Travel & Arrival

Where can I park?

Parking will be available on site  but needs to be pre -booked. Additional parking will be available…. Please also see Travel & Parking.

How do I book a space in the disabled car parking area?

Please do contact julia@kitesurfingarmada.com if you require a space in the disable car parking area.

Is parking included in the registration fee? 

No, parking is not included in the registration fee, car parking is available from £…. . We advise you pre-book your parking space when you register, otherwise we cannot guarnatee a space. All overnight stays must be booked in advance. Please also see Travel & Parking.

I forgot to book parking or camping when I registered, what should I do now?

If you would like to book parking or camping tickets please contact julia@kitesurfingarmada.com . 

Can I park next to my tent?

We will do our best to give you a parking space close to camping area. No vehicles are allowed in the area where tents are set up. Please also see Travel & Parking.

Festival

When does the festival open?

The festival will open on Saturday at 9am and close on Sunday at 10pm.

How much are festival tickets? 

Kitesurfers who are fully registered for the downwinder will have free access to the festival with their wristbands. All festival visitors will be asked for a £3 donation.

Can I buy festival tickets in advance?

 

Will there be cash points available?

There will…

Can I kitesurf on the day the downwinder doesn’t take place?

Yes if it is windy enough there….

Can I bring my friends and family? 

Yes please, there will be many different activities taking place throughout the weekend.

What will be the programme if the festival takes place on the last weekend without wind?

We will show the latest kite movies, all the brands will be there exhibiting, there will be Q&A with Pro’s ….

Can I bring my own food and drinks? 

There will be a number of food stalls ….

Is the venue accessible by wheelchair?

Are there baby changing facilities available?

Yes – …

Can I charge my phone at the festival?

No, we do not have any charging facilities available at the festival. / Yes, our power providers Firefly will have peddal bikes available which you can use to charge your phone.

Can I use a camping stove or barbecue? 

 

Can I bring my pet? 

We only allow guide dogs in the festival area, the beach or the camping area, all other pets have to stay at home.

Will there be medical support on site for emergencies?

Yes, there will be medical support on site. The team ….

Where can I smoke at the festival? 

….. Don’t just throw your cigarettes away, please place them in the cigarette bins provided.

Security & Saftey

Do I need to bring my ID?

Yes – Challenge 25….

Where do I report lost and stolen items? 

Please report any lost or stolen items at the Event Information Tent. Any stolen item must also be reported to the police ….

Camping

When does the campsite open?

The campsite opens … Please also see Camping.

 Is there a restriction on size for tents?

…..Please make sure your tent is secure in windy conditions. We do not allow gazebos. Please also see Camping.

Can I set up a tent next to my camper van?

No, camper vans will be in a different area. Please also see Camping.

Can I use a camping stove or barbecue? 

 

 

Will there be showers and changing facilities  available?

There are a limited number of showers and changing facilities available. So if you can please change in your van.

Downwinder

What does my registration fee include? 

Your £40 registration fee includes an event rash vest, GPS tracking and safety cover for the event.

Will there be a booking fee? 

No all the payments will be made through Virgin Money Giving and you won’t be charged a booking fee. 

Will I receive a ticket?

No, but you will receive a confirmation email from the Virgin Kitesurfing Armada team with your individual booking number.

When is the deadline for registration?

Registrations close on the 24th of August or when the Maximum capacity of 500 kitesurfers is reached.

I do not have a specific Kitesurfing Insurance, can I participate anyway?

We need to ensure everyone is covered on the day and therefore everyone needs to have BKSA or similar kitesurfing insurance. If you need to get insurance please see: www.britishkitesurfingassociation.co.uk/bksa-membership/join-the-bksa.html or alternatively CBK Hayling Island offer an Event Day Insurance ???

I’m 16, can I get involved?

We are happy to have kiters of 16 and under involved if they are at the level required – but they will require an adult to kite with them on the day and take responsibility for them to ensure Health and Safety and Child Protection requirements are met. Please contact us.

I’m not sure I am a good enough kiter to do the challenge – how do I know?

