Lully lameness

Wind was on for a bit then off again. I even wrapped lines up before a decent squall came in . . . riding consisted of going out, riding, wind falling, trying to get back to shore, waiting, riding again. Sucky. And cold.

Cold

Could have done with booties at least. 4/3 is fine.

Bit of a puddle around getting used to the HG again. Crappy light wind and it dropped off on me at the end, terminating my session early . . . but just in time to get to work.

Maybe the last hurrah

Wind never picked up, maybe 12 to 15 knots, but I got to play with the Sonic2 and the TT at high tide  on the estuary . . .

Having a hard time getting the timing right for the kite, as it's as big and slow as the 21 some times and is as easy to stall as the 12. Not 100% sure I like it for "freeride" as it proved impossible to do any tricks that needed a loop to complete or power them.

Hmm. Still stayed out for 4 hours though :D

Straight jackin' the air

Everyone was heading out for the weekend, so I loaded up the car with family and we made a day of it, at Lake Coleridge.

Dead calm in the city, and there was a puff before the hills, but when we arrived at the lake . . . bloody hell!

Was very well-lit on the 10m. Had butterflies before the launch on the narrow and rocky beach. The gusts were a touch brutal but goddamn we got some good air!

Magic foil and waves

Sucked so bad on the 18 and TT that I gave up early and went back to the park to pack up. Alec arrived before I'd finished, and offered his Double Agent so I went out on that . . . and had a jolly good time.

The DA really is very slow, but was well suited for noodling around in the waves, and the Sonic drifted nicely as the wind picked up. Actually got some wave riding done, between circuits from south of South Beach up to the pier :o

Foil success after a rough start

Someone on the Facebook reckoned it was a good day for the foiling, so I trotted on down to coincide with a build up to peak wind.

He was already on the water, looking powered, but as I set up I watched him begin to struggle with falling wind. Hmm.

Got a tack or two on the water before it dropped too far, Buddy dropped his kite and swam in. We nattered for a bit and the wind picked up some. He went out and was ok so I joined him.

Nice mellow session resulted, right at the bottom end of power though. I caught a few good waves . . . but it looks like to surf them, they'll need to be chest-high at least.

Spotted a pair of Hector's Dolphins cruising past in the deep end of the pool. Nice!

Foil fail-ish

Tried to foil at the beach. Fail. Too light . . . got up for a handful of tacks but not enough with the get upwind, and impossible to ride waves or gybe. So that's the limit for the SB. And I think it's too slow :o

Went to look at the estuary and the guy with the foil from last year, with the 16m XB, was out so I got tooled up again and headed out to keep him company at high tide.

Started out just fine, got my courage up and did some downloop gybes. Dropped the kite once, and it was interesting reverse launching it. The higher AR shows . . . got going again, then as the sun went down the wind dropped a little and I chickened out and heading back to shore.

So the LF still works, eh.

Back again

Gah, wind never arrived. Probably just as well, an easy easing back into it to test the tender bits.

Tried to ride the Sonic and the TT but the wind kept falling. Waited for the tide to come in then tried the foil, but it was just too shallow out there. Or my mast is still too long (!) despite all the bits I've cut off...

Ho-hum, this'd better do

Last one for a while . . . don't ask.

It's light but I'm enjoying running through my repertoire of TT tricks, so that was nice. Might have clicked with getting the best air out of the SB too . . . maybe.

Riding with ol' Murphy

Forecast let me down. Got to the beach about 3, launched the 12 but it was naff. Did one tack to the surf life club then halfway back. Gave up and went back to the launch park. Stood around a bit and it didn't seem like it was going to pick up, so I went for the Sonic2 18.

Set up down on the beach, much fiddling with bridles, lines on the new bar. Easy prefill--it was almost filling without help, good old batons. Got it into the air but the tips wouldn't open out. Hmm...ended up waggling the bar and that did the job.

So out on the water and Murphy's Law, wind has picked up. Crikey!

Bit hairy, but as I get used to it, I start to push it some. Narrow bar setting and line extensions slow it down too much in the surf, and it's so high AR it's not suited to sheet n go, so it was difficult but goddamn the hang time! Need to work on the technique to get the height. Drifts ok, cos it's so light, and I recovered an overfly too.

Couldn't sack up enough to land it on the beach by myself, so went over the dunes to the park and got a hand so that worked well. Long bridles, crikey!

Low tide goodness

Good session getting to know the SB, at the beach this time cos the tide is out. Waves make the great kickers, and it's good to note the kite drifts excellently. In fact, the light wind bump n jump is groovy too, surprisingly good height and hang. It's just not exciting...so far. Doesn't have that rip off the water that's exciting...

Wind was supposedly just over 20 knots...wanted more.

A new toy!

Good forecast and the tide was right...and I had the time. So let's go.

Started out light and picked up but the kite was deforming so I landed and pumped it more. Better! Still a bit of a hiccup if I sheet out fast and rapidly...hmm.

Can't figure out how to jump it. Really seems I'm either out of touch with the TT or the technique has to be spot on, or at least very tight. Maybe 12m is still too big...

Had some fun, got the tricks flowing finally after a messy start.

After a very long time I headed back to shore to call it a day, and who should be there be Mr Axis?! Couldn't say no to a ride on the foil!

It's a prototype aluminum mast and fuse, flat G10 wing set. Board was a carbon stubbie. Whole thing was taut (like a toiger) and light. 600mm mast might have helped.

Easy to ride, great speed range, and stable but still fun to flick around. Adrian reckoned I was riding very nose up, but I was keeping the speed down cos I was overpowered on the 12. Low speed stall was gentle and no nasty speed twitches. In fact, I got a runaway on a gust that just kept building speed but I rode it out for a long time before deciding to bail. There was a bit of fish-tailing but Adrian said all the wing and fin holes were hand tapped and are wonky! :o Good ride though, I want it :D

Adrian reckons I need a bigger wing and is going to get the factory to make one :D hope he brings a 7 or 800mm mast too.

Season gets under way

Got out on the last of the tide to try put the new kite. Seems ok :D wind wasn't up to much put I got to play some...

Rusty

First session of the year, first one in the whale scrotum. Goddamn I forgot how appalling that thing is, how way-too-thick it is.

Started out on the TT for a bit of a test run, as I was using the Ocean Rodeo bar to test the low V-split. I *think* it accelerates in a straight line a little faster, a little less pull in a loop and the jumps were strange, but that might have been me, the wetsuit or the conditions.

Seemed light so I went out on the foil, but very, very rusty. And I think I would have been happier on the 7m kite too :o but the HG runs at speed nicely so it wasn't so bad.

Back on the TT, but I'm getting tired from fighting the suit with every movement so I give it up . . . right as the wind picks up proper and I wish I'd brought my Angry Swallow. Typical.