The second leg of the BKC hit Southend on Sea on Saturday 25th July 2015 and as the army of vans, riders and brands hit the seafront; locals could be forgiven for thinking that an invasion was taking place. For just as with the first BKC event of the year at Lancing, it seemed like everyone in UK kiting had come out to support the event.

As flags were erected along the seafront, marking out the competition area; marquees from all the major brands adorned the beach as brand managers demoed their gear. The riders, who were out in force, milled around, registering, setting up gear and waiting for news from the rider’s briefing of the earliest possible start.

 

The forecast had been good for Saturday, but with an offshore wind it didn’t really materialise and whilst some kiting was done, it was fragmented as organisers waited on the mercy of the wind. Fortunately the sun was out as riders waited patiently for the next call, giving them a chance to catch up. – What was done, which category competed on Saturday?

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Saturday night and the contingent of kitesurfers and brands headed over to Essex Kite Park where they stayed for the night. The brands set up camp, putting up their marquees in the huge field that had been laid aside for the BKC BBQ and party and once the DJ had set up too, the site took on a festival feel. As the music played on into the night, a bonfire was lit, illuminating the sky. As riders warmed themselves around the fire, relaxing and chatting with friends the scene was set for a perfect night.

Sunday morning and it was all change; whilst wind was forecast, so too was heavy rain which bucketed down all day with just the odd break. Undeterred, Jim and Rou and the team pushed on with the competition and despite having to wait for the tide to come back in, late afternoon; there was a full set of results from each categories.

First up was the ????? – need some info here about what went on, on Sunday, which category rode first, then next etc. Which riders stood out, who struggled, any wipe outs etc.

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The Pro Men’s final was hotly fought, but unfortunately for the riders, confusion over where the competition zone was meant that for some, their tricks didn’t count. Despite the controversy, the judges stuck by the rule that they had been applying all day that any tricks pulled outside the zone wouldn’t count and their decision was final. At the prize giving Rou explained the decision and the format that the competitions had been run all day and made it mandatory for riders to attend Rider’s Briefings to avoid further confusion.

Looking at the Leaderboard below, it’s still all to play for in the Pro categories but it looks like a few of the other categories are already sown up.

Once again a sterling effort by the crews from IKSURF and Kiteworld; fantastic support, fantastic turnout, fantastic vibe, what more can you ask for.

If you haven’t already done it, book yourself a trip to Hunstanton for the 3rd and final round of the British Kitesurfing Championships on 15th – 16th August 2015. If the last two events are anything to go by, Hunstanton should be a corker!

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Leader Board

Name	Category	Lancing	Southend	Hunstanton
Sean Murphey	Pro Men	3rd	1st
Olly bridge	Pro Men	1st	-
Tom Bridge	Pro Men	-	2nd
George Dufty	Pro Men	4th	3rd
Oli Sweeney	Pro Men	2nd	4th
Rosanna Jury	Pro Women	1st	2nd
Danielle Durrant	Pro Women	3rd	1st
Holly Keenan	Pro Women	2nd
Holly Kennedy	Pro Women		3rd
Kevin Matthey	Masters	1st	2nd
Pete Jones	Masters		1st
Kevin Maguire	Masters	2nd
David Wilde	Masters	3rd
Cedric Bontemps	Masters		3rd
Dan Turner	Am Men	1st	1st
Richard Wise	Am Men	2nd
Andrew McMillan	Am Men	3rd
David Freeman	Am Men		2nd
Nathan Cullingford	Am Men		3rd
Luci Turner	Am Ladies	1st	1st
Kate Ross	Am Ladies	2nd
Sarah Barkway	Am Ladies	3rd	3rd
Rebecca Reader	Am Ladies		2nd
Harry Way	Juniors	1st	1st
Jack Gardiner	Juniors	2nd
Cameron Auld	Juniors		2nd
Tom Seager	Juniors	3rd	4th
Toby Cook	Juniors		3rd

 Results:

 Pro Men’s
 1.    Sean Murphy
 2.    Tom Bridge
 3.    George Dufty

 Pro Women’s
 1.    Danielle Durrant
 2.    Rosanna Jury
 3.    Holly Kennedy

Masters
1.    Pete Jones
2.    Kevin Matthey
3.    Cedric Bontemps

Amateur Men
1.    Dan Turner
2.    David Freeman
3.    Nathan Cullingford

Amateur Ladies
1.    Lucie Turner
2.    Rebecca Reader
3.    Sarah Barkway

Juniors
1.    Harry Way
2.    Cameron Auld
3.    Toby Cook
4.    Tom Seager