Caldy Island Relay & Windsurf Festival

It’s less than a week to go before Pura Vida Boardriders & Tenby Windsurf Club head to Tenby for the Caldy Island Relay for Cancer Research, August Bank Holiday weekend. They will enjoy their best line-up of activities yet, and the forecast already looks ideal to run the relay and make sure all abilities can get on the water!

Over the August Bank Holiday weekend of 27th/28th/29th, Puravida Boardriders and Tenby Windsurf Club will be hosting a charity relay, fun slalom, windsurf clinic and demo weekend in association with Fanatic Boards, North Sails, Ion, Simmer Style, Mistral and O’Shea who have kindly donated the prizes and will be showing off their latest kit, at Tenby South beach … including a BBQ and beers on the Saturday night at the clubhouse!

Entry is only £30 per person for the entire weekend and all the money raised will be going straight to cancer research so please come along and take part, and bring the family! Entry includes free clinic time, access to all the great demo kit and your event T-Shirt and saturday’s BBQ. Social guests are also very welcome. There will be a range of activities for all ages and abilities taking place over the weekend depending on the wind, including advice from Nik Baker, Farrel O’Shea, Kev Greenslade and Simon Pettifer.

For the 3rd year running there will be a relay competition out to Caldy Island and back in teams of 3, but this year in our celebrity raffle on Saturday at 11am you could win one of our top stars like Nik Baker or British Speed Champion Kev Greenslade as well as top Pura Vida Teamriders to boost your teams performance! Entry and registration will be on the Saturday morning at 9.30am and the relay will run on best wind. The maximum sail size is 9m on any board (excluding formula), teams may use up to 3 sets of kit or share. Name your teams now…..and don’t forget there is the coveted ‘Fancy Dress’ challenge that some say is the one to win!

Please note that you must have 3rd party insurance to take part.

Closest camping with beach access is at Kiln Park but there are various campsites, hotels, B&Bs etc. in and around Tenby, so book soon to avoid disappointment. Many will sleep overnight in vans near to the beach.

Be sure to join us for what has become a great and well established bank holiday event for all the family, please spread the word and thanks for your support!

Enquiries please call Pura Vida on 07970420998, or Surf Centre on 01834845111

Team Mistral / Simmer

Following on from last year’s record attendance, Pura Vida Boardriders are proud to present the Caldy Island Relay for its third year in Tenby. Raising money for Cancer Research this year’s event will be greatly supported by Farrel O’Shea’s Simmer and Mistral team including Kevin Greenslade and Simon Petifer, as well as Nik Baker showing off the latest Fantatic and North kit.

Over the weekend Pura Vida Boardriders will not only host the Caldy Island challenge, welcoming teams of three from all over the UK, but they will have a huge range of equipment to demo as well as fun challenges and clinic time from their top riders.

Please join them for a great family fun weekend and Fanatic, North, Mistral, Simmer Demo and help raise even more money for this great cause.

Date of event: 27th-29^th August 2011.

For further information contact Tanya@puravidaboardriders.co.uk

Kevin Greenslade

George contemplates another twenty hours on board as the sun sets over St Austell Bay. Photo by Adam Lewis

After after a night and a day spent on the water, professional windsurfer George Shillito achieved his target of 25 hours on the waters of St Austell Bay in Cornwall to raise money for cancer research.

The attempt started when he challenged the members of the Polkerris Pirates Team 15 junior windsurfing club to windsurf for one hour last Saturday. Twenty five children rose to the occasion and their total was added together to reach 25 hours. Undaunted by such a massive total, George started at 3.25 in the afternoon and kept going all night and all day to finish at 4.25 on Sunday afternoon.

A giant pizza was delivered to him at dusk to keep him going during the night, while a dedicated group of supporters kept watch from the shore, just able to make out the glow-sticks fixed to his sail. Occasionally, the sky was lit up by electric storms to the South but it was otherwise a dark, starlit and chilly night.

With only two 5 minute breaks on shore in the entire period, George windsurfed continuously, covering an estimated total of well over 100 miles. The steady Easterly breeze overnight was helpful but dawn brought a difficult windless period with choppy seas, followed by vicious squalls with winds of up to 20 knots and a thunderstorm. George said “the part from dawn until 8am was worst. The conditions were really hard, my back was killing me and I felt more alone than I did in the night. And I still had ten hours to go.”

