About > Timeline


Who we are, where we started and why we continue to offer the best kitesurfing  instruction

Expert advice, year upon year

2003

Original Progression DVD released. Now renamed Intermediate Volume 2

2004

Release of AC

2005

Release of Progression Kiteboarding Beginner

2006

Release of Progression Kiteboarding Advanced

2007

Release of Progression Kiteboarding Professional with Aaron Hadlow

2008

Release of Progression Kite Landboarding Beginner

2009

Release of Progression Kiteboarding Beginner 2nd Edition

2010

Release of Progression Kiteboarding Intermediate Volume 1

2011

Release of the Progression Player App for iOS v1.0

2012

Release of the Progression Player App for iOS v2.0 including full iPad support

2013

Release of the Progression Player App for Android v1.0

APR 2003
Where it all started

Rob and Pete sat in the Primi Piati restaurant in Blouberg, Cape Town overlooking table mountain and brainstormed ideas for a new company. Making kitesurfing videos with a European sensibility is what they settled on, starting off with an instructional video. Cape Town will end up being a home from home for Rob, making this year his 10th trip.

JUN 2003
Fat Sand Ltd was created in Brighton.

Rob moves into Pete's flat and spent the next 5 months living in the corner of his lounge, with an office desk running down the other side.

JUL 2003
First trip to Egypt to filming our first instructional video - Progression

Plan is to teach people how to do back rolls but without all the dudiness of the US videos! A focus on in-depth instruction where Pete would film and Rob would ride. Pete would be taken by boat and dumped on the sand bar for the day, living off fig rolls.

Nov 2003
Kiteboarding Progression DVD - A step by step guide to back rolls, front rolls and transitions - is released. (Back then they were called back/front loops)
Jan 2004 - April 2004
The AC Production Tour

Cape Town, Margarita, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Egypt - filming for our first full length action DVD.

This trip started in Cape Town when we first filmed with a young 15 year old Aaron Hadlow - a prelude to his first world championship year.

Aug 2004
AC Kiteboarding DVD is released
DEC 2004
Morocco Trip with new World Champion Aaron Hadlow

Filming for a new action video which never got released before Fat Sand's focus shifted towards instructional videos. We did nearly end the world champion’s career and life when he stuffed his face with Lobster only to realise after a 5km downwinder, from camp, that he was allergic! A frantic ride back to camp in a boat with Aaron heavy breathing and covered in lumps and bumps still haunts Rob - thankfully an antihistamine injection saved the day.

Feb 2005
Filming in Cape Town with Aaron Hadlow & Ruben Lenten

Thankfully Mr Len10's music tastes have developed from those days of heavy dutch techno though his enthusiasm and kind hearted nature are as strong as ever.

Jul 2005
Filming in Cabarete with the IKO for the first Progression Beginner DVD

It was so bloody hot and humid. When not filming we were either camped out in our hotel room with the aircon at 15 degrees (watching The Sopranos) or tactically planning our movements around Cabarete in relation to hotel swimming pools we could cool off in. We bonded with Eric from the IKO as he taught us, at length, how to make the perfect Caipirinha!

SEPT 2005
Pete leaves to start his political career

It was inevitable that Pete’s true calling would eventually summon him to Westminster but he is always in close contact with the company and has continued as a non-executive director

Jul 2006
Another year another DVD

This time filming Advanced tricks in Egypt with Lewis Crathern, Jo Wilson and Neil Hilder, we also had Matt Coyne along on second camera duties and photographer Will Milne (Will later joined the team as cameraman and editor for Beginner 2nd Edition and Intermediate Volume 1)

Summer 2007
We renovate and move into our new Brighton, UK office

Rob set his parents to work doing the renovations whilst he started editing the new Kiteboarding Professional DVD.

Summer 2009
Time for a remake - filming for the new Beginner DVD

Bow kites & high definition video cameras meant it was time to remake our most popular DVD with an all new script and turning it into 2 DVDs (Beginner 2nd Edition and Intermediate Volume 1) - what would end up being 5 hours of in-depth instruction. We also had the pleasure of having Christian and Karine, of CK Performance Clinics, out in front of the cameras and do the same trick or technique over and over again!

DEC 2009
Fat Sand Ltd becomes Progression Sports Ltd

We were (and still are) 100% focused on teaching people to be better kiteboarders so we spun off our corporate video production department into a separate company - Fat Sand Productions Ltd. To this day Fat Sand Films is creating "Inspiring films. Beautifully produced." for clients such as Sony PlayStation, Nokia and Grolsch while we keep kite focused.

MAY 2010
Karl joins the team to keep all our lovely retailers stocked up with DVDs

For the first two years he is barely able to kite due to dislocating one shoulder, having it operated on and recovering only to hit a curb on his bike and pop the other shoulder out! But this didn't stop him from continuing to buy kites and board all ready when he was recovered - never has someone who can't physically kite been so excited about the sport.

Nov 2010
Lewis Crathern jumping over Brighton pier

We got the call 30 minutes before he was about to jump, we had no cameras in the office but managed to pull it together and get a simple shot of the landing. Seen by 500K thousand people, featured on TV shows and websites around the world.

Dec 2010
Fiona Claisse (yep, Rob's Wife) joins the company

She was in charge of our marketing and strategy - but lets be clear she was working with Rob and not for him, a very important distinction! Sadly Fi got diagnosed with bowel cancer in October 2011 and after fighting for 3 short months lost the battle on January 18th 2012. Her memory lives on as she embodied everything that Progression stands for and was key in shaping it into what it is today.

Sept 2011
Progression Player App for iOS, version 1.0, was released
Nov 2012
Progression Player App for iOS, version 2.0, was released
DEC 2013
Progression Player App for Android, version 1.0, was released
Jan 2014
Starting filming for the new Kitesurfing Wave Project in Cape Town, SA
Jul 2014
Caroline joins the team

Taking over our marketing efforts and strengthening our community engagement. Or maybe just an excuse for her to leave the UK, work from Cabarete and kite everyday!

WHERE NEXT?
There is plenty more coming from Progression in 2015...

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