Name: Marc

Email:

Web Site: http://www.kitesurfnow.eu

Bio: I'm a dutchman, born on the 8th of May 1964. I've been windsurfing for more than 25 years and started kitesurfing 4 years ago. I'm passionate about these sports and hope that many other can enjoy these sports as I do. I've set up a kitesurf school (Kitesurf NOW) together with my other passion: Ola Markowska on the island of Sao Vicente (Cape Verde islands).

Posts by admin:

    Effect of 2010/2011 La Nina on the trade winds of Sao Vicente

    November 14th, 2010

    Global weather is impacted by La Nina (following El Nino). The impact of La Nina on the trade winds we normally experience mid-October – July in Sao Vicente (Cape Verde Islands) has not been published so far. We are in the process of recording wind patterns, location of the engines driving the trade winds (high pressure – Azores; low pressure  -ITCZ) and rain zones to assess the impact for our kitesurf school. So far (mid-October to mid-November), the signs are not good. We see a shift of high and low pressure systems on the Atlantic Ocean and notice more rain and…. less wind!

    No Comments "

    How to choose the right sized kite

    August 29th, 2010

    Have you ever looked for advise on what kite size to use, only to find a chart for 75kg riders (and your weight is different)? Do you want to compare different types of kites for their optimal wind range?

    To help you, we have produced a chart showing the wind range for each size kite. We have done this for rider weights of 50kg, 55kg, 60kg, 65kg, 70kg, 75kg, 80kg, 85kg, 90kg, 95kg and 100kg and for 4 kite types: bow high aspect-ratio, bow medium aspect-ratio, hybrid and C-shape. Check it out: http://www.kitesurfnow.eu/images/pdftext/Wind-kiteChartBooklet.pdf

    Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

    4 Comments "

    How to self-rescue

    August 14th, 2010

    It’s just a matter of time: one day you will get stuck out there on the water at a distance from shore with no chance of a kite re-launch.  SO HOW DO YOU GET BACK TO SHORE?

    Well, the self-rescue technique, of course.

    All too often, schools are skipping this part of the lesson. Even when we are taught we don’t get enough practice so by the time the self-rescue is needed most we may have forgotten already.

    So below is a link to a video as a refresher on how to do the self-rescue.  After having seen the video: keep in mind that one of the techniques to get back to shore (using the kite as a sail) is only mentioned and not shown. We will try to capture this on video and share this with you. Watch this space!

    Self-rescue by Neil Godbold, IKO head examiner, UK

    Enjoy.

    No Comments "

    3 Steps to decide whether a spot has good windstatistics

    August 9th, 2010

    Have you ever arrived at a holiday destination to find out that the 80% >4BFT only happens during the night or that the wind is gusty because it is offshore?

    Here is a 3-step process to check out statistics for yourself so you are better informed about wat that matters most to you: how much time can I spend on the water with good, consistent wind from a safe direction?

    Step 1: Visit http://www.windguru.cz/int/historie.php  and pick the spot of interest and the time period of interest (look at last year and perhaps the same period, the years before that). Note down the wind strength and direction during the day (e.g. 10h 13h 16h). You can select the info on the windguru page and paste into a program such as MS Excel. If the spot is not listed in Windguru, try a nearby spot and perform step 1b.

    Step 1b (if needed): Visit http://www.windfinder.com/windstats/windstatistic_map_world.htm  and pick the nearby spot and the spot of interest to adjust the wind for the spot of interest (for instance if the wind strength at spot of interest is mostly 10% higher than the nearby spot listed on windguru, make the 10% adjustment).

    Step 2: Look for your spot on http://maps.google.com/      viewing in satellite mode. Choose the acceptable wind directions for the spot (e.g. cross-shore = from NW and SE).

    Step 3: From the list you created, note the times when the wind strength is good (e.g. for beginners between 11 knots and 25 knots) and the wind direction is good. Count  the number of good times (e.g. 13 time points over a 1 week period) out of all time points (e.g. 3 time points per day over 1 week = 21). This gives you a much more practical wind statistic for the spot of interest (e.g. 13/21 = 62%).

    We did this for Sao Vicente in Cape Verde (and some other popular holiday destination). Check out the results: http://www.kitesurfnow.eu/en/kitesurfing_cape_verde_islands/wind_report_weather.html .

    Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

    1 Comment "

    Hello world!

    August 9th, 2010

    Hi, I am part of a kitesurf school called kitesurf NOW 1.

    The aim of this blog site is to share insights to help you to enjoy our sport.

    4 Comments "