Latest news with #kiteboarding
Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Times
Olympic champion Ellie Aldridge bids to break into F1 of sailing
S porting job swaps are not always straightforward, as Louis Rees-Zammit would be the latest to testify after his attempt to switch from rugby to the NFL. The chequered history of the code-hopper has not put off Ellie Aldridge, Britain's sole sailing gold medallist from the Paris Olympics. The 28-year-old from Poole has decided to exchange kiteboarding for SailGP as part of Ben Ainslie's Emirates Great Britain team on the global catamaran race circuit. Where kiteboarding is all about individual control, agility and split-second decision-making, SailGP is a complex, high-tech team pursuit on a totally different scale, with six-person crews on 50ft-long boats that can reach speeds close to 100km/h. It is like trading in a unicycle for a Formula 1 car. There is a lot to learn and no guarantees but, six months in, Aldridge is happy to have thrown herself in at the deep end.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Wind riders: kiteboarders flock to Greek coast as August gales churn sea
Strong August winds swept the eastern coastline near Athens on Thursday, drawing dozens of kiteboarders who performed impressive jumps against a cloudless sky. Gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour), turned the beach at Agios Nikolaos — a rugged strip east of the Greek capital, near the port of Rafina — into an open-air playground for wind sports enthusiasts eager to catch the seasonal 'meltemi' winds. 'The bigger the jump and the longer you're in the air, the more intense the feeling of joy this gives you,' said Alexios Limperopoulos, 38, a business owner and longtime kiteboarder who took a break from running his two restaurants to ride the waves. The meltemi — a dry northern wind that sweeps the Aegean in summer — is dreaded by ferry passengers and commercial sailors but revered by the tight-knit community of kiteboarders who plan their days, and sometimes their lives, around the weather report. 'There's no need to call anyone,' Limperopoulos said. 'We just check the forecast, and everyone's here. People leave their jobs, their wives, their kids — they come to kitesurf.' The community is active year-round. Kiteboarders adapt to the changing seasons with wetsuits of varying thickness, braving the cold and winter gales that often shut down ferry routes. 'When there's a sailing ban, we're the ones out there,' Limperopoulos said.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Climate
- Associated Press
Wind riders: kiteboarders flock to Greek coast as August gales churn sea
ARTEMIDA, Greece (AP) — Strong August winds swept the eastern coastline near Athens on Thursday, drawing dozens of kiteboarders who performed impressive jumps against a cloudless sky. Gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour), turned the beach at Agios Nikolaos — a rugged strip east of the Greek capital, near the port of Rafina — into an open-air playground for wind sports enthusiasts eager to catch the seasonal 'meltemi' winds. 'The bigger the jump and the longer you're in the air, the more intense the feeling of joy this gives you,' said Alexios Limperopoulos, 38, a business owner and longtime kiteboarder who took a break from running his two restaurants to ride the waves. The meltemi — a dry northern wind that sweeps the Aegean in summer — is dreaded by ferry passengers and commercial sailors but revered by the tight-knit community of kiteboarders who plan their days, and sometimes their lives, around the weather report. 'There's no need to call anyone,' Limperopoulos said. 'We just check the forecast, and everyone's here. People leave their jobs, their wives, their kids — they come to kitesurf.' The community is active year-round. Kiteboarders adapt to the changing seasons with wetsuits of varying thickness, braving the cold and winter gales that often shut down ferry routes. 'When there's a sailing ban, we're the ones out there,' Limperopoulos said.
