Takoon poster December
Here a little poster Takoon made for Christmas holidays!! 
Rio Trip
Rio is a place to enjoy on the long term as a kiteboarder. You might go there on a 10 days trip like me and not have the luck to find much wind. In fact, it is not the same wind fabric as you might find up North of Brazil, where all the most famous spots are (Cumbuco, Paracuru …), but it offers plenty of different activities to do and there is so much to see that you won’t have time in such a short time.
I indeed had only one day of proper wind while they had a full week of wind before I came, and it kicked back as soon as I left… What a luck. However the waves were coming in nicely every single day and we had some nice surf sessions with Reno and could also do a bit of tow in surfing to hit the kickers and try some airs. All you need is a nice friend with a jetski. But Reno has plenty of these friends!
So Rio is more for someone who wants to discover the other Brazil, a Brazil of islands, tropical forest and mountains just next to the huge city, favelas all around and definitely a cool night life.
We did a bit of tourism which we didn’t like so much. Being in the middle of smelly tourists all over the place was not fun. But being in Rio, I had at least to go and see the amazing view up at the Christ statue… It is actually worth once you are up there. It was also the first time we both went to a football game, it was quite crazy to see the crowd cheering loudly when there was some action from Ronaldinho who actually played very badly.
The main spot for kiting and even great surfing is Barra. You got kilometers of white stunning beaches with the finest sand, waves all along to surf or use as kickers, good water and air temperature… definitely a city I could be living in for water sports.
Thanks a lot to Andre Magarao and Gago for the pics!
Almanarre Vid from Lines Productions
This is the little video my friend Jim Thirion from Lines Productions edited from the weekend we spent at l’Almanarre, my favorite spot so far. Unfortunately the wind isn’t always in this direction and it does not happen too often, but when it’s good, it’s perfect!
Thanks to him for editing this nice vid!!
Rio de Janeiro
I’ve always got that happy smile when I pack my boardbag for a new trip to a new place. Traveling is really a drug once you’ve started and I could be going non-stop from place to place over the globe until I get tired. So far, I still got plenty of energy and desire to continue.
After almost a month riding in sick conditions from dead flat water to big storms and waves around the Côte d’Azur, where I’m still studying, I’m off to Rio de Janeiro for 10 days. I’ve already been 7 times up in the North-East of Brazil, where there are kilometers of empty beaches and lagoons with perfect wind. This time I’m going to the “other Brasil” to visit my friend Reno Romeu who is from Rio. He will show me all the nicest spots, we’ll visit the best places around the huge city and hopefully we come out with a great photo/video trip with photographer Andre Magarao who is also a local.
I’m really looking forward getting there and see why Reno is always complaining that he wants to come back to his sweet home when he’s away. He just loves his hometown and I’m pretty sure I’ll understand why soon!!
Here a few screenshots from the shots my friend Jim Thirion (KTA cameraman) took in l’Almanarre… the coolest spot I’ve been at for freestyle but we’ve got either strong or light conditions this time. I’m pretty sure he’ll make a nice little video and hopefully my riding isn’t too bad!
Red Bull Batalla de Trafalgar, best kitesurfing event!
The Red Bull Battle of Trafalgar was certainly the funniest kitesurfing event we all participants ever attended. The comp offered the chance to amateurs to compete with us on the race on the first day, and the second day was for our teams to make the show for the crowd. Gisela was the Spanish captain, Aaron was the English and I was the French one. We all had invited some of our best mates to compete, as for me I called my friends Forest Bakker, Thomas Paris, Nico Franco, Paul Serin, Victor Hays and Miss Marie Switala.
The competition required a bit of strategy since we had to choose the riders for each heat according to what other teams had decided, the purpose was to make the most victories. There were individual heats, heats of 2 riders doing synchronized tricks, and finally the whole team doing a sort of synchronized show… We, frenchies, didn’t get much first positions in the individual heats but we did a good job on the team thing… we tried to make the best possible show for the crowd and it was very funny.
Red Bull team was very friendly, perfect organization, nice little hotel near Caños de Meca and the atmosphere was great. Plus we were lucky to get great conditions for freestyle.
Gisela and her team ended being first overall, we managed to finish second and the British third. However I’m pretty sure they won at the night comp. Tom, Sam, James and Aaron represented!
Here a few pics, the first video of the event, and thanks to all supporters who gave us a bit of advantage thanks to their votes.
