I am the lawnmower man

There was even grass clippings in the water.

Missed a 16 knot plus session on Tuesday at Mie, today's forecast looked the same so hopefully...

Got over there just before 2... hmm, 12 knots on the yacht club. Feels like too much for the 21 so I go for the 16m XB. Go out on the Dialer; would be having fun but there's so much weed or grass in the water, it's wrapping the fins and creating so much drag I just can't ride...

Decide to put extensions on the 16 and try the TT: 6m left-overs from the old S3 21. Yeah, kinda works... mow the lawn mostly but hey it's summer - what can you do. Wouldn't riding at all without extensions...

Weather was reported as 14 to 10 knots; gusts to 18 at 2pm, 29 degrees C at 80%.
Wind felt like I should have been riding upwind - just - but wasn't.

What I learned today...

• Extensions work.
• Grass in the water sucks!
• Old skool spreader bar pad is the shizzle.

End of month pile-up

Forecast changed overnight... light wind forecast but same in Hikone and Otsu, which usually means rideable wind.

Got down the lake at 1:30, set up the S3 21. Out on the Dialer... easily riding but not going upwind. Do some walking until about 3 when the wind pick up. Switch to the Limited at 3:45... gah. Have as much fun as I can til just after 4, when I get off and head to work... just as the wind is cranking up :(

Weather was reported as 8 to 10 knots (balls), gusts to 18; 30 degrees C at 50%. Hmm.
Wind felt like I should have been going upwind to I should have been getting a smaller kite.

What I learned today...

• Wear the goddamn wetsuit. Power wedgies blow.
• Actually do need a spreader bar pad - not for the spreader bar, for the loops the webbing goes through. Ouchie.
• My elbows are killing me :(

And that's 5. Well, gosh...

Supposed to be the day today, forecast looks good... even looks good when I get to the beach. Early for once...

Should have gone for a bigger kite, but there you go. Went out on the Dialer but just wasn't in the mood. Changed it for my first Flydoor but that was too heavy and dull. Went and got the new one but that equally didn't spin my wheels. Tried to ride the Limited all the time but that was an exercise in frustration.

I did try a few very lame, very low kite loops to see if it would kill me. It didn't but the sun burn might... damn, I gotta put that stuff on in layers before I get anywhere near the lake :(


Weather was reported as 9-6-12-12-12-10 knots, gusts to 20. 28 degrees at 58%.
Wind felt like mostly underpowered with gusts to meh.

What I learned today...

• If it looks like a 13 day, rig the 16... cos summer SUCKS.
• Seems I've gone off my Flydoor - feels draggy, hard bloody work and just not fun any more :( maybe time to change the stance. What am I going to do when underpowered?
• Put the damn short john wetsuit on. Wedgie central...

Oh stop - 4 now?

Well, it was better than yesterday but just not enough to ride the Limited upwind easily... but it were better n' nowt!

Weather was reported as 9 to 12 knots, gusts to 20 after I left :-/

3rd for the month?

Lame.

Forecast was for crap and I only drove by on the way home from the hardware store cos why not. There was a bit of wind and so again, why not.

Bit of riding around to keep my hand in... lots of walking. Ah well...

Weak-ass typhoon is weak-ass.

Went to the lake expecting to ride the 21 AT BEST and having a back seat of things to meddle with to fill the afternoon. Instead, the wind was up, steady and rising. Huh...

Went out on the 16 and the Limited, and actually had a bit of fun.
The wind kept picking up and so I went and got the 13.
The wind kept picking up and so I went and got the 10...!

So that was a nice surprise. I got a little underpowered on the TT so I thought I'd change it out for the Dialer, but only got one good tack till the wind lulled enough for me to realize that I couldn't handle any walking so I decided to call it a day.

Pretty good day considering the crap forecast; the typhoon might have nailed the southern parts but we got almost none of the weather...

---

Weather was reported as 9 to 12 knots (LOL) gusts to 20; 29˚ at 67%.
Wind felt like 15 to 20 knots fairly steady. Picked up steadily, held, then dropped off...

What I learned today...

• Relearned - the 16 isn't that much of a dog as I remembered. 'Specially not after months of flying the 21!
• Find the top end of the Limited is... limited. Bottom end if fabulous so I can't complain too much but I think I might try moving the pads to the heel-side just a tad, as they're now centered or a little to the toe-side, it seems....
• I so prefer to be just powered on a smaller kite now, and seem to jump just as high.
• Now I need to stop being a chicken shit and start stunting it up.
• Loops on the XBs are tricky... sheeting all in chokes the shit out of it, sheeting right out is violent - in the middle somewhere is better.

Downwinding

Forecast was good but it failed to deliver. I barely got to ride and it was all downwinders but strangely satisfying.

Especially when the cool kids couldn't keep their kites in the air... once slamming down a few feet from my head when I'd fallen into the water. Gimp.

Weather was reported as 8 to 10 knots, gusts to 15. 27 degrees at 66%.

What I learned today...

• There's a rip on a seam and a hole in the canopy... poor old S3 21 is showing its age.