Stupid winter

Great forecast, but the wind died right as I arrived at the beach. Turned gusty (lully) and inconsistent.

Had about 30 minutes on the TT trying to ride, but the only excitement was the micro-gust that took me stratospheric :o needed a heli loop but I was close to the shore.

Got a single powered tack on the Angry Swallow then just gave up on the silly show.

Frigid foiling

So, 3mm spring suits no good when it's snowing on the other side of the lake. Doesn't help when you can't find your boots either. Nothing froze, but it was cold. 7 degrees or less.

Nice time on the HG, getting to grips with it, having more success with the foot changes . . . still need a strap.

Digging the Draft

Started out light and picked up, but I tried to get going with the Flite first . . . a bit unsuccessful, and when the wind came it just pulled me downwind on the surfboard. Thought I'd give up then remembered the Drafts in the shed and thought I'd have a giggle.

Big giggles! Bar pressure is appalling but my god, it goes big and floats like a foil! What a hoot, I enjoyed that.

Foilin' again

Dedicated foil day.

Super light to start with, struggled to water start without a front strap, then the wind came a little and I got up and riding. Starting to get the feel of the HG and adapt to its more aggressive low speed handling.

Good day, but I put my thumb through the 3/2 full wetsuit :(

Culture day satisfaction

Forecast looked great, wind was great when I arrived then rapidly dropped off. Decided to commit to the Hover Glide and just stick with it . . . or maybe the TT if the wind picked up.

Phew, like starting over again. Fucking strapless starts are a pain in the ass, especially when the wind drops. Got a little bolder with the wave play, but still haven't made a successful foot change. Jibes are getting better but still not a patch on the old foil :(

Wind picked up and I thought about going in for the TT . . . then it dropped off and I had to fight to keep the kite in the air, then loop it to get back to shore. Just made it!

Autumn unawesomeness

Got a half hour of good fun on the AS then it dropped off and just sucked ass. I could ride the AS but I wasn't having fun.

Fall squalls

Good boosting session for a half hour or so, then light cruising on the AS. Nice. Started off on the SB 14 but it showed a lack of class when the wind picked up, buckling in jumps . . . it's gotta go.

Angry Swallow is happy

Finally, a chance to try out the new 2015 Angry Swallow! Got it real cheap, as it's a two-year old model now but the last of the 5 fin box models. And purple and green trim :)

Now, it's probably the most travelled board in history, without even getting a single drop of water on it. Shop accidentally used my old address and I didn't catch it until after Japan Post had tried to deliver it . . . then sent it back to the US. So, the board went China - Oregon - Japan - Oregon - Japan . . . before it ever got used :o

Which is a shame, cos it's great. I ran it as a quad (love FCS-II!) which was kinda strange after the Duke but clearly has more bottom end.

The differences I noticed:

The AS is a little more slappy through the chop (duh) if you stand with rigid knees, feels less crisp but is snappy rail to rail, stable for dancing around on, tends to sink the tail during a jibe if you're heavy rear-footed, carves smoothly, rips upwind--especially with the board flat.

All seems to make sense, given where the area and volume are distributed for each board. Which is better? Well for our conditions, I can see I'll be on the AS a lot, but will still love both boards. Very happy with the AS, that's for sure . . .

Miyachi had a run on the Duke and didn't want to give it back. Seems to go better for him than the Naish Skater, North thing and the Naish Global too: he struggled to get upwind on them but rocked out the Duke. Heh . . . 

First!

Had to get out with the new board today.

Wind was light, so i thought I needed a foil. Mistake. That made it harder to get going do to the way the kite worked. After the long-ass bodydrag out as far as possible so I wouldn't slam the bottom, I finally managed to get up and riding away from the shore.

Much better with the new board, much easier to ride. Obviously more stable but different enough that I could barely manage heel to toe, and toe side riding.

Then the wind picked up and I thought I'd try the TT but it was barely enough, then newbie guy fell off and got washed into marina bay, without his board.

I secured the board before it ended up in Otsu, then had to body drag back to our beach, but managed to ride back upwind some, which was a surprise, but then the wind died off again and I gave up.

Managed not to destroy the board, but stood on it by mistake and chipped the nose. Le sigh again.

One thing and another

Thought I'd give the LF a run and assess whether it's worth taking it back to NZ in Feb as is, or do some work on it.

Twitchier than I remembered it used to be when it was equally bent...got used to it but it kinda sucked a lot. Might have to risk straightening it and cutting the mast...

Which was all fine and well until the other side of the board broke. Then I discovered the head of one of the bolts holding the mast to the plate has snapped. So there's all that to deal with and think about too. Le sigh.

Rebel rebel

Wind was on and off so it kinda sucked, but the North guy let me out on his Rebel 15 which was actually fun and boosted well when the wind was on. Bar pressure was like a Switchblade so it was bearable...miss the foil.

Another weak-ass typhoon

that failed to deliver. Again. Had to borrow the Naish foil from the shop, and while I initially struggled a bit to get back in the groove, got there in the end. Strapless is hard to get started when the wind is light...

Broke the dry spell

but "gravy" is overly generous. It was squally and crap when it wasn't.

But I got my eye back in, and go to try the Cabrinha board Squid Launcher. Too wide, have to ride the board and then fly the kite. Too bouncy in the chop too. Hmm.

Miss my foil . . .

Saved by the grandad

and his Naish foil. Insisted I take the whole set up for a test drive, after I'd given up trying to ride the 15 and the TT. I don't think it's quite right yet still, and the wind was shit.

But the foil was fun. Definitely slower but more stable than mine, and the length and mass distribution of the board makes it "heavier" to swing around. Riding strapless wasn't as much of a challenge as I thought it would be so that's nice.

Got a brief play with the Reo 12 which didn't really improve my opinion of them (gutless and slow), but as the wind dropped off I guess it wasn't fair. Relaunch was easy though.

