The 2XS / X-Train / Shore Surf Club Witterings Charity Paddle Race to take place on 7th August 2010

Posted on by Emile Kott

2XS and X-train, with the Shore Surf Club are organizing a charity paddle race to raise money for The Sussex Snowdrop Trust .

The annual charity race is from Shore Road (on the beach), East Wittering to West Wittering Windsurfing Club and competitors may use surfboards, SUPs or kayaks (prizes for the winners of each category).

The race starts at 2pm on Saturday 7th August 2010 and should take around 20-40 minutes. (Registration starts at 1 pm)

It will be held in shallow, low tide, safe conditions and safety cover will be provided by West Wittering Windsurf Club ,Puma Safety and West Wittering Estate.

Under 16s must be accompanied by a parent / guardian. All surfers must have leashes all kayakers must wear Buoyancy Aids.

BBQ at 3.30pm at West Wittering Windsurf Club to celebrate the finish!

Entry Fee £5 cash only please (pays for BBQ) Minimum Sponsorship £10. All sponsorship moneys to be collected on the day or via www.justgiving.com

Download your entry form
Download your sponsorship form

New Team15 Sessions with X-Train at West Wittering Windsurf Club

Posted on by Emile Kott

Starting from 8th July, X-Train at West Wittering Windsurf Club will be running Team15 sessions:

Team15 is a nationwide network of windsurfing clubs where young people (aged 15 and under) can get together every week to learn new windsurfing skills and have a laugh with their mates on the water. Since the same faces come back every week, it’s also a great opportunity to make new friends.


Whatever your skill level, regular windsurfing sessions will improve your windsurfing ability very quickly. If you’ve never tried it before, you’ll have the basics mastered in no time. From first time windsurfer to a relative expert, Team15 clubs welcome all levels.

Team15 offers young people the chance to be part of the weekly club sessions and also to participate in the inter-club challenges. It’s your call whether you take part in one or both. But it’s the challenges that give Team15 its name. Each club can enter the inter-club challenges with a team of up to 15 people aged 15 and under; Team15!

At X-Train, we will be running sessions on Thursday afternoons. We have kit but if you have your own, you can bring it down. We are also looking for volunteers to help us run the sessions – a great opportunity if you are starting a career in watersports and it will help us get more kids on to the water.

  • Thursday evenings 4pm – 530pm from 18th July onwards
  • Cost £12.00 Per session, maximum group size is 12
  • Price includes kit but if you have your own bring it down.
  • Contact Rossco or Chris on 01243 513077 / info@x-train.co.uk for more info or to book

New Channel Crossing World Record!

Posted on by Emile Kott

On Friday 25 June Simon Bassett of 2XS and X-Train , Matt Argyle of  SUP Global and Jock Patterson from Brighton set a new record for paddle surfing across The English Channel. The relay from Dover to Calais took just over 5 hours 38 minutes (it took Laird Hamilton 7 hours!)

The record which is currently being ratified should stand as a new relay Guiness World Record. This will be confirmed in the next few weeks.

The crossing from Dover to Point Delas just south of Calais was in aid of Surfers Against Sewage and has raised (so far) just under £8000. If anyone would like to make any further donations please visit Simon’s JustGiving Page or Matt’s JustGiving Page.

Simon Bassett: “We had perfect conditions as we set off from Dover: flat water, light winds and sunshine. As the the crossing progressed, we hit a sea fog bank and had around 100 feet of visibility. A Tanker passed 200 feet in front of us, amazingly only visible on the support boat radar – we couldn’t see it in the fog!

Fortunately the fog lifted and again we had perfect weather for the rest of the crossing to France. It was certainly much harder than we thought as we seemed to push against the current for most of the way there.”

Matt Argyle: “The crossing was harder than I expected it to be, but it was an amazing experience. We had everything thrown at us from tankers, currents, the heat, choppy water, bow waves and even a pod of dolphins. It was amazing to be in the water and to see the coast of France come out of the haze, it was also an experience to be dodging giant ships through the shipping lane. We also sadly saw a lot of rubbish floating in the sea, so please take your rubbish home with you when you visit the beach and support Surfers Against Sewage in keeping our oceans clean.”

Jock Patterson: “The crossing had many moods, it felt like different chapters in a book: a perfect start with clearing fog and sunshine, fog banks, chop, current and really tough paddling in the middle. Then the fog lifted and it became very hot and glassy. The sea breeze picked up and we got to France!

