Looked like it should be a good long session at Machiya today, starting at 3pm and finishing after dark, so I loaded up the car and headed on over at 1:30pm, with the wife in tow. Arrived at about 2:45 to find only Auntie and Uncle there :o not a good sign. He's trying to ride his 10 but it's not happening, so Auntie is pumping the 14. The wind doesn't seem up to much ...
I decide that I drove all this way, I may as well have a shot at it. I unroll the lines from the XB bar and untangle them then decide that ain't going to work so I scout about for a clean area of beach (no shells, sticks or trash) to set up and launch from ... good luck with that! Just have to do the best I can ...
Hmm, tough going. Ending up downwind but so is uncle. Then the wind picks up a little and gradually, we're going further upwind. I start to have enough power to be able to play silly buggers. Jumps aren't up to much, backrolls are tough cos we don't have enough power or speed but backroll transitions are easy.
UNTIL
I do something wrong and crash the kite LE down. No problem I'll just do a quick reverse launch! Oh wot a bridle is wrapped around a tip? No problem I'll just erm ... hang on ... ah ... oh ... well ... float to shore and untangle it there. Hmm that ain't right.
Sort out the kite, lay out the lines, relaunch (on shells! EEK no it's ok no holes!) and try to spot my board. Grr, kite is all squirrelly ... guessing cos the TE is soggy. But that means I can't body drag out to the board. Oh it's cos the wind has died right off. Fine, stand and watch the waves wash my board into the shore, collect it, whack myself on the ankle with it then trudge back up the beach. Wife comes and carries the board, which is nice.
Pack it up then go and look at the dead porpoise. Bit of a pair of flat notes to end the day on really ... still ... it had it moments :) even though I now have to wash and dry my biggest kite :o
Mood of the Session was annoyed amused annoyed.
Moment of the Session was sorting out the back roll!
Weather was recorded as 7 to 10 to 7 knots, gusts to 15, 22°C at 77%.
Wind felt like it wasn't reaching its full potential.
What I learned today ...
• Been thinking for a while about back rolls - rather than spinning around under the kite and over-rotating all too often, I thought about edging up and popping into a jump, then as you hit the peak start the rotation so on the way down you've rotated then just fall at the water. Seems to work good - need to try it in more wind.
• Converting board speed to a clean pop gives good height but ... if there's no power in the wind then you just drop like a mong.
• Careless relaunches can result in bridles wrapped around the tips.
• Unlike an LEI (AAAAARRRGH! DEATH LOOP! Save yourselves!) that particular tangle results in a kite that flies sideways and pulls you downwind kinda ... thankfully, away from the large concrete pipe thing.
• I gotta tune that SZ line ...
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