So, thanks Grandad, you saved my day!

RIP Foil Fish

Due to the turmoil at home, I decided I'd brave the forecast and escape to Tsu again. Supposed to be big wind but was pretty much a repeat of the last time I was there.

Which wasn't a bad thing. I really got the gybes dialed in and started going harder and faster, with more power and load on the foil.

That was all good and well until I got too close to shore and slammed into the shallows so hard I gave myself whiplash. Sore neck at the time, stiff the following day. That I could live with . . .

. . . unfortunately, the fuselage is bent again and the mast rounded. That I could almost live with . . .

. . . but the big deal is the crack in the board. Guess I really nailed it hard :(

Surprisingly good . . .

. . . session today, despite the summer wind and my pig-headed determination to use the 10m kite. The weather station said 10 knots when I got off the water and that was when I was feeling ok powered.

Basically, I was totally shocked that I could ride at all, as the kite just stayed in the sky and I had a rough time relaunching--had to swim some to get the kite to the edge of the window and carefully jiggle the line to get it up :o

But had a nice time riding around. Really notice the difference already, between the LF and the SS foil . . . am thinking, if I can tame the SS it might be epic. I noticed the lack of pitch stability today.

Funny thing . . . I was on the 10m tube, and the other guy on the LF foil was on an 11m Sonic and we were well matched :D

Sucky wind may be to blame

Just a little wind, but maybe enough to try out the Hover Glide.

Urgh, everything they said is true. Monster lift, really leaps out of the water and is a battle to get enough weight over the front. Especially when your strap isn't forward enough. Very stable and a solid platform, as the waves have little effect. Glides along nicely, gybe attempts were nice until I fucked it up and fell over, then I had to dodge the foil :o

Wind sucked ass, could barely get out of the water, but if I managed that, I could ride easily. Meant I got stuck in the Marina beach after dropping the kite and fighting for a while to relaunch . . . boy that really sucks now they've screwed around with it. A tough body drag to get out, and I got a little more riding in, then I dropped the kite again and just gave up on it.

Fucking anti seize gel doesn't keep bolts tight :o and I now need an Alien Air. Cos I'm not loving the HG.

3 boards, much joy

So-so forecast, so-so wind reports . . . great session!

Started out playing silly buggers on the TT, which was nice.

Had been out a while when I spotted Hironobu wading out with Grandad's ugly old surfboard that he bolted on the shop Naish foil. I had promised to test it for them but hadn't wanted to spend the good wind fooling around . . . so I swapped boards with him and dragged out to deeper water.

My first time strapless on a foil, on Grandad's dodgy board. Hmm. After a mis-start and a crash into the bottom, we were under way! Foil felt much the same as mine, just a bit slower and more stable. Or more resistant to being wiggled around. Board was horrid, really noticed how long it was.

Too much wind, to close to being horribly over-powered, so after some gybes and water starts, I rode back to shore. I suggested Grandad move the mast forward about 200mm, cut the tail where he planned and cut the front about 100mm ahead of his line. We'll see :D

Went across and had a drink of water, then swapped for the Duke and had a nice time for a change. Rode it out till dark. . . .

Robbed again

Crappy summer wind. So-so session; failure to ride the Duke, underpowered on the Limited and just riding on the Flydoor. Now I remember why I gave up on that board . . . maybe the old one would be better.

And I need to repair that depower line . . .

Some guy got himself a Sroka foil. God, that looks cheap, bulky and draggy! Short mast too, and seemed flexy. Should have asked for a ride.

Showing off for the uninitiated

Off to the ocean. Good forecast didn't arrive, but I got some just-powered foiling. 10 knots in summer is only just enough.

Had a swim with mother, then tried the TT as the wind had picked up . . . under-powered. Oh well.

Nailed it! Railed it!

Rate this an epic session, not because of huge phat airs and wicked tricks, but because I had such a great time on the foil. Really hooked up some fabulous, razor-sharp carving gybes and generally felt very impressed with myself . . .

S3 15 is still out of whack though, I'm going to have to go full retard on the fiddling . . . at least I know where to start.

2 boards, more joy

Really wanted to ride the Duke, but it's just not a low-powered board :( didn't work well with the faulty 15 and I basically could jump straight on the TT and ride upwind better :( :( So I did that and had a nice time getting back in the swing of swinging around at the end of the rope.

The bar is in dire need of reglueing though . . .

3 boards, not a lot of joy

Testing out the repaired 15 . . . hmm, something very wrong. But I got out on all three boards trying to get my groove on. Just not feeling it today, but stuck around trying to ferret it out for 3 hours . . .

Angry on my mind

Made up some A-main's for the 15, went to the lake to sort that out, but by the time I'd swapped the QR on the 21, the wind had filled in. I took the foil and Duke and 21 to the beach, but the wind kept coming so I took it back and got the XB13 and the TT then remembered the depower rope is fraying, so just rode the Duke.

It was ok, but I was fully trimmed and wondered if I could ride the 10. Borrowed the Pivot and it was ok, but I needed more wind.

Had a nice time jumping the Mako though, think I'm getting that sorted.

But the whole time I was thinking about the 2015 Angry Swallow 5' 6" that's on the way to me. . . .

I know I went but . . .

. . . can't remember precisely, don't think I used the foil even though I took it to the beach. Do remember landing the 10m though . . .

1 kite, 3 boards . . . but wait, there's more!

More wind, that is. Marine Day delivers the goods!

Was some wind but the forecast wasn't for a lot more so I didn't know what to do. The lack of 15 is making itself painfully felt. Took the 10m and the foil and Mako Duke over to the lake, as others were on 9 to 14 and various non-foil boards.

Had a lively and tentative time on the foil, riding way out into the lake then riding the swell back in.