It was great to be out in the ocean with a bunch of mates. It’s a day I will never forget – really magic. When the dolphins turned up it was like a thankyou for the work SAS are doing to keep the ocean clean and a good omen for the crossing.

The crossing wasn’t just about the ego trip of setting a record. The bigger picture for all of us is about keeping the ocean clean and raisng awareness and funds for Surfers Against Sewage.”

Elliot Dudley, the human torpedo from Cardiff and the 4th member of the team paddled the whole distance and was hoping for a sub 5 hour time but in the adverse conditions, managed 5 hours 38 mins for the 19.78 nautical mile distance and didn¹t stop for the until he hit the beach in France.

Even more amazingly Eliiot drove from dover to Watergate for a BLU surf competition on Saturday morning and came 3rd in the event.

Elliot Dudley: “Completing the crossing of the English Channel on an SUP was one of the hardest things I have ever done but also one of the most satisfying. To have raised so much money for such a great cause as SAS in the process just makes it all the sweeter. Hopefully we will also officially set the record for the fastest SUP crossing of the Channel pending the approval of Guinness World Records”

The boat crew had to film and log the crossing with witness statements to verify the record attempt.

The whole project was very well organised by Dom, Andy and Steve from the Surfers Against Sewage team and Claire on the video camera from BSUPA.

The whole experience, from the begining of the training 6 months ago has been a good one. Even down to the the last month when I have been laid out with back problems, not certain whether I was going to be able to take part and was just back to to fitness only a few days before leaving.

I would like to thank the folowing who supported us with gear: Jason Greame from Da Kine, Chris from Animal wetsuits, James from Big Salty (the forecast Guru), Caroline and Andy who helped with the training and Jane who put up with my moaning during the endless training. I also must not forget all the people who kindly donated money for the crossing and finally to Jock who hollered at me to keep up with Elliot all the way from Dover.

Matt and Simon Used 14 ft Bark Expeditions with Kialoa Shaka Pu’u Paddles. Elliot used the same Baord and a Werner paddle. Jock used a Naish 14 ft with Kiaola Nalu Paddle.

The Cross Channel SUP brigade nears France!

Posted on by Emile Kott


This photo was taken on the way to Dover to pick up Jock. Simon looking a bit tired and hungry already! (8pm on 24th June)


5.37am on the day of the stand up paddle crossing from England to France, it’s a bit foggy!


A quick carb loading stop at 6.45am


Unloading the van at 8am. Fog is being burnt off and it’s getting hot!


Loading the boat at 8.30am – the wind is onshore – doh!


On the boat at 9am, heading to Sampire Hoe, ready for a 9.30am start.

The white cliffs of Dover!


Who forgot their compass?

And they’re off. Eliot Steams ahead from the start!

Simon powering away from the cliffs

30 mins in, 3.5knt average, southerley wind, swimmer has just left Dover as well. All good so far

Jock starts and is going strong. Speed up to 4.2kts.

Entering the shipping lane in the fog, not ideal!

Heading over the choppy water on a sandbar!

The SUP Channel Crossing Latest

Posted on by Emile Kott

Simon having been suffering from back issues over the last few weeks has had the all clear to do the channel crossing .

The crossing which has a week window for favourable conditions from the Friday 18 June until 25 June .The crossing is in aid of Surfers Against Sewage and the group are hoping to raise 10k for the charity. www.sas.org.uk

Matt(Simons relay partner) and Simon Have been training hard for the Channel paddle surfing from West Wittering up to 15 miles in a session to get fit and make sure they have enough water skills to dodge the many tankers and ferries that use the waters between Dover and Calais .They will be using 14 ft boards specifically designed for distance paddle surfing.

The official crossing organised by SAS and BSUPA will also be a first for the attempt on Guinness Book of Records to set the fastest time .In total 4 riders will taking part Elliot Dudley Paddlesurf Champion from Cardiff and Jock Patterson Paddlesurf Overall winner 2009 from Brighton.

If you would like to sponsor either of them take a look at

http://www.justgiving.com/Simon-sas
http://www.justgiving.com/Matt-Argyle

More information on the attempt will be on http://www.2xs.co.uk/

Photo: Simon Bassett on left, Matt Argyle on right (http://www.2xs.co.uk/)

The Golden Ticket Winners return to the Witterings

Posted on by Emile Kott

Club member Francis Goodwin was lucky enough to win “The Golden Ticket” to Maui in a Boards Mag competition. The whole family went on the trip of a lifetime, including Justin, who had this to say:

The windsurfing at “our” beach between Camp one and Kanaha was amazing with flat water on the inside and a decent wave break on the outside. The wind did not disappoint and blew between F5 and F8 most of the time.

