Crossbow for the win! Sorta ...

Went down to Locus around lunchtime to see if Miyachi-san was back from Tokyo ... he was, so I ordered some Ronstan pulleys for the Speed. He said the wind was supposed to be ok this afternoon so I came back around 3:30pm to try out the new 2010 Cabrinha Crossbow ...

... thoughts on the Xbow vs Speed 1.5 vs Synergy ...

• Not as much work to pump up as I remember the Lift being, especially easy since the Xbow is a one-pump system. Still not sure if it's full enough :-/
  Speed wins cos it requires no pre-inflation! :D
  
• Easy to rig, no issues with crossed lines like my dumb-ass seems to have with the Synergy!
  
• Did an assisted launch - no worries although assistant-san nearly got tangled up in the bridle and sent skyward :o
  Speed wins again though ... and I feel like a tit standing around waiting for someone to help oooh won't someone please help me help me /Homer
  
• Launched and flew ok in light wind - I'm guessing 8 to 10 knots. Did a little body-dragging and went upwind fine. Bit iffy when the wind got lighter in a lull and I Hindenburged it once (recovered) or twice (slam!).
  Speed wins in light wind cos it stays in the air without thinking!
  
• Very (?) different feel flying this kite compared to the foils ... needs to be sheeted in a lot to keep control and when left to its own devices wants to nose dive to the edge of the window - unlike the foils which tend to drift up and need to be kept down. Xbow is easier to ride one-handed though ... almost no stalling when sheeted in except in lulls. Parks'n'rides a whole lot easier. Sheeted-in turns look and feel like the Synergy and the general way it makes power when it flies is so much like the Synergy! Downloops for a zoom burst of speed easy and in general seems to make ok power. Feels a lot like the Synergy in general but makes more power in a park'n'ride.
  Xbow wins for grunt to keep me up and riding but Speed is way faster in the buttah zone!
  
• Water relaunch ... what relaunch? In wind I could have reverse launched the Speed easily, I had to give up, swim the kite to the shore and take the lines off and walk back to the relaunch area with it >:( "Oh it's easy" says So "just sheet out and pull one line" well I did that, even depowered the kite to get more sheet out and it wasn't doing crap ... I did manage to flip it over on the trailing edge and hot-launch with an arc-jerk but that second time, nothing was happening and I tried for what felt like 30 minutes ... perhaps the wind was just too light for the LEI ...? Harsh words were exchanged ... I called the kite a "... a great pile of pumped up shit you funny bastard" and the kite called me "... a great fat talentless half-wit".
  Speed wins. Synergy a very close second for ease of relaunch, even in light winds.
  
• Actually up and riding ... well, I like how it makes power and doesn't lose it so quick when I sheet in hard or edge hard. I was really let down by the board (Square One vs Door = Door WIN fatality!) and it pulls smooth - hardly feel the pull but I'm still riding! - and the bar pressure is lighter than either the Synergy or the Speed. Works good and when I get a good feel for it, it'll make good power.
  Xbow wins ... kinda. The Speed is just so much faster!
  
• Assisted launch and landing - Xbow hands down :D nobody here knows what to make of the foils! Means I'll be able to take breaks now, which is nice ...
  
• Speed of direction change is an Xbow win with Synergy close behind.
  

So I got a new toy and it's a good-un. My hearty thanks to Buzz, the Indonesia Cabrinha rep for a kick-arse deal! Had a nice play with it and a good ride ... tried some little jumps (actually trying to break the Square One :D ) and some turns and got a nice hour or so riding before the storm front moved in ... lightning bad run away.

It's all good, I'm a happy camper :)