I thought the wind had picked up a little so I went back on the Mako and it was ok-ish for a bit, then I took a break. Brought the TT back over for a joke, and gave it a go and it was actually ok! Bit of bump and jump for a while then when the carnage had died down and the herd thinned out, I took the Mako out and it was good.

Whoever the non-local's were, were dicks. Chairs and buckets all over the beach, bad manners on the water and the guy who cut in downwind of me as I was getting off the water--next person who does that, I'm looping my kite into you. You have been warned.

1 kite, 3 boards

Just too much wind for the 21, 15 is out of action still but not enough for the 12 and/or I can't be bothered messing with line extensions. . . .

Out with ye olde 16m . . . Had a nice time on the foil, but then the wind picked up some. I tried to ride the Mako and it sucked, as I got hauled downwind. Tried to ride the TT but the kite is just too slow to be much fun. Now I remember why I don't like it any more!

Anthony went down to chat up the windsurfer girls but got yelled at and the clubhouse leader phones Miyachi to whine about our invasion into their area. On the public lake. Fuck 'em. Next time, I'm making sure to go down there too.

A new category!

Was actually looking forward to another foil session, with the big Speed and maybe switching to the XB13 as the wing picked up. . . .

Nope.

Got in maybe 20 minutes before the rain started, slowly enough at first that I thought I might be able to keep riding until it passed as it wasn't so heavy. . . .

Nope.

The wind dropped and the kite stalled, and I couldn't relaunch it even though I had feet on the bottom. The board had shot off, floating downwind towards the rock breakwater and I just couldn't be bothered replacing bashed up wings, so I wrapped up the bar and lines and left the kite, swimming for the board. Figured I could swim back for the kite and drag it in at my leisure. . . .

Nope.

The wind had dropped because it had shifted to off-shore. By the time I got the board, the kite was already moving away fast enough that I didn't want to risk swimming for it. So I went and got Miyachi and the boat . . . which was a good call, because it was hauling ass towards the opposite side of the lake :o

Luckily it missed all the nasty "No jet skis" signs and their sharp edges, and we got it on the board without much hassle, tangles or taking on a mountain of water. So it was easy to pack it, and the untangling took just a few moments. . . .

So, first time to be rescued. Kinda.

More mellow moves

Another light forecast, actual wind recorded was 4 to 8, gusts to 12.

Started on the 21, wind picked up a little and I wanted to try the 12.

Guess that was when it was 12 knots, but the kite was just too peaky on the power and required high-speed runs and aggressive carves, but really wasn't any fun. I switched the 21 bar with the 6m extensions, and it improved the length of the power pulse, but the wind had dropped and it sucked so I went back out on the 21.

Lovely mellow session, slightly overpowered on the 21 at times but nice riding. I should really start to try tacks . . .

Miyachi tried to go out on the Naish foil (identical to the LF) which he'd bolted to a TT but it was too light and he gave up. I left my LF board there for him, in case he can get out when I can't . . .

Was definitely better

Very light forecast, 6 to 8 on the hourly update...off to the lake!

15 is out of action but I could have gotten away with it, and would have had a good time down looping the transitions, but such is life.

Had a fab time with the 21 til 6, when the wind just picked up enough to make it uncomfortable: 8 to 10, gusts to 16 apparently. 

So I'm at the stage with the foil of gybing with almost 100% success...so long as I don't switch feet. And only if I don't try to ride goofy. If I do change feet, either before or after gybe, odds are better than even it's successful though, and even misplacing the feet there's still a good chance of success. I even managed to attempt a half-dozen foiling changes, best one slapping the water briefly. Huh, might just be possible...certainly easier when there's power in the kite.

Buddy who broke his Spotz and lost the fuse and wings now has an Access, and it NOSIY. I can hear it for miles, almost literally. Shame. 

Could have been worse

Crappy forecast but a front was due at three so I thought I'd escape the house for some quiet time staring at the far side of the lake, waiting/hoping for wind.

When I arrived there was actually enough wind to foil on the 15 so that was great; had the lake all to myself for an hour. Then the wind picked up and I swapped to the TT and had some fun jumping around...after I fought out the two tip tangles that just out not come undone. Had to drag one across the water but the other had made itself a knot which needed landing...

Then the storm front moved in. Wind got nasty and punchy so I headed back to the beach.

Just as I reached the shore, yet another gust collapsed the kite, then it opened and lifted me again. Not worried, no problem...but just as I picked me up, *that* line snapped and the kite looped hard, lobbing me at the beach. Thankfully the sand had been fluffed up some and I managed to take it on the feet like a small jump. The kite had lost shaped so it didn't pull me all the way down (just a jerk), and it stayed on the ground, so I pulled the QR after a moment of watching and making sure I wasn't broken, and Miyachi got a hand on the kite.

Quick pack up and a rush back to the clubhouse before the massive downpour hit...

Got to eyeball the Alpine Access v2 too. Very nice it was. I want a ride.

Under and over

Light wind forecast, and it was very when I got to the lake just before 3. Out on the 21 and the foil board for some very light noodling. But after about an hour, it looked like it was picking up and so I packed up the 21 and stood lookin' and thinkin' . . . good call, me.

Hiro went out on his 10 and he looked powered, so I got the Limited and went out on the 15. Yeah, it was ok. Bit rusty I am, many almost-balls up but a good time was head.

Miyachi did well on the Cabrinha foil--strapless!--but wasn't getting on the foil . . . I had to leave before he went out again and I missed the fun.

Surprise session

Huh. Forecast yesterday for today was nothing at all, but it was picking up around 3pm so I went on down. Thought it would only be a foil day so didn't bother with the Duke . . . should have.

