Winds up, I'm off to the lake - left work at 3pm. Forecast was good all day but the hourly data wasn't up to much. So it was a good thing I left early cos I got a half-hour of nicely powered riding, then maybe another 40 minutes of grabbing it in snatches ...
Started out on the Flyradical with the Speed3 12, partly because there was enough wind and primarily because I wanted to test out my thrust bearing mod. So I was having a great time. Still very back-stally, bit of trim sorted that ... must still be the bottom end of it's range. Having good fun though, works ok to keep planing.
There's a couple taking photos on the shore ... we all start hamming it up for them :D pity we won't get to see the pics!
Soh has arrived and coincedentally I'm sure, the wind has dropped off so I get onto the Flydoor. Have more success working the kite through the lulls but it's still not really enough wind. Soh keeps riding but he's not doing much either, even though he's on his Havoc 14 - he said afterwards that he bought his 7! I guess the weather didn't live up to it's promises at all ...!
I packed up just before sunset.
Moment of the Day was the first big jump on the Speed3 12! That didn't result in me being dropped like a stone :o
Weather data for the session; recorded wind strength was 18 knots at 19.5ºC & 68%, falling to 10 knots at 18.3ºC & 73% from the NNW. Gusts to 26 knots at 3:30pm.
What I learned today ...
• The 12 is a back-stalling ho when the wind drops. I'm thinking that cos the kite is small, it's easy to over-power it at the bar ... have to see if what I remember as being the same on the LEIs is accurate.
• Also, you need to be easy on the sheeting when riding and jumping - especially careful on the redirect or you get dropped like a rock.
• I think the S3 12 will start working for me from about 16 knots with the Flydoor and I'll be well powered by 20. So I'm guessing the range for me will be 16 to maybe 30 with a sweet spot at about 22.
• That means I DO need a 15!
• Bearing mod - works great! More later ...
• CrazyFly straps are ok but not as supremely comfortable as the FSer ones ... no reply yet on my moan to them.
• Keeping the kite moving rather than just sheeting in and hanging on make the best jumps - send it, redirect it properly, drop it hard for a touch-down.
• More wind needed. I think the Speed3 12 will do to replace my Crossbow 13 easily and is probably more akin to a 14m LEI ...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Gusty again
Similar forecast as yesterday but it looked consistent all day, sitting at 8m/s ...
It's mah birthday so I left work early, at 3pm and hit the lake. Apparently, it wasn't early enough cos everyone told me that it was better before I arrived :(
Thought I'd play it safe and set up the Crossbow 13. Initially it was a good choice, I was having fun on the Flyradical but the big jumps were tiddlers and then the wind dropped so I got the Flydoor. Then the wind started gusting again like a mad man, up and down ...
And then I had to ride in strapless again o_0 goddam Flyboards footstrap broke again, this time permanently. I wasn't going to moan about the cosmetic breakages but this is becoming a trend! All I was doing was riding along when I felt it loosen up ... then when I went to tighten it, the buckle was already outside the cover :(
Got the Flyradical again and tried to go out, but it just wasn't working ... I might have had more luck with the Crossbow 16, I think :( oh well, next time.
Packed up early and came home before the sun had set :o not often that happens!
Moment of the Day was easily doing back-roll down-loop transistions. Of a sort ...
Wind strength was recorded as 15 falling to 12 knots ... yeah that explains it!
What I learned today ...
• If Fujii-san is powered on his 10, I need my 13. If he's not powered but still riding, I need my 16. If he's not riding, I need my 21. If he's doing all three in the same session, I need to give up and go home :D
• Buckle/pull straps on the Flyboards suck ... velcro is the only good idea IMHO. Because they're easier to adjust should be enough but as they require less force to do their thing, there's less option of being ripped off ...
EDIT : here's a pic of what happened to the strap. It could be fixed, but FSer is sending me a new one. Nice one!
It's mah birthday so I left work early, at 3pm and hit the lake. Apparently, it wasn't early enough cos everyone told me that it was better before I arrived :(
Thought I'd play it safe and set up the Crossbow 13. Initially it was a good choice, I was having fun on the Flyradical but the big jumps were tiddlers and then the wind dropped so I got the Flydoor. Then the wind started gusting again like a mad man, up and down ...
And then I had to ride in strapless again o_0 goddam Flyboards footstrap broke again, this time permanently. I wasn't going to moan about the cosmetic breakages but this is becoming a trend! All I was doing was riding along when I felt it loosen up ... then when I went to tighten it, the buckle was already outside the cover :(
Got the Flyradical again and tried to go out, but it just wasn't working ... I might have had more luck with the Crossbow 16, I think :( oh well, next time.
Packed up early and came home before the sun had set :o not often that happens!
Moment of the Day was easily doing back-roll down-loop transistions. Of a sort ...
Wind strength was recorded as 15 falling to 12 knots ... yeah that explains it!
What I learned today ...
• If Fujii-san is powered on his 10, I need my 13. If he's not powered but still riding, I need my 16. If he's not riding, I need my 21. If he's doing all three in the same session, I need to give up and go home :D
• Buckle/pull straps on the Flyboards suck ... velcro is the only good idea IMHO. Because they're easier to adjust should be enough but as they require less force to do their thing, there's less option of being ripped off ...
EDIT : here's a pic of what happened to the strap. It could be fixed, but FSer is sending me a new one. Nice one!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Ok lets not do that again!
Note to self ... pay more attention to weather maps.
Forecast looked groovy in the morning so I got to work early so I could leave early ... kinda have to this time of year. Got to the lake and it was borked - 6 knots. We're supposed to have 16. So I wait around to see if it picked up ... it didn't so I launched the 21.
Murphy's Law, it picked up right after that.
And how! It was gusty as hell too, from not enough for a fully powered Speed3 21 to too much for a fully depowered kite ... so basically, the whole wind range of the kite - and more! - in a single session!
I tried some jumps - they were massive ... but it was like the wind was playing with a kitten and a length of yarn, and I was on the end of the yarn - herky-jerky, up and down ... plop! Got to the stage where I could ride along barely moving, send the kite and go skyward like a rocket :D couldn't land them though ...
