Team Volvo Steph and Guy Bridge break the kiting record
by Volvo Sailing on 11 Aug 2015
Steph Bridge and her 15 year old son Guy Bridge Lloyd Images
This morning Team Volvo Steph Bridge and her 15 year old son Guy have successfully kitesurfed the 60 mile circumference around the Isle of Wight both making it round in less the four hours beating the current record. Guy Bridge is now the youngest person to kitesurf around the Isle of Wight in the time of three hours and 34 minutes beating his mum back to Gurnard Seafront in Cowes by 17 minutes.
On Monday 10th August amongst the busy solent water of the Cowes Week Regatta two kitesurfers from Exmouth, Devon set off on a practice record breaking attempt around the Isle of Wight.
With a good forecast of between 15 - 20 knots of wind they set off from Gurnard Seafront in Cowes at 09.47am and headed anti-clockwise around the island. Rounding the iconic Needles at 10.22 and then continuing at a consistant rate round the back of the island.
Guy Bridge, is the current British Foiling Race Champion, however this is his first endurance challenge, Guy beat his mother back by a mere 17 minutes landing back at gurnard at 13.21pm, beating the current official record of six hours and 14 minutes set by James Meaning in 2008.
Steph Bridge who is Five Time World Kite Racing Champion has done endurance challenges before and has won the past two Red Bull Extreme Kite race events, however she proclaimed when she landed in at 13.38pm that kiting around the Isle of Wight was: 'A lot harder than I thought, there were times when I didn't think we were going to finish'.
Today was a trial run ahead of next year when they hope to set an official Guiness Record for fastest kitesurfer around the Isle of Wight.
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