George sails in to complete his marathon. Photo by Phil Pinnington

During Sunday afternoon, a large crowd of well-wishers turned up at Polkerris Beach to welcome George ashore and at 4.25pm he somersaulted off his board to end the challenge. George thanked everyone, saying “I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported my fund-raising efforts and donated to Windsurfing for Cancer Research, and also to the terrific support team that kept me going, especially overnight.”

Windsurfing for Cancer Research is an active and energetic charity led by members of the windsurfing community who have been affected by the scourge of cancer. You can still add to George’s total, currently standing at over £1600 at www.justgiving.com/george-surf

George celebrates the end of his marathon. Photo by Phil Pinnington

W4CR Hickling Broad

Check out Dave White‘s photo gallery from W4CR Sunrise Sunset, 1 May 2011: Sunday’s Windsurfing4CancerResearch’s Sunrise Sunset ensured I took to the water in four different locations along my 560-mile journey that started at Hayling Island.

Normally I wouldn’t say a 5am start signals a good days sailing but while my time on the water was limited to a couple of runs it was more than worth the effort to be there for the first dip in the ocean.

With the country still in holiday mode the journey up to Rutland was pretty much uneventful, apart for the suicidal pheasant that destroyed the bonnet of my van, though once I arrived there was more than enough faces to take my mind off of it, well almost.

From here it was on to Norfolk and the Hickling windsurf club before heading to Lowestoft to catch my first wave of the day, though unsurprisingly I was greeted with “you should have been here a few hours ago”, I couldn’t help thinking how right they were, I wouldn’t have hit that bloody bird.

More at www.windsurfing4cancerresearch.org

W4CR Sunrise Sunset

W4CR’s Sunrise Sunset 2011 event is this Sunday, May 1^st at 40 venues round the UK and 5 abroad. Not only is the numbers of venues a record, but already the number of entrants exceeds 2010. There’s two big records still to be set – Windsurfing4CancerResearch founder, the late David Tuttlebee, himself a cancer sufferer wanted there to be a special happening – 1000 on the water at noon supporting W4CR.

And of course W4CR’s aims are to raise as much money as possible to help fight cancer. Can last year’s £60,000 record be broken?

A big W4CR 2010 cheque

These records won’t come easy – we need lots more windsurfers to join at a venue on Sunday (venues on www.w4cr.org), grab a free sail streamer and be one of the 1000.

The sponsorship money raised will help W4CR pass on large donations to worthy cancer causes. Fundraising in tough times is hard, but it’s very worthwhile and donors can give via W4CR’s website, entrants’ JustGiving pages, or by Sponsor Forms (available via W4CR’s website or from the host person at venues).

And a further incentive – those who raise over £150 by June 30^th will have their names put in a draw for a Neil Pryde RS One kit worth £2,500.

W4CR streamer

Although there are no requirements about challenges or even time on the water, windsurfers are taking on amazing personal and team challenges on the day.

• Damian Murray’s challenge is to stay on the water at Datchet “for as long as my body holds out.  Last year I managed 10.5 hours!  Can I better it?  Sponsor me and find out”.
• Peter George at Watergrove hopes to complete a cross channel distance of 21 miles in a single session to raise funds in memory of a good friend.
• At Llandegfedd, they’re organising a race the length of the London Marathon.
• And Plymouth based windsurfers are aiming to windsurf around the Port of Plymouth perimeter – a total of 46 miles.

So Sunrise Sunset 2011 is going to be quite a day. Weather forecasts look promising, there’s lots of fun events planned too. All are welcome to join the effort, have fun, and raise as much as possibly help fight cancer.

National Windsurfing Week

Not long now until the start of National Windsurfing Week 2011, an 8-day event which aims to raise the profile of windsurfing and introduce more people to this great sport.  Billed as a ‘celebration of all things windsurfing’, the week will see windsurfing festivals, competitions and taster sessions happening across the country and it’s not too late for you to get involved.

Running from the 01 – 08 May 2011, National Windsurfing Week, now in its fourth year, is the perfect opportunity for first timers to get out on the water and give the sport a go, or if you sail more regularly look to develop your skills further.

Some of the events already scheduled for the week include; fundraising events for Windsurfing for Cancer Research in Birmingham, Torpoint and Hayling Island; beginner taster sessions in Northampton, Plymouth and Cornwall; open days in Bromsgrove, free lessons in Berkshire and Bedfordshire, as well as improver clinics in Berkshire and Cornwall. Check out the National Windsurfing Week website for a full list of events and locations.