Didn't even bother with rotations or transitions. When I gave up on the jumps, I started riding the waves which was fun. Until one of them lobbed the board I had just fallen off into the back of my head :-/ saw it coming but couldn't do anything. CLONK!
Miyachi was on a lesson, so I waited till he was heading back up the beach and I went it to get him to land me ... fully trimmed, fully sheeted out and right at the edge of the window, I was fighting to keep the keep from dragging me down the beach.
Phew! Real "survival mode" riding!
Moment of the Day was making it back to shore alive and unbroken ... ok no it wasn't it was the MONSTER jump with 3 weeks of hang-time then the guy coming up to me afterwards and saying "Wow! Big jumps today!" \m/
Wind strength was recorded as 14 knots at 4pm, 20 knots at 5pm and 17 knots at 6pm ... with a peak gust to 30knots at 5:30 o_0
What I learned today ...
• The Speed3 has MOUNTAINS of depower!
• But it's best not to push your luck.
• However, it's good to know that I can survive almost anything the lake can throw at me.
• Board to the head hurts - wear a helmet.
• Current helmet doesn't fit so well - but a new helmet.
• Jumps need board speed to work properly.
Forecast looked groovy in the morning so I got to work early so I could leave early ... kinda have to this time of year. Got to the lake and it was borked - 6 knots. We're supposed to have 16. So I wait around to see if it picked up ... it didn't so I launched the 21.
Murphy's Law, it picked up right after that.
And how! It was gusty as hell too, from not enough for a fully powered Speed3 21 to too much for a fully depowered kite ... so basically, the whole wind range of the kite - and more! - in a single session!
I tried some jumps - they were massive ... but it was like the wind was playing with a kitten and a length of yarn, and I was on the end of the yarn - herky-jerky, up and down ... plop! Got to the stage where I could ride along barely moving, send the kite and go skyward like a rocket :D couldn't land them though ...
Didn't even bother with rotations or transitions. When I gave up on the jumps, I started riding the waves which was fun. Until one of them lobbed the board I had just fallen off into the back of my head :-/ saw it coming but couldn't do anything. CLONK!
Miyachi was on a lesson, so I waited till he was heading back up the beach and I went it to get him to land me ... fully trimmed, fully sheeted out and right at the edge of the window, I was fighting to keep the keep from dragging me down the beach.
Phew! Real "survival mode" riding!
Moment of the Day was making it back to shore alive and unbroken ... ok no it wasn't it was the MONSTER jump with 3 weeks of hang-time then the guy coming up to me afterwards and saying "Wow! Big jumps today!" \m/
Wind strength was recorded as 14 knots at 4pm, 20 knots at 5pm and 17 knots at 6pm ... with a peak gust to 30knots at 5:30 o_0
What I learned today ...
• The Speed3 has MOUNTAINS of depower!
• But it's best not to push your luck.
• However, it's good to know that I can survive almost anything the lake can throw at me.
• Board to the head hurts - wear a helmet.
• Current helmet doesn't fit so well - but a new helmet.
• Jumps need board speed to work properly.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
This one's for Marco
Noticed yesterday the forecast looked good so I thought I'd skip Mie and hold out for Locus today. Worked out fine! Wind was supposed to arrive at 3pm and it obliged for a change.
Took the 12 and 21 Speed3's across to the beach and started out with the 12 up ... wind was up and down right on the bottom end, so I could get up for a bit but couldn't get riding. I wasn't alone. Then it started raining so I kept the kite up to dry it out once it stopped raining but it didn't happen. I pulled out the 21 instead.
For about 15 minutes I'll nicely powered with the Flyradical then the wind picks up and I just have to depower the monster foil. I've done something to the tip bridle on the LHS (knot) so it looks a bit odd. I play with the trim a bit today but basically, I'm consistently over-powered :D not a bad thing!
Make out with some jumps and rotations, all easy and fine. Get comfy, try some big jumps ... leaving the kite behind me works better - you can feel the rotation around the kite and feel when you need to redirect better. I reckon. Still got dunked a lot though!
Repeat ad infinitum. Rode on till dark. Had to hang around waiting for Miyachi to land me cos the beach was full of kites (two of 'em) and the wind was well up - sheeting-in meant I'd go for a hover :o
Moment of the Day was boosting that "big" jump and feeling what's going on up there and doing the right thing at the right time.
Wind strength was recorded as only 10 to 12 knots. That's ain't right!
What I learned today ...
• You can't carry your Speed3 down the beach by a wing tip - now I have to untangle it :(
• Don't listen to anybody else - decide on your kite size on your own.
• Speed3 21 has fantastic wind range. For me, anyway.
• The 12 is very fast across the window and makes some easy jumps ... it's going to be a monster!
• I need a 15 :D
Took the 12 and 21 Speed3's across to the beach and started out with the 12 up ... wind was up and down right on the bottom end, so I could get up for a bit but couldn't get riding. I wasn't alone. Then it started raining so I kept the kite up to dry it out once it stopped raining but it didn't happen. I pulled out the 21 instead.
For about 15 minutes I'll nicely powered with the Flyradical then the wind picks up and I just have to depower the monster foil. I've done something to the tip bridle on the LHS (knot) so it looks a bit odd. I play with the trim a bit today but basically, I'm consistently over-powered :D not a bad thing!
Make out with some jumps and rotations, all easy and fine. Get comfy, try some big jumps ... leaving the kite behind me works better - you can feel the rotation around the kite and feel when you need to redirect better. I reckon. Still got dunked a lot though!
Repeat ad infinitum. Rode on till dark. Had to hang around waiting for Miyachi to land me cos the beach was full of kites (two of 'em) and the wind was well up - sheeting-in meant I'd go for a hover :o
Moment of the Day was boosting that "big" jump and feeling what's going on up there and doing the right thing at the right time.
Wind strength was recorded as only 10 to 12 knots. That's ain't right!
What I learned today ...
• You can't carry your Speed3 down the beach by a wing tip - now I have to untangle it :(
• Don't listen to anybody else - decide on your kite size on your own.
• Speed3 21 has fantastic wind range. For me, anyway.
• The 12 is very fast across the window and makes some easy jumps ... it's going to be a monster!
