(EDIT: Apologies to those who emailed and messaged about a website error which kept bringing up “Anderson Inlet Kiteboarding Club” whenever they accessed the IWC website!!)
You may have noticed our past president- Doug ‘Old Salty” Hocken has been a little quiet of late…
IWC is proud to announce some very exciting news….
After seeing the phenomenal growth of IWC under his leadership and guidance, Doug has been approached by Kiteboarding Victoria to build a new club- the Anderson Inlet Kiteboarding Club. The club aims to copy the blueprint of the Windsurfing Club, but with the thrilling sport of kitesurf boarding.
“It was an easy transition” Doug commented, when I caught up with him over the phone, “Realistically, all I had to do was take all of IWC’s members, then copy all of the guidelines and strategic plans and replace the word Windsurfing with Kiteboarding…Simple… Also, in many ways this was a long time coming. it all started after the kiteboarding lesson I took after losing a bet at Simmo’s Australia Day bash. Kate for GoKite taught me the basics and even though I nearly took out a few kids on the beach, I must say, I thought it was pretty good”.
It has taken a while for Old Salty to hear his calling. “Later on, there was one day on the Inlet when a big front blasted through…all the windsurfing guys were out battling the 20-25 sou’ westers, whilst all the kiters were packed up on the beach, not sailing, but just talking about how strong the wind was. This really appealed to me. The other thing that rang true was I wanted a sport where I only thought about myself- I didn’t have to be part of a vibrant community or concern myself with anyone else. Now, the only time I will need people around me is when they take photos as I go for a sick boost in front of the swimmers on the shore”
The final straw was a matter of taste. “Let’s face it” says Doug, “you only have to take a visit to the Angling Club car park to see that the windsurfing crew really isn’t very stylish or sophisticated…I am a gentleman of fine taste with a strong sense of fashion. You only have to look back at my wetsuit balaclava to see that I am ahead of my time in terms of trends. With its bright colours and use of innovative layering of textures like boardshorts over neoprene, kiteboarding is much more happening and debonaire…”
IWC wishes Doug every success with his new position…