FX was ok but does that running-away-on-the-front-lines thing. Great power in loops, was able to get up and foiling just by working it. Couldn't jump it at all, and no wind to work on the technique :(

Contra s-u-c-k-e-d. No power in a loop, then it started bending the LE when I loaded it up hard.

But both impressed with how well they stayed in the air when the wind dropped. Very light, must be the new material.

Got a bit over-powered on the 15 when riding the foil, switched to the 'door but by the time I got it from the shed, the wind was dying off again.

Grassed me up

Mie again. Risked the rain forecast later in the day, for the hope of the good wind at 3. Didn't come but I got 4 hours of riding on the foil. Tried to get my Duke on in the windy bits but it wasn't happening.

Grass in the water was a drag (ha!) so it was a buckin' bronco time out there as it stuck to the mast and sucked bubbles down, but I got some good foot changes and gybes done. The 13m LEI was wrong and I really want new kites now.

Snapped the depower rope on the 55cm bar, which I knew was coming as it was badly frayed :D I flew the kite to shore just fine so that's good to know how all that goes. Now I get to figure out how to repair it or at least if it's worth the effort.

Changed to the 48cm bar--and the shorter lines!--which sucked further but I rode another hour until I'd had enough finally.

Diet wind

It was lite. Geddit?

Website said 8 to 10 knots . . . summer is here, no cheating with 6 knots. Ho ho ho.

T-shirt and shorts, no wetsuit . . . so chilly balls! Wedgies without the filter of a couple of mm of neoprene . . . much fidelity! Rip in shorts allows thighs to rub . . . very bleeding!

But it was so-ooo satisfying . . . all but one or two foot changes didn't fail, only one downloop failed. Is Gud.

Only an hour, but as I said, it was satisfying. That's all, carry on.

What a difference a day makes

Bloody awesome. Good wind, got to try a new kite that didn't suck, got some good riding in and even got some jumps. Good long session too!

Drifter was great. Good bar pressure, probably slightly less than the Crossbow. Fast, responsive, stable when overpowered and predictable: I'd put it between the Park and the Pivot for bar pressure, performance and feel but would choose it over either of them, cos although I prefer the performance of the Pivot, it's just too twitchy--and it's clearly ahead of the Park. Even jumped ok which was a surprise, though the landing weren't floaty gentle and I had to redirect well to avoid a thump.

20 to 25 knots in the good bit, 34 knots in the great. So I need to look at an 11 or 12 . . .

Grr. Double Grr.

Gusty nasty nasty crap. Nothing was much fun and didn't get much of a chance to enjoy the SB, although it was what I thought it would be . . .

The Double Agent on the other hand, wasn't that good. Slow and draggy. Stable and boring. Board might be interesting though . . .

Otherwise I got very annoyed. Could be worse -- Miyachi tweaked his ankle on the foil.

More of the same but better

Another session at Tsu, forecast for 3 p.m. looked better than yesterday.

Got to the beach, and there's Jun and 3 other guys getting foils ready. Neat! Wind was super-light though, bit annoying. Set up the foil again, but gambling that the wind would pick up, I took the 15 to ride.

Flailed around in the water again, with no success and so I came in for the 21. As I launched, the wind dropped right off and the other guys kites started hitting the water. Jun couldn't relaunch and the other guys (Diablo, Chrono) just made it back to shore. I helped Jun untangle his lines and by that time, the wind had come up a little.

I reckoned I could cope with the 21, so I headed out as the guinea pig. Yep, riding ok. Nice cruise around . . . the wind picks up so I go back for the 15. More excellent cruising; nailed a lot of my foot changes . . . hmm.

Jun dropped his kite again for a longer swim, and it felt like it started to rain so I called it a day. Rain didn't appear so I could have gone longer but oh well.

So . . . early . . .

Good forecast at Tsu, so I trucked out early (9 a.m.) after very few hours sleep. Wind was ok but not up to the forecast--I wanted to ride the Duke but there was no waves. Tide was very low and going out, the wind was ok though.

So I went out on the foil and the 12, but I thought I'd try the rear wing further forward . . .

Yeuch. Too twitchy and reactive to the boiling ocean. So it was an OK session but it could have been better! It was good to chase Jun around on the water though!

Watch out for the fish

Well, damn my eyes. Not supposed to be any wind but I went anyway cos I had to get out of the house.

Absolutely nothing when I arrived at 1, so I went and did some shopping. Got back about 2 and it looked marginal, but I thought I'd have a shot.

Dodging the tow-launch paragliders, their boat, the SUPers and the kids swimming . . . and had a butter-smooth ride out there. Except for the time I hit the dead fish and fell off.

Fabulous. Dropped the kite once, but in the shallow end so got a relaunch ok. High success rate with changing feet and downloops . . . good fun!

Packed it in after about 2 hours. Excellent!

Then the wind dropped

Gah. Another "why did I bother" day as the wind was up and mostly down and nothing went according to plan.

I got 15 minutes on the Duke. Then the wind dropped.

I went out on the foil with the 7m but that sucked cos it's really too small. Then the wind dropped.

So I got the 10 again and that was ok, but the riding wasn't up to much. Then the wind dropped

I gave up and went to work.

I love the D

Over the hills and far away.

Jun had just finished his morning session; he was out on the foil. I was hoping for the Duke ride and got lucky--the wind picked up and I had a rocking good session on the D for two hours, hackin' and slashin'.

Took a break, thinking I'd have a little fun on the 15 and the TT but the wind died away and it sucked so I packed up and came home.

Swim, narrowly avoided

I knew it was going to be light, but it turned out lighter than Thursday and dropping. . . . I got some runs and some funs in before it just died right off. But this time, I managed to squeak back to the beach.

God I like riding on flat water.

Ride, swim, walk

Went to the lake to get out of the house and spent some time tuning up the Speeds. All the lines were in need of a tune. The mixer on the 12 had stretched a half dozen mm, the 15 had shrunk 3/4 of an inch (my Amsteel pulley lines made in NZ), and the 21 was perfect.

