Wicked looking weather forecast - great front whipping through from the north, clearing out the southerly and rain...
Well, it was supposed to arrive at 2pm but didn't. I was down at Locus all set up with my Xbow 13 and Mako & Flydoor... got some runs on the 'door and some on the Mako then the front TRULY arrived! I landed the kite about 10 seconds before massive gusts came through... kites were sliding down the beach, guys with 7's up were tea-bagging, sand was stinging exposed skin... it was gnarly!
There was supposed to be a course racing practice and although lots of people got out, nobody had much joy. Flysurfer guy was here again too, on a S3 12 DLX but as the bad gusts came in he dropped the kite and (apparently) broke a line... but he didn't self-rescue, he just floated in until the kite snagged on the river mouth walls. Odd fellow... does odd things when I tried to land his kite for him too...
I got to ride though, and got the feel of the Xbow again so that was nice. Water and wind were every which way though so it was survival kiting... I labeled the wind as 'crappy' cos it was so freakin gusty, making riding a real trial! Looking at the weather, you could say there was a delta-V of 30knots :o looked like snow was falling later on too... yikes what a day!
Moment of the Day was surprising myself that I could get out riding upwind on my 13 and Flydoor while Junkie Sensei struggled on his 9 and directional!
Weather was recorded like this...
2pm... 11knots
3pm... 7knots
4pm... 8knots
5pm... 22knots (with gusts to 38knots!!!)
6pm... 11knots
and temperature of 8°C falling to 5... around 77% humidity. That'll be why I'm cold then :o
What I learned today...
• The forecast is usually about an hour off in this season.
• When NW but the waves are coming from the N, it's going to be rough riding...
• But when the wind switches to N and the waves to NW then there's massive gusts coming.
• If all you can see at the blow line is white, then get the kite landed and secured.
• Harden up and try that 7 out!!!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Highs and Lows
Well, the forecast was promising for the whole day but when I arrived at 1:30pm there was SFA wind at Locus. I spent some time tuning all my bars - yes ALL. I'd even taken the Core 7 to Locus cos the wind looked so nukin'. Just as I was finishing the last bar, the wind picked up...
Soh is setting up his biggest kite, so is Taki... Junkie Sensei is out with his 9m. Hmm, wonder what I should use? Speed3 15 bitches!!! Although Soh says he's getting HIS 9m too - maybe I should have brought the 12m over with me... ah nuts.
I'm first into the water again, despite being the last to set my kite up :D nicely powered on the Flyradical, easily going upwind. Whoa Bessie, it's gusty as a bastard out here! Go through stages of "WTF where is the wind?" to "WTF wish I had the 12!" Yeah, it's mental...
Warm up with a few small jumps... feeling pretty good. Get into the groove and start chasing the big one... good power, nice kicker coming, bear off a tad, edge and up-tiddly-up-up! Holy shit that's a big jump! I'm looking downwind at the top of Soh's head! And... yessss, a perfect landing and ride away!
Repeat ad nauseam... wind is up, wind is down, jumps are big, jumps are small. But it's all good! Even the water co-operates - we're getting long flat areas behind the waves...
Even getting a few elevator jumps! Manage to land a total dead-stop forwards/up only jump - first one! Pretty neat feeling :D
Get spanked once or twice - over-rotation or lazy take-off sees me spinning around and getting slammed.
Then, after an hour or so, down the marina end, I set up for a jump which went fine, though the wind was in a lull when I went up, it had gusted as I landed and the redirect was a bit too deep... I went shooting off downwind, trying to ride out the super-sonic exit but couldn't hold it, got pulled over the front of the board... SLAMMED head first into the water, submarined and got folded in half the wrong way! Popped up out of the water and the kite is on the surface. Whee!
Get the kite relaunched but now I can't see my board... drag back and forth, use the kite to pop up but just can't see it. Head into the shore and stand around looking - then finally spot it. Walk out and body drag to it, keep on riding...
Taking out back to the river, I notice a couple of bridle lines dangling. Head back in and replace the LCLs but find that one of the green leaders has knotted or something and the sheath is cut through... nuts! Minor gear failure...!
That's the end of the day for me... didn't have the 16m Xbow with me and I don't think there's enough wind for the 13 or the S3 12 and there's only another hour or so of daylight left.
So a bit of a mixed bag today - that slam tweaked my shoulder I think - but still left with a huge smile on my face... and The Master of Disaster - who is known for his big air - came over and said "Wow big air!" so that was icing on the cake!
Moment of the Day was looking DOWN on Soh's kite... and landing it perfectly and riding away! I CAN FLY!!!
Weather was reported as 12°C 67%, 11 to 14 knots from 2 to 5pm, with gusts to 22. Wot-evah...
What I learned today...
• Watch how you redirect the kite when it's gusty, you numpty!
• Get that helmet on. It might just be a dead dog, but you don't want to head-butt it.
