First off id like to start with an apology, I thought I had posted this up a couple of weeks ago but it turns out I had written it and then not uploaded it to the site.

 

Getting invited to join HQ for a week of flying out in Fano with my girlfriend Ami was an opportunity to good to pass on . They go there every year to snap off pics of their new kit, test things out with their riders and generally have a good time and they pick the same week as the Fano international kite festival which is absolutely massive. If you have ever seen a single line kite or two fluttering at the beach and thought what’s the point when you see thousands of them spread over a couple of miles you actually get it. They are impressive and many hand built taking over 300 hours; everything from big mantas to small bouncing cows and pigs but that wasn’t why I went.

 

Nath (the man behind the current scrub range) Marcus from ATB Shop were also invited so we chose to have a road trip across Europe covering over 1000kms. I got to Nath's house Saturday night so we could drive to Dover and get the first ferry to Dunqurke. This involved having to leave at 3am having only got a couple of hours sleep and driving to Swindon to pick up Marcus then off to dover. A brief rest on the ferry then straight at it and into France im going to spare you all most of the journey but put it this way French roundabouts are manic and confusing as to who if anyone has right of way and if you see a German registered black car in your rear view let it pass as it will be sat on your bumper until you do. Nath said he would do as much of the driving as possible and after a brief stop off in Holland for lunch he was still happy to drive, the man is a machine he didn’t give up and after breaking into double figures on the red bull cans and a few coffees we got to the ferry to Fano from Esjberg in time for the 2315 ferry; hats off to him that is an epic drive to do.

 

The next morning we went to the beach and although it does look just like any other beach the shear scale and size of it is impressive then to see all those single line kites in the sky was something else. Driving for 5 minutes down the beach (watch out for the local bus whose route covers the beach) we reached the power kite zone and were greeted by Jan Hendrick and the rest of the guys from HQ. The sun was trying to break through and the wind was blowing steadily onshore which provided a perfect start to the trip, enough wind to fly and have fun with the big kites they had brought with them.

 

The wind was building through the day everyone was having a good time working with Goetz the photographer, who turned out to be a hard man to please and repeating the same trick for half an hour whilst he was snapping away means your desperate to get away for 5 minutes and try something diffrent but its worth it when you see the shots he gets.

 

I spent the day flying an 11m neo 3 and a 9m matrix and later in the day the wind picked up where the matrix was really showing what it can do however some clouds and rain came with it, the kite was fine, I however took a bad landing and turned my ankle over, it didn’t feel to ad at the time but next morning it was obvious I wouldn’t be flying again for the next few days at least putting a damper on the trip for me.

 

Nath and Marcus were both eager to get out though so we all went to the beach and continued shooting and flying just like the first day. This was pretty much the schedule there, get up go to the beach and fly all day then return home grab some food and sleep till morning. There isn’t much to do on the island in the evenings.

 

The wind was up and down through the week, HQ had brought some models with them for photos so when the wind was light it was a great time for them to do their thing whilst we all chilled out, i was able to buggy after a couple of days rest and cruising down the beach in a buggy and a 15m matrix in 5mph is a nice mellow way to pass the time, especially when the beach doesn’t seem to end and all around you are people having the same fun but not to close you actually have to avoid them.

 

Mark Bashford and Dave both arrived on the Tuesday and joined in the fun with us, they flew which after the 18 hour car journey is looking like the better option for next time. they stayed until Thursday and having been there before showed me and Ami where the main town square is and possibly one of the best pizza places I have been to ( it was even reasonably priced compared to the rest of the place which is anything from a few pounds to triple the price of everything in the UK)

 

On the final day my ankle was feeling a little better so i was able to do some riding and get a few more photos in the light winds but I didn’t want to push to hard as walking was still difficult (I had refused to visit a doctors despite knowing it was probably a good idea) and i had the long drive back to Wales ahead of me where I was the only other person apart from Nathen who could drive apart from Nath. Before we left we went to see the HQ guys who defiantly got the best house for the week and grabbed some food, It was a chance to thank everyone for having us and see the best of the pictures from the week.

 

Going back we grabbed the 1130 ferry off the island and Nath began the long drive back. I got my head down and slept as the rain pounded the windscreen and came round a few hours later to be told it was my turn to drive. Nath had done an epic job behind the wheel but everyone needs some rest so he grabbed a few hours whilst I took us through Germany then he took the wheel back to get us through to the UK.

 

A few things from this trip stand out. Fano is a nice place and if you like the beach its perfect. Its expensive, but the foods good. Nath is a machine behind the wheel of a car. I didn’t see a single traffic jam in Europe but we got stuck on the M25 for hours on our return to the UK and getting badly injured sucks when your on a kiting trip.

 

Im finishing this and uploading it now with my ankle once again out of action, it turns I have pulled the ligaments that run through it and sprained it as well, I had a session the other weekend thinking all was well aging with it but one slightly hard landing has put me back to square one with it and I’ve been told to expect another 6 to 8 weeks of recovery before im fully fit so bang goes my summer of flying. In the mean time ill be the one down the beach snapping pics so if anyone sees me out there with a camera your more than welcome to get in front of my lens and ill snap a few off for you.

 

Happy winds

 

Stu