Our original plan this season was to pick up where we left off by exploring the Windward islands, from Martinique south. But we were also pretty committed to give kiteboarding a try, and we'd heard from our friends on Meow that in Nonsuch Bay, Antigua looked like a great place to learn. (There's schools all over the place, but the conditions and quality of the school were pretty important to us.) Although we visited Antigua last year we decided to return...and here we are.

The school is great: side-shore winds, a calm protected bay, and an IKO-certified school run by an engaging Italian couple and a really nice guy from Germany. So we can practice our Italian while learning to kitesurf! Bellissimo! Raus!!

Our 1st day went well...flying the training kite and then progressing to the "BIG kite" on land (by big, I mean capable of launching you in the air if you get it wrong...although our instructor always had a hand on us). By Day 2 we were in the water learning to "body-drag". This is where you do a series of figure-8 and other kite maneuvers, allowing the kite to drag your body through the water. It's not only an exercise to get you comfortable with the inevitable trashings of the sport, but also a useful skill you need to develop to enable you to drag yourself back to your board after you've had a good trashing.

We'd heard from many people that the body-dragging sessions were kind of brutal - heck, the name alone makes them sound a bit daunting. But it was time, so the instructor, Louis and I all get into the dinghy and go out into the bay with the kite, which is attached to a harness which is attached to one of us. Louis goes 1st and has a blast doing it...laughing while being drug through the water, with no kite crashings or anything. Easy, right? Then I go. I'm sitting on the edge of the dinghy, the instructor transfers the kite from his harness to mine, I slide into the water and "POOF", I immediately launch myself into the air and splat into the water about 50' away from the dinghy. After getting over the shock it was pretty funny (and didn't hurt or anything), so I try again. I'm ok once the kite is in the air, and am having fun dragging myself thru the water. But I crash the kite a few times and have a heck of a time launching the thing back up in the air. I don't seem to have a hard time launching myself, though, as I do it again only this time my body is all contorted and I get a good neck jerk in the process. Ouch. Now a bit of fear sets in, as my neck is a bit "tweaky" to say the least. I begin to get it, though, and it turns out the body dragging is really FUN! We end our 2nd session and then have a very entertaining night on Scappatella with some new friends - Gary, Jean and Nina from the boat Oti Mai - who are also learning to kiteboard.

The next day I am feeling a bit of apprehension. We decide to split up our lesson - Louis in the morning and me in the afternoon - as Louis is picking it up more quickly than me and I don't want to slow him down. He does AWESOME, and is riding his board by his 4th lesson, ahead of most people's progress. (He can be annoying that way). That afternoon it's my turn. I'm a bit apprehensive, but we go out into the bay with the kite and, no problem! I'm launching the kite easily, doing figure-8's, body dragging under control, having a LOT of fun with it with no crashings or trashings! Despite the 80-degree water I'm shivering after an hour or so of this but not wanting to quit because it really is a gas! I want to try the board but we're out of time...bummer. We're both looking forward to day 3 tomorrow!