Big Daddy - Kite Buggy Bonkers

Buggy Or Bust - CLSC Meet April 2011

2011-05-05T12:40:00.010+01:00

Well, it has been over 18 months since my last buggy outing, which was the September 2009 CLSC meet at Pembrey. I have not picked up a kite or sat in a buggy since then! Various reasons have left me frustrated and wondering whether I would take part again.

With a new year upon us and weekend work rota sorted, it was time to see if I still enjoyed being out on the beach.....and camping! The CLSC Meet dates have been booked and the Wallop experience had to be tasted again.

I arrived at Pembrey Country Park on the Friday morning - the roads being particularly quiet (some wedding going on in London), set up the tent and headed down to the beach. The usual suspects were out and some new faces that I had not met before. The wind was pretty light, but eventually swung round to onshore and it was fairly tasty for half an hour before it dropped to a sedate 10mph. This meant the big kites could come out - more specifically the 10.5m Bora ll. Amazingly there were no moths in the bag or holes in the kite and within a couple of minutes it was flying like I remembered it. Sweet!!

All too soon the tide was approaching and it was the signal to head back to camp and fire up the cooking. Not many miles to show for the day, but at least the old motto 'You never forget how to ride' held true.

The Saturday proved a bit more challenging with the wind just awful. I sat and took in the rays as various people tried to fly but ended up snapping lines, blowing kites up and generally getting hacked off. I thought I would save myself until Sunday!!!

Yet again the Saturday evening highlight was the club BBQ, which was superbly cooked by the Southampton massive plus helpers. Talk about desperate for food - it was a bit like a stampede at times. Calm down, calm down!

Sunday, Sunday, what a day! Dai Wilmer suggested Pendine for a change as the wind was Easterly and Saturday had been a waste of time at Pembrey. Off we all chugged around the estuary to find the wind blowing across the beach at Pendine, however the beach did turn round the corner at it's Eastern end, so there were possibilities of a good run. Straight away I was out with the Bora ll 3.7m and continued to use this kite for the whole day. I set off to zig-zag up the beach in an Easterly direction to see where it went, not having buggied here before. Dai and a blokarter also made the long trek into the wind, avoiding the bombing area!

After a good hour or so, the beach curved round to the North and I was able to make some good speed heading up the estuary as the wind was now on the beam. Occasionally there were soft patches to deal with, but right across the middle was a hard 'dome' of runway. After a bit of a venture into some real rugged terrain, an emergency halt was needed before a:) I came out of the buggy, or b:) it tipped over!! After a brief respite it was time for a blast in a southerly direction. It was blowing pretty hard at this point (~25-30mph?), but with the rock hard 'dome' to contend with it felt safe.

A few minutes later I stopped before I entered the soft sand and Bristol Channel. "That was a good run", I thought, and looking down at my GPS saw that I had smashed my PB and hit 52.0 mph!! Well they did say that Pendine was the beach for Land Speed Records.

After that there was nothing else to achieve on the day so it was a quick downwind blast back to base camp. I might just have mentioned to a few people what I had done!

There followed a bit of larking around gybeing back and forth as the tide came in, and in no time we had to pack up and adjourn to the pub for a pint before heading back to Pembrey.

One of the best experiences in a buggy and so soon after spending 18 months or so on the sidelines. Thanks to all who made the weekend possible (CLSC Committee, BBQ'ers, fellow CLSC'ers and the welsh wind). Ciao.

Final CLSC Meet of 2009 – 18-20th September

2009-09-28T22:20:00.008+01:00

(Do you remember the mozzies?)

After several months of “are we there yet?”, it was finally upon us. The final official club meet of 2009. With no Freast this year as Nickthechef had emigrated(?!?), this was the one that was most anticipated. It was going to be warm, clear skies, onshore winds and plenty to eat and drink.

