Can sum this session up in one picture, right HERE.
But I had to push out to try and get some pictures for OR . . . I think they want an article out of me :o 16 minutes worth of pictures (one shot per second) and 1/2 of that is me launching and walking up the beach.
Bah. At least I didn't have to swim/tow the kite in, like I thought I was going to have to do when the wind died...
The least boring photos have been uploaded HERE.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Broken the dry spell!
Red arrows forecast in Mie... work in the PM so I headed over early - leave home at 9:50, get there about 10 past 11. Yup, looks good, here we go with the 10!
Start was a bit iffy, but it picked up for a while and I had a lot of fun boosting n' stuff. Then it dropped off a bit so I played the waves, before taking a break to sort my harness, have a drink. It's 12:40 so I go back out.
Wind is up n' down again... the first half was better but I manage to ride a wave into the beach for about 150m, making a half dozen turns :D it was good.
Off the water finally when the wind really turns to custard... home by 3:30, on time for work. Worked out well.
Moment of the day was the long surf in... just like I meant to :)
Song stuck in my head was "Yes, I can boogie" by Bacarra. Thanks, wife.
Weather was reported as 18 to 20 knots, gusts to 36; 17˚C at 75%. I measured 16 to 24 knots at the start.
Wind felt like 30 minutes of look out! 60 minutes of verah nace, 30 minutes of ho-hum.
What I learned today...
Start was a bit iffy, but it picked up for a while and I had a lot of fun boosting n' stuff. Then it dropped off a bit so I played the waves, before taking a break to sort my harness, have a drink. It's 12:40 so I go back out.
Wind is up n' down again... the first half was better but I manage to ride a wave into the beach for about 150m, making a half dozen turns :D it was good.
Off the water finally when the wind really turns to custard... home by 3:30, on time for work. Worked out well.
Moment of the day was the long surf in... just like I meant to :)
Song stuck in my head was "Yes, I can boogie" by Bacarra. Thanks, wife.
Weather was reported as 18 to 20 knots, gusts to 36; 17˚C at 75%. I measured 16 to 24 knots at the start.
Wind felt like 30 minutes of look out! 60 minutes of verah nace, 30 minutes of ho-hum.
What I learned today...
- Wearing something like a rash guard under a wetsuit isn't the best idea. Yeah, it's toasty-warm but I do believe it causes the harness to move.
- When the harness rides up into armpits, and won't stay down, it's a good bet that the PowerBelt has come undone.
- Doing a backroll up a wave, then landing back on it and surfing it out is fuckin' cool... until you face-plant a second later.
- Distance is your friend... nose-diving your board just after you've dived the kite hard and it's head right into the wharf - I probably should have left even more space cos as I went under the waves, I was thinking "uh oh" but all's well that ends well...
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Oh well... to Infinity and Beyond!
Another brilliant forecast ruined by reality.
Got a few tacks back 'n' forth before we all just gave up on it...
Weather was reported as 10 to 12 knots, gusts to 24; 10˚C at 61%.
Wind felt like nicely powered for directional riding at the best of times, completely crap the rest.
What I learned today...
Got a few tacks back 'n' forth before we all just gave up on it...
Weather was reported as 10 to 12 knots, gusts to 24; 10˚C at 61%.
Wind felt like nicely powered for directional riding at the best of times, completely crap the rest.
What I learned today...
- Need to pack gloves from now on.
- Might just be able to get away with using just the 13 on the Dialer.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Oh well... Part 4.
It's never-ending, eh...
Red arrows on the weather forecast. Got to the lake at 2pm... nowt. As in zilch, zip, nothing. There was more wind in my trousers. Sat in the car sulking... was about to drive away for a coffee when the wind arrived. Keen! Geared up and headed over to the lake...
Should be good for the 13. But by the time I'd laid out the lines and pumped up, it was picking up. I launched the kite but it was clear I couldn't ride that...
Pack up, back to the car for the 7m Core. Pump, set up, launch... hmm, a little underpowered. Try the Origin. Huh! going upwind but not powered enough to boost. Crazy!
Go back out on the Dialer... bit rough, bouncing off the chop - gnarly. Have a few good hacks 'n' slashes...
Kite actually pulls enough to ride upwind fine without pulling so hard you need to lean against it, but needs to be worked hard for bursts of speed and it's damned fast! Too fast for me...
Right about the time I decide to sell it on, I fall off doing something simple but the wind blow my board up, into the air and... into my lines. Steering leader gets tangled, the kite loops into the water and r-i-i-i-i-p... nuts.
So that was that. Should have gone out on the 10m XB and had a boost fest. Le sigh.
Weather was reported as 16 to 18 knots, gusts to 35 :o 12˚C at 70%.
Wind felt like 10m gusting to 8m weather.
What I learned today...
Red arrows on the weather forecast. Got to the lake at 2pm... nowt. As in zilch, zip, nothing. There was more wind in my trousers. Sat in the car sulking... was about to drive away for a coffee when the wind arrived. Keen! Geared up and headed over to the lake...
Should be good for the 13. But by the time I'd laid out the lines and pumped up, it was picking up. I launched the kite but it was clear I couldn't ride that...
Pack up, back to the car for the 7m Core. Pump, set up, launch... hmm, a little underpowered. Try the Origin. Huh! going upwind but not powered enough to boost. Crazy!
Go back out on the Dialer... bit rough, bouncing off the chop - gnarly. Have a few good hacks 'n' slashes...
Kite actually pulls enough to ride upwind fine without pulling so hard you need to lean against it, but needs to be worked hard for bursts of speed and it's damned fast! Too fast for me...