Each participant must sign to say they are competent riding up and downwind, can manage winds of up to 25 knots, have undertaken downwinders before, are to confidently relaunch their kite in open water, be able to confidently body drag back to their board and able to manage an open water safety pack down and self rescue – if this is you, you can attempt the challenge. Just rate your skills honestly on the form so we can ensure you and your buddies set off with others of the same ability.

I’m not sure I want to do the whole downwinder but I’d love to get involved in the World Record attempt – is that ok?

So long as you are of the required intermediate standard and you are still happy to fundraise – no problem – just let us know on the registration form and we can put you in the appropriate group to be part of the World Record Attempt.

Can we register / fundraise as a team?

To ensure we know exactly who is involved and can run the event safely, everyone has to register as an individual and go through the full registration process individually as described earlier. You will then have your own fundraising page and your own fundraising target.

Can I kite with my mates in the same group?

Groups of 3 friends should be a Buddy Team and should be a similar ability. Please note though to be officially registered and to ensure safety, each individual has to go through the registration process so we have full details of everyone involved – individuals can then pay the registration fee and set up an individual fundraising page with Virgin Money.

How does the Buddy System Work?

Instead of insisting large teams stay together, a Kite Buddy system will be used. Basically, every participant must designate 2 other friends who they will kite with for the whole downwinder, or as far as you all go. They must be of similar ability, and must agree to stick together throughout. The benefits of the system are:

a)      You don’t have to try to keep an eye on a large number of other kitesurfers in a team. So long as the three of you are going well – you can continue at your own pace and not waste energy and time waiting when someone else in your team needs support.

b)      If one of the three of you needs help, you all wait together for boat support or go to the beach together if near the beach.

c)       If for some reason someone needed to go for help on water or land, one buddy can stay with the person needing support and the other can kite / walk to find help.

d)      Once safely on the beach or in the boat, marshalls / boat volunteers call in the number of the participant they have supported, and the other two members can continue on if they wish to and are cleared to go. If the buddy team land outside a landing point they MUST call in to Basecamp that somebody is stopping, confirm their location and confirm whether they are carrying on as a two, or all getting the bus together.

What about my spare gear, clothes, pumps etc – do I leave it at Hayling?

If you arrive by car, we recommend  you leave everything in your car and set off on the event leaving nothing behind on the beach.

We will be using a Marathon style system where you can have a bag with your name and number on it for you to collect.

Will there be showers and changing facilities  available?

…there will be a limited amount of showers available…

Can my family and friends track me while I am on the downwinder? 

Yes they will be able to track all participants online. We will also have a big screen with live tracking at the festival.

Can I go on after Pagham?

No, the event ends at Pagham and you have land, sign in and return your GPS at Pagham beach. If you do wish to continue after that it is at your own risk. If you disregard the event rules and continue without lading, signing in and returning your GPS at Pagham you will be excluded from all future events.

Why the changes?

The festival is growing and our priory is the safety of the participants.  We want to keep the festival accessible for everyone, this is only possible by reducing the course and landing in Pagham. The cost to provide sufficient safety cover for an increasing number of participants all the way to Lancing would increase significantly and the festival would become less accessible….

How do I get back from Pagham to Hayling Island?

We will be arranging coach travel to cater for all participants from Pagham back to Hayling Island. This is included in your registration fee.

What if I can’t make the day when the event is due to go ahead?

We understand it’s difficult for people to put aside 3 weekends in September/October to ensure they are free when the event actually happens – but there is no way around organising the event this way thanks to the wind. If you sadly can’t make it on the day for whatever reason, your funds will still support the charities – and we will hopefully make this an annual event so your registration can be brought forward to the following year!

I can’t make it on the day can, can someone else take part instead of me? 

In order to run the event safely last minute changes are not possible.

What happens to my fundraising if I don’t complete the course?

It’s no problem, the charities will still receive any funds you raise regardless. It’s unlikely your friends will want their money back if you don’t complete the course, especially if you gave it your best shot.

What happens if there is no wind on any of the proposed days?

If there is no wind on any of the days, the festival will take place on the weekend of the 11th/12th of October.

The registration and funds raised will be put forward to next year, unfortunately we cannot give refunds for the registration fee or funds raised.

What happens to my registration fee and my fundraising if the downwinder doesn’t take place?

 

I can’t make the event but I’d like to support anyway – can I make a donation?

Yes please! Just go to: