On The Fly
Issue 88 / Mon 9th Aug, 2021
Stay up to date on what’s happening in the industry with On The Fly! We’ve got updates from the top riders, news on the latest products, video releases, and kitesurfing events. Stay in the know with On The Fly!
NORTH // Behind the Cover
Our cover shot features a photo that knocked our socks off! Jesse Richman and photographer Brian Solano teamed up to conquer Jaws; Here’s the story behind the shot!
BRIAN SOLANO: When Jesse asked me to shoot this Jaws session, I knew just who to call. I partnered with our friend and fellow kiter Nick Moran from GoFly Maui to fly above the waves in his R44 Clipper helicopter. With the doors off and Nick’s expert piloting, we were 100 ft above the waves, giving me the perfect angle to line up Jesse, his kite, and one of the most powerful waves on the planet. I hope these photos captured the power, excitement, and energy I felt watching the world’s best kiting the world’s biggest waves from a courtside seat in the sky!
See more perspectives from Brian Solano on Instagram at @BrianSolanoInc.
JESSE RICHMAN: “Why in the hell would anyone ever go out to Jaws,” I thought, “what’s the point?” The nine-year-old version of me had plastered upon his wall a giant poster of Laird Hamilton, carving through a beautiful bottom turn, topless on a colossal bomb at Jaws. It puzzled me, why would you do that? I loved surfing and sports, but what was the point of going out in life-threatening surf? Was Laird actually a moron? I wondered…
One day, there was a ‘meet and greet’ with Laird at Hi-Tech, the local surf shop, and I was going. I was ready to ask this big wave surfer my great philosophical question: Why do you do what you do?
I knew my exact question; I knew how I would look when I asked it; I was ready and curious about how this big shot surfer would answer.
As I came to the front of the line, my heart began to race; my palms started to sweat. “Hey there,” Laird looked at me, smiling. I looked back with a blank face and responded timidly, “hi.” He asked my name; I wasn’t sure what to do, but I did remember that “Jesse.” In an effort to pull something interesting out of me, he asked if I was a surfer... “Actually, Kitesurfing is cooler,” I said. He chuckled as he signed a copy of his latest DVD and jovially encouraged me to keep on flying my kite.
I walked away, totally stunned with my performance, or lack of one. How could I just freeze, unable to pose my deeply existential and life-defining question?! The very quandary that had been rattling in my brain so tirelessly. How would I ever know what the point of JAWS was?!
As time went on, my scepticism and perplexity about this earth-shattering and “death-defying” compulsion began to fade into the distance. It was also during this time that my kiteboarding career truly took off. I was immersed and entranced with my travels, exploring the world while competing on the World Tour. I formed a style; I dialled my training, saw foreign lands, and enjoyed a wildly rich and fast-paced introduction to adulthood and the wonders of the world. After several years of this game, I eventually fazed out of the scene as I could feel myself being pulled back to my home on Maui. With this little isle as my home base, I couldn’t help but tune into the Jaws craze that was in full swing. Interestingly, and without a second thought, it felt like a challenge that I was up for… and so, I trained for Jaws.
It was only during my training that I suddenly recalled my simple but deeply affected question that had plagued me for so long as a youth. Although I still had no idea ‘what the point’ of going out to Jaws was... I wanted to find out!
After careful consideration and what I felt to be a good amount of preparation, I finally found myself, on a wave, at Pe’ahi (Jaws)... I wasn’t riding anywhere close to where I wished to be nor looking half as awesome as I’d hoped. Nevertheless, I was finally becoming intimately acquainted with Pe’ahi for the very first time. I gazed up at her fiery teeth as they came slamming down onto the water with a universe-shattering thunder.
Seeing her from this whole new angle, I finally began to understand the point...
Initially, the force that drew me out there stemmed from curiosity and then was subsequently fueled by ego. Riding Pe’ahi was the big thing, it was in my backyard, and all the biggest badasses were doing it. It was only after that first session that I started to understand that my training had just begun. This was not a beast that I could simply conquer once and for all on a perfect day; riding Pe’ahi was a way of life; she was an ever-changing monolith of beauty, the majesty of which would become a lifelong honour to dance with and refine the moves of. As she would shift, depending on the day, I would, in turn, learn to adapt to her moods and swells, a dynamic that has yet to become tiresome...in fact, I know it never will...
It was only after this revelation that I was able to answer my question, Why would anyone ever go out to Jaws?… Why not?!
FLYSURFER // Finding Sensation
From the creative minds of Johanna-Catharina Edin and Miriam Joanna comes a new video release that is sure to spark your senses. Their goal is to showcase kitesurfing from an athletic yet fashionable and artistic perspective, which speaks to a broader audience. Watch the video now, then turn the page for a glimpse inside the mind of the creator!
We headed into this project with a vision to showcase Catharina’s true personality in-depth as an athlete and artist. Like a lot of creative ideas, visions aren’t always fully thought through. We wanted to leave space for the creative process.