• I need a 15 :D
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
An experiment
Supposed to be pretty good wind tonight and when I got to the lake, it looked like it was cranking so I thought I'd try out the 19m Charger, figuring it'd be about like my 16m Crossbow. Kinda.
Naturally, the wind fell away just as I arrived at the beach 0_o Mr Fujii was on his 10m SB but he was floudering, same with Soh on his 12m Havoc. Nuts.
Inflate the Charger easily, then launch ... huh. No tip clapping but it lurks about halfway up the window until I trim the front lines. Guess it needs more then ...
I try to ride in what I know is too light wind ... I reckon it's maybe 10-12 knots. I struggle to get up, slog downwind and walk back. Repeat ...
Everyone else gives up. Gusts are getting more on and off, they come through stronger though and finally I'm riding them out, throwing a few jumps and even a couple of back-rolls.
Daylight is fading but the wind is right up and I'm riding upwind ok, parking and riding some too. Charger works real nice when it's powered but for a 19 and me, that seems to be 16 knots plus. I'm betting the butter zone will be 18 to 26 knots.
I had a nice time, got to try the Charger finally and was happy enough with that!
Thoughts on bar pressure ...
This has been coming for a while.
I find that my 2011 Crossbow 13m is just right - not too heavy, not too light and I don't have stiff elbows or forearms at the end of a big session. Taking that as a base line ... add in some arbitrary numbers! :D
Let's consider the 2010 Xbow 16m which is a frightful thing. Bar pressure for turning is very light compared to sheeting in - it always reminds me of balancing a broom upright in the palm of your hand ... as soon as it's off-center, it's going. The kite happily whips around a turn but doesn't take much bar pressure to do so. Sheeting in when riding though - sweet baby Jesus wrapped in bacon strips! Forearm pumps, blisters, callouses ... like a teenager boy's palms! Let's call it sheeting pressure +7 and turning pressure +1 versus the 13. I can ride it for hours but I'm hurting the follow the day/week.
The Charger 19 has only slightly higher pressure for sheeting in but is easily held with one hand when trimmed right; even when it's not trimmed well, it's still pretty easy to hold. There's more pressure when initiating turns (naturally), kind of a springy feel and the amount of time you need to hold it is short - Charger turns faster than my Crossbows - but it would wear on you, if you had to work it all day. Let's say sheeting pressure +2 and turning pressure +3, compared to the very comfy 13m Xbow. I seem to remember the 15 being the same ... but the Synergy series having say, sheeting pressure +2 and turning pressure +4.
Flysurfer Speed3 21 is a big kite with a big bar that pulls like a big bad thing. But it's surprisingly nippy unless you insist on muscling it around like a over-steroided post-lobotomy rugby-player (is there any other type of rubgy player?). Bar pressure for sheeting is not too bad and neither is turning, although you have to hold it in the turn longer which gets tiring ... I'll assign sheeting pressure +1 and turning pressure +2 so long as you don't fight the kite - and yes, both the Charger and the Speed can be flown one-handed while riding. Speed2 19 I remember being just a touch more than the Speed3 - say +0.5 for each. Unity 12 I found to be the same as the big Speed3.
Ok nerd-fest over ...
Moment of the Day was simply parking and riding then launching jumps. And not getting pissed when I had to walk ... guess I was just in the right mood!
Wind strength was recorded as 10 to 12 knots with gusts to 20 - I guess that was when I was having fun with the park'n'ride ...
What I learned today ...
• Charger needs a lot of wind to pull easily :(
• You can whip it around but it doesn't help much if you're sinking.
• You CAN whip it around really fast but it's better to be smoother with it.
• The tendency for arcs to "flare" at the bottom of a tight turn is reduced with the Charger and Navigator combo but still occurs. It's more exaggerated on the side with the safety on it too, as the line slips through the ring ...
• Makes best power on the down stroke, close to the water and with pressure on the rear lines. Flies most consistently when levered around on the stopper ball.
• Jumps are more floaty than I remember with the Synergy, but that might just be that my technique has improved. The first one dropped me but the rest I redirected sooner and the landings were feather like. Only a couple of meters though :o
Naturally, the wind fell away just as I arrived at the beach 0_o Mr Fujii was on his 10m SB but he was floudering, same with Soh on his 12m Havoc. Nuts.
Inflate the Charger easily, then launch ... huh. No tip clapping but it lurks about halfway up the window until I trim the front lines. Guess it needs more then ...
I try to ride in what I know is too light wind ... I reckon it's maybe 10-12 knots. I struggle to get up, slog downwind and walk back. Repeat ...
Everyone else gives up. Gusts are getting more on and off, they come through stronger though and finally I'm riding them out, throwing a few jumps and even a couple of back-rolls.
Daylight is fading but the wind is right up and I'm riding upwind ok, parking and riding some too. Charger works real nice when it's powered but for a 19 and me, that seems to be 16 knots plus. I'm betting the butter zone will be 18 to 26 knots.
I had a nice time, got to try the Charger finally and was happy enough with that!
Thoughts on bar pressure ...
This has been coming for a while.
I find that my 2011 Crossbow 13m is just right - not too heavy, not too light and I don't have stiff elbows or forearms at the end of a big session. Taking that as a base line ... add in some arbitrary numbers! :D
Let's consider the 2010 Xbow 16m which is a frightful thing. Bar pressure for turning is very light compared to sheeting in - it always reminds me of balancing a broom upright in the palm of your hand ... as soon as it's off-center, it's going. The kite happily whips around a turn but doesn't take much bar pressure to do so. Sheeting in when riding though - sweet baby Jesus wrapped in bacon strips! Forearm pumps, blisters, callouses ... like a teenager boy's palms! Let's call it sheeting pressure +7 and turning pressure +1 versus the 13. I can ride it for hours but I'm hurting the follow the day/week.
The Charger 19 has only slightly higher pressure for sheeting in but is easily held with one hand when trimmed right; even when it's not trimmed well, it's still pretty easy to hold. There's more pressure when initiating turns (naturally), kind of a springy feel and the amount of time you need to hold it is short - Charger turns faster than my Crossbows - but it would wear on you, if you had to work it all day. Let's say sheeting pressure +2 and turning pressure +3, compared to the very comfy 13m Xbow. I seem to remember the 15 being the same ... but the Synergy series having say, sheeting pressure +2 and turning pressure +4.