By then, the wind had picked up a little so I thought I'd give the foil a run. Took the 15 and the 21 to the lake, but thought I was even pushing it with the 21.

Hot-launched, but it needed serious pumping. I got out on the water and was up, riding, and going upwind fine so it was all good! Had a nice time just flying, playing with the load n' float of the foil, trying out the downloop transitions . . .

. . . all went well until I duffed a downloop and then noticed that the wind had dropped. How did I notice? Cos I couldn't relaunch the kite :-/ I did manage a half-successful attempt at a reverse launch, but there just wasn't enough wind to over-come the now soggy wing tips and it wrapped a bridle and I couldn't get air into the center to open it out. Total wind drop-out.

So I wrapped it up and started my swim in. Got the lines in easy then started the roll up. Much easier having a floating board to dump it on!

I was making my way in, when some fisherschmucks in a boat came past. I was sure they were just interested in having a gawp, which was confirmed when they asked the dumbest question, "Are you ok?" To which I of course replied, "Yes fine thanks" and finished my swim. Tossers, if you'd actually wanted to help perhaps offering it would have been a good idea . . .

Not so much water in the kite, but it still got terribly sandy as I laid it out on the south marina beach, reading for the hike up the road . . . which was actually the worst bit of the whole ordeal.

Oh well, such is life.

Another great one

There wasn't really supposed to be any wind, and there wasn't much in truth either--6 knots the webpage said, but I think it was more like a steady 8, maybe 10. The 15 stayed in the air but only just; had to trim the heck out of it to stop it stalling, and thank god I didn't put it in the drink.

But I had an excellent session, cruising on the foil, riding the swell. Managed a few feet changes and nailed some downloop gybes which are really nice to do.

Brilliant.

Well that was fabulous

Probably best day ever riding a directional. Good ol' Mako, I think I got the hang of it. Finally. Still want a decent surf kite though . . . and maybe a bigger board :D

I need a bigger surfboard

Brilliant forecast. Total let down. Well, not total cos I stayed at the Yacht Harbor for 3 hours and did manage to hit some good "waves" but it was up and down again, and I spent a lot of time going downwind and being annoyed. Wanted a break from the foil and wanted to ride the waves, but the weather had other ideas. . . .

What a surprise

In a good way this time. Slight puff of wind, hoped to ride the foil . . . but the wind suddenly picked up and stuck around. Huh. Laid out the 15 and went out on the TT for a jumping good time. Apparently I'm a bit rusty.

Wind dropped a little so I went out on the foil and had some of the most perfect rides, until I fell and landed on my face. Felt like someone kicked me in the face. Gave up and went home before they could do it again.

Oh it's a holiday is it?

After turning up to the kind and finding it closed--despite having made a booking the day before--I went to the lake anyway in the hope that Miyachi's wife could look after the boy.

Although I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't going to be worth all the messing around . . .

. . . and I was right :( gusty crappy wind. Never the right amount to be of any use. Bloody annoying.

More is more

Super-light wind forecast, but I like foiling so that's fine. Took the 21 and the 15 over to the lake and . . . oh now it's picking up.

Lay out the 15. Oh it's still picking up. Pack that up and get the 12.

Go out on the foil--cos it's the only board I have--but I'm a little over-powered. Decide I want to play jumps, so I go back for my Flydoor that's in the shed.

So that was fun. Till the windsurfer kook bears down on me from his port tack, without blinking or making like he'll move, so I jump downwind of him as far as possible but he decides to bear off at me and crash, like it's my fault. Tosser.

Missed most of the rain

Sloped off to Mie early in the morning (9am) to catch the wind before the rain and hang out with Jun. It was li-iiight as but we did well, then it picked up some and I tried to ride the Duke. Didn't work so I went home.

Duking it out

12 to 16 knots, gusts to 24. So apparently that is what makes a great session in the Duke and the adequate Park 10. Had a good 3 hours bombing around, "surfing" the swell and carving around. Good foot changes, with the foil in mind.

Park is better than the Pivot regarding the gust handling, but is less reactive to inputs and inclined to go out of control if you sheet right out and it accelerates a la the old GT. Maybe the rear lines were too long. . . . So I'd have one if it were free, but I wouldn't pay for it. Still searching for a wave kite.

Just messin' with me

Forecast was for better wind than yesterday, and it was good when I arrived and set up. Went out and had fun on the 14 and the TT for a while, but then decided I was sick of the bar pressure, barely passable jumps and wanted my Duke. Decided I could ride the 10 so swapped bar and line, then went back out.

Naturally, the wind dropped. Two crappy tacks then I gave up and so did the wind. Total die off...packed up the tubes and contemplated going home for some Assassin's Creed.

Then it picked up a little, and I contemplated the foil. Set it up and toddled over to the lake with the two smaller Speeds...

And naturally, it started howling. Over-powered session on the foil for an hour, until it died right off again. Managed some foot changes nicely, even one on a semi-foil. Hmm...

It was ok, but I didn't get what I wanted when I wanted it.

Whoa, where did that come from?

Crappy forecast, but it turned out pretty good.

I'd set up the foil, but didn't need it. Went out with the 14 to make sure I had power, as I really wanted to ride the Duke.

Got my wish. Picked up to the point where I almost thought about getting a smaller kite or board, but depowered fully and just hung on. It was good. Tack and jibes were fine, which is nice. Board is a hack n' slash machine, might need more fins cos I'm lazy and aren't loading up the back end in turns, and it's getting loose. Or maybe that's a good thing...

So anyway, was fun.

Well!

. . . that was without a doubt the biggest waste of time in a very long time. 15 knots gusting to 36.  Ha ha.

