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  #1  
Old 04-08-2007, 10:41 AM
bayflite bayflite is offline
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Default The Parker Files.

Well,
If I had the spare time, I could write a novel about all of the unbelievable kiting adventures of wild Bill. Since Billy izn't a blogger, you gotta hang out to hear it from him. Dude can tell a story.
Anyway, yesterday we were packing up gear after riding he said, "I almost lost this kite a couple weeks ago". Of course I asked "how"? The story goes like this.

"Well, I was doing a downwinder on N wind when somewhere around IRB I missed a handle-pass and the leash failed...bye bye kite. I was way out so I swim in, run down the beach downwind of the kite, swim way out to sea and just as I get to it, the kite relauched and went way way way out to sea. Now what? My plan was to jump on the kite and rest as by now I can barley even breath, and I'm positive I wont make it back to shore.
I saw a marker and swam to it. I kicked the marker while holding on and now I'm bleeding. Crap!
After catching my breath I swim in to shore. So I pump up my 18m grab the spleene and take off. By this time The kite is even further than I thought. Finally I get to the kite and realize that the bar is snagged on something and is underwater. All the lines are tight and the kite is launching and landing violently. I managed to untie a couple of lines then I hear "hey man, you need some help?" It was a kayaker. So I asked him you got a knife?
"No" he said. After a while, he realized he couldn't help and left. So by now I've managed to get three lines untied. Police boat arrives and says "hey, where is your buddy?" I explained both kites are mine there is no buddy. and asked if he had a knife.
He did and handed it to me. I cut the last line and ended the whole ordeal feeling like I needed to puke for 2 days after."

Wild Bill...A kitesurfing legend.
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Old 04-08-2007, 12:18 PM
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Billy is unreal... this guy should ride with a cape.
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  #3  
Old 04-08-2007, 06:13 PM
Skyway Scott
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No doubt. I have seen so many things too. Wild heights, unreal tricks, unreal recoveries, kites wrapping around bridges.
The one thing that always sticks out in my mind about Bill (more than anything else) is how helpful he has been to me and others over the years, whether it be offering advice on shore or saving my or another rider's butt offshore. That actually goes for you too, Bayflite.
Does Bill have some secret training spot these days? Where has he been? I see him on occasion, but not as much as in the past. Oh, I just figured it out. He jumps and lands like 2 miles away... so we never see him.
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  #4  
Old 04-09-2007, 09:20 AM
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bryanleighty bryanleighty is offline
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insane. seriously.. that is an amazing story.

funny as hell to see someone kiting with a second kite in one hand.

saw billy recover Jayson's kite at EB once .. i look over and there is Billy cruising along with Jaysons kite fully inflated in one hand with the bar skipping 25 meters behind it.
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Old 04-09-2007, 09:36 AM
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After being just completely amazed with Billy, and always felt like I was not really worthy of taking too much of his time chatting with him... (my own problem not his)... well I went to the kitemasters race party a few years ago... (the first one).

Imagine my surprise when my girlfriend sees Billy and starts talking him up like an old friend.. she knew him AND his friend also named Billy who grew up in the same neighborhood.

I was standing there like a deer in headlights until Billy started telling me how to throw kiteloops, etc.

I still don't like to take up his time asking stupid questions but if you ever get an opportunity to ask for advanced trick advice he is really good at giving it, and he's just an all around good guy and then some.
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  #6  
Old 04-09-2007, 12:53 PM
bayflite bayflite is offline
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Billy's first competition waz Jupiter invasion '05.

The shore break was way overhead.

Getting caught in a wave that had crested meant you pretty much spent the rest of your 5 minute heat trying to retrieve your board and get back upwind.

Mike Hall and BP ended up in the same heat towards the end of the competiion.

I remember Mike went for a very powered double back-roll on hiz first tack.

Just az he waz ready to land he smashed head on2 the face of a monster wave that had crested and lost hiz board az he waz put through the rinse cycle.

What happened next waz quite impressive indeed.

Mind you, this waz a qualifying heat to get to the final round.

BP shoots downwind like 5feet from shore to grab Mikes board at full speed and dropped it off4 Mike.

Mike waz able to finish the heat with little disruption.

I waz real impressed that Mike waz able2 shake it off...I thought 4sure he waz going2 call it a day after that impact.

But what really impressed me waz the sportsmanship BP displayed that day.

Az Leighty would say..."good times".
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Old 04-09-2007, 01:15 PM
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Those two are crazy. I remember being out a NB when it was blowing oh I dunno maybe like 40-55. I was riding a 5m. Mike and billy show up riding 9s, bayflite is walking cause of some sort of equipment problem with the 13 (!) foil.

Anyway, they show up and boost some crazy 45ft board off 20 feet from shore, and then afterwards start telling stories about rolling across a sandbar at shell.

I'm like Rolling?!? Did you say rolling? Mike says "Yeah, I saw Billy fall down and start rolling and I was like wtf and then I hit it and I'm rolling along getting dragged by the kite and every time I roll over and look at Bill he's still rolling too! So we just rolled all the way across it and kept on going."

wtf lol.
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  #8  
Old 04-09-2007, 01:31 PM
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bryanleighty bryanleighty is offline
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When i see videos of a lot of the "famous" pros I might ooo and ahhh at their skill, but it seems that off the water they are all a bunch of d*cks.

now, they may be playing it up for the camera to look like they are off the hook 24/7, but to me, thats pathetic.

I see videos of Ruben Lenten that are mind boggling, then you see clips of him off the water and hes seems like a complete a$$hole.

I think all of us lucky enough to have been on the water riding side by side with Billy and get a chance to talk to him on the beach know that he is real deal. I think everyone in the area has a few "Billy" stories about how he's gone way out of his way to help local riders.
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