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2000km Kitesurfing Expedition

Syamil — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:22:25 +0000

Louis from http://yakers.co.nz is already on 21st day of a 2000km kitesurfing expedition along the Brazilian coast from Salvador to Sao Luis. Now that’s some real guts. Check him out at http://yakers.co.nz Related posts:For Sale: Kitesurfing Kit and Formula board SW Wind Has Finally Arrived ( Again ) Kitesurfing in Malaysia Virgin’s Richard Branson Does [...] Related posts:

Magic Sunday August 1 2010

Syamil — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:10:24 +0000

by: KA Bryan Norman

Today we got hit by the mother of all storms. It arrived like they did in the good old days, a galloping herd of white horses approaching from the horizon. And once the wind hit, at around 10 am, it seemed to never let up, instead, just picking up more and more steam, to a consistent spell of 25 knots, with gusts of over 30 knots!

By that time I was back in of course. But I did surf for over 2 hours in near-20 knot conditions, which on an 8.3, even if it’s a KA Koncept, is bloody tiring. Still, the fact that I was out there for two hours while most people were on 6m+ is evidence that the Koncept is as stable as they come.

Not a lot to add to that, other than to say that it was sheer bliss

Some visuals of that Magic Sunday. Have a look at the wind meter :-O

(Note: Best lower your volume, because a howling wind and a Nano mic do not a very good mix make.)

Singapore Blasting July 22 2010

Syamil — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:05:11 +0000

by: KA Bryan Norman

The charts were right. After a pre-dawn downpour that lasted from 6 till past 8 am, the wind, chilled by the spell of rain, started picking up power around 9. By the time I reached the club, Boo was already blasting on the rapidly intensifying SW. Best of all, looking out towards the horizon, there seemed to be plenty more where that SW came from. As I launched, about 10 minutes later, it was already blowing about 15 knots.

In the next 2-3 hours, according to consensus, the gusts reached 18 knots, beyond the ship zone, especially behind Keta, touching 20 knots.

As Singapore goes, this puts today in the epic catagorie. In fact, on my wind log, which is color-coded, red signifying exceptional, today is the first red day since March 10th.

On a day like this you don’t leave any left-overs; I had a massive 2,5 hour session, took a small break, then went out again for about 30 minutes while the wind slowly spent itself.

All told, a good 3 hours on the Koncept. And once again, it went like the clappers. In fact, at the apres-surf chat, I was a bit surprised to hear from the others that they rated the wind up at 18-20 knots. I mean, sure, the 8.3 was a bit of a handful at times, but I never felt outgunned in any way, a testament to the Koncept’s lightness and ultimate control properties.

GPS-wise, the max display stood at 25 knots. In absolute terms this is not the fastest of times, but considering that the wind oscillated between SW and SSW, the direction that traditionally whips up the sea into a churning cauldron, 25 knots is positively break-neck. I can only imagine what this sail is capable of during a westerly storm, when the sea is more friendly.

Maybe tomorrow

For Sale: Kitesurfing Kit and Formula board

Syamil — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:21:58 +0000

Kitesurfing:

1. Slingshot Turbo Diesel 3. Size 14m. Has been used twice out of the packaging so in pristine condition.

2. Airush Switch 135 kitesurfing board – Bought this second hand from a guy in Thailand. It has some scratches mark, but overall still good looking. All screws, fins, handle and footstraps in good condition.

Windsurfing:

Starboard Formula 155. Not sure what year of the board is. Had minor nose repair at the bottom side but overall in good condition. Very good for progressing beginner looking for more sailing time and planing experience.

Please contact me for pricing & delivery. I accept Paypal, Cash deposit, Bank Transfer or COD. >> Contact Me Here

KA Sails Koncept in Singapore

Syamil — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:16:19 +0000

by: Bryan Norman

My Koncept 8.3 performed superbly in the 18 knot storm we caught today. I never felt overpowered or in any way out of control, even though the speed the sail delivered was simply blistering.

