect way to get back into kiting after the winter and meet some new friends at the same level. Intro to Wave at Marazion or Gwithian clinic on 6th May which is for anyone getting into riding a surfboard. Intermediate TT clinic on 13th May which for people happy going upwind and looking to get into jumping and looping. Kitefoil Clinic on 3rd June which is for everyone who is up riding on the foil and wants to start making foiling tacks, gybes and generally improving their upwind and downwind speed. We will also be running our Wave Improver clinic again during the Autumn, date tbc. To come on all clinics you need to be a member of the BKSA. Space is strictly limited so book up quick to avoid disappointment. For KKC members there are a limited amount of funded spots where the club pays £20 towards the cost of the clinic. You must mention on booking and be a member of the KKC showing your card to prove so on the clinic. For more info or to book on email lee@pastyadventures.co.uk If you are looking to buy new kite gear check out the great deals in our Kitesurfing Shop  Pasty Adventures Autumn Clinics 2016
If you are looking to improve your kitesurfing, Pasty Adventures Kitesurf School have some great clinics coming up in Cornwall. Run by BKSA Coach and British Champion, Lee Harvey each clinic is aimed at improving your level using real time demos via a speaker system and 2 way headsets. 28th August - KITEFOIL Clinic at Marazion This clinic is for people that can ride on the foil and want to nail turns and transitions, as well as start ripping upwind and downwind at speed. Ketos Foils and North Kites will be available to test. 17th September – Intro to Wave, Gwithian or Marazion If you are just starting to ride a surfboard, this is the clinic for you. North kites and boards available to test. 1st October – Wave Clinic, Gwithian This clinic is for people who are comfortable riding the surfboard in the waves and want to improve their turns and overall wave ability. For more info including back up dates, please see the website- http://www.pastyadventures.co.uk/kitesurf-clinics.html We are looking for a Freelance BKSA Kitesurf instructor to work for the 2016 season and possibly beyond.
We take pride in offering the highest quality lessons and coaching. If you want to improve your teaching skills along with your personal kiting on the best kitesurf beaches in the UK. Email your c.v with covering letter to - lee@pastyadventures.co.uk   The 2015 British Kitesurfing Racing Championships took place at the Edge Cup on 6th and 7th June in Exmouth hosted by Edge Watersports. Split into three classes of Formula race board, Foil board and Open fleet there was a great turn out of over 50 riders from 8 countries including the Top 10 in the World for the Formula class. On Saturday the wind was blowing Westerly 15-20 mph which meant for some great action packed racing with the Formula and Foil classes completing 8 races each and the Open class 4 races. This year I competed in the Foil for the first time after working with Fastafoil over the last year, I was super keen to see how fast I was going and line up against 2014 British Champ Guy Bridge along with 4 visiting French guys. For the first race I used the 10m North Dyno and was super happy to take 3rd place with half the fleet using faster Foil kites. As I wanted more power I quickly headed in to change up to the 13m Dyno and took 2nd place in Race 2 behind Guy Bridge riding on a Spotz 2 hydrofoil and Ozone Chrono 9m Foil kite who was blisteringly fast and overtaking all of the Formula guys after 2 laps despite them starting 1 minute ahead. For the remainder of the races I placed 3rd behind both Guy and Theo de Ramecourt (France) which I was super pleased with after having some great battles with Mateo from France in 4th who overtook me on most of the upwind legs with his ultra fast Elf kite but I managed to overtake him again on all the downwinds with good speed and fast foiling gybes which made the difference. In the Formula class 2013 World Champion Florian Grubber from Germany held a narrow lead from Florian Trittel (Spain) and Olly Bridge (Exmouth). While we took a break for lunch the Open fleet hit the water for 4 races. With a mix of riders using different boards it was Matt Taylor from Praa Sands that was leading the fleet riding a Sector board and North Dyno 13m. A great result from Matt after lots of hard work and awesome to see my coaching paying off with a win in his first event. After a great days racing it was off to Pebblebed vineyard for some top nosh and fine