Red Bull King of the Air 2014 - Big Bay, Cape Town

 Big Bay Cape Town Sunday the 2nd February. This was the day the organisers had called for the conditions to fit those required to host the King of the Air 2014. 24 of the worlds best kiteboard airtime specialists were lined up. The wind started off a bit light and by the projected start had reached about 18 knots. By 13:00 it was 20 knots and due to increase progressively as he afternoon went on and this is what happened. Within a  couple of hours it was between 25 and 30 knots with gusts of 35. The day was sunny and there were about 10 000 people lining the arena. The riders gave it their all from the start. This was kiteboarding at it's highest level. The crowd was bedazzled by amazing jumps and spectacular tricks and a couple of hard landings. The waves were about 3 foot with 6 foot faces forming pretty acceptable ramps from which to launch. The highest jump exceeded 25 metres and longest air time over 10 seconds. Here's a few pics from the action.

 (To scroll the images click on one of them and then click on the row of small icons at the bottom of the screen.  If not scrolling then go to this link :    http://www.flickr.com/photos/61295995@N05/sets/72157640669341085/  )

The setting with table mountain in the background

Part of the crowd

Nic Jacobsen of Denmark does his signature one foot board off 

Jandre Fraser wildcard from South Africa going up skywards

Johnno Scholte of Holland doing a realistic deadman

Johnno Scholte

Johnno Scholte comfortably inverted

Jerrie van der Kop of Holland looping his kite

Jerrie van der Kop

Lewis Crathern of England comfortably airborne

Shawn Richman of Hawaii was pumping hard and pulling move after move

Shawn Richman contorts his body into a roll while pulling hard on his bar to send his kite into a mega loop 

Shawn Richman

Shawn Richman zooming to the shore to wait for a kicker from which to launch

Shawn performing a roll

Kevin Langeree of Holland with one of the most impressive board offs I have ever seen

Kevin came out firing and aggressive from the start. He also threw in some teasers for the crowds and paparazzi close to the beach. He was the eventual victor and is the King for 2014.

Luke Mcgillewie of South Africa flying high. Note the measuring pole in the background

Reno Romeu of Brazil powering his kite down low

Andries Fourie from South Africa looking really colour coordinated. He came in fourth position.

Reno Romeu of Brazil doing his version of a deadman

Reno Romeu inverted

Ruben Lenten of Holland fully powered. He came in in second position

Not sure who this is but with Aaron Hadlow kite - mega looping

Sam Medysky showing his feet

Jesse Richman put on a great show trying to retain his 2013 crown.

Jesse Richman

Jesse up high and rolling and looping

Jesse Richman

Luke doing a grab

Luke low and powered

Luke grabbing and half board off

Lewis Crathern megalooping

Aaron Hadlow unravels his lines

Ruben inverted and looping

Stephen Akkersdijk of Holland jumping high

Ruben doing his sponsors proud

Sam Medysky of Canada

Kevin de Smidt of Holland

Sam Light

Linus Erdmann of Germany - climbing over every mountain

Sam on his magic carpet

Sam flying happily

Some of the papparazi

Story of a Shipwreck off Kitebeach

 In September 2009 a ship broke anchor and was blown toward the shore off one of the most popular kiteboarding spots in Cape Town - Kitebeach. It lodged on a sandbank about 150 - 200 metres off the shore. It's name - Seli 1. The Turkish owners and Russian insurers were in dispute and so time passed with the ship becoming more firmly lodged. It contained a cargo of 30 000 tonnes of coal and 660 tonnes of crude oil.

 When it became clear that the owners were not going to do anything about it, it's cargo of coal was auctioned off and was slowly unloaded. The oil was pumped out of it's tanks. Without the cargo it was hoped it might be able to be removed, but this did not transpire. It succumbed to its fate which was to be broken up gradually over the course of a few years by the relentless pounding of the Atlantic swells and the huge winter storms.

 Below follows the bulk of the pictorial story of the fate of this vessel, based on photos I took in this spot over time.  

The ship soon after it lodged on a sandbank

During this period it formed a backdrop to the kite seasons that followed. Some kiters and others chose to interact with it and boarded it to explore. The most dramatic and insane of these boardings was Nick Jacobsen who chose to scale one of the cranes with his kite attached, eat a sandwich at the top, and then leap off.  

Crazy Jump off the top Crane - Click this

April 2010. Kite race- Seli as an unwanted marker

April 2010. The bridge towers over the kiters.

April 2010. Kiting with a backdrop.

April 2010.

April 2010.

The ship also formed a natural reef and created sandbanks on both sides that resulted in attractive surfing waves which were relished by stand up paddleboarders and kitesurfers alike. From time to time it unleashed dregs of oil from it's tanks. One of the spills affected amongst other things a number of penguins. The others were an inconvenience with oil clogging the beach. Sometimes the oil was virtually invisible and surfers and kiters would emerge with black smudges on their boards and equipment.

A stand up paddleboarder rides one of the swells resulting from the sandbanks caused by the ship. ( Note: This photo was sent to me by s friend )

October 2010. The bridge has been destroyed by the winter of 2010 and rust has set in.

October 2010.

5th November 2011. The Seli 1 just before the free for all Guy Fawkes display that happens on the beach at Blouberg. Only two cranes remaining.

January 2012. Performing before the wreck.

Winter of 2012

The Seli gets pounded by a huge winter storm in August 2012.

August 2012.

December 2012. The storms have broken through the middle of the ship. 
The cranes have gone. Jagged, rusted and battered

January 2013. Youri Zoon displays his skills at Kitebeach. The wreck poses behind.

In March 2013 the navy took it as an exercise to blow up the remains. After many days of intermittent blasts two small platforms remained, which are probably undermined by the blasting and will be destroyed by the sea this winter.

March 2013. Navy personnel lay charges on one half of the ship's remains.

March 2013. The remains of the bow.

March 2013. A navy boat fetches personnel before a blast.

March 2013. Navy craft with explosives and personnel on board

Early winter storm of 2013 - swamps the remaining deck.

April 2013. Spot the Seli ? This winters storms will remove all trace of it's visible remains, but below will still lie 
 a man made reef.