NOTE: You can find out more about KA Sails at KASails.com.sg

The Koncept has a solid, in-control and fully locked-in feel, even while you’re full-on careening across the water in downwind off-the-fin charges. The sail is ever so finely balanced and spills its exhaust unnoticably. This is what windsurfing all about – the ultimate bliss!

After the wind had eased, I had a chat with Ian and he confirmed what I believe is the basis for the solid almost auto-pilot feel the Koncept gives you, even at the upper wind ranges. Looking at the shape of the sail, it’s clear to see that the bottom section has plenty of profile to it. This scooped out section acts as the sail’s afterburner – this is the area that kicks in when winds are big.

Typical early planing sails tend to be softer and more flexible, their power is in the upper section of the sail, making use of the breezes that waft around up there. Once the wind honks however, that kind of sails will tend to want to pull you ass-over-tit, because their upper end drive makes them feel top-heavy; you end up struggling to keep them reined in. Their very fortes in light winds, i.e. their softness, early planing and delayed feedback characteristics, work against them in powered-up conditions .

What you need in strong winds is a rock-solid sail that gets most of its raw drive from below, so you can enjoy all of the forward thrust without any of the catapult tendencies. The various forces in the Koncept are in optimal balance, which in practice means that even in a howling wind, you’re confident enough to be able to coax ever more speed out of the rig, whilst others are forced to go into mere survival mode.

Conclusion: I haven’t been truly overpowered yet on this sail, so a slight disclaimer is in order. But I have to say that when your blasting away on the Koncept, it feels as if the only speed limiting factor is the size of
your cojones.

More about the author: Bryan is a born Dutch currently living in Singapore. He has been doing the sport he loves, windsurfing since the early 80′s. He is also an official distributor for KA Sails in Singapore. Reach him anytime at Kasails.com.sg

Perfect Week

Syamil — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:57:19 +0000

I had the honour to meet our friends from the South, Shas and Rosman during CNY. Mr. Shas and his family went all the way from Singapore to Balok to get his taste of the wind here with the photography and diving master, Mr Rosman from JB. Also present was Mr Chong who managed to steal some time off before his CNY celebration – still going strong!

The wind was just perfect. In fact, the whole week during CNY seems like blowing indefinitely! 15-20 knots all the way baby! The weather was somehow a bit too hot since it was the beginning of the drought season but it didn’t stop us nonetheless. Balok treated us with the nicest condition it can offer, so who needs to complaint?

During the night, we had our dinner at one of the best restaurant in Kuantan, the Sara Thai Kitchen. The guys returned home the next morning. It was a short trip for them but I’m sure they’ll return home with plenty of good memories to remember, and hopefully will find their way back the coming year.

Towards the weekend, I also had the honour to meet a veteran windsurfer from Singapore, Mr Richard. The first time I saw him was on the beach during last year’s Christmas. He looked so much younger on the beach LOL. Mr Richard was on his way back from Kelantan after visiting his family for CNY. We had dinner in Tg Lumpur’s famous Ikan Bakar. It was nice to know that Mr Richard and his wife are very fond of Malay foods. It seems to me they know Malay foods and the best restaurants to eat them better than I do.

Big thanks to all whom I met during the week. I must say, despite having less than 10 people whom I windsurf with, with perfect wind and perfect people, it was just the perfect week ever.

Some pictures [credits to Rosman]

Small chat on the beach – (left) Shas, Chong, Syamil

Mr Chong blasting forward. This guy can beat anyone half his age on the water!

Rosman posing for a shot.

I must admit I’ve never seen myself getting so close to camera while windsurfing before. I was as excited as a child when I saw this this one.

Rosman (left), Syamil and Shas.

Last but not least.

See the complete album HERE.

Whatever happened to Bluefinz?

Syamil — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:11:57 +0000

I went to check out the forum the other day to read updates on the Singapore Windsurfing Open 2010, but Bluefinz was no longer there!

It appears that the domain name has expired. Hopefully it’s just a minor glitch and will be fixed soon.

In the meantime, feel free to use our Forum.