Parallel to writing out our idea for the film, Catharina was experiencing a “new feeling” of joy, as in taking a break from overthinking solutions of nailing certain manoeuvres and allowing herself to try something new such as winging and twin tipping in order to experience the feeling of success again, to find clarity. So we decided to follow the words: thinking too much and feeling too little.
And that’s exactly how we tackled this project! We felt inspired and just went for it, filming at different locations for several weeks. Then, a plot twist happened. I started to think too much, getting lost in my own thoughts, fogging up my own vision, unable to proceed with the footage due to a certain stage fright that was growing in my head. It took many attempts, breaks, conversations with different people, some more breaks and then finally Catta, who found the right words - due to her own experience as an artist - to ease my fear. She told me to do what I mostly do in life: just go for it.
I allowed myself to feel the fear and found peace in it. By putting my thoughts aside, I was finally able to proceed, and it all came together. We wanted to show a pretty raw portrait of Catta in an artistic way, and I think we did a pretty good job. To create and expose your creation is such a fragile thing. It can feel so intimidating yet incredibly freeing at the same time. Being true to yourself and your creative process is what I relate to the term feeling in the sentence, “We think too much and feel too little”. It is something I remind myself of over and over again because this is the place where inspiration and creativity ignites.
-Miriam Joanna
SARDINIA GRAND SLAM // Mark Your Calendar!
If the desperate wait for the next season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive hasn’t inspired you to start following kitefoil racing yet, perhaps the promise of kiters - actual kiters! - competing for Olympic Gold Medals just might! The Sardinia Grand Slam team is getting fired up for their upcoming event in Cagliari from October 6-10, 2021. We caught up with Sergio Loi to find out what first-time viewers can expect when tuning in to this event!
Evolution, constant experimentation, and the pursuit of speed: the Sardinia Grand Slam is a mix of technology applied to sail and extreme performances. The lifespan of the match races is 12 to 15 minutes per, and viewers will be watching with bated breath. Thanks to a race area course located near the shoreline, fans are close to the action. The finishing line will be directed towards the beach to favour the view of the public.
The technical value of the event is guaranteed by the World Champion title up for grabs. Cagliari will welcome the best athletes on the international scale in view of the debut of kitefoil racing at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
Not to be underestimated is the strategic position of Cagliari, where summer is the longest season of the year. Cagliari is a beautiful city with lots of places to see and admire. During the summertime, Cagliari truly stands out and shows its true colours with beautiful attractions like the two towers of San Pancrazio and Elefante and the San Remy Bastion.
It might be time to book a trip to Italy! Learn more about the event at http://www.sardiniagrandslam.com/
ELEVEIGHT // Gone to Greece
We’re all dreaming of our next kiting holiday, and this story might just be the inspiration we need to book a ticket! Jan Burgdoerfer takes us along on his adventure from Germany to Greece...
After not travelling for 16 months (for obvious reasons), the time had come to go to a warmer place to be able to fasten my boots and unhook to my heart’s content. I know that I live a privileged life if a year and a half of not being on any plane can feel like a long time. Therefore, I am grateful, and I appreciate it every single day.
As soon as I finished my university exams, I was on a flight from Hamburg to Athens, with two weeks ahead in the land of Ouzo, Gyros and Souvlaki. On the advice of Franco Tremsal, I was on my way to Surf Camp Raches, which would offer the best kiting conditions. The stoke was rising by the minute!
The adventure began immediately after landing, travelling by public bus from Athens via Lamía to Raches. There, I set up camp at Nisi Glamping’s campground. In fact, it was Franco’s tent, who was so kind to leave it there so that I wouldn’t have to sleep under the free sky.
When I woke up the next morning, there was no wind. I am serious: no wind, zero knots, nothing, nada, just flat sea. After asking dozens of people around about the wind conditions, everybody answered completely relaxed that it’s coming towards noon, just like every single day. At about 3 pm, the wind picked up, and I had my first freestyle session in Greece.
The owner of the Surf Camp, Vasilis, arranged for photographer Aris Giannoukos to shoot me riding in his new collection of SYLS shirts and lycra. We went straight into the water to capture how a perfect freestyle session in Greece looks! It is safe to say that Aris and I came up with some great shots, which you can see in these photos.
Swimming in the morning, fuelling up with bread from the local bakery for lunch, kiting in the afternoon, and dining and hanging out at the Surf Camp until late in the evening was my daily routine. After continuing that way for two weeks, it was time to go back to Germany. After a day in Athens, I got onto the plane. Not being on the water for a few days now and writing this paragraph makes me want to go back right away!
See you next year, Greece!
GIN/FLYMAAX // Double World Records
Last month, Thomas Lombardo achieved something special by breaking two world records! First, the world speed record in a 500m distance on his Gin Spirit 8m, achieving an average speed of 35.81 knots. Similarly, he broke the world record in the nautical environment (1852m), with an average speed of 34.72 knots on the 10m Flymaax Boom V2. Thomas shares his incredible experience!
