Kiteboarding at Peahi, Maui (otherwise known as Jaws) on January 4th, 2012. This was the biggest swell so far of the season and the day started off with paddle in surfing, then tow surfing, then windsurfing, and in the late afternoon, kitesurfing. Quite a full day at Peahi!

Neil Pryde, one of the most important names and brands in the world of kitesurfing and windsurfing, believes “it is a little premature to be saying they [kiteboarders] want to be in the Olympics”.

The sailing entrepreneur, born in New Zealand, has built a business empire in the water and winds sports industry, which also includes the iconic kiteboarding brand Cabrinha, but he has no doubts when it comes to Olympic bids.

“Olympic sailing is all about one design because the emphasis of Olympic sport is on the athlete not the equipment and I think kiteboarding has a way to go to get to a one design standard”, he told Sail World.

“San Francisco is much more advanced in racing. We were quite involved with the St. Francis Yacht Club and in fact we sponsored the first events that they put on in kiteboarding, through our American company. They were probably the most successful events so far run. Even so, while they have good competition and it is spectacular to watch, I just don’t think that they are ready for Olympic status and I say that even with my Cabrinha hat on my head”.

“I think kiteboarding ultimately can be an Olympic sport but I just don’t see it happening any time soon, in spite of the kite guys pitching. But kiteboarding is still up in the air and right now in the RS:X class we are up and running, and probably have over 200 competitors at the ISAF Sailing World Championships”, added Neil Pryde.

The Neil Pryde Group founder decided to buy Cabrinha from Pete Cabrinha, whe he noticed “kiteboarding was starting to cut into the windsurfing market”. Pete entered Neil’s company to run the marketing and product development divisions.

“Cabrinha is arguably the world market leader and we built about 25,000 kites a year. Windsurfing is shrinking but kiteboarding is definitely growing by probably five percent a year, but not everywhere in the world. It’s started to slow a bit in Europe because one of the major considerations of kiteboarding is beach space”.

Neil Pryde produced over 300,000 windsurfing sails a year, in peak times, during the windsurfing fever of the 80’s. Today, the company is the official Olympic windsurfing supplier for the 2012 London Games.

2011 MaiTai Highlights from Susi Mai on Vimeo.

1. Theory – The big picture. Understanding the goals, the process, and the lingo needed to communicate. Use of special tools to explain complicated principles. Learn to choose a location, evaluate wind direction, and understand the wind clock.
2. Setting up the Equipment – How to handle the kite and lines from set-up to launch. Learn the difference between bow kites, c-kites, and 5-line kites.
3. Pre-Flight Check – All the tips you will need to never forget to check everything before launch.
4. Assisted Launches – Learn to launch and land with an assistant and the role of both the pilot and the assistant.
5. Kite Control – Proper methods of using the control bar and steering the kite, including adjusting the power and de-power of the kite.
6. Power Intake – Complete understanding of the wind window. Once kite control is established you will learn exact kite placement to either create power by flying the kite into the power zone, or reduce power by flying the kite to the edge of the window.
7. Use of all safety systems, including quick releases.
8. Dry water starts. Performing simulated water starts on land under-powered to see the steps and build muscle memory.