10/06/2011 - 13/06/2011
Of course, the Dutch Kiteboard Open. The biggest kitesurf event in the Netherlands at my Homespot! Be there! I will :)
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Now available, the new
kitesurf
dvd 'Close Up'
A title that I can recommend.
You
will enjoy this one endlessly.
NL advertentie:
Leren kitesurfen?Wil je ook Leren
kitesurfen ? Ga dan direct naar het overzicht met
kite
les - cursus dvd's
@ SurfersBirthday.com
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02/12/2010, Around the world |
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 I had a lot of fun completing my MCC on the Boeing 737-NG and getting a glimpse of what my future "office" will look like :)! It took a while to get all the paperwork in order after completing the program, but I've managed to get everything sorted out. I now proudly hold a JAR-(f)ATPL.
22 months of intense training called for some relaxation. I also owed some hours to kiting, so I took the opportunity to travel to Quiberon, France, Tarifa, Spain, Bonofacio, Corsica (France) and I also got to spend some time in Knokke, Belgium. In the mean time I've sent out some CV's to airlines and did a job interview with Brussels Airlines. I passed all stages and I'm waiting for them to call me to start as a Co-Pilot in their Avro fleet.
I just got back from Malibu, California and had an amazing time there! I soaked up some American culture and some Cali relaxation. I went to an American Football game, Chargers VS Patriots. We did the whole game experience, starting with a tailgate party and BBQ. I had a good time and it was a fun experience. To contribute to that and continue with some USA culture I shot several guns at a shooting range. This all went down in San Diego. Back in Malibu I managed to get some kiting in. Wind from the right and the most perfect kickers rolling in. The most awesome experience kiting there was when two dolphins were crossing under me and jumping out in front of me while I was riding along side of them.
Halloween in the states is awesome. In Holland there is not really such a thing, so to experience it as the real deal was great. Halloween Horror Night at Universal Studios was amazing. I have to say at first I wasn't really convinced it was going to be scary or fun, but having experienced it I have to state it as amazing. Thanks to a friend we could cut all the lines and that was royal seeing how long everyone else was waiting to get into the mazes. I wasn't really scared, but having screaming girls around definitely helps you to get some fright moments. After having the life scared out of you we had to go to a Halloween party! Everyone was dressed up and it was a good amount of fun!
When there was no kiting, there were a few other options: Surf, Chill, Wakeboard, and I did all of them. I had a really good time in California and was sad to leave it behind. But, I will be leaving for the Virgin Islands on Dec. 12 so it's not like I don't have anything to look forward to ;).
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22/03/2010, Netherlands |
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The last days in the USA were a bit hectic, As everything came together. A good amount of flying and had to cancel all the contracts and close my account. Looking back to it I had a good time and noticed that half a year is gone before you know it. The only thing I would have done a bit more is kiting. The times I got to kite were absolutely Njoyable :)
So let me tell you what I've accomplished whilst being away from the kiting scene for a bit. I'm now a full licensed commercial pilot. I'm almost at the end of my training, The only thing left to complete is the MCC (Multi Crew Concept). I will be doing this on the Full Flight Simulator of a Boeing 737-NG. When this is completed I will be hunting for a job in aviation.
In the meanwhile I will be doing some photoshoots and go past some kiteboarding events. Traveling will depend on how the job market will bring me. I've also put some word to a sequence we shot in July in Wijk aan Zee. So check it out on kiteshots.nl or Facebook (kiteshots)
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12/10/2009, Mesa Arizona |
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 Yo peoples, here is a small update. For all you subscribers of Kiteworld, or if you're buying them at the newspaperstands, check out the Motordrive project at page 134 and 135. The trick is explained step by step with my pictures. Credits for Sebastiaan Hogenboom of course for shooting and glueing it together. So yes go out and get yourself the latest Kiteworld (Okt-Nov 2009)
Besides this nice placement, my website has undergone a small update for 2010. As you can see I am riding Balance boards now and I'm free to wear whatever beachwear I like...
Keep flyin'!
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16/09/2009, Virgin Islands |
 We found a lake with google earth that had potential of kitesurfing and so we went to go check it out. It was only an hour drive. When we got there it looked awesome and definitely had potential. It had a bit of a sketchy launching area, but not the worst one i've seen. The day we went to look there was no wind. So we had to get back another time. Then we heard about this other lake only 45min drive. The drive towards the lake was awesome, but arriving at the lake there was a little breeze, but just not enough. If it was 2 knots more... so we did some bridge jumping into the lake which was nice.