Flysurfer Speed3 21 is a big kite with a big bar that pulls like a big bad thing. But it's surprisingly nippy unless you insist on muscling it around like a over-steroided post-lobotomy rugby-player (is there any other type of rubgy player?). Bar pressure for sheeting is not too bad and neither is turning, although you have to hold it in the turn longer which gets tiring ... I'll assign sheeting pressure +1 and turning pressure +2 so long as you don't fight the kite - and yes, both the Charger and the Speed can be flown one-handed while riding. Speed2 19 I remember being just a touch more than the Speed3 - say +0.5 for each. Unity 12 I found to be the same as the big Speed3.
Ok nerd-fest over ...
Moment of the Day was simply parking and riding then launching jumps. And not getting pissed when I had to walk ... guess I was just in the right mood!
Wind strength was recorded as 10 to 12 knots with gusts to 20 - I guess that was when I was having fun with the park'n'ride ...
What I learned today ...
• Charger needs a lot of wind to pull easily :(
• You can whip it around but it doesn't help much if you're sinking.
• You CAN whip it around really fast but it's better to be smoother with it.
• The tendency for arcs to "flare" at the bottom of a tight turn is reduced with the Charger and Navigator combo but still occurs. It's more exaggerated on the side with the safety on it too, as the line slips through the ring ...
• Makes best power on the down stroke, close to the water and with pressure on the rear lines. Flies most consistently when levered around on the stopper ball.
• Jumps are more floaty than I remember with the Synergy, but that might just be that my technique has improved. The first one dropped me but the rest I redirected sooner and the landings were feather like. Only a couple of meters though :o
Monday, October 17, 2011
We are the Night Riders
We got skunked yesterday big time, so was dubious of the forecast today but headed down to the lake - even though it looked crappy all the way along the lake shore road ... looked better when I arrived, and Junkie Sensei was getting in the water so I suited up.
If the wind lived up to the forecast, we were going to get 16 knots ... I thought I'd risk the 21 and took both boards over the road. Wind was good when I launched, the kite pre-filled quickly and pulled well at the zenith. I jumped straight onto the Flyradical ...
Nicely powered! After a few minutes the wind picked up a little more and I was riding upwind just fine! Started trying out the tricks ... using the board more than the kite like Miyachi was talking about the other day. Nope, that sucks - can't land them except on my ribs or ass, or slam down so hard I tweak my knee and ankles - I like the way I do it much better :D
Try out his technique for jumps and realize that it's what the "How to go big" video was talking about - I was just being lazy or enjoying the air time and not thinking about what I was doing ...
Miyachi is out on the lake, riding strapless with his 14m RPM and Uncle No-Relaunch is warming up on the beach. Wind drops a bit and I'm still riding the Flyradical but not powered enough to do anything. I come in to grab the 'door but Uncle is having issues with his kite so I rejoin the pattern until he clears the beach. Ah, much better on the 'door!
When I try to throw a back-roll though DANG that board is heavy - have been spoiled by the 'radical! Further tries result in feet slipping out of the straps and messy things like that. I give up and go back to trying to jump as high as I can.
It's getting dark and I'm hoping to get Miyachi to land my kite again for me - he's getting so good at handling the foil now :D - so I keep riding until he heads in. Meantime, Uncle has dropped his kite and guess what - he can't relaunch it until it drifts onto the shore ... is it just that he's crap or the Naish kites he use simply don't relaunch? Yikes ...
Great session, packed up in the dark again - got about 90 minutes riding though!
Moment of the Day was popping to toeside then carving the transition back to heelside - I managed to time it all perfectly (accident!) and it was super-cool ... unfortunately, I couldn't repeat it :D
Wind strength (thanks Peter Frank) was measured at 5 to 12 to 7 knots from 4 to 6pm, with a gust of 16 knots at 5. 12 knots sounds about right; seems like then up is good for the Flyradical ...
What I learned today ...
• Still need to use the kite for front rolls, waiting until it's over-head to start the loop and don't forget - pull with the front hand when you spot your landing!!!
• Keeping the kite in the air when your head is underwater ... getting good at that. Pulling on the back hand to keep it up.
• Looping the big FSer is very possible and makes for some interesting transitions, jumps etc cos it builds monster speed through the turn! I am the Downwind Rocketship.
• Sending the kite at its own pace produces bigger jumps than trying to force it around.
If the wind lived up to the forecast, we were going to get 16 knots ... I thought I'd risk the 21 and took both boards over the road. Wind was good when I launched, the kite pre-filled quickly and pulled well at the zenith. I jumped straight onto the Flyradical ...
Nicely powered! After a few minutes the wind picked up a little more and I was riding upwind just fine! Started trying out the tricks ... using the board more than the kite like Miyachi was talking about the other day. Nope, that sucks - can't land them except on my ribs or ass, or slam down so hard I tweak my knee and ankles - I like the way I do it much better :D
Try out his technique for jumps and realize that it's what the "How to go big" video was talking about - I was just being lazy or enjoying the air time and not thinking about what I was doing ...
Miyachi is out on the lake, riding strapless with his 14m RPM and Uncle No-Relaunch is warming up on the beach. Wind drops a bit and I'm still riding the Flyradical but not powered enough to do anything. I come in to grab the 'door but Uncle is having issues with his kite so I rejoin the pattern until he clears the beach. Ah, much better on the 'door!
When I try to throw a back-roll though DANG that board is heavy - have been spoiled by the 'radical! Further tries result in feet slipping out of the straps and messy things like that. I give up and go back to trying to jump as high as I can.
It's getting dark and I'm hoping to get Miyachi to land my kite again for me - he's getting so good at handling the foil now :D - so I keep riding until he heads in. Meantime, Uncle has dropped his kite and guess what - he can't relaunch it until it drifts onto the shore ... is it just that he's crap or the Naish kites he use simply don't relaunch? Yikes ...
Great session, packed up in the dark again - got about 90 minutes riding though!
