BVIs Chapter Three - "Kite Boarding"

When I could hardly walk, my Auntie Mildred started me swimming at Island Lake at our cottage. As a kid, my Mom sent me to the YMCA Day Camp down the road from our cottage so I could learn to swim longer distances. When I was a 'tween', my Mom (always the promoter of ballet) sent me to the YMCA in town to learn synchronized swimming. And when I was in my early teens, my Dad used to take 16 mm movies of us water-skiing behind my friend's 25' boat with a 50 Merc.

In my mid-teens, the YMCA Day Camp graduated me to Camp Counsellor in Training. At this point, I took my first life-saving course and started teaching young kids how to swim. And, finally, when I was in my mid-twenties, I completed my dive course and did my open-water dive. Sailing was not something I ever learned to do – our cottage was not on a big enough lake for me to become a sailor and Lake Superior was too big and too scary a lake to do anything on. And wind-surfing had not even been invented (that I know of… )

I’m not sure who invented kite boarding (sometimes called kite surfing) but it has to be the single, hardest thing I can think of to do on the water. It seems to be a combination of swimming, sailing and wind surfing. What I’ve also observed is that you need to be strong, determined and forever patient. To complicate the learning process, you need to have 15-20 mph (min) winds and be ready at ANY time to 'take the plunge’. It is definitely expensive. It’s got to be a tough, tough sport to learn and it must take a long, long time to become good. In the BVIs, this all comes together in the North Sound at Bitter End – great wind, beautiful, warm water and friends with whom you can enjoy the sport. More importantly, friends you can depend on if something goes awry - and yes, a chase boat (a zodiac) in case you get into real trouble.

I LOVE to watch them skimming across the water, working their kites, turning, jumping, doing tricks, falling, getting back up and starting all over again. Completely entertaining! I could watch them all day long. And, since I had no intention of joining them, I chose to take some photos from a lounge chair at the end of the dock:

Here’s Jimmy –


hope this gives you a sense of how far the kite is from the person on the board.





Here’s Amanda – gives you a sense of the gear that is worn.














And their friend Marko –



any guesses on high he is off the water?













And here’s a picture of me – way too tired after watching them all afternoon! Sorry – only room for one in this hammock!
















Will be back at you in a day or two when I will conclude our BVI vacation story… talk to you then… m.