The flying is going well and it is getting more fun every time I step into the plain. I had my first pre-solo check August 21. I wasn't nervous, but I noticed some mistakes already and if i'm able to see them, the examiner will see them for sure. I got better as the flight went on and when back in the briefing room she gave me a PASS :) ! So normally my instructor flies on saturdays as well and so me too. Not this saturday though. So we checked the schedule and 30 min after that we were in the car to LA with 6 guys. After a nice 6 hour drive, we found a Motel and payed $120,- and got 2 rooms.
The following morning we went down and met up with a friend of mine. He showed us around a bit and we got some good breakfast. The wind was once again just too light to go out on the water. So we rented paddleboards and went for a paddle around the harbor. Once we got back we decided to drive up to Hollywood. It was an other hour drive and a 2 hour walk on the "Walk of fame", looking down bumping against other people that were doing the same thing. We saw some celebrity stars and it's one of those things you've to do at least once in your life. When we got back to the car, we drove up through Beverly Hills and Bell Air to Malibu and Santa Barbara where we spend the night. The next morning we had an all european breakfast with fresh pastries and everything. The best breakfast in the states so far! We checked out Santa Barbara for a bit and then went back down to Malibu for a swim. The Pacific ocean is pretty chilly. On our way back we drove through Santa Monica and back on the I10 east all the way to Phoenix. easiest directions ever. We got home around 10:15pm and of course I was scheduled for my first solo flight at 6:15am. Which was a bit early, but totally worth it! flying on your own is so chill!
This weekend we'll probably hit up some parties and go have fun.
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28/07/2009, Mesa Arizona |
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 I finished my ground school with success :) and I am now in Mesa, Arizona for the practical part.
After a last week of being at home. I was super lucky with the wind as it was windy almost every day. so I got some kiting in before moving to the dessert. I also managed to do a photo shoot with Sebastiaan Hogenboom (kiteshots.nl). I've seen some shots already and it looks pretty awesome with nice dutch conditions.
This week at school we'll be having some briefings on how to stay in the air with an airplane and the week after we'll try to remember the briefings and stay in the air.
 It's so hot here that the thermometer goes out of it's scale when in the sun, that means it exceeds 50°C. We also bought a nice car. A Dodge bla bla bla... it's white ;) !
I will let you guys know how my flights are going and how awesome it is going to be.
Peace |
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17/04/2009, Belgium |
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 It's been such nice weather lately and I received my new Flexifoil kitegear for the '09 season...
I'll be riding The 2009 Hadlow Pro's with a Flexifoil boards and mystic hardware. When I got the boxes in, the first thing I wanted to do is go out and play, but the wind was not sufficient enough to go out on the water so I just went playing on the beach with the new toys. I envy the chinese people whom are packing those kites so flipping small, Big Ups.
When I unpacked them the bar was set up with a 5th line, Me and the 5th line are not such close friends, so I decided to change it into the Hadlow Pro setting... This was done within 10 min (and that includes rolling out the lines, so that was pretty good). The first thing I noticed was that there was no middle strut, which is pretty weird at the beginning when you're pumping it up, As well as the inflatable tip, big fan of that!
I'll be happy to try the jewels on the water. My studies are going awesome with the theory coming close to an end, one more month to go. After that I'll be doing some kiting, photo shooting and some Sim flying...
Peace |
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13/3/2009, Belgium |
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With the winter coming to an end soon... I just wanted to share the feeling of these awesome kiteshots taken by Sebastiaan Hoogenboom (AKA kiteshots.nl)
Further more the winter has done me a lot of good for my pilot training! When you're in a city, it's cold and dark the motivation to study gets a boost... At least for me, because you know that even though the leafless trees are moving a little bit... the sea won't think twice to freeze your goods off!
I will have my States exams in July, so keep your fingers crossed. Enjoy the pictures and let me know what you think of them!
Big Up To sebastiaan, I'll be doing some PR with the pics in the magz, so if you see me there, let me know and I can post it in my media gallery!
