COUNTY NEWS: Watch kitesurfers explore Rampion wind farm

Two kitesurfers got an up close and personal view of the Rampion wind farm in a video which is making waves online.
Kitesurfer Ali Weinberg exploring the Rampion wind farm off the coast of SussexKitesurfer Ali Weinberg exploring the Rampion wind farm off the coast of Sussex
Kitesurfer Ali Weinberg exploring the Rampion wind farm off the coast of Sussex

Ali Weinberg and Nicko Stanley’s video has already got 2,500 views on Vimeo, and shows the pair weaving in and out of the huge turbines, having started their journey in Goring, West Sussex, where they regularly surf.

Nicko, from Hove, said: “We talked about doing it ever since they started taking shape and curiosity got the better of us when the perfect day came along.

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“It was a good hour to get there, watching the shoreline pretty much disappear out of view and it seemed like we weren’t getting any closer but then when we got there we were in awe of the structures and the monumental engineering feat it’s clearly taking to construct.

The video of the Rampion wind farm has already racked up 2,500 viewsThe video of the Rampion wind farm has already racked up 2,500 views
The video of the Rampion wind farm has already racked up 2,500 views

“As an engineer myself I felt quite humble in amongst it.”

The pair spent ten minutes among the turbines, but did not spend too long at the farm in case the wind dropped.

The experienced kitesurfer said he would not recommend people to try it as ‘we knew our abilities and knew we could do it’: “We did a few downwinders in the weeks before to build up our endurance levels, and checked the distance, equipment, forecast and conditions carefully before making the call.”

The kitesurfing duo originally planned to kite to Shoreham, another favourite surfing location of theirs, but they went back to Goring as ‘we didn’t have much left in the tank’.

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