Moment of the Day was popping to toeside then carving the transition back to heelside - I managed to time it all perfectly (accident!) and it was super-cool ... unfortunately, I couldn't repeat it :D
Wind strength (thanks Peter Frank) was measured at 5 to 12 to 7 knots from 4 to 6pm, with a gust of 16 knots at 5. 12 knots sounds about right; seems like then up is good for the Flyradical ...
What I learned today ...
• Still need to use the kite for front rolls, waiting until it's over-head to start the loop and don't forget - pull with the front hand when you spot your landing!!!
• Keeping the kite in the air when your head is underwater ... getting good at that. Pulling on the back hand to keep it up.
• Looping the big FSer is very possible and makes for some interesting transitions, jumps etc cos it builds monster speed through the turn! I am the Downwind Rocketship.
• Sending the kite at its own pace produces bigger jumps than trying to force it around.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Full moon sailing
Forecast looked good, webcam looked good - I motored on down to the lake! Traffic is light, I make good time and get there just before 4:30pm. Wind looks borderline; everyone seems to be humming and harring. I waver for a moment then think ah fuck it why not. It's Speed3 time baby yeah! Suit up, load up, waddle over to the lake ...
Set up to hot launch the 21 but the wind has picked up a touch - we've white caps on the lake just ever so slightly. Pre-inflate ol' Relentless, grab the Flydoor and hit the water. Well powered!
Noodle around, lay some stuff down ... few slams till I warm up and get into the groove. I'm going upwind fine and wasting ground doing stuff - lovely!
I'm nicely powered on the 'door so I swap it out for the 'radical. Still rollin'! Throw some silly tricks down, boost some air - I'm getting really good at monster jumps now! - and am having a great time! It's a bit crowded near the shore, there's a newbie chick and Uncle Pyro and well, everyone else who's blocking the shore ... some close-calls with carefully placed kites to get through the jam.
Wind drops off a little more so I swap for the Flydoor. I got more board speed so I bust some big jumps ... I can feel the kite trying to drop me again occasionally on the smaller jumps so I'm controlling it with the sheeting in and out on the way down. I land a bunch toe-side and turn that into a down-loop turn the other way. Double-rotate a back-roll and loop the kite to stop a stall ... am I getting better or is the Speed3 just fucking awesome?
Sunset is coming but oh, it's a full moon! Nobody is getting off the water so hey - neither am I! We ride out till it's well dark and I can see the bar but can't tell which way around it is - can't see the colours!
Head in to shore, everyone has landed so I get Miyachi to help me - good man!
Awesome session! Wind was a little lully but the Speed3, he is a mean machine!
Moment of the Day was boosting a big ol' air, leaning back and looking down at the moon reflecting in the water!
Wind speed was recorded as 6 to 9 knots with gusts to 16 ... hmm, I reckon we had 10 to 12 fairly steady, with lulls to 8. I rode upwind without effort 90% of the time and only the utter wombles had to walk.
What I learned today ...
• Need to use more muscle or input from the board when the wind is light to do the rotations...
• In fact, it's easier to use the body to rotate than it is to use the kite - less over-rotation to contend with.
• Big jumps, mad hang-time - coming down is difficult! I just sorta hover over the water so 'reaching' down with my feet to land ends up dangling like a wally... bad style!
• Steer the kite more on the way down, control the drop with the bar. Be pro-active!
• Speed makes big jumps. Still working on whether it's better to send the kite sheeted out or in a bit...
• I'm getting spoiled with the ease of rotation of the Flyradical... but the Flydoor is still a great riding board!
• Oh yeah forgot to add - bats can see the lines and hear them when I came up behind them, even in the dark ... also pretty magic, riding along with the little bat-boys :)
Set up to hot launch the 21 but the wind has picked up a touch - we've white caps on the lake just ever so slightly. Pre-inflate ol' Relentless, grab the Flydoor and hit the water. Well powered!
Noodle around, lay some stuff down ... few slams till I warm up and get into the groove. I'm going upwind fine and wasting ground doing stuff - lovely!
I'm nicely powered on the 'door so I swap it out for the 'radical. Still rollin'! Throw some silly tricks down, boost some air - I'm getting really good at monster jumps now! - and am having a great time! It's a bit crowded near the shore, there's a newbie chick and Uncle Pyro and well, everyone else who's blocking the shore ... some close-calls with carefully placed kites to get through the jam.
Wind drops off a little more so I swap for the Flydoor. I got more board speed so I bust some big jumps ... I can feel the kite trying to drop me again occasionally on the smaller jumps so I'm controlling it with the sheeting in and out on the way down. I land a bunch toe-side and turn that into a down-loop turn the other way. Double-rotate a back-roll and loop the kite to stop a stall ... am I getting better or is the Speed3 just fucking awesome?
Sunset is coming but oh, it's a full moon! Nobody is getting off the water so hey - neither am I! We ride out till it's well dark and I can see the bar but can't tell which way around it is - can't see the colours!
Head in to shore, everyone has landed so I get Miyachi to help me - good man!
Awesome session! Wind was a little lully but the Speed3, he is a mean machine!
Moment of the Day was boosting a big ol' air, leaning back and looking down at the moon reflecting in the water!
Wind speed was recorded as 6 to 9 knots with gusts to 16 ... hmm, I reckon we had 10 to 12 fairly steady, with lulls to 8. I rode upwind without effort 90% of the time and only the utter wombles had to walk.
What I learned today ...
• Need to use more muscle or input from the board when the wind is light to do the rotations...
• In fact, it's easier to use the body to rotate than it is to use the kite - less over-rotation to contend with.
• Big jumps, mad hang-time - coming down is difficult! I just sorta hover over the water so 'reaching' down with my feet to land ends up dangling like a wally... bad style!
• Steer the kite more on the way down, control the drop with the bar. Be pro-active!
• Speed makes big jumps. Still working on whether it's better to send the kite sheeted out or in a bit...
• I'm getting spoiled with the ease of rotation of the Flyradical... but the Flydoor is still a great riding board!
• Oh yeah forgot to add - bats can see the lines and hear them when I came up behind them, even in the dark ... also pretty magic, riding along with the little bat-boys :)
Monday, October 10, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Oh well
Forecast looked doable, after blowing well all day ... raced down to the lake. Erk, there's not much wind ... set up the monster Speed and try a ride ... mowing the lawn so I come back in and wait ... wind picks up so I jump out on the water again, then it REALLY picks up. Gusty norwesters in the house!
Was on the Flydoor but I quickly swapped it for the 'radical. Much better! Have a pretty manic time playing with the trim settings ... going from "Aw where is wind?" to "OH MY GOD!" so yeah, it was gusty. Couldn't get into a groove so it was pretty messy. Some good jumps though ... so the wind was up and down and just on sunset I gave it up and packed up.
Moment of the Day was the look on everyone's faces on the shore when I started riding in ... SFA.
Wind speed was recorded as 11 to 12 knots but we got gusts WAY over that I tell you what!
What I learned today ...
• I forgot. I'm sure it'll come back to me though ...
Was on the Flydoor but I quickly swapped it for the 'radical. Much better! Have a pretty manic time playing with the trim settings ... going from "Aw where is wind?" to "OH MY GOD!" so yeah, it was gusty. Couldn't get into a groove so it was pretty messy. Some good jumps though ... so the wind was up and down and just on sunset I gave it up and packed up.
Moment of the Day was the look on everyone's faces on the shore when I started riding in ... SFA.
Wind speed was recorded as 11 to 12 knots but we got gusts WAY over that I tell you what!
What I learned today ...
• I forgot. I'm sure it'll come back to me though ...
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Pretty much perfect!
Wind looked good in the forecast so I headed down the lake after work ... always start with the same thing don't I?
Got to the lake after being held up for only 3 minutes (felt like forever though) due to a car-crash on the Hamakaido ... now have total proof that traffic-jams are caused by fuckwits stopping to rubber-neck - the cop was getting quite aggravated by the people ahead of me who were slowing traffic on the now single lane road, by slowing down to have a good ol' gawp.
Got to the lake, checked the wind ... hmm, what to unpack? Check the kites up - the usual directional guys so that's no help. Ah! Fujii-san is on his 14 and Dennis the Menace is too - Speed3 21 it is then! I suit up and drag the Flysurfer and my Fly-boards over the road. Yikes, more wind than I thought ... I side-launch the big Speed and grab my Flyradical straight out the gates.
A little bit light, have to carefully build speed on 2 strokes to get moving but I'm away laughing! Laughing, like a maniac! The conditions are almost perfect - I'm not over-powered, not under-powered (too often) and am riding the Flyradical with ease ...
And so I break out my bag of tricks ... ok very small envelope of tricks. Easy back-rolls - too easy cos I'm over-rotating so I slow them right down ... long, lazy, hanging in the harness, head back looking around - back rolls. Front-rolls provide no problem today too, so I lob them right after the back-rolls to untangle my lines :D
Getting cocky with them now and am over-rotating front-rolls too - but I do end up landing and riding away from a couple of double rotations!!! Pretty cool feeling ...
I throw in some jumps too ZOMG air feels big but the hang-time is monster! So long that I'm reacting to my memory of the timing and not what the kite is doing. I pendulum under the kite a few times, send the kite too hard, too soon and get dunked many times but MAN is it fun!
A few back-roll transitions too ... and I work on making tight gybe's so I can really work the air gybe.
Getting more aggressive with the kite. Manage to stall it a few times and all but once (maybe twice) I recovered them in the air.
Definitely twice - I remember an easy reverse launch (the 21 pulls less down-wind while relaunching than the U12 does!) and the other time, the tips got tangled and the kite was a donut. A few moments of pulling rear lines got it to open up and fly fine though ...
I stay out until after the sun has slipped below the hills to the west. I back-stall landed the kite but as I was about to loop the rear-leaders into my spreader bar hook then sand the harness, some helpful chap tried to "land" the kite for me by grabbing the tip and pulling. The kite relaunches and as it shoots to the side of the window, I ride out the scud most of the way down the beach. We have a brief chat and he's surprised by how much power is still in the kite, even though it was 'parked' and he wonders why he couldn't just grab the tip like someone else did the other day. I try to explain :D then I land on the safety and Miyachi grabs the tip and sits on it ... I've trained him well!
Another odd thing ... as I'm packing up, Uncle Pyro asks if I can see (it's full dark but the moon is up) and then carries my board back to Locus - I get the feeling that some people want to try my foils ;)
The weather was perfect today! Enough wind to be nicely powered, warm enough to not get wind-chilled but the water was cool enough for refreshment! Happy :)
Moment of the Day was pretty much the whole day! The big jump I remember and just silent gliding was pretty magic though!
Wind speed was recorded as 11 to 13 knots with a gust of 20 an hour before I got there ... it was pretty steady the whole time I was there though!
What I learned today ...
• It's easier to pre-inflate the Cable Park In A Bag through the dump vents, which makes for a better launch and a faster in-the-air inflate but it only fills the downwind side - bit of a messy launch and what was the upwind tip didn't seem to want to fill.
• Getting used to the 'radical ... I'm starting to love it!
• Low-end with the 'radical is good because I felt powered today, not over-powered but there was plenty of juice in the kite - big boosts!
• Stay in the tuck as long as you can on the jumps ...
• The Flysurfers are generating buzz. People are talking about them, that's for sure.
Got to the lake after being held up for only 3 minutes (felt like forever though) due to a car-crash on the Hamakaido ... now have total proof that traffic-jams are caused by fuckwits stopping to rubber-neck - the cop was getting quite aggravated by the people ahead of me who were slowing traffic on the now single lane road, by slowing down to have a good ol' gawp.
Got to the lake, checked the wind ... hmm, what to unpack? Check the kites up - the usual directional guys so that's no help. Ah! Fujii-san is on his 14 and Dennis the Menace is too - Speed3 21 it is then! I suit up and drag the Flysurfer and my Fly-boards over the road. Yikes, more wind than I thought ... I side-launch the big Speed and grab my Flyradical straight out the gates.
A little bit light, have to carefully build speed on 2 strokes to get moving but I'm away laughing! Laughing, like a maniac! The conditions are almost perfect - I'm not over-powered, not under-powered (too often) and am riding the Flyradical with ease ...
And so I break out my bag of tricks ... ok very small envelope of tricks. Easy back-rolls - too easy cos I'm over-rotating so I slow them right down ... long, lazy, hanging in the harness, head back looking around - back rolls. Front-rolls provide no problem today too, so I lob them right after the back-rolls to untangle my lines :D
Getting cocky with them now and am over-rotating front-rolls too - but I do end up landing and riding away from a couple of double rotations!!! Pretty cool feeling ...
I throw in some jumps too ZOMG air feels big but the hang-time is monster! So long that I'm reacting to my memory of the timing and not what the kite is doing. I pendulum under the kite a few times, send the kite too hard, too soon and get dunked many times but MAN is it fun!
A few back-roll transitions too ... and I work on making tight gybe's so I can really work the air gybe.
Getting more aggressive with the kite. Manage to stall it a few times and all but once (maybe twice) I recovered them in the air.
Definitely twice - I remember an easy reverse launch (the 21 pulls less down-wind while relaunching than the U12 does!) and the other time, the tips got tangled and the kite was a donut. A few moments of pulling rear lines got it to open up and fly fine though ...
I stay out until after the sun has slipped below the hills to the west. I back-stall landed the kite but as I was about to loop the rear-leaders into my spreader bar hook then sand the harness, some helpful chap tried to "land" the kite for me by grabbing the tip and pulling. The kite relaunches and as it shoots to the side of the window, I ride out the scud most of the way down the beach. We have a brief chat and he's surprised by how much power is still in the kite, even though it was 'parked' and he wonders why he couldn't just grab the tip like someone else did the other day. I try to explain :D then I land on the safety and Miyachi grabs the tip and sits on it ... I've trained him well!
Another odd thing ... as I'm packing up, Uncle Pyro asks if I can see (it's full dark but the moon is up) and then carries my board back to Locus - I get the feeling that some people want to try my foils ;)
The weather was perfect today! Enough wind to be nicely powered, warm enough to not get wind-chilled but the water was cool enough for refreshment! Happy :)
Moment of the Day was pretty much the whole day! The big jump I remember and just silent gliding was pretty magic though!
Wind speed was recorded as 11 to 13 knots with a gust of 20 an hour before I got there ... it was pretty steady the whole time I was there though!
What I learned today ...
• It's easier to pre-inflate the Cable Park In A Bag through the dump vents, which makes for a better launch and a faster in-the-air inflate but it only fills the downwind side - bit of a messy launch and what was the upwind tip didn't seem to want to fill.
• Getting used to the 'radical ... I'm starting to love it!
• Low-end with the 'radical is good because I felt powered today, not over-powered but there was plenty of juice in the kite - big boosts!
• Stay in the tuck as long as you can on the jumps ...
• The Flysurfers are generating buzz. People are talking about them, that's for sure.
Monday, October 3, 2011
In which I give up in disgust
Good forecast today, better than yesterday's was ... I take an hour off work and head to the lake early.
Wind is up ... dunno what to use. Not the 21 that's for sure and not the 12. 13 &16m Xbow, Flydoor and Rip Plus go over to the lake. Soh put up his 14m Havoc and looks happy ... I decide on the 16.
A good enough choice ... but as the evening draws on and the difference in average wind speed between the gusts drops and the time the wind is off increases, it's getting sucky. I pack up before sunset in disgust but not before ...
I forget how, but I've dropped the kite right in the middle of the underwater weed garden. Usually it's not a problem but today the 'bow refuses to relaunch and - joy of joys! - flops onto its trailing edge. A wave washes a bunch of water over the kite and now it's stuck to the surface ... this is something the LEI-whores don't mention when they compare the "ease" of relaunch of LEIs versus foils! >:( struggle struggle swear swear ... after all sorts of retarded behavior (flying upsidedown, TE towards me - really?) I finally get the kite into the air - but now there's a bunch (literally) of weeds wrapped around the Y and the RH steering line. I fly the kite to shore, land, swear, pull the weeds off ...
I'm trying to get back onto the water ... working the kite to get moving but heading right at me and obviously intending to go between the shore and me - about 3m - is Taki :o
I park the kite at the zenith and try to avoid his - we're mere millimeters away from a very big mess and he obviously thinks it's no problem! He moves off to my right then drops it in the water. Now I got Uncle Pyro coming at me from the left and I'm sandwiched between the 2 worst kite-handlers on the beach. Uncle just stands in the water waiting for the wind so I can't move my kite left. Taki is trying to relaunch but he's so close if he loses control (like he usually does) he's going to wrap me up in the hurt-locker. Praise the lord! nothing happens as I walk backwards out into the lake and get riding again. Thinking back, I thought I was just being paranoid but Soh comes up to me later and is like "Dude WTF were those two thinking?" and so, I rename Taki as "Dennis the Menace."
Keep flying but there's no joy in it - no jumps, no rotations ... no power in the wind. And so I give up ...
Moments of the Day was the monster jump that started off as a regular jump but the gust yoinked me good ... I even rode away ;) the pendulum backrolls were pretty cool too.
Wind speed was recorded as 12 to 14 knots (ho ho ho!) with gusts to 24. Obvious to me now that that is average wind speed ... there were times when I was worried the 'bow was going to fall out of the sky. Oh wait - it did.
What I learned today ...
• The intersection of the seasons produces gusty shit wind.
• October & November are the best wind months at Biwako. According to Soh ...
• Bar pressure on the 16m 'bow is killing me ... I need a different mid-wind kite.
• And to that end, including the gusts, I'm putting the arcs back in the boot of the car!
• Oh yeah tried the Rip Plus again ... not my cup of tea. I like the Flyradical better so it's up for sale ... and sold!
Wind is up ... dunno what to use. Not the 21 that's for sure and not the 12. 13 &16m Xbow, Flydoor and Rip Plus go over to the lake. Soh put up his 14m Havoc and looks happy ... I decide on the 16.
A good enough choice ... but as the evening draws on and the difference in average wind speed between the gusts drops and the time the wind is off increases, it's getting sucky. I pack up before sunset in disgust but not before ...
I forget how, but I've dropped the kite right in the middle of the underwater weed garden. Usually it's not a problem but today the 'bow refuses to relaunch and - joy of joys! - flops onto its trailing edge. A wave washes a bunch of water over the kite and now it's stuck to the surface ... this is something the LEI-whores don't mention when they compare the "ease" of relaunch of LEIs versus foils! >:( struggle struggle swear swear ... after all sorts of retarded behavior (flying upsidedown, TE towards me - really?) I finally get the kite into the air - but now there's a bunch (literally) of weeds wrapped around the Y and the RH steering line. I fly the kite to shore, land, swear, pull the weeds off ...
I'm trying to get back onto the water ... working the kite to get moving but heading right at me and obviously intending to go between the shore and me - about 3m - is Taki :o
I park the kite at the zenith and try to avoid his - we're mere millimeters away from a very big mess and he obviously thinks it's no problem! He moves off to my right then drops it in the water. Now I got Uncle Pyro coming at me from the left and I'm sandwiched between the 2 worst kite-handlers on the beach. Uncle just stands in the water waiting for the wind so I can't move my kite left. Taki is trying to relaunch but he's so close if he loses control (like he usually does) he's going to wrap me up in the hurt-locker. Praise the lord! nothing happens as I walk backwards out into the lake and get riding again. Thinking back, I thought I was just being paranoid but Soh comes up to me later and is like "Dude WTF were those two thinking?" and so, I rename Taki as "Dennis the Menace."
Keep flying but there's no joy in it - no jumps, no rotations ... no power in the wind. And so I give up ...
Moments of the Day was the monster jump that started off as a regular jump but the gust yoinked me good ... I even rode away ;) the pendulum backrolls were pretty cool too.
Wind speed was recorded as 12 to 14 knots (ho ho ho!) with gusts to 24. Obvious to me now that that is average wind speed ... there were times when I was worried the 'bow was going to fall out of the sky. Oh wait - it did.
What I learned today ...
• The intersection of the seasons produces gusty shit wind.
• October & November are the best wind months at Biwako. According to Soh ...
• Bar pressure on the 16m 'bow is killing me ... I need a different mid-wind kite.
• And to that end, including the gusts, I'm putting the arcs back in the boot of the car!
• Oh yeah tried the Rip Plus again ... not my cup of tea. I like the Flyradical better so it's up for sale ... and sold!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Unity vs Speed
Sunday promised big wind and by happy chance, my Unity 12 had arrived Saturday from that guy in the US with the collection of odd names :D Let's just call him Stan.
Hit the lake about 1:30pm - dead calm. Not good, the forecast said there should have been wind by now ... wait begins. Wind picks up. We get a heap of it. I measure 9 to 10 m/s at the water's edge - good, cos I'm predicting a bottom end for me of 20 knots from the Unity.
I was right. At first, I'm powered enough as I struggle to get used to the odd feeling kite - it's no Speed! More like a lazy Psycho. Actually, at the bottom of the power-stroke it feels like an arc :o
Man, the wind is up'n'down like a frickin' yo-yo ... I get the hang of the kite eventually and manage to get enough out of it to make it through the lulls. I think maybe 16 knots IF I'm lucky for the bottom end. Much better up the top end.
All seems good with it - jumps nicely, hang-time is ok, power through the turns is pretty good, not too slow responding to the bar. Good'n'stable most of the time but I managed to get it out of shape and inverted, although the anti-inversion line stops that in it's tracks ... kite floats to the water surface then pops into shape with the right tug on the lines and is flying again - nice!
Infinity 2 bar is sweet, a few nice touches. Not sure about the bungies for the QR and the chicken stick - I can see them rotting away.
Wind dies right off and doesn't look like picking up. I pack up the Unity, and get the 21 out. A good play from then on, using the Flyradical but the winds dropping again and I'm on the 'door again. I ride till the sun has well and truly set ... not a bad day, despite the gusts!
Moment of the Day was probably the solitary awesome front roll I did ... I bet nobody saw it though :o
Wind speed was recorded as 14 to 10 knots (horse-puckey!) with gusts to 25 (probably true).
What I learned today ...
• Not enough over-lap between the Speed3 21 and the Unity 12 :( U12 is a great kite though!
• I've been spoiled by the Speed ... I hate working kites to make power!
• I'm getting better with the 'radical.
• I'm getting better with the front-rolls :D
Hit the lake about 1:30pm - dead calm. Not good, the forecast said there should have been wind by now ... wait begins. Wind picks up. We get a heap of it. I measure 9 to 10 m/s at the water's edge - good, cos I'm predicting a bottom end for me of 20 knots from the Unity.
I was right. At first, I'm powered enough as I struggle to get used to the odd feeling kite - it's no Speed! More like a lazy Psycho. Actually, at the bottom of the power-stroke it feels like an arc :o
Man, the wind is up'n'down like a frickin' yo-yo ... I get the hang of the kite eventually and manage to get enough out of it to make it through the lulls. I think maybe 16 knots IF I'm lucky for the bottom end. Much better up the top end.
All seems good with it - jumps nicely, hang-time is ok, power through the turns is pretty good, not too slow responding to the bar. Good'n'stable most of the time but I managed to get it out of shape and inverted, although the anti-inversion line stops that in it's tracks ... kite floats to the water surface then pops into shape with the right tug on the lines and is flying again - nice!
Infinity 2 bar is sweet, a few nice touches. Not sure about the bungies for the QR and the chicken stick - I can see them rotting away.
Wind dies right off and doesn't look like picking up. I pack up the Unity, and get the 21 out. A good play from then on, using the Flyradical but the winds dropping again and I'm on the 'door again. I ride till the sun has well and truly set ... not a bad day, despite the gusts!
Moment of the Day was probably the solitary awesome front roll I did ... I bet nobody saw it though :o
Wind speed was recorded as 14 to 10 knots (horse-puckey!) with gusts to 25 (probably true).
What I learned today ...
• Not enough over-lap between the Speed3 21 and the Unity 12 :( U12 is a great kite though!
• I've been spoiled by the Speed ... I hate working kites to make power!
• I'm getting better with the 'radical.
• I'm getting better with the front-rolls :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)