We had some mornings of light wind for the little kids Taya (7) and Jenna (9) to practice. Emily (13) and Jack (11) were waterstarting experts, well into harness and footstraps and starting to jibe while Leah (11) progressed well into waterstarting and sailing in the harness.

Two doors down was Jeff Henderson from Hot Sails Maui. We frequently used “his” beach with the kids and he lent us a big board for Taya and Jenna and helped out with other bits and pieces for the GoPro. We also hired kids’ kit from his shop Kanaha Kai.

Our trip was star-studded with Dave White looking after us and the Golden Ticket Granddad very well. He and a number of UK sailers (John Skye, Jamie Hancock, Timo Mullen and some of the boys from Boards – Paul Griffiths and Simon Crowther) came and sailed from our beach on several occasions. We also had the pleasure of sailing with Francisco Goya and Levi Siver while Jonny and Jace from Poorboyz fillmed the mayhem as we raced around getting the right kit together. Simon Bassett was living a couple of blocks up from us at Camp One and came down to check up on us regularly. We also were lucky to be out in Maui at the same time as Paul Simmons, his wife Nikki and daughter Amie so managed to share a few beers together and discuss the local talent.

All in all a fantastic trip filled with great conditions and great people. We are working on a return trip next year if funds allow..

New To Paddlesurfing?

Posted on by Emile Kott

The first thing that you may have noticed is that being a new sport, no one has actually fixed a name for it. You may see it called SUP, SUPing, stand up paddling, stand up paddle surfing, paddlesurfing, paddleboarding, stand up paddleboarding: it’s all the same thing!


I want to have a go

There are a number of places in the UK to try paddlesurfing. It is a great idea to start with a lesson that will take you through the basics of the sport. It is important to learn at a BSUPA recognized club. A course include:
• Where and how to stand on the board

• How to hold the paddle
• Safety
• How to turn around
• How to paddle

A great place to start is at X-Train, West Wittering. We offer a Learn to Paddlesurf Course covering everything mentioned above. It lasts 2 hours and costs £45. We provide all the equipment, including a hot shower and tea / coffee. All you need to bring is a towel! X-Train is run by Simon Bassett who is a BSUPA head coach. As well as running paddlesurf courses, X-Train trains BSUPA instructors.

Why Paddlesurf in West Wittering

West Wittering is one of the most scenic beaches on the South Coast. Placed right next to the mouth of Chichester Harbour, it offers stunning views across to Hayling Island and is the only beach with white, soft, clean sand for miles around!
West Wittering is ideal for learning to SUP. The sandbars create tidal lagoons so that complete novices can go through the basics of the sport without having to worry about waves throwing them off the stand up board.
Chichester Harbour was designed to be explored by paddleboard. It is probably one of the most relaxing things you can do in the area. The peacefulness from the water really does make you wonder if you are in fact in the UK!

Once you have progressed past the basics and are ready to catch some waves, the sandbars in West Wittering once again can come in handy. At high tide, when there is a decent swell, the sandbars provide perfect paddleboard waves that are ideal for getting to grips with basic riding and turning.

Why is everyone taking up Paddleboarding?
Most importantly, paddlesurfing is not anywhere near as condition dependent as other sports. For windsurfing and kitesurfing you need wind, for surfing you need waves, but paddlesurfing can be done in flat water, waves, wind or no wind. This means that it lends itself very well to the UK’s changeable weather conditions!

The boards are fairly large and so it’s easy to learn the basics without taking too many dunkings. Also, the large size makes it easy to catch very small waves – once again, perfect for the UK!

Paddlesurfing gets you very fit. The paddling motion gives you a great core workout – when you come in after a long session, you can definitely feel it, and let’s face it, it’s a lot more fun than going to the Gym!

You don’t need much equipment: 1 board, 1 paddle, 1 wetsuit, done! Compare that to windsurfing: board, sail, mast , boom, extension, base, harness, wetsuit, not to mention lots of rope, footstraps etc…. This keeps paddleboarding affordable.

What size board do I need to start?

It helps to start on a fairly large board (around 12 foot) – the 11’0 NSP at £425 for instance is a great choice. Don’t think for a second that these large boards don’t perform – the shaping makes them very agile in the biggest of waves!
What paddle should I get?
Full carbon paddles like the Kialoa shaka pu’u are great. They are very stiff, light and offer a lot of performance to your paddling. However, you can save quite a lot of money when you start if you go for an alloy paddle like an Ainsworth paddle at £55.