Gillian Wright, RYA Windsurfing Development Officer and a key figure behind the week said: “It’s great that the windsurfing community has mobilized itself on such a big scale to promote the sport and I think it’s going to really help get windsurfing noticed. I hope that people will really make the most of it and come along to the events taking place across the country and have a go for themselves.

“But, as well as wanting to see a new crowd of people try windsurfing for the first time, I am also keen to see people on the water during National Windsurfing Week who may have considered themselves windsurfers in the past, but have perhaps neglected the sport over the years. It would be fantastic to see these people dusting off their kit and getting out on the water, joining in at their local venue and remembering what it is that they loved about windsurfing.”

The campaign also has the backing of Skandia Team GBR’s Nick Dempsey, National RS:X Windsurfing Champion, who officially launched this year’s event back in March at the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show. Nick said: “Windsurfing is an amazing sport and National Windsurfing Week will give more people the chance to experience that for themselves. I think 2011 is going to be a great year for windsurfing!”

To find out how you can get involved in National Windsurfing Week – either as a participant or a club/training centre – and for a full events listing visit www.nationalwindsurfingweek.org

Sunrise Sunset 2010 at Hayling Island

Windsurfing4CancerResearch (W4CR)’s major annual fun and fundraising event Sunrise Sunset 2011 is just over a week away! On Sunday May 1^st, 45 venues all around the UK and 5 internationally are taking part – the locations can be found on W4CR’s homepage www.w4cr.org.

Why all this activity? – it’s all because in late 2008 an enthusiastic windsurfer called David Tuttlebee, diagnosed with a return of cancer, courageously decided to increase awareness about cancer and to raise funds for worthy causes. David’s drive led to setting up the W4CR charity whose first task was organising SunriseSunset 2009.

The event was a great success, participating windsurfers had a great day and £25,000 was raised. SunriseSunset 2010 was even better with many more venues and entrants, and £60,000 raised. Much of this success stemmed from David’s leadership and inspiration.

David’s cancer spread further, his condition deteriorated and sadly, he passed away last September. But not before he had laid plans for the 2011 SunriseSunset event, for which he conjured the slogan “more than just a day at the beach”.

So as we approach SunriseSunset 2011 on May 1^st, everyone involved is proud to remember David and his drive and inspiration for W4CR. Those that never knew him can read David’s blog on the W4CR website where he describes the ups and downs of living with cancer.

David will also be remembered through the annual award of the David Tuttlebee memorial trophy to the best contributing T15 Club (young windsurfers) at the event and a memorial plaque recently unveiled at Cancer Research UK’s labs in London.

Sunrise Sunset will, as always will be a great day out for everyone, with venues organising fun events and challenges.  But the main aim is fundraising, which allows the charity to make valuable contributions to worthy cancer causes.

Entry is free, and entrants can purchase an Event Pack including t-shirt, wristband and stickers for only £15. Visit www.w4cr.org to enter, download sponsorship forms, setup an online donation page, order clothing and find out more about the good causes W4CR supports.

Those exceeding £150 in fundraising will gain entry into a prize draw for a brand new Neil Pryde RS One board and rig package worth over £2,500, generously donated to the charity by Neil Pryde himself.

And David set us all a challenge – to have “1000 on the water at noon” – so wherever you are on May 1^st, be part of meeting his challenge and achieving a first for windsurfing.

So enter now and be part of a fantastic event in aid of a worthy cause – fighting the battle against cancer just as David Tuttlebee wanted us to do.

Windsurfing4Cancer Research (W4CR) is a registered charity no. 1128492

For more information, visit www.W4CR.org

David Tuttlebee

W4CR

Windsurf Plymouth Team Riders in support of Windsurf for Cancer Research will be attempting to windsurf the Dock Yard Port of Plymouth perimeter.  This is a total distance of approximately 36 nautical miles.  The challenge will take place on the 1^st May as one of the W4CR Sunrise Sunset challenge events.  The Windsurf Plymouth team riders are;

Rueben Ellis, Scott Perry, Lindsey Coyle, Lucy Arthur, Tom Bradley, Dougal Orr

The riders will start from the Mount Batten Centre at sunrise to make the most of the favorable tidal sequence and hope to have the route finished by Sunset.  To complete the challenge they will have to windsurf the waters of the River Plym, out to the southern seaward perimeter of the Dock Yard Port of Plymouth which is 1 nm south of Rame Head and then use the flood tide to take them all the way up the Tamar to Calstock before returning on the ebb back to Plymouth Hoe, with the challenge aiming to be completed before sunset.  For further information on the challenge and to generously sponsor the riders please visit www.windsurfplymouth.org.uk

This challenge would not be possible with out the support of the Cattewater Harbour Commission and the Mount Batten Water Sports and Activity Centre, Plymouth.

