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Kiteboarding Invades Miami!!!

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 6:44 pm
by RickI
... again!

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Miami Kiteboarding was catching up, completing two events that suffered from light winds last year. As it happened, MKB and all the participants lucked out with the 2009 continuation of the 2008 Miami Kiteboard Masters. The wind delivered, just long enough to run all the race and free style heats, yeeha! The venue Crandon Park off Downtown Miami on Key Biscayne, FL



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Walking in, some folks are already out



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There's Melissa's, lets trail along



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Folks are getting setup



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It's still early, later on the entire beach was covered up with kites



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Agata, one of the organizers from MKB says hi



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Another great event at Crandon, the beach a bit later on



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Lonny goes strapless on a skimboard and does very well too!


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Inja sets up



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Paula helps Kent with his pre-race warmup. Paula was heading out to a triathlon, needing to warmup herself she lifted Kent a few times after.



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Damo and Gebi


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Kent practices board levitation, beats leashes. May the force be with you?



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Inja heads out



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Agata rides



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Todd shreds along



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Aagata and Lonny head out



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Stewie jumps over Todd?



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Specators, spectating!



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Mike and Inja



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Captains meeting, this time for free riding



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Here's the course that Kent, Neil and Christophe constructed. It was a good concept allowing a reaching race in both directions, action well in view of the spectators onshore, with the island in the lee of the racers for most of the run and dramatic views of the racers charging down the line. The ran THREE of these with time left over for a bunch of free style runs, well done guys! Shots of the various heats are mixed together below.



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Waiting for the start of the course race offshore



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Charging down the line



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I thought there were six, but it looks like there were SEVEN kites tangled in one of the three races by the outer mark. I don't think I've ever seen seven kites tangled at the same time before. The winds lightened at points, the folks had to sine their kites and were a bit too close. This happened in the middle race, not to be repeated in the third.




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Gebi rounds the mark



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Melissa moves up from behind



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Ken comes up on Melissa



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Getting kind of thick but in good order, here!


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Tommy transitions around the mark



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Inja and Barbie capture the action



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Coming and going at the outer mark



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Damo heads in



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Kent in the lead by a good margin



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Kent and Todd at the finish



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Gebi rides in



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Melissa stretches out in the minutes between heats


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Felicia, son Hunter shooting video while Billy sports a great new concept in mobile video



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Race results


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The women winners are up



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Thanks to Neil, Kent, all the riders, volunteers and sponsors for making these events happen. They are a lot of hard work and planning but well worth it!



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Thanks Christophe!


Those are just some of the shots, still have to cover the free style. More to come ...