Andy Bubble Chambers, currently ranked 18 on the world tour for freestyle sent me his footage from his winter training session out in Cape Town. Work commitments meant I couldn’t spend as much time on it as I would have liked and it doesn’t have the sick remix that my buddy was going edit but take a look and spread it round your social media spaces, cheers!
Or visit my YouTube Channel
Despite ripping me for writing a blog my brother who has been given a yacht to use in the Caribbean for 5 months along with James Martin (kite tester for kiteworld magazine, sponsored rider and male model, no big deal!!) has decided to document their trip by writing their own WordPress blog, Wind Waves and Caribbean Raves. To add an extra dimension and make use of the fact that they have been cross referencing anchor spots with windsurfing, surfing and kitesurfing locations. They wanted to include some kind of map.
So, here’s how to use Google Maps My Maps function to create your own custom maps and embed them in the blog posts, not oly that I will explain how to embed extra media such as a YouTube video into the Map.
Sign into your Google account, under the Google Maps logo in the top left hand part of the page click on My Maps and then Create new map. Give it a title and description, in the edit mode you have the option to draw on the map, drop a pin or grab and navigate the map. I have created a map as an example, using some footage I shot at Gwithian beach in Cornwall the other week I then chose the html option on the push pin and embedded the share code from Youtube.
View Video Beach Guide in a larger map
The first weekend of December was the 2 day Sherwood Pines CaniX event for the first time the family decided to take the Inner Wolf brand to the event and a van load of sports dog products. The stand did alright, covered costs and got a lot of brochures out to very interested dog owners.
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Particularly popular products were
The Tazlab Aqua-Fur Foldable Dog Bowl
DOOG Walkie Belt for poo bags and wipes
The Ezy Dog Range is always a good seller
This time of year the coats are popular to.
And of course the CaniX products.
Right that’s my Gadget Show bit out of the way.
The Run
I ran both days, Ady (older brother didn’t due to back trouble) on day one I forgot all my gadgets, no iPhone and no Garmin Forerunner so was a bit worried that I couldn’t pave myself but fortunately it was a short and straight course so it was possible to pace yourself based on the other runners. I set off at quite a pace (for me) which set me up to feel like crap most of the way round. The results came in and I did the 3 mile course in 20 minutes, that’s just over 6.5 minute miles which amazed me as I run at 8 minute miles round the park. It is however a different running style, when the dog is pulling the you are continually breaking with your legs using muscles rarely used on a normal run. On day 2 I ran with the Garmin Forerunner and found that while the dog is pulling you can easily run at 6 minute miles but when he’s trotting by your side the speed drops to around 8 minute miles. Anyway excuses aside my tired legs knocked a minute and a half of my time on the second day but what an awesome way to spend the weekend, sherwood forest, the family, the dogs and a bit of fitness to.
If you’re interested the Sherwood Pines route is mapped out on my Mapmyrun account.
Also I have mapped the 13 mile, Neothic half marathon at stonge henge, this is a really good one so get training and get involved.
Last year my brothers and I bought a couple of quivers of kitewings, Mountain Boards, Dirtsurfers and the surf board they brought out to use with the 7.5m Kitewing. Our first tests were up on a disused airfield in Tangmere, a large expanse of disused concrete with very little obstacles. If the wind were blowing in the right direction you could do runs of over a few hundred metres at a time, it wasn’t however which meant we had the quickly learn to tack and gybe the things across the width of the airfield. It didn’t take much, we were soon tacking, gybing, sailing upwind and downwind with no hastle. Luke even began to pop in a few cheeky jumps.
The next test was the dirtsurfer, we had seen most the videos online using the dirtsurfers on the hard sand when the tide had gone out so we went down to West Wittering to try this out. Having already mastered the Kitewing skills we could concentrate on the Dirtsurfer skills. Once you got going it was definitely the way to achieve straight line speed but turning around was an issue. We later took the dirtsurfer up to the top of Goodwood hill to throw ourselves in the deep end. Luke went first with a small push from myself and began dodging cow pats at quite a speed, fortunately the dirtsurfer is fitted with a disc brake so you can remain in control even on a stupidly steep hill.
On the water
I was down the beach one day and decided to get the Water wing and board out with Neal Gent, competitive UK kitesurfer. Even for the experts we we struggling, we were underpowered I think and fighting a ripping tide but we found it very difficult to make any progress. I have seen the online videos so know it’s easy in the right conditions so I’m guessing 7.5m weather on a Kitewing will be 5m or even less on a Windsurf.
Obviously this kit is widely used on the snow but we didn’t have a local piste to test it, check out YouTube and judge for yourself. I think they will be in their element here turning speed into height, despite the safety warning that comes with the kit.
Construction
Starting with the adapted surf board, I have to say Otis almost laughable that they have not learnt from the recent evolution off kitesurfing. Whacking some straps on a surfboard doesn’t constitute a custom designed board for the sport and in my opinion after trying it needs a lot more thought.