wine, courtesy of Jeff. Thanks again for the amazing food. Sunday dawned and as the forecast predicted it was light although at 9am there was just about enough wind blowing down the estuary at about 6 knts. The course was set and we headed out with me as the only tube kite able to get off the beach on my 18m Dyno. As quite often happens in Exmouth as the sun came up the sea breeze started to work and cancelled out the Northerly wind meaning everyone got rescued before we could start. We then waited to see if the sea breeze would fill in enough and around 12pm the course was reset in 6knts of southerly wind. Yet again I was the only inflatable able to make it to the start line but felt powered and was making my tacks and gybes. At the start I was bang on the money, but was simply blown away by the speed and pointing ability of these big foil kites in such light wind. Half way up the beat the wind dropped a bit and my kite simply fell backwards into the water after a tack. I was then sat there watching all the formula guys get slower and slower as the made there way to the windward mark and by the time they started coming downwind, the wind had dropped so that even the foil kites would not stay in the air and everyone was rescued again. That marked the end of racing apart from a paddleboard race which is always a good workout against the 8knts of tide in the channel. Thanks to Steph and all the Edge Watersports team for another great event, the rescue cover and beach marshalls were the best I've ever seen! Big thanks to all the sponsors for making it happen and everyone for turning up. It was great to see so many foils and have such a buzz around this new discipline. I can't wait for next year, lets make it over 30 Foil boards! Thanks to my sponsors- North Kiteboarding, FastaFoil, O'Neill, Ketos, Supersaturated Cheers Lee 'Pasty' Harvey Results- Formula- 1st Florian Grubber (Germany), 2nd Florian Trittel (Spain), 3rd Olly Bridge (Exmouth) Foil- 1st Guy Bridge (Exmouth), 2nd Theo de Ramecourt (France), 3rd Lee Harvey (Hayle) Open- 1st Directional Matt Taylor (Praa Sands), 1st Twin Tip Lance Oliver, 1st Women Bel Stanley Rou Chater - Iksurfmag To learn to Kitefoil or for kitesurf foil coaching click here              This weekend saw the Legend of the Bay event being run for the 2nd time at Watergate Bay near Newquay. In this unique event athletes compete in Kitesurfing and Stand Up Paddle boarding to find the best overall waterman who claims the titleof Legend of the Bay. As in 2013 Lee dominated the kitesurfing side of the event with the qualifiers held on saturday 18th april in tricky offshore conditions. Despite the small waves Pasty perfomed some powerful and stylish turns to advance to the final without losing a heat. The final of the kite was held on sunday 19th april in much different conditions, a light sideshore wind with double overhead waves, Lee again dominated with some high scoring rides to take the win infront of Josh Coombes in 2nd and Neal Gent 3rd. In the SUP side of the event, held on Sunday, things were a little different with the conditions showing everyone who was boss with 8ft closeout sets making the paddle out somehwhat tricky at times. Lee managed to make it to the quarter finals and 9th place to give him 3rd Overall while Newquay locals Dom Moore and Josh Coombes made it all the way to the final. With Dave Ewer nailing so awesome rides he took the win while Dom battled into 2nd place with Josh unable to get a 2nd scoring ride and ending up 4th. This left Dom and Josh tied for the overall title and making it a 1,2,3 for Cornwall. Well done to all the winners and everyone for surviving in some very challenging surf on Sunday! pics by Keira Ridel  Joining forces with North Kiteboarding UK we attended the Junior National Watersports Festival held at Stithians Lake, Cornwall on the 3rd May 2014. Along with demoing all the new North equipment, Pasty Adventures ran free Kitesurf Taster sessions to the future generation of British watersports entuaiasts. Over the course of the day, we had four groups of 8-16 year olds who all left grinning and smiling after experiencing the fun of flying a kite. Hopefully some of these will take up kitesurfing in the future, or one of the other sports they got to try out over the weekend. It was great to be a part of it and see so many brands and pros giving their time to encourage youngsters into our fabulous sports of Kayaking, Kitesurfing, SUP and Windsurfing. Well done to all the organisers for a great event. |
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