Check out the pics through hanglos.nl
Peace |
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17/1/2009, Virgin Islands |
 I
recently go back from the Virgin Islands. My schedule
for school was pretty mellow and I thought why not
surprise my girlfriend for her Birthday. So I did and
met up with her on the virgin Islands. We had an awesome
time and I could test my new board (Brunotti Onyx) and
harness (Mystic Warrior II) which were really awesome!
We kited 3 days on my 9m2 perfectly and then the wind
died for the rest of the trip, but the swell came up and
so we surfed the rest of the days! Time really goes fast
when you're having fun. I now also know that a week
there seems way to short! Anyways I'm back now and going
full throttle again with the test flying around my head
and soon starting FNPT II (simulator), so that is going
to be of the charts!
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10/11/2008, Scheveningen,
Holland |
 Finally
last weekend was the weekend we've all been waiting for
for a long time. The Dutch Championships had green
light. The first day the wind came a bit offshore and so
was pretty gusty. It also was not to warm. I hadn't
kited in a long time due to school and I had a hard time
getting used to the conditions as it was too cold to
just go out for a warming up. I got knocked out in the
second round and was happy I could get out of my
wetsuit. The next day the wind was a lot better, but
still very cold! the wind was for a 7m2. I had my 9m2
and 7m2 ready to fly. When my heat started. I wanted to
take my 7m2, but it was soft :S. So I took out my 9m2
and was lit. When the heat was over I went to see what
was up with my 7m2, but couldn't find anything. So I
pumped it up just before my next heat and noticed that
because of the leak it had a deviation to the right.
Which on a 7m2 is really messed up. I manage to pass
that heat, but the next heat it got worse and as soon as
I tried to pass the bar the kite would fly into the
water. So that limited my tricks like there is no
tomorrow. I couldn't do enough tricks to pass the heat
and so I lost. I guess Dutch Championships are not my
thing.
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http://www.nkkite.nl/
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4/10/2008, Brussels, Belgium
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.jpg) Well
the Dutch Championships was a no go and got postponed to
the 11th and 12th of september! I also just came of the
water and man it is getting cold already! I hope the
will be next weekend, because otherwise they'll be only
in november and I don't want to know how cold that is
going to be.
I also recently started my education
to become an airline pilot. So during the week I'm in
school from 8:20 - 16:50. I've been in school now for 3
weeks now and I'm really enjoying it. It's getting a bit
chilly to go kiting any way so that will be a nice push
for the studying. I will still be kiting in the weekends
though and will compete in the dutch championships as
long as there is no to great of a risk for hyperthermia
 ! So please
be next weekend  !
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1/9/2008, Noordwijk, Holland
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.jpg) After
spending a month in Knokke, Belgium it was time to go
home again. The time there was awesome. Teaching a bit,
Hanging with friend a bit and making new friends... The
weather on the day of my return in Noordwijk was
generous as there was nice wind and a good amount of
sunshine to play! Hopefully this weekend is the Dutch
Championships as there weather forecast looks promising,
but that can all still change.
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6/8/2008, Knokke,
Belgium |
.jpg) After
getting back from The Gorge I did a lot of thing! We hit
the cable park a few times and got a slider and kicker
fever from it, but it was awesome! Did a couple of
clinics for Q-music (NL) and went to some private
concerts with no more then 100 people. A couple of days
ago I arrived in Knokke, Belgium to give some lessons
and hang around a little bit. I also have two clinics
planned with Q-music Belgium and going to be in the jury
for the MOËT Cup which is held right here in Knokke. For
tomorrow there is a N.E.R.D. concert on my way so we'll
see how that is going to end
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20/7/2008, Hood River, Oregon
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 With
a day off we desisted to go up to Mount Hood for some
snowboarding. The snow was nice and soft. After we got
some down hill action we went down to the sandbar for
some kiting action. I mean now we can say we snowboarded
and kited on the same day and I think that its pretty
cool to say. Skippers meeting today was at 8:30 for the
Big Air contest. The wind wasn't that great at first but
got better as the event went on. I was on my 9m2 all day
and was perfectly lit. My boosting skills got me up on
the podium on the 3rd place as I lost from Alvaro
Onieva. So pretty stoked with the podium. I got a couple
of things I want to do here like mountain biking and
kite some different spots. Now the comp is over I got
some time to do those things.