As usual, I arrived on the Friday morning to find that there were heaps of members on the beach. Usually just a handful make the it for the best day of the weekend. It looked ‘busy’! Nevertheless, it was an interesting day with the beach suffering a tad from ripples and the wind running cross-shore and fairly light. It was big kite weather and you certainly felt that you had had a good workout when leaving the beach at the end of the day.

There was cloud cover in the evening and fairly warm. That was the problem. ‘Kin mozzies. Who didn’t get bit? Some of the members seemed tastier than others and suffered badly!!

Saturday arrived and it was ‘race’ day for those that fancied it. Still a rippled and wet beach and light, cross shore winds meant that only two races were completed taking about 30 minutes a lap!! Who did win?

At some point in the afternoon the wind went onshore so a few of us shot off down for a run towards the tower. A nice change after doing little tiny runs through the puddles.

Saturday evening was the bbq, with food and ale laid on by the club. As has been said elsewhere, special thanks to the chefs for the night, and for the committee for laying on the food and drink. Top volunteers. More thanks to all the members who contributed to the raffle and to Kitebuggybagman for supplying some terrific prizes for the winners.

Sunday finally arrived and most people eventually headed down the beach to see what was on offer. Not a lot initially as the sun shone (and burnt!), but the wind didn’t turn up. Many people left, but the ‘hardcore’ stayed on – in anticipation.

Finally as the tide turned, the beach was hard, the wind came and it was onshore!! This was a fine end to the weekend and those lucky enough to have remained had several hours of ace conditions and finally got some miles on the clock.

Another top weekend of buggy action and club fun with new faces put to forum names. Roll on 2010 for more meets.

I did say that Sunday was always the best day, didn’t I?

(Credit to Dai Wilmer for his photos)

Tarmac Action From Hudson's Field

2009-05-06T19:27:00.003+01:00

Here is the first film from 2009 of myself and Mark (V-Max Rider) having some fun down the local patch one Saturday morning. It seemed to be a bit slow on the grass, so let's try out the tarmac road that runs down the hill!!

Quite tricky to keep the same speed and get the timing right, but it was fun trying. At times it was hilarious - that is what this sport is all about, isn't it?

Hudson's Buggy Chase from Big Daddy on Vimeo.

Roll on those warm summer evenings and some proper winds. (Not to mention the trips to CLSC beaches!!)

Wolf Boy Boarding Down Hudson's

2008-11-09T16:03:00.003Z

Just found a previously made video of our friend Wolf Boy. Where did he get to? Not seen him around for ages. This was made a while back now, just experimenting one blustery day down my field. He gets some half decent height. I always said that he can jump higher than a house!

Anyway, see what you think....

Wolf Boy Boarding down Hudson's Field from Big Daddy on Vimeo.

Pembrey Video

2008-10-08T17:44:00.004+01:00

Duckin' & Divin' from Big Daddy on Vimeo.

Check out the video from Pembrey on 13th and 14th September with the mobs from Salisbury, Southampton and CLSC. Cross on-shore winds at 10-15mph meant big kites and a lot of zig-zagging down the beach. Great fun and hopefully the video shows a bit of that.

Salisbury Crew Go To Pembrey.

2008-09-28T21:15:00.000+01:00

This is what it is all about!

A weekend camping and buggying trip to Pembrey Beach in South Wales with a good smattering of the boys attending. Two days on the beach, and one night with a CLSC Club barbecue and beer to boot. Look at the weather in the piccy - what another perfect weekend.

Saturday was gorgeous with on shore winds meaning the full length of the beach was possible. Sunday was a lot different with cross shore winds, but still made for an entertaining afternoon. Generally it was 'big kite' weekend but that didn't hold back the fun. Some loonies even tried to get to grips with the 'suicide gybe'! It was caught on video, so maybe I will put it up at a later date! Good try Al, I think you have got it sorted!

The car and buggy trailer was overloaded with kit, but it seems to do the job perfectly. The trailer is definitely the way to go for anyone pondering the best way to transport these bugs.