New York Times
16-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Ellie Aldridge, from making Olympic history to trying to break into SailGP: ‘The stakes are very different'
Feel the fear and do it anyway. Ellie Aldridge has long since overcome the anxieties that come with crashing on the water at high speed. Last summer in Paris, she even conquered the world and made history, becoming the first Olympic gold medalist in kiteboarding. The 28-year-old should be the ideal fit for SailGP, the close-to-shore sailing competition where the foiling catamarans can hit peak speeds of 50 knots (almost 100 kilometers an hour — 60mph) while racing close to each other. Advertisement Twelve national teams, comprising six crew members, race in identical carbon-fiber catamarans head-to-head over a 12-month season, which runs from November to November. The high-tech catamarans, known as F50s, travel at a pace so rapid that even the petrol-powered chase boats can't keep up. The difference is, in kiteboarding if something goes wrong, she's only got herself to worry about. In SailGP, a bad decision or poor maneuver can put teammates at risk. 'I'm used to standing on a 1.4m board that weighs 2.5kg and being in control of everything,' she told The Athletic. 'Whereas the F50, it's faster, it's bigger, it's just so wide and you've got all these other boats around you. We're used to big fleets in kiteboarding, too, but with these reaching starts in SailGP, things can change very quickly. You have to be very, very aware of what's going on around you.' Aldridge, from Poole on England's south coast, is a reserve strategist for the British team that lies fourth in the standings and will soon experience the thrill of competing on home waters when the championship heads to Portsmouth, 60 miles or so along the coast from her home town, this weekend for the seventh leg of the 12-round championship. She is effectively the understudy to current strategist Hannah Mills, the 37-year-old double Olympic gold medalist who also happens to live in Poole. Clarity of decision-making is essential to the role of strategist, as it is they who plot a weaving path through the high-speed traffic for the driver steering the F50. But for Mills, and even the rest of the regular race crew, time on the F50s to hone such skills is precious, with opportunities to train and race on these specialized catamarans in short supply given the boats themselves need to be transported from venue to venue for the Grands Prix, meaning the only opportunity to be on the F50s themselves is during the Friday practice before race weekends. So for a reserve sailor such as Aldridge, her access to the boat is limited. She managed to grab an hour on Britain's F50 during the build-up to last month's New York Grand Prix, a precious and rare opportunity. Still, she's biding her time in the belief that one day her chance to race will come. The problem for the next generation of potential SailGP athletes is gaining experience. Sometimes opportunity only arises through someone else's misfortune, and that very nearly happened at the Auckland SailGP event in January. Advertisement 'The team got in touch to ask what I was doing and if I was interested in seeing what SailGP was all about,' she said. 'I was planning to spend the winter down south in New Zealand anyway, so the timing worked out perfectly. I was in Auckland during the event when the Canadians had a crash and their flight controller (Billy Gooderham) got injured and couldn't race. 'There was a message sent out to see if there were any spare flight controllers anywhere and there was none in the whole of SailGP. There was not a single spare flight controller. 'There are a lot of good people who are trained up but they're already on boats and there's no spare. There's no one that's up and coming that can be there, just in case. And when all these new teams come up (in future seasons), like, who's gonna sail them?' Next season, two new teams will enter the championship, a sign of the growth of a sport that is just six years old but with that comes teething problems. Gooderham's injury meant Canada had to sit on the sidelines for day two of the Auckland event. Aldridge would have loved to leap into the breach, but without the necessary experience, knows it would have been a fool's errand. 'I just thought, 'I've been given this opportunity to come, see what it's like,' and yes, everyone expects me to train up to be a strategist, which is really cool, and I am really enjoying learning that role, especially in the GBR team. But it has motivated me to train up in the other roles as well,' she said. 'So I've been on the simulator as much as possible, and on the boat whenever we've got the time.' One job she'd really like to try is flight controller, responsible for maintaining the F50 in steady flight above the water. The higher the boat rides, the faster it goes, but the closer it is to crashing off the foils. Running that fine line between top speed and wipeout is what Aldridge has been perfecting for the past six and a half years of her Olympic kitefoiling campaign. 