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http://www.gorgegames.net/
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18/7/2008, Hood
River, Oregon |
 I
had a good session on my 9m2. I really like this place!
it's nice and windy, sunny and the people are cool. The
skippers meeting for the contest was at 8:30 am. I got
my kites sorted out and pumped up my 9m2 and 7m2. The
wind was a bit fluky and up and down. So I ended up
pumping my 11m2 just incase. I didn't need it though. I
ended up just using my 9m2 as I would be lit and
underpowered on every kite and the 9m2 is the nice size.
I lost against Damien LeRoy and got 5th as there were
only singles. I had a super nice kite session after the
contest was done and the wind got steadier. Tomorrow we
have a break so we had a good idea to go snowboarding in
the morning and then go kiting in the afternoon. Then on
Saturday there is the Big air and we'll see how that is
gonna go.
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www.gorgegames.net/
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16/7/2008, Hood River, Oregon
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.jpg) After
the Jack Johnson concert in Den Haag we had a long
flight the next morning from Amsterdam through LA to
Portland, but we made it. Trying to rent a car is not as
easy as it seems and we ended up renting a U-Haul van.
We started driving towards the town Hood River and when
we arrived the town was pretty small for the amount you
hear about it, but nonetheless it's a super nice town.
We met some people and ran in to some people we already
knew. The first session was on my 11m2 and was pretty
mellow. The spot is awesome here and can't wait to go
out again. The backdrops here are insanely pretty. With
a snowy Mount Hood in the background.
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12/7/2008, Noordwijk |
.jpg) When
the doubles came up I had long ways to go. So I could
fix my leash as it broke in the semi finals. The wind
wasn't as steady as the day before. I went out a little
bit before I had to go put up a show. It was perfect for
my 9m2. The wind went a little flukey on us the heat
before the second and third place. So we had a little
break. It didn't take too long for the wind to pick back
up. So they started the comp again. I put up my 11m2
during the heat before mine and it was perfect so I
stayed out. 1 min before the heat the wind picked up a
good amount and I was well overpowered, but I knew if I
would change my kite it would only cause stress, so I
stuck with it. I lost this heat and went on to my 9m2
for my second chance. I was powered perfect and was
doing well the first half of the heat and the other guy
was crashing everything, but in the second half of the
heat it turned and I was crashing my tricks. I don't
know why, but I guess I wanted to do everything to fast
when I had the time. I unfortunately lost this heat and
became second which is also pretty satisfying. I stayed
a bit longer and got my PADI open water diving license
which was a cool experience.
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22/6/2008, Paros, Greece |
 After
getting in on Paros I chilled with George. He is the
event organizer and a good friend. We did the single
elimination. I got to start in the second round already
as I was ranked in the top 8. We started of and when I
had my heat I was on a 11m2. The wind was good and I
passed on to the quarter finals. They stopped after the
second round and called it a day. The next day we had
course racing on the program. I was really stoked with
that as I like it a lot! We did a test run and it was
about 6 min course which was perfect for multiple races.
We started at 1 o'clock together with the live
television. I guess I did pretty well as i finished 4th
in the first race. The second race was a different story
though. I was on the 5th position and about to get 4th
again, but my nose dove and I lost my board and saw a
bunch of people pass me. After the course racing there
was a hangtime contest. I took a 12.5m2 Flexifoil ION3
and boosted a massive time of 7.35 sec. This was also
the winning time! so that will be my first podium place
for the event. The freestyle continued the next day.
There was live TV again and I took out my 7m2 in the
quarter finals. I was pretty lit and I won this heat and
was stoked, because worst I could get now was 5th. In
the semi finals I had Antoine Auriel who was killing it,
but I had the favorite of the judges in that heat and
went on to the finals against Leander Vyvey. The wind
dropped a bit, but was still good for my 7m2. As they
did the podium for the live TV the called Miguel Willis
for 3rd place and Leander Vyvey for 2nd so that meant I
was first and won the Singles. Super stoked and hope to
keep my first place in the doubles. For now I'm going to
have a nice chill.
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www.kiteboardpro.com/greece2008.htm
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15/6/2008, St
Thomas, USVI |
 After
some of the last kite sessions and a nice surf session
it's time to move on. I took a flight from St Thomas to
Atlanta where I spend the night. I'm waiting for my
flight to Athens, but as I'm on standby I don't know if
i'm going to make the flight! If not I'll try to get
there an other way or day. I will report back when I'm
in Greece and let you guys know if I made it or I had a
mission.
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