I guess that I might just have to 'try' Pembrey again at the beginning of October. Let's hope for some late summer weather and autumnal breezes. Adios.

It's August - It Must Be Football!!

2008-08-31T17:15:00.010+01:00

Seems like only five minutes since the football season ended. Been a lot of Olympics on TV, so something to keep the sports fan entertained. It seems that we have had 3 games already in the Premier League and the hammers are at 4th spot!! Do you want some proof?

	Team	Played	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	Goal Diff	Points
1	Chelsea	3	1	1	0	5	1	1	0	0	1	0	5	7
2	Arsenal	3	2	0	0	4	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	6
3	Liverpool	2	1	0	0	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	2	6
4	West Ham	3	2	0	0	6	2	0	0	1	0	3	1	6
5	Middlesbrough	3	2	0	0	4	2	0	0	1	1	2	1	6
6	Bolton	3	1	1	0	3	1	0	0	1	0	1	1	4

There is now a break while some Internationals take place. Was a good game yesterday with Blackburn and Paul Ince returning to the Boleyn. Stuffed them 4-1, that's more like it.

The buggy came out on Saturday after a month with no action. Brilliant afternoon down Hudson's Field as the weather picked up and was warm, sunny and breezy. Had a few hours bombing around with the 8.5 metre Bora.

Looking forward to the CLSC meet on 13th and 14th September. Should be a few of the local crowd going down for the weekend and having a few bevvies. That reminds me, must stock up on some Summer Lightning! I believe that a certain person (other than myself) is a bit partial to this fine brew. With a bit of luck, the wind should be Autumnal which could mean some new records for top speed. Here's to a fine weekend.

CLSC Summer Freast 2008

2008-08-04T21:22:00.005+01:00

Woo hooo!

This was the weekend I had been waiting for. After missing out on two recent weekends away with buggy brethren, there was no stopping me from heading down to Pembrey for the big event of the CLSC calendar - The Summer Freast 2008. It really was a struggle to get all the kit in! I reckon I had packed for a week, and it was only 2 nights staying away.

Friday morning I was up early and set off at 07:30. I reached Pembrey Country Park at 11:00 and there was no one around. Headed to the beach and Boz had just arrived shortly followed by Duc. The whole afternoon was spent tanking up and down getting the best from the 20mph onshore wind and sunny afternoon. I covered 65 miles before we packed up around 5:30pm and headed back to the camp site to set up tents. Loads of people had arrived with a few familiar faces from other trips. The evening mellowed as we chilled, sitting outside in the evening warmth supping a few London Pride's.

Saturday arrived and the weather was very similar. Onshore 20-22 mph. Yes please! Once I had picked up Sandra from the station it was down the beach with a grin for much of the same. This time it was really busy. There must have been nearly 20 buggies bombing up and down. It was excellent. From the set up point it was 5.3 miles down to the estuary and left a bit. The sand was rock hard and smooth. Buggy heaven. Another 55 miles was covered with the occasional break for a piccy or two. The new camera clamp was tried and I think I took 80 minutes of footage. Once it has been viewed, then I am sure there will be some stuff to shout about.

Saturday evening came and this was the big event - The Freast. Nick The Chef and his team had put on a feast for the gathering families and it certainly didn't disappoint. Superb cooking from this genius. Well done Nick. The evening continued with banter and ales until people dispersed thinking of the final session on the beach.

Clouds were in abundance on Sunday morning but we still had the 20+mph onshore winds, and the beach had been cleaned ready for the last runs. Slightly bigger kite was taken out (3.7m Bora II) and this proved to be the correct choice. Cruising along with other 'mates' was what it was all about. The last 2 runs of the day were probably the most enjoyable. Staying close to the water on the hardpacked sand with the kite 'locked in' just enjoying the experience.

If you've done it, you know the feeling!