The 7.5 is designed to be light which it is but with that it has weak spots and at crucial positions on the sail, when learning it is inevitable that your board will connect with the sail and we managed to put a few holes in the weaker areas. The smaller sails 4.5 and Rage 55 are built more durable as the are for land use. On the concrete though we found that you often catch the tips of the wing and the concrete quickly wears the material, possibly a tougher construction over these areas would make the sale last longer.
Overall Kitewing are a very enjoyable and versatile toy to have in the van offering a light wind alternative that can be use on a multitude of terrains. It’s easy to learn especially if you have a windsports background. Have a look at the different packages and learn more at www.pickledshrimp.co.uk
This Sunday the 25th of October was the Bupa Great South Run. I went and ran it with my brother. I fully recommend it for anyone who wants to try a middle distance run. The course is flat nearly the whole way around, there is a constant crowd and often music to keep you running at a steady pace.
At 6 miles you loop past the start so all your fans who saw you off get to watch you run past mid point. The final loop brings you out onto the sea front for the final two miles. All in all a really well organised event and a good run. Thanks to all the Twittering well wishers.
Also see my post on the Neolithic Canni Cross event and an Overview of Canni Cross, I’m hoping to run a few more in the weekends to come. View my MapMyRun Profile to see my training progress (not all of it) and also my reviews on the iMapMyRun workarounds and the New Balance Totalfit iPhone App.
I was a keen user of the iMapmyrun iPhone app when I was training for my last canni cross half marathon. The app however was buggy and required workarounds. It spiked on the GPS, it struggled to save over 3G Internet and lost signal and forgot the current trip. When I got the email about the New Balance Total Fit (still powered by mapmyrun) I thought I’d test it out. I went on a 5 mile / 3 laps of the park run, a route iMapMyRun used to struggle with as I guess the route was all close together. I got a message at the beginning about a weak GPS signal but continued anyway. At the end of the run the data seemed accurate and so I hi save, the app saved first time with no issues.
Hopefully I’m not speaking too soon but the App seems stable and with a few extra functions to iMapMyRun including View Route, Tweet Workout, Share / Challenge and a data or map view during your workout.
Since the launch of The Windsurfing Movie in 2007 by Poorboyz Productions, not many production companies caught on to the fact that the best way to make a windsurf film was to actually intend to make it in the first place, develop some camera techniques and put a budget behind it rather than ring around your mates asking them if they’ve got any footage for their video. Andre Paskowski seems like he might have done it properly judging by the trailer with Four Dimensions.
Watch the trailer below.
Also The Windsurfing Movie 2 is currently being made and is set to be better than the first.
In around 2002, I did a season coaching windsurfing at the high wind resort “Moon Beach” in Egypt for the company Gybemasters. During that time we were encouraged to develop our own teaching style. I ended up writing an extensive pad of notes, half of which will only make sense to me but I thought rather than leave them sitting on my laptop I would make the available to anyone who thinks they might be able use them in their teaching. I have made them available in a PDF Download rather than publish it all to my blog. Download them and use them how you wish!
Having sound knowledge and experience as a cameraman, a background in teaching / participating in watersports, places me in a unique position in the UK to shoot water based videography that far exceeds that of the a regular watersports enthusiast jumping in the water with a camera, or the most experienced cameraman placing themselves literally out of their depth.
I have filmed events at a national competitive level and intend to do a lot more in the near future with the boom in the demand for online video / video marketing.
In the past I have survived with home made waterproof housings and rain covers, pining for an improvement in technology that would allow me to achieve the highest standard of footage at ease on or in the water. A large hard drive would be essential, with the backup of a laptop and external hard drive would mean getting plenty of footage without any annoying tape changes. Pro HD footage would be ideal and allow a combination of great quality footage and cropping to pin point the action. A compact camera that didn’t rely on the use of a view finder would allow me to achieve a perfectly framed shot and keep hold of the camera while filming in surf.
Based on the above requirements I opted for the JVC GZ-HD40 with a JVC Everio Marine Case, WR-MG200. Visit back and I shall post some real life reviews using the equipment in extreme and marine sports situations, along with examples of footage I shoot.
Contact me here at my blog with any questions regarding filming, watersports and editing.
This bank holiday weekend the boys decided to drive upto me in London and meet me at the Princes Club wakeboarding cable park. We got there about half 2 and paid for a two hour sesh on! You hire all the kit each bit being a couple of quid a time. Then watch a short safety briefing and que up to get towed off the pontoon. You get all types there from beginners to some really good boarders and obviously the guys who are looking for something else to do because it’s not windy (us). My day was dominated by the need to get round the right angle that is bend 4, but once I’d cracked it I made sure I did the full 3 laps limit before I finished up.
In summary, absolutley awsome 2 hours (don’t know whether I could do much more than 2) good value for money and I will definatly be going again, scouring eBay for kit as we speak and checking the trains out of central London to see whether I can make an evening sesh.
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