National Windsurfing Week, by Paul Wyeth

There are just two more weeks until the start of National Windsurfing Week 2011, an 8-day event which aims to raise the profile of windsurfing and introduce more people to this great sport. Billed as a ‘celebration of all things windsurfing’, the week will see windsurfing festivals, competitions and taster sessions happening across the country and it’s not too late for you to get involved.

Running 1-8 May 2011, National Windsurfing Week, now in its fourth year, is the perfect opportunity for first timers to get out on the water and give the sport a go, or if you sail more regularly look to develop your skills further.

Some of the events already scheduled for the week include; fundraising events for Windsurfing for Cancer Research in Birmingham, Torpoint and Hayling Island; beginner taster sessions in Northampton, Plymouth and Cornwall; open days in Bromsgrove, free lessons in Berkshire and Bedfordshire, as well as improver clinics in Berkshire and Cornwall. Check out the National Windsurfing Week website for a full list of events and locations.

Gillian Wright, RYA Windsurfing Development Officer and a key figure behind the week said: “It’s great that the windsurfing community has mobilized itself on such a big scale to promote the sport and I think it’s going to really help get windsurfing noticed. I hope that people will really make the most of it and come along to the events taking place across the country and have a go for themselves.

“But, as well as wanting to see a new crowd of people try windsurfing for the first time, I am also keen to see people on the water during National Windsurfing Week who may have considered themselves windsurfers in the past, but have perhaps neglected the sport over the years. It would be fantastic to see these people dusting off their kit and getting out on the water, joining in at their local venue and remembering what it is that they loved about windsurfing.”

The campaign also has the backing of Skandia Team GBR’s Nick Dempsey, National RS:X Windsurfing Champion, who officially launched this year’s event back in March at the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show. Nick said: “Windsurfing is an amazing sport and National Windsurfing Week will give more people the chance to experience that for themselves. I think 2011 is going to be a great year for windsurfing!”

To find out how you can get involved in National Windsurfing Week and for a full events listing visit www.nationalwindsurfingweek.org

W4CR Rutland poster

Rich at Dave Nobles in Loughborough has been in touch to let us know about their Windsurfing4CancerResearch extravaganza next month: This year I have got involved with Gordon Roach from Nottingham Trent Windsurfing Club www.trentwindsurfing.co.uk to help run the W4CR event at Rutland Water, we put our heads together back in December and came up with a plan for a fun filled day on the water with the aim of raising as much money for the charity as possible, we wanted to do something a little different to the sunrise to sunset sailing as we can only hit the water from 9am till 6pm, so we came up with running fun races throughout the day.

First off we decided on doing Master Blaster Races which is great fun and anyone can get involved, as all you need to do is sail out round a mark and back to the beach, we then came up with a Tandem Race, problem was we only had one tandem Which Belongs to Trent Windsurfing Club, within two phonecalls we had 3 Starboard Gemini tandem boards thanks to Rutland Water Sports and Nott’s County Sailing Club www.ncsc.org.uk

Last of all we came up with setting up a GPS speed ladder for the day as we have a lot of windsurfers that just love going fast.

Once this little plan had come together we realised we hadn’t figured out how we were going to make money out of this, so we will be charging £2 a head per race which all proceeds will be passed straight on to the charity, and £5 for the hire of a GPS for 30mins, if you have your own GPS there will be an entry fee of £2 to get onto the ladder.

Since then I have been contacting suppliers to donate a little something for us to give out as prizes, so thanks goes to Naish Windsurfing for the two waist harnesses, O’Shea Surf for the two hoodies and two Tees, and Pat Love for two Mast Bags, we also have small prize donations form Dave Nobles Windsurfing www.nobleboards.co.uk and Rutland Water Sports.

