Richard vs Barack - kiteboard and foilboard challenge
It was a huge honour to be able to invite President Barack and Michelle Obama down to the British Virgin Islands for a complete break after Barack finished his second term as President and the family left the White House.
Richard Vs Barack
One of the first stories Barack told me when he and Michelle arrived on Moskito Island was how, just before he became President, he had been surfing on a dangerous break in Hawaii. When he came in from an exhilarating session, the new head of his security team turned to him and said: “This will be the last time you surf for eight years.” For the next eight years he didn’t have the chance to surf, enjoy watersports or do many of the things he loved.
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Image by Jack Brockway
So it was tremendous to offer him the chance to learn to kitesurf. The sport has really taken off in the past decade and we have the perfect conditions and team to help anyone learn. I have also wanted to learn foilboard surfing. So we decided to set up a friendly challenge: could Barack learn to kitesurf before I learned to foilboard? We agreed to have a final day battle to see who could stay up the longest.
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Image by Jack Brockway
Barack started learning to kitesurf on the beach on Necker for two days solid, picking up the basics and flying a kite as if going back to being a child again. Then he went into the water, standing up and getting a feel for the kite. Finally, he put the board at his feet and gave it a go. Being the former president of America, there was lots of security around, but Barack was able to really relax and get into it.
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Image by Jack Brockway
On the next stretch of water, I soon learned that foilboarding, even if you can kitesurf, is a completely new sport. You come shooting out of the water, crashing down at high speed, and very much need a helmet and body armour for safety. But I slowly got the hang of it.
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Image by Jack Brockway
As you can see in the video, Barack and I both fell many times, but we kept trying again and again and made progress over the days. We were neck and neck until the last run on the last day, when I got up on the foilboard and screamed along for over 50 metres, three feet above the water. I was feeling very pleased with myself, only to look over and see Barack go 100 metres on his kiteboard! I had to doff my cap to him and celebrate his victory.
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Image by Jack Brockway
After all he has done for the world, I couldn’t begrudge him his well-deserved win. Now he has left, I’m going back into the water to practice for the next challenge. On his next visit, we plan to do the long kite over to Anegada together. Next time, may the best (British) man win!
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New photos Barack Obama kite-surfing with Richard Branson | Daily Mail Online
Barack Obam-AIR! New photos show former president kite-surfing and horsing around with billionaire buddy Richard Branson
- New photos show Barack Obama and Richard Branson going kite-surfing during the former president's recent visit to the billionaire's private island
New photos show the newly-retired Obama going kite-surfing with Branson during a recent getaway on the Virgin founder's private island.
The worries of the White House are clearly far from Obama's mind in the pictures - as he horses around with Branson on the boat, smiles widely for the cameras and then catches some air on his board.
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New photos show Barack Obama going kite-surfing with friend Richard Branson on the billionaire's private island
Obama and first lady Michelle visited the island for a vacation after moving out of the White House last month
The 55-year-old former president may be 'retired' now but he's still fit enough to take in some extreme sports
Before strapping into his kite-surfing board, Obama and Branson horsed around on the boat
Sixty-six-year-old Branson, the founder of Virgin, got some air when he went out foil-boarding
Trump's inauguration last month, the Obamas first flew to Palm Springs, California, where the president treated himself to a few days of golf and desert air.
Then they were off again for Branson's own piece of the British Virgin Islands. The couple hung out with friends and lazed about the beach for more than a week - a much-deserved break after two terms.
Branson spoke about the 'honor' of being able to invite the former president and first lady to his island in a blog post on Tuesday.
'One of the first stories Barack told me when he and Michelle arrived on Moskito Island was how, just before he became President, he had been surfing on a dangerous break in Hawaii.
'When he came in from an exhilarating session, the new head of his security team turned to him and said: “This will be the last time you surf for eight years.” For the next eight years he didn’t have the chance to surf, enjoy watersports or do many of the things he loved.
'So it was tremendous to offer him the chance to learn to kitesurf,' Branson wrote.
The Obamas are pictured arriving on Branson's private island last month. The couple spent a little more than a week soaking up the sun
The Obamas happily posed up with some locals who asked for a photo on January 24 - with their billionaire host Richard Branson as well. Obama had his hat backwards and a huge grin
The couple were seen walking hand in hand on their much-deserved vacation last month. They are now back in Washington, DC
Michelle and Barack Obama enjoy a stroll in the Virgin Islands
Branson said that the two came up with a challenge. Obama would learn how to kite-surf, while Branson - a seasoned kite-surfer - would learn how to kite-surf with a foil board. On the last day, the two faced off to see who could stay up the longest.
'As you can see in the video, Barack and I both fell many times, but we kept trying again and again and made progress over the days. We were neck and neck until the last run on the last day, when I got up on the foilboard and screamed along for over 50 meters, three feet above the water. I was feeling very pleased with myself, only to look over and see Barack go 100 meters on his kiteboard! I had to doff my cap to him and celebrate his victory.
'After all he has done for the world, I couldn’t begrudge him his well-deserved win. Now he has left, I’m going back into the water to practice for the next challenge. On his next visit, we plan to do the long kite over to Anegada together. Next time, may the best (British) man win!' Branson wrote.
The Obamas are now back in Washington, DC where they have chosen to stay while youngest daughter Sasha finishes high school.
Branson owns two islands in the British Virgin Islands, Necker Island (pictured above) and Moskito Island
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But I ain't had no pictures to go with it so it woulda sounded like mad ducktales.
) before we got :AU_SCC:
)
They was slapping Black folk with that
anytime you moved in their general direction on some unnecessary shyt.