X-Train, RRD and F-One Wave Kite Demo (Saturday 29th May)

Posted on by Emile Kott

If we have more than 15mph of wind, this Saturday, 29th May, we will run a Wave Kiting demo at West Wittering between 3 and 6pm.

Neal Gent (RRD and 2XS Team Rider) will be at West Wittering offering free demos of the new RRD Religion wave kite.

We will also have RRD Obsession and Passion kites and RRD Placebo, Venom, Fatal Wave and Poison boards for everyone to try.

We will also have a Bandit and Surf from F-One to try out

Please note that due to insurance reasons, you must be a member of WWWC to kitesurf at West Wittering.

Simon Bassett’s Maui Trip 2010

Posted on by Emile Kott

Going to Maui is always a good plan it’s windsurfing mecca. In late march we all went for our pilgrimage to the No1 windsurfing spot in the world.
Having had little windsurfing in the UK before we left, we arrived to find the hammer was fully down on the wind front for the full 4 week trip.

We stayed on the beach at Camp One between Sprecks and Kanaha with friends Frank, Sandra, Alex and Georgia. A place as perfect as it gets to windsurf, lay about on the beach and to go swimming or snorkelling.

Alex(12 years old) was ripping out on the water

We had planned to stay for three weeks and had wind and waves nearly every day – the day we were leaving the volcano erupted in Iceland and our flights were cancelled and guess what? We had an extra week accompanied by even more wind and swell… How inconvenient!

United Airlines were epic in sorting out our flight problems – my buddy Ray Mcgee United UK and Jeff Tarpey in Maui really helped us out.

Maui is full of the best surfers, windsurfers, kiters and paddlesurfers on the planet. In the “Antonys” coffee shop in Paia the stars of our sport queue up for their caffeine fix like the rest of us -it may be Laird, Pete Volwater, Antoine Albeau or Pete Cabrinha sat on the next table.

On the water it was quiet compared with our last visit 2 years ago – so each day we would see the pros in action on the 2011 gear shooting for next years brochures . Skye boy, Timo and Finn Mullen, Jamie Hancock, Phil Horricks, Swifty and Richie Page were all out there ripping alongside the usual Maui
locals.

Dave White, the new editor for Boards was out there at the same time, working hard. Here you can see him enjoying an “apres work massage” after going for double forwards at Hookipa! He was joined by Nicky Boy and Pamela, who were on their honeymoon, sharing a pad with Dave White and Paul Griffiths from Boards Mag!

Whitey, as always is full of enthusiasm for windsurfing and was constantly emailing or dropping in to drag everyone out on the water. He tried to drag me out at Ho’okipa but I bottled it although he did manage to drag me up to the Quattro shop to order a custom quad!

When we were at the factory, I had a really good chat to Francisco and Lalo Goya, as well as Keith Taboul. On the last day at Sprecks, I had the chance to sail with Francisco – there were only 3 of us out at the time and it seemed like sailing with a few buddies at Wittering, with the exception of the odd Goya 40ft backloop thrown in for good measure.

We were given some tickets to the Oxbow VIP Clothing Launch at Maui Neil Pryde store from Shawna (Cropas) and Gus and we were lucky enough to meet up with Laird Hamilton, Jason Polakow and Levi Siver. Great evening, good food and had a chat to Laird about my forthcoming Channel Crossing – he said “You need to watch out for the ferries and tankers!” He also told me it took him 7 hours to complete the crossing!!!

Nik Baker was also in Maui and very kindly let me try out some of the new exciting 2011 kit that he had in the back of his van – the new Fanatic Quad and the North Shox XTR mast extension system – I only had about 30 minutes on the Quad, but really liked it and look forward to getting on the 79 when it comes out in the UK. The new Shox system was amazing at taking the impact of chop out of the rig but I think it definitely suits a slalom/freeride board more than a wave board.

Dave Ezzy left an Ezzy 2011 prototype with me to test – one of the sails he is working on for next season. You can see some sneak preview pics here, you will see the new version on the shelves Jan 2011.

We were not the only Brits “on the rock” – Francis Goodwin, Justin, Jane and all the Goodwin tribe were out to celebrate Francis’ win of the “Golden Ticket” they were accompanied by Grahame and Michelle Pettit, Jack and Jenna who all made the most of the conditions and windsurfed every moment of the
day.

Paul, Nikki and Amy Simmons were on their first trip to Maui and I caught up with Paul at Sprecks a number of times through the trip – he was sailing really well.

Got to get some work done now to save up for the next trip…..