Pete Hicks is Scilly’s Lifeboat Coxswain and also a passionate kitesurfer…

From the age of 5, I’ve been boating, fishing and messing about on the sea around Scilly.

In my late teens, having already progressed to sailing high-performance dinghies, I got the chance to learn how to kitesurf here on the islands. I signed up.

The weekend came for the course and it was blowing hard: perfect conditions for discovering what kitesurfing was all about and with three-time British freestyle champion Mike Smith demonstrating his exceptional skills, I was hooked from the off.

Since that weekend, I’ve kitesurfed in numerous locations and I have come to realise that I live in one of best places – if not the best place – to kitesurf in the UK. When the wind is right, the tides allow, and the sun shining, it’s truly brilliant. Such is the geography of the islands that there’s always a beach that you can get rigged up from and head out into the shallow and clear blue waters. Then you’ll blast along with a huge smile on your face!

The most consistently best spot for kitesurfing on Scilly is across St. Martin’s Flats where winds blowing from the south east direction all the way round to westerly make it a real freestyle heaven. When the easterlies blow, head for Tresco in particular Pentle Bay at low tide as upwind of the beach there’s a sand bar where waves form.

Kiting here is best for competent riders who know their limits, can launch, land and pack down themselves and have due regard for changing conditions and other water users. There are no kite schools or shops so bring all the spares you may think you’ll need. If this sounds like you, you’ll be in for the rides of your life!