End of year big boat sailing...

Over the past nine months Challenge Wales has undertaken over 300 young people sailing days with most experiencing sailing for the first time let alone a 72-foot round-the-world yacht that sailed twice in the BT Global Challenge Races a few years ago.

To help raise funds for the Challenge Wales charity, and to enable more young people to experience sail training in Wales a couple of fundraising sailing experience trips were organised in between Christmas and New Year... the Sail and Spice trips (aptly named because not only do you enjoy a big boat sailing experience along the Welsh coast but a curry onboard as well).

Yesterday Challenge Wales left Penarth Marina, with 18 onboard, and after locking out of the barrage headed along the Welsh coast. As some guests on board had not sailed before and the wind was reaching up to 32 knots, the first couple of hours were spent feeling the exhilaration of the boat slicing through the water. The mainsail was reefed in and the smallest headsail (the no.3 Yankee) were set. Challenge Wales' speed reached over 10 knots through the water and everyone onboard felt excited as the bow of the boat caught the waves and water crashed onboard. Oohhs and aahhs, smiles and grins and a few photo opportunities distracted many from the cold weather.

Half way through the day, we tacked and headed towards Newport. With the tide behind us we were soon in the lee of the land, and calmer waters, and with a deeply reefed mainsail the guests onboard were able to experience the helm of an ocean racing yacht as we made our way home. A great day was had by all.

Challenge Wales will not only undertake more sail training around Wales for Welsh young people during 2010 but is also available for corporate & team building trips plus day and weekend trips if you just fancy trying something new or gaining more experience in sailing. Wishing you all a happy new year!

Big Days at Newgale

Here is a video of the Big Blue team enjoying big autumn swells at Newgale.

Warm Water Envy

Oh yeah and I had a cheeky surf holiday in Sri Lanka!

End of Season Update

Its been a busy season at Big Blue this summer. The weather has nt been great for sunbathing but for us the wind has been un-precedented. Varying strengths as expected but cross on or onshore for 6 weeks! Perfect for teaching. On top of that we have done a roaring trade in Stag parties, Stand Up Paddleboarding and Zap catting. The new boat proved a winner, faster, shinier and Blue! The Yurts have been up and down and have proved a hit with honeymooning couples.

The Pembrokeshire season is slowing but work is now focussed on the Snow kiting for Jan-Feb 10. The chalet is booked and interest is growing we have a couple of full weeks already booked but dates are still available. Check the link below for more info.

http://www.thebigblueexperience.com/snowkite.htm

Vouchers for all courses and activities are available for Christmas pressies just e-mail or ring to purchase.

Work is in progress for next summer so keep an eye out for the latest info on here or the website.

www.bigbluekitesurfing.com

Summer is here

Its been a while since I posted on the blog. Things in the shire have been quite hectic as we have been gearing up for the summer season. The weather has been fantastic lots and lots of sunshine but very little wind. Kitesurfing courses have been few and far between but the lighter wind landboarding has been going strong. The conditions have been perfect for cruising the coastline on the Stand Up Paddleboards. The lack of surf for the last 4 weeks or so has meant the water is crystal clear. Check out the following video to see what I mean.

The coastline near Newgale has many caves, gullies and secluded beaches to explore and frequently seals and porpoises can be spotted along with nesting gulls and cormorants.

Other than the paddleboarding Big Blue has recently acquired a brand new Zapcat. The Zapcat is used as a safety boat for the kite school but also for wakeboarding, powerboat courses, Zapcat experiences and coasteering. If you have nt come across a Zapcat before they are very fast and very manouverable surf rescue craft, capable of bashing out through surf, jumping and turning on a six pence. Keep checking the blog and website as a new video will soon been posted.

The weather is set to be hot and sunny for another week and hopefully come Sunday a pulse of swell will kick in and last all week. Should be 2-3 ft with light offshores, check the webcam to see how it turns out.

Shear luxury on the Pembrokshire coast!

If you're in the market to charter a classic yacht, just take a look at this video to see what the Pembrokeshire coast can really offer!!

Halcyon is a classic, 95ft long, 1929 built Bermudan Ketch, which is now available for yacht charter and sailing holidays. The interior has been fully refurbished to the highest standards allowing you to sail a yacht that combines the opulence of the 1920's with today's more modern comforts and navigation systems. The sails are still handled by their original blocks and tackles so the sailing experience is completely authentic.


She's available for crewed charters and holidays and can take either 8 guests in 4 superbly appointed cabins, or up to 11 passengers on a 'day-sail' basis for corporate entertaining.


Hope you enjoy the video

Surfcam at Newgale

Big Blue Kitesurfing have recently installed a live webcam at Newgale.
Check it out.
http://www.thebigblueexperience.com/webcam.html

The snowkiting has come to an end and I am now back in Pembrokeshire. Our time spent in Switzerland was amazing and after a slow start proved to be quite popular. So much so the chalet is rented for next year this time from the middle of January to the end of March 2010. If you like the pictures and want to come out, then keep an eye on our website as the details and prices will be up in the next month or so.

Since I have been back the weather has been pretty good although the wind as usual has been variable and unpredictable. This made the Easter weekend interesting. Thankfully I did manage to do some teaching and the wind being offshore made for some great surfing. Just after Easter a nice ground swell hit which turned out to be pretty sizeable. The April showers have also struck with storms brewing, dissipating and occasionally delivering some serious thunder and lightning in a matter of minutes.

One big blow to our happy start to the season was the loss of our dog little Meg. She along with my Mums dog Tosca went missing on the 3rd April in the Mitchell Troy area near Monmouth in South East Wales. Tosca is chipped and both dogs were wearing collars with a name and number on the tag. I am feeling a little lost without my shadow. Below is a picture of them both.

