Peter Lynn Venom kite in action Photo: Kim Kern Rider: Tim Wallace

Windsports
Peter Lynn rep visits Hatteras Island Surf and Sail

by Rick Kinnaird

I just spoke with Barton Decker at Hatteras Island Surf and Sail on Highway 12 in Waves and he reports 62 degrees F and winds of 20-23 mph. He said someone was rigging up a Peter Lynn Venom 13 at his shop while we were speaking. I told Barton the last time I saw Peter was at the American Kitefliers Association annual convention in Seaside, Oregon in October 2004. Peter told me not to take up kiteboarding because I was "too old and too slow." (This, coming from the maniac daredevil I know as Peter Lynn, was quite a statement. Of course, I ignored him and took a lesson anyway.) Barton disagreed with Peter's advice, by the way, mentioning that the guy on the Venom 13 was a 66-year-old retired math teacher from Newfoundland!

I also learned that another friend of mine, Blake Pelton, had just visited Barton's shop. (The bum - he could have stayed at Penny Lane or Sound Mind & Body, but instead slept in Barton's loft because he forgot our houses were on Hatteras Island.) Anyway, Blake and his wife, Jamie, run one of the premiere kiteboarding equipment companies in the U.S. and are the U.S. distributor for Peter Lynn of New Zealand wind-powered equipment. After I got off the phone with Barton, I gave Blake a call.

RICK: I'm talking with Blake Pelton of Pelton Wind Sports. Tell me how you first got interested in wind sports and how you came to run your own company?

BLAKE: Kites have been the focal part of my life as long as I can remember. Here's the short story: I started building kites at age three, sold my first self-made kite at age nine, set up a "real" design/manufacturing/distribution business at age sixteen and was managing a large kite retail shop at age seventeen. By the time I was 21, I was designing high-tech traction kites for a major U.S. snowkite company. Not long after that, I started working for WindSpeed Pro owned by my great friend Dave Kennedy (the Peter Lynn distributor at that time). Unfortunately in August 2004, Dave unexpectedly passed away. Eventually, Peter asked if I would continue distribution of their products in the U.S. with my own business. Here we are...

RICK: Great, so what's in store for 2006? Where will the wind take you? Do you have any new models coming out?

BLAKE: There's always new technology coming to the table and the kites never cease to amaze me as they continue to improve exponentially every year. This year, we have the new Vortex designed for both beginners and serious wave riders. Also, the follow-up to the breakthrough Venom, The Venom II, should be available mid-year.

RICK: What's the best part of your job?

BLAKE: My favorite part of this sport/industry is the TRAVEL!! Far more time is spent on the road than at home. It takes a lot to support over 100 retail shops that carry our products. My job is to train the stores' owners and staff on our products and get them pumped up and ready to sell!!! It's easy with Peter Lynn kites, because anyone that tries one usually ends up buying one.

RICK: Sounds like a great life. How does one get hold of you to order some of this cool stuff?

BLAKE: You can check out all of our products at www.peltonwindsports.com but we don't sell directly. To buy our products, visit Barton at Hatteras Island Surf & Sail or phone them at 252-987-2292.