Sunday, February 24, 2013

Psch

Forecast was supposed to be so cracking today that I put my 7m kite in the car.

BWA-hahahahahaha!

You know that silly joke about going to a fight and a hockey game breaking out? In the same vein, today a bit of kiting ruined my nice walk on the beach... Got a half-dozen tacks down the beach and walked back. Calming and relaxing but not much kiting. Snowed non-stop, frosting the hills and making the sand soggy.


Moment of the day has yet to happen.
Mood of the session was anticipatory disappointed mellow.
It sucks when you're expecting Godzilla and you get My Little Pony.

Weather was reported as 12 to 16 knots BULLSHIT and 0.5°C at 88%.
Wind felt like it was ripping me off.

What I learned today...
• The 5mm XCEL gloves are only needed when it's literally 0°C and it's snowing and the wind-chill is freezing the drips of snot on your nose. Otherwise, the $8 WorkMan gloves are the business.
• I need to wash my boots - they stink.
• Bar on the S3 15 needs attention - I forgot that black plastic spacer thing has fallen out :-/

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Luck of the Irish

So one weather forecast looked like weak crap but the other was cracking... I got myself sorted out and down to the lake (in the new kitemobile) just after 12:30-ish. It's looking ok - Miyachi says the morning was better...

Take the Psycho4 19 and Speed3 15 over to the beach with both the Flyboards... thinking the 19 should be good. So I rig up the ol' girl and launch without a hassle.

Out onto the water, with the Flyradical. Mess around trimming the kite and getting the hang of a Flysurfer again - been a while. Struggle for a bit to get upwind much... then the wind drops. I blame Miyachi, cos he just turned up on the beach with his kite.

Switch to the Flydoor and get into a groove, working upwind and throwing some jumps... then the wind kicks it up a notch! Swap back to the 'radical.

Now we're starting to have some fun! Jumps are fun but the kite is fully depowered and I'm fighting hard to go upwind... thinking maybe I should go the 15 but don't want to stop.

Have fun for an hour then the gusts start getting uncontrollable... this one time, I'm heading out way past our beach and the marina and get hit by a good gust. I start rocketing off towards Otsu and it doesn't look like it'll quit - so I boost :D ooh, it's a good 'un too! Shame I didn't land it...

So it goes, for a while. Fighting the gusts, jumping when I can... get pulled off my edge a lot.

Miyachi has landed his kite and I'm thinking I might be due to give it up too... when a gust hits again. I jump, get elevatored but bork the landing... then the gusts REALLY hits! My head is underwater and I feel the kite pulling like crazy and it's heading into the eye of the power zone - so I pull the safety.

Well.

I come up out of the water to see the kite goes to safety fine - then the line breaks (twice as it turns out) and the kite goes sailing!

I'm over 2 line lengths from the beach, the beach is about 100m from the trees, the trees line the road, the road is in front of a YMCA camping grounds with cabins, and that's in front of a paddy field - in front of some guys house...

The kite (completely folded in half) clears the trees, the road (thank god!), the trees and cabins in the camping ground, and comes to rest in the paddy field - just in front of the guys house. Ho-lee-shee-it!

Miyachi bolts after it and I fight my way out of the water and follow him... down the road, into the camping ground... then I lose Miyachi. He hollers from the field and I make a right turn to find him.

Roll up the kite and lines... amazingly, I can't see any tears. We walk back to Locus and I lay the kite out and untangle the lines (about 2 minutes!) and give the kite a once over - I can't see any tears or holes!

So, missed the road and cars, missed all the buildings and trees... woo and hoo!

Me on the 19, pre its trip over the trees
To give you an idea of how tall the trees are!
Flight path from lake to paddy field...


Moment of the day was boosting out of the speed run :D
Mood of the session was ooh ahh eek.
It sucks when your safety line breaks.

Weather was reported as 12 to 18 knots, with gusts to 30 :o 4 °C at 50%.
Wind felt like 10% blarg, 40% ooh, 30% yeah and 20% OMFG!

What I learned today...
• NeoWork gloves work just fine and don't stress my fingers/forearms. 5mm and sort of lined and warm enough!
• They've got holes in the side though that let the water in. Not a huge issue cos I'm a heater in my spare time - check out the sweat in my boots!
• Tip-clapping on landings - diving the kite then riding at it is the cause... either edging harder on landing, jumping more vertical and landing slower, or just leaving the kite 'up' when you finish the jump is the solution.
• Think I need to research the mixer... kite is back-stally on full trim and doesn't want to drive upwind unless it's trimmed out some.
• DEFINITELY need to fix the FDS... that'll learn me for being lazy and not adding the 5th line from my old Switch bar.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Long way back home

Went to Hamamatsu for the long weekend and took the gear, but once again I got let down by off-shore wind. Water was lovely and flat though...

Headed home early today hoping to catch an afternoon session on the lake. Snow over the hills into Shiga gave way to blue skies - kinda - so I ditched the wife as fast as possible and flew off to the lake in the new K-wagon; probably arriving about 2:30pm.

I see kites up but they're big ones - GlovesGuy has his 15 up... doesn't bode well for the forecast which should have seen us big guys on 10m kites :(

Gear up and drag my XB16 and boards over to the lake. Yeah, this should be ok... pump it up and jump onto the water with the Flyradical.

Back'n'forth... hmm, need more. Swap to the Flydoor then the wind drops a little and then some more. I struggle back'n'forth again for a while cos hey I'm desperate.

By the time the wind picks up a bit later, I'm ready for it but my hands are starting to fail... f**kin' gloves! Do what I can but by the time everyone else is packing up I can barely hold the bar :(

As we're packing up, the snow that had been constantly falling picks up and makes all my gear soggy. Nice.



Moment of the day was firstly getting out on the water and then still riding (barely) when the others were packing up - I got the light wind skills? Maybe.
Mood of the session was satisfied, puzzled, joyful exhaustion.
It sucks when the spirit is willing but the flesh is a big girl's blouse.

Weather was reported as 9 to 15 knots, 1˚C at 85%. Gusts to 24 knots at 4:30...
Wind felt like it should have had more power.

What I learned today...
• The 5mm fleece-lined gloves have to go... surely they're unnecessary? I took them off to pack up and although my hands were really cold, they weren't that bad - I'm guessing cos the rest of me was so hot.
• XB and loops... not much point, really. Except when you get that magic point and it does the business.
• Could have gotten away with a Flysurfer today - wind was up'n'down but not punchy at all.