The weather for fri day is looking rainy with light offshore, changeable wind, with Sat and Sun looking sunnier with more offshore light winds and maybe a small clean swell on Sun.

Looks like a tidy little wave ideal for beginners and intermediates. I have been speaking to some friends in Pembrokeshire and it sounds like there has been a period of great waves. Small but perfectly formed with a good period and light offshores- gutted. I maybe in the mountains but I am looking forward to a surf.

Southerndown View

Here is a photograph of Southerndown I took with my Nikon D200 with a sigma 10-20 mm lens.

If you are a keen photographer then send any Wales Watersports related images to us and if we like them we will post them on our site with a credit.

Southerndown Surfing

I'm no surfer but I took a trip with the family down to Southerndown (follow the sign posts from the M4 Bridgend turn off) and not only will you be spoilt by the fantastic scenery but the surfing is popular down there also.

Anyway a few photos to get you thinking - waves seemed pretty calm to me that day but the surfers appeared to enjoy it!

Blue Kite what's your thoughts?

More eye candy from the mountains and a watersports
connection. We recently had Olympic Gold Medal winner Pippa
Wilson come and stay. As a keen kitesurfer she
fancied a go at Snow Kiting and typically she was
pretty handy.

Not really watersports but this is what learning to kitesurf can lead on to.
Having a great time, snow is really good and so far wind everyday.
Sorry.....

Wales Waterports at London Boat Show

The 9th to the 18th of January saw the Wales Watersports team and partners venture to London East Docklands to exhibit at the London International Boat Show. We are now gearing up to the Ordance Survey Outdoor Show that is being held at the NEC, Birmingham on 27th - 29th March 2009. If your coming to the show please call by and say hello. If your a company or organisation based in Wales with an interest in active watersports and would like to discuss opportunities to exhibit with us then please give me a call on 0845 087 3287.

Here's a piccie from London....

Had one last surf on Sun and since then I have been sheltering from the rain and getting ready for 2 months in Switzerland.

For those of you who don't know Big Blue have rented a chalet and are running Winter holidays, Snow kiting courses and trips throughout Feb and March.

The chalet sleeps up to 8 and costs £200pp for 7 nights self catered. Individuals are welcome.

I will put a blog entry up with some pictures as soon as I can.

I will also be on my phone and checking e-mails if you fancy a last minute trip. All the details are on the website below.

www.thebigblueexperience.com

First sail of 2009

2009 has already brought novice and experienced, plus those in between, Welsh sailors together as part of the Challenge Wales project. So, what is Challenge Wales? Challenge Wales is a project of Maiden Voyage Ltd, a Welsh based charity dedicated to providing young people, and the young at heart, with a chance to develop team working and communication skills through the experience of offshore sailing.

After breaking through the unexpected layer of ice on the Ely River and locking out of Cardiff Bay barrage, the first sail of 2009 gave us cold, light airs.

Most of the 18 crew had not sailed a 72 ft 'Round the World' yacht before. Of course, the basic principles are the same as sailing much smaller boats except you soon realise how much heavier the mainsail is to hoist. Taking a couple of crew to pull the main halyard (the rope that hoists the mainsail) with two on the winch to bring the mainsail to its full height. After the Christmas and new year frivolities it seemed the physical activity was welcomed.

With the mainsail, staysail and yankee set, we sailed past Flat Holm as we headed down channel and after a few hours returned to Cardiff. The light airs didn't dampen anyones enthusiasm but made it more apparent of the potential of the boat, which could be achieved with more adrenalin pumping, stronger wind conditions.

Over the coming months there will be regular training trips on Challenge Wales as she prepares for the Tall Ships' Race in the Baltic in July 2009 and other sailing events. We will keep you posted in this blog of her activity and share log extracts as her career as a sail training vessel develops.

The last week or so has seen a return to normal Welsh winter weather. SW winds lots of rain and pulses of big swells. Gotta love the winter if you have the time to travel to find some gems- see below. This coming weekend is no exception with SW-W gale force winds and 3-4m swells predicted for the next four days or so.

Bit too windy for kitesurfing tuition- on an exposed beach like Newgale the surge from the waves will knock you off your feet and make mincemeat of a crashed kite. Better to find some shelter and go surfing.

London Boat Show around the corner!

Preparations are under way this week for Wales Watersports with our stand partners that include Plas Menai, Cardiff Marina, Milford Haven Port Authority, Cardiff Harbour Authority and Challenge Wales to exhibit at the London International Boat Show which is held at ExCeL in the London docklands. We are located on stand N59L situated in the North Hall (just around the corner from the Main Stage "Powered by Fairline") - if your planning on visiting the show then please call in on us.

The show is currently being set up this week with press day on Friday 9th January and the public days running from Saturday 10th to Sunday 18th January 2009. Opening times are 10 am - 7pm each day with the exception of Thursday which is open until 9pm.

There are live web cams streaming the build up of the show and you should see our stand being constructed this week by clicking here.

Happy New Year!

The surf over the last couple of days has been glorious-although particularly parky. A solid period with offshore winds is expected for the next four days or so. Yesterday was 3-4ft at Newgale although probably the coldest I have ever been in the surf. The moderate wind and lack of sunshine combined with a hangover made for a bone chilling session. It took ages to warm up afterwards and a second surf was completely out of the question. Today although smaller is much warmer thanks to the glorious sunshine and lighter winds.

I was lucky enough to get a new surf board for Christmas which is definately board of choice at the moment. I have been eyeing up one of these for ages and it certainly fills a gap in my quiver. Its an old school single fin which is lovely to surf. Loose when you want it to be generating loads of speed and then solid and stiff creating smooth carves when you step back over the fin. I had to show it off so here are some pics.