Right about the time I decide to sell it on, I fall off doing something simple but the wind blow my board up, into the air and... into my lines. Steering leader gets tangled, the kite loops into the water and r-i-i-i-i-p... nuts.
So that was that. Should have gone out on the 10m XB and had a boost fest. Le sigh.
Weather was reported as 16 to 18 knots, gusts to 35 :o 12˚C at 70%.
Wind felt like 10m gusting to 8m weather.
What I learned today...
- If I decide I really don't like a kite and decide to sell it, I should get off the water before something bad happens :-/
- Shame, cos it was a good kite. I bet Miyachi can fix it easy but then who will buy it?
- Maybe I could make a jacket after all...
Friday, November 8, 2013
Oh well... Part frickin' 3
Forecast was good, but there was nothing when I arrived at 2:30 so I tuned all my bars. Wind shifted then picked up at 4, so me, the Grand Master of Disaster, Tall Skinny Guy and Can't Relaunch My Cults - Ever man all headed over to the lake...
Mowed some lawn. That was about it. Got off the water by about 5. Really not having much luck lately, eh!
Weather was reported as 8 to 12 knots, gusts to 16; 18˚C at 50%.
Wind felt like going upwind o-o-o-ok falling to just holding ground.
What I learned today...
Mowed some lawn. That was about it. Got off the water by about 5. Really not having much luck lately, eh!
Weather was reported as 8 to 12 knots, gusts to 16; 18˚C at 50%.
Wind felt like going upwind o-o-o-ok falling to just holding ground.
What I learned today...
- I really don't like the "fastest" steering setting on the Flite - it really turns fast but almost stalls the kite in doing so which means...
- I prefer kites with a medium turning rate or rather, that turn smoothly and keep making power.
- "Fastest" might be good on the surfboard though...
Monday, November 4, 2013
Oh well... Part 2.
Forecast for good fun but it didn't deliver again... up 'n' down and lots of hard work. Lots of waiting, a little riding...
Weather was reported as 14 to 18 knots, gusts to 30 (wot-evarz!); 15˚C at 71%.
Wind felt like ok powered, gusting down to crap. It was so on and off that it just sucked.
What I learned today...
Weather was reported as 14 to 18 knots, gusts to 30 (wot-evarz!); 15˚C at 71%.
Wind felt like ok powered, gusting down to crap. It was so on and off that it just sucked.
What I learned today...
- I can heat up water in my wetsuit so much that when it eventually gets to a cold bit of me, it's warm enough to feel like it's burning!
- Ankle straps are vital.
- B-setting on the XBs: faster turning yes but the upwind is borked. Back to A.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Oh well...
Whoa, wind's up - could be good. Hit the lake about 2:30... hmm, might be able to get away with the 13 but I bet I need the 16. Up it goes.
Bah, can't get upwind on the Dialer. Long walks... Picks up, try the Origin... a little better but not enough.
Land the kite and swap the A/B steering etc settings. Take the Dialer back and get the Flydoor3.
Try again... better. Prefer the steering setting - really gets around. Accidentally manage some bankroll kite loops when I'm just trying to do transitions...
... but there's really not enough wind. I keep trying cos I got nothing better to do but now it's getting dark. I pack up...
The wind drops right off and one of the race board guys is swimming in... by the time I've packed up, he's not made much progress so I decide to swim out - I'm always up for an adventure.
Takes about 10 minutes, although I can walk 1/2 the way out. I get to try a deep-water self-rescue with someone else's gear :D I can get on the LE ok, get the opposite tip up into the air but there is NO wind to blow me to shore. Fine... I'm about to suggest we delate the LE, roll the kite up and put it on the race board and push it in (why hasn't he done this already?!?) when Miyachi arrives with the boat.
Whee, a boat ride too!
Weather was repotted as 7 to 11 knots, gusts to 16; 18˚C at 49%.
Wind felt like I should have been able to ride... but just couldn't manage it :(
What I learned today...
Bah, can't get upwind on the Dialer. Long walks... Picks up, try the Origin... a little better but not enough.
Land the kite and swap the A/B steering etc settings. Take the Dialer back and get the Flydoor3.
Try again... better. Prefer the steering setting - really gets around. Accidentally manage some bankroll kite loops when I'm just trying to do transitions...
... but there's really not enough wind. I keep trying cos I got nothing better to do but now it's getting dark. I pack up...
The wind drops right off and one of the race board guys is swimming in... by the time I've packed up, he's not made much progress so I decide to swim out - I'm always up for an adventure.
Takes about 10 minutes, although I can walk 1/2 the way out. I get to try a deep-water self-rescue with someone else's gear :D I can get on the LE ok, get the opposite tip up into the air but there is NO wind to blow me to shore. Fine... I'm about to suggest we delate the LE, roll the kite up and put it on the race board and push it in (why hasn't he done this already?!?) when Miyachi arrives with the boat.
Whee, a boat ride too!
Weather was repotted as 7 to 11 knots, gusts to 16; 18˚C at 49%.
Wind felt like I should have been able to ride... but just couldn't manage it :(
What I learned today...
- Flydoor is locked in TIGHT to it's tack. Feels like the Nugget.
- Crossbow really does turn better on the less depower/more steering setting. Bar pressure is bearable, when so-so powered. We'll see when it picks up...
- Nobody here can self-rescue worth a damn.
- It might not really be worth trying to ride the Dialer with the big kites... seems they pull downwind if they're powered and aren't fast enough to work it... or transition nicely.
- Big kites help with the hover when you change footing though!
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