Quote from IKO Newsletter

Our deepest condolences go to Ronald Verspoors family, who deceased on the 26th of November. He was getting ready to kiteboard with his friends and was taken by a gust while connecting his board leash and hit a wooden sea wall. More details on the cause of the accident are still unknown. He was 41 years old, an experienced rider and IKO instructor.

Nothing much more known at this time. :cry:

from unconfirmed but reliable sources, this brings the number of kiteboarding fatalities around the world to 10 in 2003. five were recorded in one month (september '03), including two in australia.

due to the huge numbers of people now kiting and the relatively low number of fatalities, when someone is killed, the incidents are still treated by authorities as isolated 'freak accidents' which in some respects they are. obviously as these tragic statistics mount up, government agencies will share information, put the sport under further scrutiny and seek to limit the carnage.

we are very fortunate to have not had a kiting fatality in new zealand - but realists know it is only a matter of time.

make sure you do everything possible to avoid becoming the first!

make that 11 for 2003, following the latest tragedy in tasmania, australia.

wow.. getting quite mad out there...

Sunday was great day out at Shakespeare, however there were a few dodgy squalls that came through.

(Not sure what the guys names are - the family of 3 kite surfers - Father and two sons who fly Air rush). They are always out and know their stuff..

The elder son was picked up by a squall at the lower end of the beach and slammed into the side bank headfirst. For some one who flew so fare he is very lucky he was not worse off. He mentioned he had problems getting out of his safety system. There were quite a few people who almost got into the dwang. Due to him being lighter than the rest of the crew it was virtually impossible for him to hold the edge. After a wash in the sea he was as good as gold. Good advert for Air rush as his kite was found in the car park . Still intact!

I was there, he was lucky, if he went over the bank and not into it who knows (lots of hard shit over the bank).
I had been out for one hour and noticed the black clouds approching so came in and put my kite down to see what the wind was going to do.
It always amazes me how many people keep kiting when crappy clouds are heading their way and it nearly always results in people with 16m kites yelling for help!!!!.
Big black clouds can do one of three things, wind dies, wind gets stronger, wind stays the same. the thing is you dont know whitch until its to late.