I love the speed on a foil! I have been kitefoiling at a high level for four years, so when the chance to hold an official world record came up, I had to go for it. This challenge has been on my mind for several months, and I was lucky to have the supervision of a professional team during my preparation! On the day, I was physically, technically, and mentally ready for this event.
After completing the attempt, the best time for 500 metres per nautical mile was displayed on my GPS watch. I understood that I had broken the two records immediately! We just had to wait for confirmation from the cameras. That evening, the organizer called me to confirm my world records and congratulate me.
I was very happy, especially because the conditions were not easy. The wind was quite light, and I had to go beam reach, which is more technical than going downwind with a strong wind! In addition, I had to avoid the sandbanks. It was a true challenge, and I am really proud to have done these speeds in these types of conditions!
LIEUWE // Going All In
Since 2010, Lieuwe has been delivering top quality twin tips. With their latest campaign, they want to hear your story, and Erik van der Bijl tells us a bit more about what that means!
Kiting is more than just about the sport. It’s what happens when you take amazing individuals and put them together on an adventure. This campaign is about the impact kiting has on our lives and is also a tribute to the higher powers that we experience when we hit the water. These powers transform our moods and make us feel deeply connected with nature. It’s about those small moments of joy that, over time, can turn into memories of a lifetime. Now, we’re calling all riders to go all in and make new memories together with one of our 50+ new designs or to tell their own story with a bespoke custom board.
Every board has a story. Getting a custom board is like getting a tattoo. It’s super personal and gets ‘under your skin’. Over the years, we’ve heard so many incredible reasons why people wish to have their designs created. Impactful life events, travel goals, or crazy obsessions. The weird shit that happened on their kite trips, the things they dream of. To some, kiting is just a hobby. To most of our customers, kiting means life. It’s super cool to hear their stories and to see how our artists turn them into their dream designs. It’s even better when we see how their custom boards lead to all kinds of new encounters and adventures, just because the uniqueness of their boards proved to be true conversation starters.
It’s the reason why we’re calling all riders to go all in and make new memories together.
And it’s why we say, from now on:
We don’t just make boards.
We craft stories.
OZONE // Short Line Shots
After 20 years of kiteboarding, how do you keep things interesting? Alexander Lewis-Hughes - a.k.a. Rowdy - tells us how he keeps it weird!
What was it like setting up the shot?
It was a little hard to grab an angle from outside of the water. In hindsight, it probably would have been better shot with a wider lens, but it was such a spur of the moment decision to hit the rail I hadn’t planned it out.
I was actually foiling previously, and it just got super windy out of nowhere. I came in because I could barely hold the foil down and decided that maybe I could try to ride on a twin tip. At first, I thought there was no way I would get going on 5m lines, especially with only a 7m kite, but I guess having a 155cm board and a super-fast kite like the Ozone Enduro V3 made it work.
Short lines. By choice or just for the shot?
By choice. Usually just for fun. After 20 years, you need to keep trying weird things in order to stay interested, I think. They also have their benefits in some situations, like foiling, for example.
How?!
Easy, just take some lines, cut them down short, find a windy location and go!
Dive in a little deeper and check out the Rowdy interview with Laci Kobulsky on our website!
F-ONE // Charles Brodel Joins the Team
F-ONE welcomes freestyle kitefoil aficionado Charles Brodel to the team! Check out the video and read on as Charles fills us in on the big move.
I started freestyle kitefoil two years ago. Since then, my goal in every session has been to push the boundaries of the sport. I love being able to combine speed and freestyle, which gives me incredible sensations.
As I progressed, people took pleasure in watching what I was doing, and it also caught the attention of F-ONE, who gave me the chance to join their international team. We filmed my welcome video in Gruissan with a strong 40 knots of wind and in Port Camargue for lighter wind conditions.
Joining the F-ONE team is an incredible reward for me. It allows me to continue to push my limits but also to live great adventures alongside the crew!
HARLEM // What’s New in 2022
The kitesurfing industry’s ‘new normal’ has forced a big shift to online. With Brand Meetings and annual Product Presentations going digital, kiting consumers have the opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes. Dutch brand Harlem Kitesurfing has released its entire 2022 collection on live stream, and you can watch to get a closer look at the entire lineup from the comfort of your own couch!
When you’re live, everything is on the table! You’ll get a view of the team and personality behind the brand and take an unfiltered look at the equipment, which doesn’t scare the crew over at Harlem! Their R&D Team started their careers repairing kites and took what they’ve learned about the ins and outs of how kites break to make products that can endure the elements.
Tune in to the complete live stream to learn more about the Go V5, Light V2, K.I.S.S. Bar, Spirit Foilboard, and the Harlem wing board lineup!
Videos
By Crystal Veness
Editor at IKSURFMAG, Crystal Veness hails from Canada but is based in South Africa. When she isn't busy kitesurfing or reporting on the latest industry news for the mag, she is kicking back somewhere at a windy kite beach or working on creative media projects.