Pembrey, Pembrey, Pembrey.☺

2008-05-27T19:48:00.005+01:00

Well it had to be done didn't it! A small gathering of the CLSC clan met up at Pembrey for the Bank Holiday weekend. My exhaustive searching meant that Saturday seemed to be the only day to get in a session on this famous welsh beach before the Bank Holiday weather turned foul. Jim and I set off on the Saturday morning intending to do at least a day trip, with the possibility of staying over if we were too knackered/drunk to make it back on Saturday night.

Arrived at the beach at 10:30 Saturday morning to find the tide receeding and a nice flat, hard surface appearing. Straight out with the kit - no time for photos. The wind was North Easterly which meant at one end it was directly offshore, at the other end it was about 20º offshore. However this meant it was lumpy, having come across Wales and Pembrey Forest. Never mind, we buggy in Hudson's Field - that makes us hardcore!

What a challenging 5 hours I had. Buggied almost non stop, with a few quick breaks to chat to Jim and the locals. It really did take some skill to control the kite even though the direction meant that I could travel 5 miles up the beach and back. Didn't break the top speed, but did 38 miles and topped at 42.5 mph. Seemed to pick up a nasty vibration from the front tyre, which wasn't there at the last Ho! session, but maybe that was because I pumped it up for the hard beach. I think Jim enjoyed the trip aswell, just not as hardcore!

Part of the trailer broke on the way back, but we managed to catch it before we killed anyone on the motorway! Can't wait for the next meeting and looking forward to actually camping and having a few beers with the local crew. That is one monster beach and with the wind coming onshore, and the whole depth of the beach to play with, it's got to be worth the 3 and a bit hours to get there.

Bring on the summer and the south westerlies please Dieter!!

Football Season Over.

2008-05-12T19:53:00.002+01:00

Well, that's it until August. Footie has now finished and we can now concentrate on getting some good buggy sessions in! Finishing with a 2- 2 draw with Villa, and another cracking goal from Deano, means we have finished in the top half of the table - a creditable 10th place. Following on from the miraculous escape from relegation we had last year, it is a great achievement, and no doubt Curbs will be looking to freshen up things for the new season. Just a couple of finals to take place, then it's down to long summer evenings down the field, getting the buggy rolling again.

The trailer has been undergoing some adjustments and is now funtional for roadtrips. Bring them on! Pembrey looks to be the likeliest destination in a couple of weeks. Bit warm at present but no doubt the wind will arrive with the low pressure and rain for the Bank Holiday weekend.

Here's to loads of miles covered and top speeds smashed.

Football this weekend.

2008-04-21T21:30:00.003+01:00

Well, after a fabulous last Saturday with a trip to the Ho!, there was no buggy action this time. A planned trip to Pembrey with the CLSC mob failed to materialise because of the bad weather, so no buggying there and none in Salisbury either. The weather was cold and everyone was away or loved up or was just not being sociable.

That left the footy. My local team, Salisbury City, were playing Cambridge at home, so I walked up to the Ray Mac stadium and spent a couple of hours in the drizzle and cold. We got a player sent off after 14 minutes and that was it. Salisbury lost 2-0. However I took the radio with me and was listening to reports from the Boleyn ground. 2-1 win to the Hammers. Thanks very much. Another 3 points for our quest to stay in 10th!

Not going to Ho! next weekend as I plumped for the wrong weekend. Hope the weather is good for the organisers and visitors. I reckon the place will be heaving.

Anyone remember Diana Ross at the Waterside? LOL.

Last minute dash to Westward Ho!

2008-04-13T17:17:00.007+01:00

.....and was it worth it!

Last Saturday, 5th April, V-Max Rider and myself headed to Westward Ho! for a day trip. The new towbar had been fitted and I could now use the double trailer. The tide was ideal, the weather looked blowey, with a slim chance of a shower. What the hell, we can dodge the rain!

We arrived at 10:30 to see the car park filling up with Transporter vans. Looked to be busy until we noticed that they were all kite boarders. Result! There were only about 4 or 5 buggies on the beach and it was blowing 20-25mph. Out with the 4.5m Bora initially and this was quick but was giving me a lot of sideways drag. The 3.7m Bora was next and this was perfect.

