ABC of Kite Surfing News Feed

Charleston Harbor Fest to be Held on May 16 - 18

The annual maritime festival in Charleston, South Carolina is now called Charleston Harbor Fest and will be held on May 16 - 18.

They have expanded this year to include locations on both sides of the harbor in a true harbor-wide celebration of the sea. A Water Action Village Expo (WAVE) at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant will highlight extreme water sports and modern boating, modern marine sports equipment, water sports non-profits, and boat, kayak, kite boarding, and surfing vendors. Also, a Maritime Village downtown at the Maritime Center and in Ansonborough Field will highlight traditional maritime activities and/or past times, pirate themes, marine related non-profits, and vendors selling traditional marine items. A water shuttle and bus shuttle will provide transportation between the downtown location and the Patriots Point location (fees may apply).

Access to the Festival grounds is FREE to the public and 50,000+ visitors are anticipated throughout the weekend. Attractions downtown will feature tours of tall ships including the Amistad, Schooner Virginia, the Spirit of South Carolina, and the Corwith Cramer, an authentic pirate camp, wooden boats, a children's village, family boat building, an education village, food, music, and more. Across the harbor at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant attractions will feature extreme wake boarding demos, an aerobatic flight demonstration, the Water Action Village Expo (WAVE), a static boat display, helicopter harbor tours, a children's village, food, music, and more.

Charleston Harbor Fest will take place in the following locations:

Charleston Maritime Center Docks and Lawn: Amistad, Schooner Virginia, Corwith Cramer, Spirit of South Carolina, Classic Wooden Boat display, Family Boatbuilding, Maritime Village vendors, Merchandise Tent, Main Food tents, VIP Tent, Children's activities.

Liberty Square: Education Village, African American Village, water shuttle

Ansonborough Field: Pirate Camp, Children's activities, Inflatables, Merchandise Tent, Food Vendors, stage, food caf�.

Patriots Point: Satellite Parking, water shuttle to/from Downtown operated by Spirit Line Cruises, bus shuttle to/from Downtown, the Yorktown, Water Action Village Expo (WAVE), static display boat show, extreme sports displays (rock climbing wall, kite surfing display, etc), Harbor Helicopter Tours, Aerobatic Flight Demonstrations, Children's Village, food, and music.

Visit www.charlestonharborfest.org for more information.

German Kite Surfer Injured

Hamburg, Germany - World champion Kristin Boese broke her ankle while training in Maui, Hawaii. According to reports, the world-renowned kite surfer was on her last training session before the Colgate Kitesurfing World Cup.

Boese was training with the strong winds in Maui and had difficulty maneuvering in a wind hole, consequently falling three meters on her board. The diagnosis was a smooth ankle fracture and physicians advised her to take six weeks of rest. Boese said that the "little break� will make her miss the sport, but more confident and excited for the next great season during the Colgate Kitesurfing World Cup. She promised to be totally fit again in time for the competition.

The Colgate Kitesurfing World Cup will be held at St. Peter - Ording, Germany on August 23 - 31. The event is the only station of the Professional Kiteboard Riders Association (PKRA) World Tour Professionals held in Germany.

For more details on this news, please visit www.kiteforum.com.

What is New in Atlantic Canada in 2008

There's a whole new world to discover in the four provinces of Atlantic Canada, and it's not far away. Make this your year to trek through North America's last unexplored wilderness, channel your inner Picasso and learn to paint� or write or play the fiddle, try your hand at kite surfing in the warmest waters north of Virginia, get up close and personal with whales and icebergs, sleep in a lighthouse - or a charming country inn, play soldier in a 250-year old fortress, and experience several European cultures without crossing the Atlantic.

Atlantic Canada is waiting for you. Whether you're a book-loving teen who counts Anne of Green Gables as her heroine or a cool surfer dude who wants to add the latest notch on his boogie board, you'll find plenty to grab your attention in Atlantic Canada.

THE GREATEST OUTDOORS
Yes, there is beautiful scenery. From the Bay of Fundy with the world's highest tides to the rugged cliffs of Cape Breton, Atlantic Canada is a paradise for nature lovers. Watch whales and icebergs float by off Newfoundland and Labrador and see the Northern Lights fill the skies while hundreds of thousands of puffins gather on shore. The sandy beaches may be deserted, but the waters are the warmest north of Virginia.

RIGHT NEXT DOOR
Only two hours north as the plane flies, or drive for several hours from New England, the four provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island offer quick and easy getaways for American travelers. This June, Delta is starting new flights from Boston to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI), and Northwest will renew service from Detroit. Continental just announced more service to St. John's, Newfoundland and offers daily flights to Moncton, New Brunswick. Six airlines are flying in to Halifax, Nova Scotia (Air Canada, American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United) from several East Coast gateways and United introduced new service from Chicago to Halifax last year.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
There's nothing quite like the thrill of getting eye-to-eye with a whale, and there's nothing boring about riding the 50-foot Tidal Bore in the Bay of Fundy. Set to debut this spring in Nova Scotia is the Joggins Fossil Centre featuring the world's largest collection of 300-million-year old fossils. Just opened in New Brunswick is the Metepenagiag Heritage Park, which celebrates the 3,000-year old Mi'kmaq culture. Following Newfoundland's Viking Trail brings you to the 1000-year old settlement of North America's first "discoverers". Play soldier at the re-enactment of Louisbourg's second siege on its 250th anniversary or relive the life of an 18th century Loyalist at the 225th anniversary of the Loyalists landing. This year, PEI is celebrating the 100th birthday of Anne of Green Gables.