'We've only got one foil when you're kiting, it's underneath you and you're controlling it all by your toes, and your feet, and tiny, little movements,' she explained. Advertisement 'When you break it down to the basics, it's exactly the same thing as what you're trying to achieve from the F50.' Except, it could be argued, she has already mastered the art of riding foiling's equivalent of a unicycle; so learning to ride a bike should be a simpler learning curve for her compared with most sailors from a more traditional background in conventional sailing boats. Each team in SailGP needs at least one female crew member. While there hasn't yet been a female flight controller, there are no barriers to entry for this role. With Anna Weis already operating in the highly physical grinder's role for the U.S. team and Martine Grael recently driving the Brazilian team to its first race victory in New York last month, it seems only a matter of time before SailGP will have its first female flight controller. Aldridge said she would jump at the opportunity, although she was mindful of the responsibility that came with the role. 'Riding high is what makes the boat go fast, but obviously you're close to losing control and the stakes are very different. It's not just you and your board, which is maybe bad enough, but now you're carrying the safety of everybody with you,' she said. Still, if you're looking for someone with nerves of steel, you couldn't do better than Aldridge. Going into the final day of the Olympic sailing competition, the British sailing team was facing the prospect of departing a Games without a gold medal for the first time since Atlanta 1996. It was all on Aldridge's shoulders to bring home a gold from the one remaining opportunity — women's kiteboarding. This would require her to beat the clear favourite, Lauriane Nolot, France's reigning world champion, on home waters. Unfazed by external pressures or expectations, ice-cold Aldridge duly delivered. Team GB's blushes were spared. Double Olympian and former 49er skiff world champion Stevie Morrison coached Aldridge to her gold, so he knows her mental and technical strengths better than most. He is also one of the commentators for SailGP's live broadcast team. 'Ellie's certainly got the right temperament for the flight controller's job,' Morrison told The Athletic. Advertisement 'Her ability to stay calm in the moment, when going really, really fast, and knowing where the edge is, it's pretty unique. Racing at the Olympic Games, the fact that she could stay totally in the moment, totally on the edge and knowing where that limit was, that was the defining factor between her winning or not winning gold. That makes her the perfect candidate to take on a flight controller role in SailGP.' Having etched her name in Olympic history, you wouldn't rule her out of creating SailGP history, either.
UAE Moments
02-07-2025
- UAE Moments
El Gouna Unveiled: Hidden Gems Off the Beaten Path
El Gouna might be known for its resorts and lagoons, but there's a lesser‑known side to this Red Sea gem that's calling your name. Whether you're chasing secret surf spots, eco‑friendly escapes, or Insta‑worthy foodie finds, these hidden treasures will level up your Egyptian getaway. 🏄♂️ 1. Secret Kiteboarding Spots Skip the tourist beaches and head to local-only kite zones like Abu Tig Marina, Zeytouna Beach Bar, and the mangroves near Tawila Island. Calm, shallow waters and consistent wind create ideal conditions for beginners and freestyle riders. 🚣 2. Lagoon Boat Tours & Tuk‑Tuk Journeys Glide through El Gouna's emerald canals in a traditional boat or soak up the vibe on a tuk‑tuk tour past palm‑lined streets, marinas, and local artisan spots. It's the perfect way to uncover the town's architecture and baked‑in chill factor. 🐠 3. Under‑the‑Radar Dive & Snorkel Sites Beyond Abu Hashish Lagoon (off the Hurghada coast), explore colorful coral walls and marine life teeming with turtles and rays—without the crowds. Perfect for those who want underwater beauty minus the bustle. . 🌿 5. Eco‑Conscious Stains at Egyptian House & Fish Farm Feel good about holiday shopping at Egyptian House, where handcrafted linens support women artisans. Or chill at the lush El Gouna Fish Farm, a picnic-ready garden oasis with koi ponds and dog-friendly vibes. 🥗 6. Local Flavor Hotspots Wake up at Boho Café harbor‑side for eggs Benedict and smoothie bowls. Go evening‑casual in downtown's Chicha for Peruvian tacos or Zia Amelia for wood‑fired pizza vibes. 🎭 7. Cultural Pulse & Festival Scene El Gouna Film Festival and regular performances at the cultural hub bring a dose of cinematic and artistic flair—no tourist trap here, just real local creativity. ✅ Pro Tips From adrenaline-packed watersports and desert escapades to indie vegan cafes and cultural hubs, El Gouna has a whole other vibe ready to surprise you. Perfect for a chill yet adventurous holiday that's Insta-worthy and soul-feeding.