Really wanted to ride the Mako and practice feet changes and tacks but it wasn't happening.

The Pivot is the nastiest twitchiest unstable bag of crap I've had the misfortune to fly in gusty conditions. Putting the XB up right after it was night and day :o

Tried to get the RPM up in a lull, but then it tried to drag me down the beach so we gave up on that. Sigh.

Took me a long time to be convinced that I was wasting my time, but at least I was sure of my decision when I packed up. Bloody hell.

Well!

. . . that was a surprise.

Absolutely nothing when I got there, but everyone was sticking around so I did to and it came up some. The other foiler went out on a Chromo 15 but I suspect he was over-powered for a while, because I was. Then it slowly dropped off til we all gave up.

I had a nice time but had zero successful tack, almost no successful pre-jibe foot changes but mostly managed the post-jibe changes, however badly. . . .

Pushing the envelope

Kid's in day care, forecast for the weekend looks naff, may as well try ride the very little we have today...

Went with the 21 cos I wanted more power to try tacks etc. Wind is SFA but the 21 stays up and I can body drag so here we go...a-and here we go! Up and riding...

Get about a half hour then a lull hits, kite luffs but I semi-catch it and keep it from bow-tying, but it touches down and takes water into a tip...makes a tough and trying couple of minutes, but a gust comes and I get it back up. Ride a little more then it drops a little again so I head back to the launch spot.

Stand around for a bit, then it comes back up so I relaunch and head back out. Wind is a little better, and it even approaches too much (14 knots) for a few minutes before settling back to good enough.

Manage a handful or successful foot changes, both post-heel-to-toe transition and pre-toe-to-heel, on my good side. Managed a single tack, but that's it. Figured how to ride with both feet forward so that'll come in handy, but I really want a voluminous 3-strap board...

Decide my time is up and ride right up to the beach just as the wind fails again. 4 to 8 knots :o

First it sucks, then it blows

Forecast was supposed to be good, but it really sucked.

I went out with the S3 15 and the foil, but it was so light the kite was just staying in the air. I could ride though so that was nice.

Getting really bloody sick of being unable to transition without falling in the water first :( or having to ride topside. Even if I can do it for miles . . .

Wind started to pick up, so I went out on the TT but it sucked worse. Came back in, landed the kite and thought about packing up. Then one of the guys came over and set up, and it looked like the wind was really coming so I went back out . . .

And had a great little boostathon for what must have been an hour, cos I was late to pick the boy up :o

Lighter but better...?!

One more time to Tsu. Forecast was for lighter wind but it turned out pretty good, actually. My timing was better, to catch the squalls, so I had a nice time on the foil until the wind filled in a bit, then I played silly buggers on the TT. Gravy.

April fooled by the wind

New work schedule gave me the afternoon off . . . off to Tsu!

Gah. Wind died as I was on the way over the hills, down from 16 to 10 knots. Went out with the 15 and took the TT to the shore just in case, but I only got some gentle riding on the foil till it dropped off again. Oh well.

Foils foil Murphy

The forecast was for light wind but looked like it'd be consistent, so I went to the lake. What a surprise, I went with the foil.

Took the 21 and 12 to the lake, and I thought there'd be enough wind for a ride with the 12. Waddle out, try to ride...not happening. Back to the beach. As I'm setting up the 21 I'm betting Murphy will turn up the wind in a few minutes after I get out on the water...

Yup. Back to the beach, pack up the 21 and go back out on the 12. Very light, but I have a nice time for over an hour.

Still miles away from making a tack but I'm not sure I want to go strapless...

One hit wonder

Should have been cracking, but it was gusty crap. Tried the TT but gave up and built the foil. That was a bit weak too, but a rain front came through and I got 5 minutes of great boosts--totally way over-powered but it didn't last. Sigh.

Git yer Dukes up!

Took the Duke to the beach because I wanted a change, and am determined to give it a good run.

Wind was up, but it was gusty as hell, and the wind was so shit that everyone buggered off and left the lake all to me alone. Then it picked up and I had 2 good hours of blasting around on the Duke.

So, ride it off the back foot, with power, and it's sweet. Like, really good. I got to thinking and treated it like a Vanguard and it was gravy. Needs more body English to carve well but when you do, it rewards. Jumps nice too and I managed gybes and tacks easily, so it must be the straps ruining my style on the Foil :D

Still want a bigger one though. With channels...Adrian?

Maybe good, maybe bad...

Whoops, forgot to fill this out so my memory is a bit vague, but I remember it was light and I didn't want to risk the 21, so I went with the 15 to see what it's bottom end was with the foil. Not bad, but the problem is the kite isn't swift enough to work to build speed. Seems like the 12 is the limit for that, and if it's lighter then go for the 21 and change early...

Look where you're going. Early...

Carefully timed my trip over to Tsu, narrowly avoided a traffic jam on the highway, but it looked like I'd missed the wind. It'd dropped from 10 knots to 00.2m/s... o_0

Checked the radar forecast again, and thought I'd wait it out till 3, as there's a dark line on the horizon where the wind should be... It pays off, as the wind comes in and ripples the water, and I can see some white-caps out there. I gear up, build the board, strap myself into the harness...and dither about which kite to use. Not supposed to pick up, but I don't want to be over-powered on the foil.

Went with the 12. Couldn't get up on the board at first (3 to 6 knots according to the club weather station), took a break for a few minutes, then tried again as the wind picked up a little. Better.

Wind gradually picked up to the point I thought about getting the TT but then dropped again till it died about 5pm. So, 8 to 12 knots, gusts to 20 apparently.

Tried the fuselage on the shorter setting. I spent less time bouncing right out of the water and more time having fun. Like, tack after tack of going heel to toe, then back to heel...without falling :o so that was pretty rad. Had a LOT of fun riding the swell. I KNOW I'm riding the swell, cos if I'm not on the ball of my balance, I wobble badly as I lose pull from the kite. And bouncing off the swell is neat-o.