After a couple of runs exploring the beach and the best bits for speed runs, we found the ideal 'runway' of approximately half a mile. This avoided the posts and rocky patches and ran from the estuary to the sea. It was slightly into the North Westerley going towards the estuary, but the run back towards the sea enabled you to pick up the speed.

This was what this sport is all about: blasting along picking up speed and controlling kite and buggy without hitting anything or anyone. After getting the Barracuda up on 2 wheels at a couple of turns it was time to go for it. Run after run brought a mahoosive grin to my face and especially after one of the runs, I cracked my top speed. Now standing at 48.5mph, the 50mph mark is surely only a few trips away!

The beach was disappearing fast and eventually we had to pack up having covered 45 miles in 4 and a bit hours of extreme fun. Totally knackering, exhausting, but well worth the day out. Next trip Pembrey?

Mixed Weekend

2008-03-16T10:01:00.005Z

Well, it's still raining and it doesn't look as though it will stop until Monday. No buggy action then this weekend. Let's hope the Easter weekend brings some decent wind/no rain. Two weeks today British Summer Time begins!!

At least the Hammers stormed to another win. Coming from behind against Blackburn, with the winner from a local lad - Freddie Sears. What a star. With a lot of our summer signings coming back from injury, here's hoping we push on up the table. We are within touch of the teams above us now after consolidating our 10th position. Hammers for Europe!!! Now that would be nice.

Gutted!

2008-03-05T21:52:00.006Z

Whatever you do, don't mention the football!!

Wonder Weekend

2008-02-24T20:07:00.003Z

What a weekend. Firstly, we had a great bit of weather. None of this cold and frosty mornings with the sun shining and cold Easterly winds. A proper weather system arrived with the prevailing South Westerlies. Off down to Hudson's with my mate Jim and a cracking session was had. Four hours of blatting up and down in 20mph (gusting 28) winds on the limit with my 6.0 Bora II. Exhilarating - this is what it is all about. After the failed trip to Pendine 2 weeks ago, this was a brilliant day getting rid of the cobwebs. Unfortunately Sunday was a bit of a let down with 5-8mph wind and a bit of drizzle. Never mind, here's to another beach trip in 2 weeks (please!).

As for those Hammers...another away win, this time 1-0 at Fulham. Bit of luck I guess, but we have had some go against us in the past. Moving up the table now reaching 40 points. I think that means we are safe from the drop this season. Woo hoo! Lets head on up the table and claim a UEFA place. Just Chelsea and Liverpool in the next 2 weeks!! No Problemo!

Just to cap it off England stuffed France again at Rugby. T'is is too good to be true. Time for a drink..........

Buggy Wagon

2008-02-03T20:19:00.000Z

This picture shows the current buggy wagon for transporting me around. Still waiting for the towbar to be sorted which will make life easier for me and the crew, when roadtrips are carried out. I previously had a cycle carrier on the back when I had my V-max, but this Barracuda is a whole lot heavier, especially as the last owner (martnic!) filled the forks with lead!

It sits okay on the top in the specially built wooden guide. Just need to lift up and run along while holding the axle. Only takes a minute or two to then do the straps up.

When the towbar/trailer is sorted then just run it on and tie her down. No bolting/unbolting wheels. Bring it on....

At last! Some buggy action.

2008-01-21T17:05:00.000Z

Sunday 20th January 2008 will be remembered for some wind, a few drops of drizzle and the chance to get the buggy out of the garage. Wind was South Westerly 20-25mph and the field was drying out. I spent a few hours blasting about with Jim on his buggy (oops! - tell you later) and Will on his board. Saw a few dudes from Southampton who were mucking about static. Don't know where Mike got to. There was no rain down here, honestly! Once you're a pro at this game you don't foget how to buggy, so really enjoyed the afternoon just tanking around. We really do need a Pembrey trip soon. (Must get that tow bar sorted!).

