Big blow forecast for the P.M. Nothing in the morning so I kept checking the live cam ... nothing ... nothing ... kites! Jump in car! Rush to lake! Take anemometer to the shore! Crikey! 20 knots solid, gusting to 30 ... probably better not unpack the Crossbow 16 then :( and can't use my arcs cos I have no bars!
Waited for Miyachi of Locus to get back to shore then asked to borrow a small kite off him. He lent me an F-One Bandit 11 ... bit rough going from arcs to FSers to one-pump Crossbow then to separate strut inflation on the Bandit! Got my brain around it, set up and launched.
So started an epic session. Lots of fun. Lots of wind. Lots of crap in the water and what suspiciously looked like a couple of fencing posts! Wind was cool, water near the river mouth was full of soil and cold, the rest of the lake was still warm.
Impressed with the 11m - had it trimmed for almost 100% depower and didn't really give it any more until about 3pm when the wind dropped a bit. I must have stumpy arms cos I end up trimming all my bars so I can lean back and sheet it without over-powering ... and there was certainly plenty of wind! And the kite made good power, hardly had to be worked at all! The Bandit was a bit twitchy in the gusts and later on, it started to distort the leading edge after I got used to the power and started throwing it around. Had some good fun with jumps and stuff and did what I feel to be my biggest, longest jumps to date ... on an 11m kite!
Started out on the Flydoor with my GoPro on the Kitehero fin mount but the battery died (forgot to charge it) after 20 minutes. Had fun on that then decided there was enough wind to make the effort of carrying the Rip Plus to the shore ... bit of a difference to the 'door but got up and riding and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the Plus.
That was, until about 4:30pm. Had just fallen over, got the board back on my feet and dived the kite when there was a crack and the bar flew away ... uh? Pulled the bar back in and discovered the hardware on the chicken loop had snapped!!! Somehow got back to shore and packed up. Miyachi said not to worry about it but I'll slip him some money when I get a price for it ...
What I learned today ...
• If your harness is giving you a wedgie, you don't need to stop kiting to adjust it! Just fall over head-first downwind with the kite powered ... the water pulls the harness out of your ass.
• Kitehero fin mount probably isn't designed for heelside fins - knocks the camera around A LOT ... pity, cos the Flydoor only has heelside fins. I have about 10 minutes video of my board's top deck.
• Rip Plus is a fun board, stiffer than the door so it pops better. Needs so much wind though. Don't like the footpads and the stance feels funny after the 'door.
• Everything is easier with more power :) jumps are easier to do too!
• I need my arcs!
• Needed my rashgaurd for the extra warmth too - the water (in spots) felt cold and the wind chill is noticeable.
• Miyachi is a great guy!
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