Kitesurfer who died at Camber Sands remembered as ‘fantastic father, son and friend’

Clive Lambert, from Orpington, Kent, died at the beach front promenade, near the Broomhill car park, in Camber, on July 20, 2019.

An inquest into his death, held in Hastings on Tuesday (February 4), heard the 47-year-old had visited Camber on the day of his death to go kitesurfing – something his family said he loved doing.

However, shortly after launching at around 10am, Mr Lambert’s kite was caught in the wind, pulling him two metres into the air.

Oliver Gammond, who helped Mr Lambert launch that day, told police the wind then dragged the 47-year-old approximately 40 to 50 metres onto rocks, before he came to rest on a concrete promenade.

Mr Gammond said that day he measured a wind speed of 20 knots, something he said was ‘not too windy for windsurfing’.

The inquest was read a post mortem report which concluded Mr Lambert had died from ‘massive traumatic head injuries’ as a result of ‘impact with a concrete promenade’.

Senior coroner for East Sussex Alan Craze said Mr Lambert’s death would have been ‘instantaneous’.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Lambert’s father Mike Lambert said: “Clive was a fantastic father, son and friend who will be missed.

“He lived life to the full, loved sailing and windsurfing.

“On the morning of his death, we had enjoyed a birthday breakfast. It was his birthday the following day but we decided to celebrate early.

“He went off to Camber Sands happy. We can take some comfort that he died doing what he loved and that he did not suffer.”

Mr Craze returned a conclusion of misadventure, before expressing his own ‘sympathy and condolences’ to his family.