As for Jim - kept saying that his seat had slipped and his bum was hitting the ground. Excuse was that he had new tyres, which were smaller and so the seat was lower. I reckon that he had ate too much over Christmas and the buggy couldn't handle it. Anyway half an hour into the session and he said he was going home. On inspection of the buggy, the siderail/downtube junction had collapsed at the welds. Looked expensive to me. Time for a proper buggy, Jim?

As for football, another match against Manchester City yielded a point in a 1-1 draw. By all accounts they were rubbish and we should have taken all 3 points. We played well and looks like we are getting to be hard to beat. Hopefully we will have moved up after the next few games against Liverpool (H) and Wigan (A).

A Welcome to 2008!

2008-01-13T17:02:00.000Z

I'm stuffed!! One of the more interesting comments from my daughter at the dinner table. We at least managed a few walks to try and get rid of the extra inch that had accumulated! (Picture of us at Old Sarum on New Years Day.) 2007 ends and 2008 starts with not particularly great weather for getting the kit out. Either too wet, not enough wind or a combination. Not been out since the last film made in November. Never mind as the evenings get longer, maybe there will be some time for a session or two after work. I am looking forward to a trip or 5 to south Wales. Apparently the best beach in GB for buggying. We shall see.

Did I tell you that West Ham stuffed Man United? A busy Christmas program of 4 games yielded 7 points. Not bad especially as it included a 2-1 over the old enemy. Two headed goals from the Full Backs, Upson and Ferdinand. Cracking stuff. Not to mention a further win over Fulham yesterday cementing our place in the top half. Just need to beat Man City in the cup and league over the next week and we will be heading for Europe! COME ON YOU IRONS.

End of 2007

2007-12-30T18:45:00.000Z

Well, still not much wind to enable a good session at the local field. On the odd occasion that we do get some, then it is chucking it down. At least I will be heading to the two massive beaches in South Wales in 2008. Definitely some good sessions to be had there. It looks like I have had my last fly this year, but popped down to see jimabbey having a lonely session on Saturday 29th December. Took one or two pictures, which can be viewed in my picasaweb.google album. Just click on the links to the right. This one I liked as it showed a beautiful day and our famous 'Old Sarum' iron age fort in the background. Jim was pretty much motoring with his 5m Bora. Looked fun though. Hopefully the next week will bring some wind and sun before returning to work. Hope y'all have a fantastic New Year.

Rubbish weather - watched West Ham thrash Blackburn Rovers!

2007-12-10T15:11:00.000Z

Well, there was certainly a load of wind this weekend, but also a whole heap of rain! Waterlogged down Hudson's Field. West Ham travelled to the north west to play Blackburn and came away with a fantastic 1-0 win. Dean Ashton scoring again after coming on at half time. He is the business - a big strong centre forward. Shame England haven't got any games this summer!

What we need is a monster beach session before Christmas to blow the cobwebs away, and then another one just after Christmas and possibly a New Year one too. Looks like next year will be the year for South Wales beaches. Just waiting for the membership to arrive!! Rock on!

West Ham Draw

2007-11-25T19:35:00.000Z

Well, a highly exciting game of football at lunchtime today ended with the Hammers drawing 1-1 with Spurs. I suppose that was better than last years 4-3 defeat. Nevertheless, we had our 'England' keeper Robert Green saving a last minute dubious penalty. Second time he has done that in a few weeks. Dean Ashton came on so good to see him back again. Still 10th in the table, bring on Chelsea next weekend.

Finally, some wind!!

2007-11-12T21:26:00.000Z

Well, another weekend beckoned, but the forecast looked good. Sun was out, it was a bit chill, but the wind was promising 20-25mph. Okay so it was North Westerly, but we are hard! Flying inland, we can cope when it's gusty. Most of the Salisbury Crew who are in the country turned up at the local spot for a long day's flying on Saturday. I brought the video camera for a change and took some time out to capture the troops.