The Outer Quadrant

Syamil — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:47:45 +0000

Good news for all Malaysian & Singaporean alike, a new kitesurfing shop called the Outer Quadrant has just been launched a few days ago. Outer Quadrant is the official distributor for Liquid Force brand and is based in Singapore. Parallel to its launching, Azhar, founder of Outer Quadrant paid a visit to Balok Beach to promote and launch the new line of products.

Currently Outer Quadrant is also doing a big promotion as stated on its website;

For every new fan of Outer Quadrant on Facebook that you introduce, you will be entitled to 1% discount of the actual price. If you managed to get 5 friends to be new fans of Outer Quadrant, you will get 5% discount and so on and so forth up to a maximum of 30 new fans for 30% discount.

So what are you waiting for? Check out their website outerquadrant.com!

Ian’s Bladder Patch

Syamil — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:33:51 +0000

Alright. Let’s face the fact. That thin dacron sleeve on your kite isn’t the best protection from any holes for the more fragile plastic tubes on the inside, called the bladder. Some day or later, you’ll be finding yourself looking through the catalogue or searching around for the best way to patch that imminent hole punched through the bladder. Added to the task is actually finding a nearby resource that provides inexpensive solution and located close enough to avoid unnecessary costly postage fee.

Our friend from Singapore, Ian, may have just the solution for you.

The patch is still in development stage, but as Ian mentioned in our forum, he already ran some successful tests on his kites and already in the second phase of its development. It was indicated by Ian that the product will be finished and released early next year.

Provided with his success, he may be able to offer bladder patches that are adequately effective for small repairs which would come relatively inexpensive from your current options and most importantly for Malaysian kiteboarders, close enough to be posted without much hassles and costs.

Main features:

Self-adhesive (no more gluing )
Tough material
Relatively inexpensive

If you would like to follow the progress of this patch feel free to join the discussion on our forum. Click here.
You can also contact Ian directly at massufianyahoo.com

Some pictures:

Blown Away in Pantai Sepat

Syamil — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:41:11 +0000

So today it blows rather stronger than usual in Pantai Sepat. To not exaggerate, I can simply say it was easily 25 knots in the gust out there, if not more! I went out with my usual medium rig – 8.4m & 155l board, unaware of today’s forecast. The setup proved to be a hell of a ride, but at the same time it was a totally different feeling than riding a skinny slalom board with 7m sail. Downhauled the sail an extra inch then i was out again fully blasted yet very well controlled.

Driving to the beach from Kuantan town will take you barely 10 minutes. And since I’m residing halfway between the journey , a single ride to Balok would simply cost me one week worth of fuel, time & hassle to Pantai Sepat. This is the second time I am exclusively writing about this particular beach, and I realized I haven’t wrote enough to justify how amazing it is!

Now the beauty of the beach is, even with all of that strong winds and swells, launching is not even half as tricky as it would be in Balok under the same condition and wind direction. Its shallow seabed strethed out far to the sea, waist high, resulting with minimum dumpers to scare you off. On a normal day with 10-12 knots of winds, launching & jibing is super easy as the water is almost dead flat – a complete opposite of my usual spot in Balok. Suffice to say, if you can’t learn to jibe here, then you’re completely hopeless!

On a lighter note, Pantai Sepat holds a lot of natural beauty that needs to be experienced to believe. The whole stretch of its wide beach is seemingly untouched, and the whole place itself has the most scenic & authentic village settings I have ever seen so far in Kuantan. Well sorry, no 5 stars hotels and fancy restaurants to visit here, but hey, you can always go back to the town for less than 10 minutes from the beach!

If you’re coming to Kuantan for windsurfing or kitesurfing and tired of visiting the same old spot, then I would strongly recommend you to visit this beautiful beach. One thing for sure, looking at other beaches being salvaged and slowly dying a painful death around here in Kuantan, this place may not stay as it is for too long. But until then, let me enjoy the beach all by myself while it lasts!

p/s: Jellyfish season has started, so wear proper clothing & proceed with care.

Some pictures ;

Scenic view of the road to Pantai Sepat

Posing with the old faithful gear

Check out the wind dude!