Even managed a surface foot switch...took like 20 seconds to shuffle around the board and straps, but I got there in the end.

Speaking of straps, I think it's time to lose at least the back one. Fell over and tweaked my ankles--both of them. The tried to heel-to-toe on my goofy side and screwed the balance; the board fell downwind, I fell upwind and...ouch.

Speaking of falling and ouch, finally fell on the fins. Wasn't going fast enough and not enough power in the kite to get over them. Wing in the ribs, stabilizer into my calf. The latter is very painful still...

Speaking of latter, that's not the time to get your head around. SO much smoother and easier whipping the head around and waiting for the body to follow.

No more, I promise.

Always seem to on about the foil

REALLY wanted to get out on the Duke and see if I can make it work, but the wind just didn't co-operate. Ended up back on the foil...again.

Wind was all up and down, gusty and rough so I didn't really have a lot of fun. Lots of porpoising up and down, no good carves. Sigh...I think the longer fuse is the problem.

In remembrance of Dialer

Wind again today, started light and built a little.

Had the mast cut down (again) and the bottom squared off, holes recapped, as the previous incarnation was . . . borked. Used the new, longer fuselage.

So far so good--no collisions with the bottom and it's still straight.

As for the feel . . . well, there "skating over stones" feeling is gone, it's slower to respond but more reactive to swells that cause it to pitch, tracks a little straighter, faster and smoother, needs more speed to plane but lifts more . . . didn't notice the difference in the length of mast.

That was nice. The wind picked up and I wanted to ride the nice waves properly, so I ditched the foil and rode the Fish. Gawd it's horrible . . . slippery, twitchy, won't go upwind, spray every where all up the legs. Sigh, I miss my Dialer.

Brr

Really cold, couldn't find my flow. Still better than sitting at home feeling crook.

Mo' riding mo' video

Ugh, so sick but...must...ride...foil...must...be competent...before...summer...

Take the 15 and the 12 to the beach, but opt for the 12 as it's supposed to be pick up...it does, and it also dies right off, but in between and after I have a good time riding and hamming it up for the ROAM2. Expect video after the .dmg for Final Cut takes 6 months to mount and install.

Weather report said 5 to 15 knots, gusts to 20. But that was 20km north in Hikone; I think we had 8 to 16, dropping to 3 or 4 in that big lull...

Pride Goeth

Good forecast in the morning, dying off in the p.m... I bum-rushed the ocean beach at Tsu when the wife finished her horsing around in the morning. Got there about 1, set the board up as the other guys were leaving. Decided on the 12m Speed3 because...well, James inspired me and I wanted to check it's range.

Mmm, might be a bit much. Whee! boing test has a lot of pop...suck it up bitch!

Turns out to be good, but oh my! the turbulence in the ocean is more aggressive than the lake swell; I get bounced around and have a hard time foiling out.

Struggle out, get away from the waves and have a nice time for about an hour. I make barely any gybes though, and I feel very out of sorts...

Decide on a break to mount the camera (says GoPro in the tags, but is actually the ROAM2), as I figure I've gathered all the mojo I'm going to.

Oh shit, the wind has dropped and continues to drop until I'm floundering and swearing...not a good look. Give up in disgust.

Weather report says 15 falling to 8 knots; the station at the yacht club was saying 14 when I arrived and SFA when I left. Range on the 12 is good, but it needs extensions.

Enjoy the vid... No audio because iMovie iSucks.

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I am a practitioner of the dark arts!

Well, a novitiate anyway. Foil boards are the voodoo black magic of the kite world. 

The forecast looked weak, but was supposed to pick up from 3. It didn't, but I got onto the water anyway cos I wanted to push the bottom end of the foil board and see just how low you can go.

Well...

If the weather report is to be believed, it was 3.2 building to 8.2 knots, gusts to 12.4.  I think we got a lot more steady wind closer to sunset, as it picked up some and Hiro came to play.

So, pretty freakin' low.

When the 21 would sit at the zenith ok, and I could body drag slowly, that meant I would be up riding :o When the kite would luff and drop back in the window, I could get up on the board but had to work the kite (ho ho ho) to get moving, but usually meant it was tough getting up on a foil. It was the point when the kite wouldn't stall in a loop that it was all on like donkey kong...

Still, there wasn't a white cap in sight and I was going upwind a little more with each tack... Black magic, I tell you! Amazing feeling, gliding over the almost flat water.

So I'm guessing that 5 knots is the easy bottom end, and the apparent wind built up mad; easier riding the apparent wind than over-powered. I dunno if the 21 is necessary, as its slowness was troublesome and I got over-powered at 12 knots (!)--it was almost impossible to keep a constant height foil, power was on and off too much. By the time I packed up, I might have been ok on a TT...maybe.

In the middle of all that, I managed several times to do some total foiling gybes, ride toe-side the whole tack then carve back the other way! Woohoo! Didn't expect to be doing that for a while yet. Tried some jumps, but very half-assed due to fear of luffing the kite and totally crap timing...

Naturally, I had the camera, had it charged, but didn't think it worth putting on the lines. How wrong I was!

Abracadabra, bitches!

Alrigh' alrigh'

Yet again, wind didn't live up to the forecast and it was up n' down the whole session, from being unable to relaunch the kite to being worried about being over-powered...

The wind situation was clear when I arrived at the lake; few whitecaps or trees moving around violently. Never mind, I've got a foil. With a bent fuselage.

It was overcast and snowing, so I wrapped up in the whale scrot and jammed the helmet on my hooded head. I went with the SB 14 cos I wanted to try a lower AR kite, but noticed in the session how it made nicer power when turning, and didn't get soggy at the bottom in lightest wind. Hmm...