LADIES ONLY
Say so long to your significant other for a few days and opt for a girl's getaway to learn how to fly fish on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. How about hanging ten at the first all-women surfing school in Nova Scotia? Kayakers can work off all those mussels and potatoes paddling along PEI's 180-mile Confederation Trail. Want to be eligible for the next "Survivor"? The Tuckamore Inn in Newfoundland and Labrador is offering a six-day wilderness training package.

CHANNEL YOUR INNER PICASSO OR JANE AUSTEN
Here's an opportunity to express your artistic side. Fredericton, New Brunswick's culture capital, will offer 120 different workshops in the fine arts, crafts and design. The Prince Edward Island's School of the Arts has 11 weeklong classes in painting, writing, and other disciplines.

TO THE MAX
Thinking of more adrenaline-pumping pleasures? There's surfing a half-hour from Halifax, diving World War II wrecks off St. John's, and kite surfing off New Brunswick's Acadian Coast. In Central Newfoundland, there's white water rafting and close encounters with moose. Hiking in the recently-opened Torngat Mountains National Park � one of Canada's newest parks � is not for wimps; polar bears prowl along the paths.

EAT LOCAL
Did someone say lobster? Atlantic Canada is seafood central and visitors can gorge on pristine mussels, scallops, and cod. Locavores should know that long before slow food and "eat local� became a mantra, folks in Atlantic Canada have been doing just that. Here, you'll find there's a very short distance between the farm and your fork. Try dulse, fiddleheads or partridge berries. More wineries are popping up in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley and throughout the four provinces, there's a burgeoning food scene as more young chefs are moving here and opening restaurants.

NEW INNS, AN ABORIGINAL LODGE, LIGHTHOUSES AND A PRIVATE ISLAND
The hotel scene in St. John's has been heating up. Last year, The Beach House debuted with 10 suites and three cottages equipped with flat screen TVs, DVDs, marble baths, and rain showers. From your room, you can watch icebergs and ships sail by and in the evening, dine at one of Canada's best new restaurants, the Atlantica Restaurant. The beautifully-restored Ryan Mansion, a National Historic Site dating from the early 20th century, recently opened in the city's historic quarter. Rooms have fireplaces and Jacuzzis in the marble baths. Clean modern design and deep soaking tubs draw travelers to The Hometel, which offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom residences. One of the city's first boutique properties, Blue on Water came on the scene three years ago. Its seven rooms have a fresh contemporary d�cor and come equipped with Wi-fi Internet access, satellite TV, and DVD player. The restaurant offers wonderful, fresh fish and seafood. In New Brunswick, visitors can stay in the new Metepenagiag Outdoor Adventure Lodge, an aboriginal lodge built of native cedar, and dine on authentic Mi'kmaq recipes like bannock and fiddlehead chowder. The Lighthouse on Cape d'Or features four bedrooms in a lighthouse with some of the best views in Nova Scotia. At Five Islands Resort, families or friends can have an entire island to themselves with a main house and four cabins � one of which is a tiny three-story lighthouse with its own widow's walk.

The Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership (ACTP) is a nine-member pan-Atlantic partnership comprised of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the four Atlantic Canada Tourism Industry Associations, and the four Provincial Departments responsible for tourism (New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island). Travelers can find more information by going to www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca, www.newfoundlandandlabrador.com, or www.novascotia.com/fall.

Source:
travelvideo.tv

Pismo Beach KiteXpo to be Held on April 26-27

The Central Coast blows like stink more often than not. Kite surfing can turn a crappy, blown out day or surf trip into an epic one. You can use your kite to easily tow into a section and hit the lip, or ride downwind for miles and get more waves in one day than you'd get in a month. When traveling, just toss an extra kite or two along with your regular surfboard into the bag to double your fun factor.

If you're curious about kite surfing, come check out the Pismo Beach KiteXpo on April 26-27, just south of the Sea Venture Hotel in front of the parking lot at Park Ave. There'll be over 19 vendors showing all their newest gear and a bunch of pros busting out moves to show you what the sport is all about. You can't demo if you're not at an intermediate level or better, but you can learn a lot about kite surfing and see if it's something you want to try out. Pro kite surfer and wave slayer Ben Wilson from Australia will be doing two FREE kite surfing clinics from 11am to 1pm on both days. Space is limited so if you're interested, email marketing@slingshotsports.com to reserve your spot. For more information on Ben, see www.benwilsonsurf.com.

For complete information on the event, check out www.xtremebigair.com/kitexpo. We'll be raffling off over $7K in prizes including kites, boards, and more, plus doing an informal bonfire/BBQ on Saturday night with some sick kite surfing movie, just north of the Grand Avenue ramp starting around 7pm. Admission to the event is free.

Source:
www.surfline.com

Registration for Fuerteventura World Cup Now Open

The Speed:World:Cup team announced that the registration is now open for the 2008 Fuerteventura Speed:World:Cup.

The windsurf event will be held as one-off world championship, while the kite surf event will take place as part of the world tour, counting towards the world championship.

The registration forms can be downloaded here:

Kite: www.speedworldcup.com/images/stories/documents/eventinfo/regformfuerte2008ks.doc
Windsurf: www.speedworldcup.com/images/stories/documents/eventinfo/regformfuerte2008ws.doc

The Speed:World:Cup is the officially sanctioned world tour of the International Speed Windsurfing Class (ISWC) and the Professional Kite Riders Association (PKRA).

The Speed:World:Cup events go from exceptional action in Namibia to more cosmopolitan spots such as Fuerteventura - the historical European Speedsurfing Capital, to huge shows of extreme conditions on small islands like Karpathos. In total, there are 200 to 300 competitors at the same time, from places like Australia or Brazil, to Germany or Norway.

For more details on this news, please visit www.speedworldcup.com.