Having spent all day down the park, it was good to finally get some footage of buggiers and boarders doing their thing. I won't mention 'outinthesticks' getting his kite into a tree, and then pulling it out into a rose bush in a local garden. That would be unkind. Anyway, no damage done, and he then took out a smaller kite. I still haven't managed to catch on film 'V-Max Rider' getting yanked out of his buggy. He did it several times on Saturday, but still carried on with that beast of a kite. Get yourself a decent set of Bora's, matey.

No sign of 'kite mike'. Where have you been? You missed a cracker. 'jimabbey' seemed to be getting a bit excited with his new bigfoots and was getting into some terrific sideways action. The usual suspects were on the boards including 'Wolfboy' and 'KiteManiac77'. Good to see the crew having a riot. Check out the film above and TURN IT UP LOUD.

West Ham stuff Derby!

2007-11-12T20:02:00.000Z

What a weekend for the Hammers! Having a huge injury list and lacking most of our first choice strikers, we headed to Pride Park to face bottom of the table Derby. Bit of a dull first half with only Bowyer's solitary goal, but then knocked in four more to truly stuff them 5-0. Terrific stuff. A good weekend for a change!

France Raid October 2007

2007-11-06T21:45:00.001Z

Having sat around all summer with a whole bunch of no wind days, it was time to head off to France and visit one of my mates, Neil, who lived within easy reach of a plethora of beaches. The tides were low, the coefficients were low, the ferry was booked - all we needed was some sun and wind!

We arrived at Neils' at 2:30 in the morning, so a quick bevy and off to bed. Friday morning looked glorious in the countryside and the wind generators were slowly moving. Off we went to try a few West facing beaches and ended up at Saint Cecile Plage, north of Le Touquet. The wind was light and so out came the 10.5m Bora II. Mike went for 11.0m Century and Jim the 10m Bora I. Progress was middling, but we had some fun bombing to the water and back to the dunes. Miles covered were few and I believe Mike claimed top speed of the day (I'm sure his GPS was running in the van!).

Friday night was spent in the pub watching France getting stuffed by the Argies! Neil downed 3 bottles of wine and suggested we take the caravan and park outside a disco!! Needless to say the more mature of us, said "perhaps tomorrow".

Saturday was an offshore wind day and it had picked up a bit. This allowed us to travel parallel to the sea, so more space for cruising. No one else was on the beach, most of the sand was hard and once the rivers were avoided, we had the rest of the afternoon for chilling out. Jim and I managed to get to the estuary at le Touquet (pictured), while Michael couldn't handle it with his kite! You need some proper kit, matey!! Not a particularly good day for mileage, but very enjoyable just being out in the sun and cruising the beautiful scenery.

Saturday night was spent in the same pub watching England getting mashed by South Africa, so we headed home ready for an early start back on Sunday morning. The wind was non existant on Sunday, we made an earlier ferry and got back home middle of the afternoon for the final Grand Prix. That was rubbish aswell!

Introduction

2007-09-29T12:33:00.000+01:00

Hi there, I have two hobbies in my life at present: West Ham United and Parakarting (kite buggying).

I have been a Hammer fan since 1965, and have supported the club through the good and bad times since then. After 'we' won the World Cup in 1966, this was the start of a wonderful, and often fraught relationship. With the FA Cup runs and cup final successes to the ups and downs in the league, the traditional Saturday afternoon down Upton Park or in front of the TV, has been a huge part of my life.

Kite buggying has been something I became addicted to in May 2003, when I visted my first Kite and buggy festival at Middle Wallop with my son. The incredible sight of all those power kites in the air, when approaching the airfield, will never be forgotten. Money has been spent on kites, buggies, safety gear, but the end result is an exhilarating sport, and when you are on a hard packed beach with the wind blowing 25mph onshore, there is no better feeling!