Great riding today--when the wind was up. Bit of fighting to get up on the foil when it was light but goddam, I could barely keep the kite in the sky. In fact, at one time I couldn't relaunch it til the wind picked up.

Managed a couple of gybes on the foil, but sunk as I can't ride toeside. S-turns on my good side go well enough that I can get into the shallows near the beach on the foil, then bail.

So, good speed and height control, although my goofy lags behind by a session or two.

Sun came out so I got a bit pickled in the suit...

It's a good news, bad news kinda thing

Sun's out, wind like yesterday but a work day so I got the lake to myself. Cold though, and my gears still wet so I go with the 6/5/4 suit. Ugh.

Got to the beach with the Duke, Fun Foil, and 10m XB but it was howling so I went back for the 7m kiddie's toy. So small, thin, tiny, far away from the bar!

Was fine for a bit, then the wind dropped so I was working it hard. Not so bad, I could get consistent pull out of it that way, but it was hardwork.

Went back in for the 10m. That was better, had some good foiling runs and tried some gybes and S-turns, which was fun. Got to surf a wave accidentally too, until I ran out of speed and pull and sank.

Nailed the bottom HARD at speed, twice...fuselage is bent again. But I got some epically nice rides after that, long foils at constant speed and carving turns.... Huh.

So, plan B rev. 2: ride it as-is until I can foil consistently without slamming into the bottom, then cut it down for the extended fuselage. Tempted to get some aluminum stock and shift the mast mount point too... we'll call that plan C.

There was something else I meant to add, but have forgotten. Oh well.

Lotsa wind but not much riding

Went out with the 10 and the TT for a few jumps, but blimey, wind is bit.... Came up earlier than it should have so that's better than not but it's very bloody gusty, but strong, and the waves...made foiling tough, as I couldn't maintain speed or power easily and had to contend with decent (for the lake) sized waves. Boing, boing.

Impressed "that guy" by gybing. He can't at all so I'm cool.

Attempting to ride the TT at the end of the session ho ho ho...

Getting better. 6 hours in. . . .

Should have been a cracking forecast but it was crappy. Took the 15 and 21 to the beach but chickened out because the wind was up. Got the 16m XB . . . dude it su-uuucks! Too slow to be useful in the light wind, too much power when the wind picked up, which of course it did. Had fits trying to get up the beach and keep the kite in the sky. Then the wind cranked up. . . .

Got the 10m but of course, the wind dropped. Got to see what it was like riding a fast, small kite and trying to build apparent wind. Hard!

Went back on the 16 and had a nice time for a while, good long runs with smooth foiling, then the wind dropped right off and I gave up on the whole thing.

Did get to try with the rear foot unstrapped, as the screw worked itself out. Not sure I like it.

Good news, the fuse has stopped bending despite how many times I nailed the bottom! Oh myyy.

Suddenly clicked

Got some long tacks running off upwind, with some very long runs flying the foil, standing tall and steady. Woohoo! Goofy feels horrible, out of control and twitchy, but actually getting longer runs on the foil that side. Had a play with transitions and did some accidental S-turns. Good day!

Not sure I like the SB with the foil . . . the XBs are better.

A day of weirdness

The forecast I thought was for lightish wind... but it was a bit more when I got to the lake. 8 degrees, but sunny... I went with my 4/3 wetsuit and it was fine, til water got blasted down the neck hole.

Enough wind for the 13 and the foil, I think. Or at least to body drag out to the deep water...

That part of the plan worked. Got out into deep water ok, but just discovered new sand banks in the process. Did manage to get a bunch more time on the board though, up and riding for longish tacks with some foiling up and down in the middle. Felt so very precarious up there, in control but sorta not. Moved my back foot forward in the strap; set them up on the widest positions so I got it forward an inch or so from the middle position. Also had the time to play with foot position, rail to rail. Can't be right, weighting the heel side edge....

Very uncoordinated goofy, stance must be the problem as I'm rolling over my toes downwind of the board and having to bail, sometimes tweaking my feet in the straps, sometimes narrowly missing the foil, and once donking my head on something. Still seems to be bleeding, might have to wear a helmet next time....

Wind picked up, and the speed got unmanageable and very, very scary. Discovered the trick to going downwind is sheet in hard, drag the board with the downwind hand.

Back on the TT. Holy moly this feels weird! Every push on the front foot has my brain thinking that the whole thing is going to rise out of the water, and I can't edge properly. Add to that, the broad feels slow, draggy and totally dead, like a big lump of wood. Weird!

Doesn't look like the fuse bent any more so that's good. Plan B is cutting it down to 900mm and retapping the threads when I buy the longer fuse...

Fat Bastard strikes again

Plan was to use the light wind to get some time on the foil, ready for summer.

Good decision: using the 6/5/4 suit and 5mm gloves n' boots. Spent a lot of time in the water.

Bad decision: not squaring off the bottom of the mast :-/

So the wind was good when I hit the lake, but after 20 minutes fighting out to chest-deep water, an attempt or two, the wind just dropped right off. I kept playing with the gear but it was frustrating; progress was hampered by fighting to keep the kite in the air, and the foil hitting the bottom.

Found a hole in the lake bottom down near the new breakwater... it's not very long, but if I could get up on a foil, I could fuck off upwind from there easily. The problem is of course, getting up on the foil....

Got back to the beach and thought the fuselage was bent. Yup, sure is. Dammit....

Think I got body dragging with the foil sussed out though. And the feel for the foil again, although goofy is very goofy indeed.

Little bit light

Should have been good, but the wind didn't shift until after 3, then it was light wind puttering around. Oh well, at least I coukd still get back to shore.

Much better

Good wind, easy power on the 10.  Adrian was there, so I returned the Vanguard (sniff) and got a wee run on a fat rail Limited 138... Nice!