Last of all I was chatting to a customer in the shop and he mentioned that he was good friends with the Mighty Ant Baker from Baker Windsurf Academy www.baker-academy.com with in a week I had a call saying there was a chance that Ant would be coming up to the event, with this I jumped up and got emailing, we now have 2 clinics being run by Ant Baker one at 10am and one at 1pm, hoping to get donations trough the day,

If anyone wants any info on the day and how to get involved please contact myself rich@nobleboards.co.uk or Gordon Roach windsurfing123@aol.com

Windsurfing 4 Cancer Research…..More than just a day at the beach

Dave White, Fred Willis and Nick Dempsey

Olympic bronze medallist and Team Volvo for life sailor, RS:X windsurfer Nick Dempsey encouraged people to dust off their boards and get out on the water for the event which brings the whole windsurfing community together, National Windsurfing Week 2011 (NWW).

Launched today (06 March) at the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show, NWW will take place from 01 to 08 May and provides the perfect opportunity for windsurfing enthusiasts to encourage as many people as possible out on the water whatever their ability.

“Windsurfing is something that I have always loved and enjoyed and there are so many people who feel the same” explains Nick Dempsey, one of NWW’s ambassadors.

“National Windsurfing Week is a really good excuse to get out on the water with your friends and is the perfect way to open the season. We also hope that people who have never tried it before will give it a go too.”

Fred Willis from Boards Magazine who has helped to coordinate the week with the RYA added: “It’s all about increasing visibility of the sport as well as introducing newcomers at the start of the summer season. We hope it will encourage those existing windsurfers to dust off their winter blues have a great time out on the water.”

One very popular way to get involved in the charity is to take part in the ‘Sunrise to Sunset’ challenge which marks the first day of NWW (May 01).  The fundraiser encourages entrants to spend a full day on the water to raise money for the Windsurfing 4 Cancer (W4CR) charity. This year the Windsurfing 4 Cancer aim to raise £80 thousand on the day for cancer research with many schools and windsurfing hotspots from all around the country already signed up for the challenge.

Kate Atkins who volunteers for W4CR said: “I only started windsurfing last summer and I came across the Sunrise to Sunset challenge. It is a brilliant first event of the season which gets everybody involved even if they have never been before and the money all goes to a really good cause.”

National Windsurfing Week was originally set up in 2008 by a group of windsurfing volunteers who were keen to attract more people to the sport. It is currently coordinated by the RYA, Spartan Wetsuits and Boards Magazine who are working with clubs, training centres, and windsurfing retailers to host local windsurfing events during 01-08 May 2011.

To find out how you can get involved and to register your event in National Windsurfing Week visit the website http://www.nationalwindsurfingweek.org/

To find out where you can take part in the Sunrise to Sunset Challenge visit http://www.windsurfing4cancerresearch.org/index.php

Not long now until the 2nd Annual Caldy Island relay and windsurfing festival will be held at Tenby’s south beach….if you haven’t already decided to come down and help us to raise money for Cancer Research then please do! This is very much a weekend for all the family….

This year you can expect much of the same, including demo kit to use from Simmer, Mistral, Fanatic, North and equipment tips from Farrel O’shea himself all weekend!

Ben and his North Kiteboarding Team will be on hand from ‘south wales kitesurfing’ to give tasters and entry level lessons/tips to give kitesurfing a go, or find out more and try the new kit!

www.southwaleskitesurfing.co.uk

Fingers crossed for good weather and 3 days of windsurfing and kitesurfing as we enjoyed last year!

Saturday Night BBQ and beers will run on at the beach like last year.

Don’t forget there are prizes to be won for the best ‘Fancy Dress’ team during the race!

Race Format for fun only!! – as before you can enter teams of 3, team names and fancy dress need to be considered! You can use one set of kit, or take out individual set ups (whatever suits you best). If you don’t have a team don’t worry, it’s super relaxed and we’ll put you in one when you arrive at sign up. One sailor out at a time in relay format.

We will aim to run the race on the saturday or sunday depending on the best forecast available. It will run no matter what the wind!! You can race on any board except formula and maximum sail size in 9m for this year.

All 3 days will run as windsurfing demo with the latest kit on hand and plenty of advice on set-up and sailing techniques….

Sign in is from 9.30am each day at the Clubhouse in the south beach car park upstairs. Cost is £20 per person including your event t-shirt and goody bag!

Help to spread the word about this fantastic annual event and help us to raise even more money for Cancer Research, a cause we all beleive in greatly.

For any information please contact Jim at: jim@puravidaboardriders.co.uk