Down at Stone we don't have too many kitesurfers, well actually we now only  have one after the sad death of  John May in December 2006, but the one kitesurfer we do have definitely deserves a mention on the Club website Mr Mick Martin, now you wont meet a nicer person than Mick.  If you are interested in Kitesurfing or Windsurfing  or he will give you advice and spend hours teaching you if your keen to learn.                                                            

 I wanted to tell other members a bit about Mick as he is quite a character, i don't think i have met too many people with Mick's determination and dedication to his sport, when Mick first started Kitesurfing there where no other Kitesurfers down at Stone, i don't think there where too many anywhere come to that. in the beginning you would see Mick week in week out getting dragged through the mud across the beach, but this did not deter Mick he persisted and persisted to eventually he became really good, you will often see Mick out on the water when everyone else is in the clubhouse, I remember John May telling me about how Mick turned up at Bradwell when everyone was just packing up because the weather was so bad, Mick had told John he was just going to have a quick Kitesurf, Anyway everybody went leaving Mick to his own devices, Mick was out on the water when a squall hit Bradwell plucking him out of the water and carrying him across the top of the seawall then landing in a field only to be taken up in the air again eventually coming to a stop near a old aircraft hangar! If anybody know Bradwell you will know that the aircraft hangar is about half a mile from the sea, as well as cuts and bruises i think Mick broke his arm as well. After an experience like this you would think Mick would be having second thoughts about his chosen sport. Not Mick, as soon as he was fit again he was back on the water.  I have had a go at Kitesurfing myself, i must say its not for me, i don't like the feeling of being attached to the end of a kite when it all goes wrong, you really have to have a go, to appreciate how powerful these kites are.  The only way i can describe it is like being towed by a boat that goes up in the air as well as along, you really have to know what you are doing with the kites as they are capable of just taking you straight up in the air 20ft or more, now i don't want to put anyone off, as it really is a fantastic sport and since i last had a go two or three years ago, the equipment has come on in leaps and bounds, the safety side of it is far better with quick releases and de-power systems, also the kites are far more controllable as well, if you fancy having a go see Mick and he will point you in the right direction, regarding where to get lessons and equipment.

I asked Mick Martin if he would write me a bit about kitesurfing and how he got into the sport.

Mick Martin

Initially i started kite surfing several years ago after seeing the sport in America.  I felt that the sport would make a ideal addition to wake boarding for those days when there was no one around to give me a tow.  I became proficient at dragging myself across the mud flats, along beaches creating exceptional entertainment.  I must thank all those girls in the ski club who patiently untangled my kite lines after each session.  when i eventually thought i cracked it.  It was then i was introduced to kite para gliding in squalls high above sea and land! eventually bouncing across a few fields at Bradwell before coming to an abrupt stop near an old aircraft hangar.  Well never let this put you off because i am still in one piece enjoying the sport but sadly for others not giving them so many laughs.

 John May Kitesurfing in Baku July 2006

 John May kitesurfing In Baku 2006