• Especially not with your mouth open.
• S3 15 is pretty well behaved up it's top-end... still a bit twitchy, not as stable as a Xbow but still has a huge range.
Soh is setting up his biggest kite, so is Taki... Junkie Sensei is out with his 9m. Hmm, wonder what I should use? Speed3 15 bitches!!! Although Soh says he's getting HIS 9m too - maybe I should have brought the 12m over with me... ah nuts.
I'm first into the water again, despite being the last to set my kite up :D nicely powered on the Flyradical, easily going upwind. Whoa Bessie, it's gusty as a bastard out here! Go through stages of "WTF where is the wind?" to "WTF wish I had the 12!" Yeah, it's mental...
Warm up with a few small jumps... feeling pretty good. Get into the groove and start chasing the big one... good power, nice kicker coming, bear off a tad, edge and up-tiddly-up-up! Holy shit that's a big jump! I'm looking downwind at the top of Soh's head! And... yessss, a perfect landing and ride away!
Repeat ad nauseam... wind is up, wind is down, jumps are big, jumps are small. But it's all good! Even the water co-operates - we're getting long flat areas behind the waves...
Even getting a few elevator jumps! Manage to land a total dead-stop forwards/up only jump - first one! Pretty neat feeling :D
Get spanked once or twice - over-rotation or lazy take-off sees me spinning around and getting slammed.
Then, after an hour or so, down the marina end, I set up for a jump which went fine, though the wind was in a lull when I went up, it had gusted as I landed and the redirect was a bit too deep... I went shooting off downwind, trying to ride out the super-sonic exit but couldn't hold it, got pulled over the front of the board... SLAMMED head first into the water, submarined and got folded in half the wrong way! Popped up out of the water and the kite is on the surface. Whee!
Get the kite relaunched but now I can't see my board... drag back and forth, use the kite to pop up but just can't see it. Head into the shore and stand around looking - then finally spot it. Walk out and body drag to it, keep on riding...
Taking out back to the river, I notice a couple of bridle lines dangling. Head back in and replace the LCLs but find that one of the green leaders has knotted or something and the sheath is cut through... nuts! Minor gear failure...!
That's the end of the day for me... didn't have the 16m Xbow with me and I don't think there's enough wind for the 13 or the S3 12 and there's only another hour or so of daylight left.
So a bit of a mixed bag today - that slam tweaked my shoulder I think - but still left with a huge smile on my face... and The Master of Disaster - who is known for his big air - came over and said "Wow big air!" so that was icing on the cake!
Moment of the Day was looking DOWN on Soh's kite... and landing it perfectly and riding away! I CAN FLY!!!
Weather was reported as 12°C 67%, 11 to 14 knots from 2 to 5pm, with gusts to 22. Wot-evah...
What I learned today...
• Watch how you redirect the kite when it's gusty, you numpty!
• Get that helmet on. It might just be a dead dog, but you don't want to head-butt it.
• Especially not with your mouth open.
• S3 15 is pretty well behaved up it's top-end... still a bit twitchy, not as stable as a Xbow but still has a huge range.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
What's the opposite of thermal?
Cos that's what happened this afternoon... nice hot morning, should have been great :(
Skipped down to the lake about 3:30pm, set up the 21 and got a few tacks in... then the wind died a bit. Then it picked up again and I got a few more tacks it... then it died right off.
I played about on shore waiting, but when it became obvious (even to me) that there was no more wind, I started meddling with things on the kite... like the mysteriously twisted mini-5th line. And removing the easy-un-lark's-head doohickeys that I suspect of hooking the steering lines, where the extensions meet the main lines...
So a smidge of riding, and some productive fiddling. And it was nice and sunny and warm too - maybe Spring finally HAS arrived!
Moment of the Day... well there wasn't one. Ah yes there is - the VB waiting for me in the fridge! Hurrah the import store!
Weather was reported as Northerlies ranging from 9knots and falling to 3 at 12.1°C 49%. 12 knots of gusts at 1pm... so very low wind!!!
What I learned today...
• I really want to try an Airush Sector thingy.
• Am going to try the Naish race boards again - once the water warms up!
Skipped down to the lake about 3:30pm, set up the 21 and got a few tacks in... then the wind died a bit. Then it picked up again and I got a few more tacks it... then it died right off.
I played about on shore waiting, but when it became obvious (even to me) that there was no more wind, I started meddling with things on the kite... like the mysteriously twisted mini-5th line. And removing the easy-un-lark's-head doohickeys that I suspect of hooking the steering lines, where the extensions meet the main lines...
So a smidge of riding, and some productive fiddling. And it was nice and sunny and warm too - maybe Spring finally HAS arrived!
Moment of the Day... well there wasn't one. Ah yes there is - the VB waiting for me in the fridge! Hurrah the import store!
Weather was reported as Northerlies ranging from 9knots and falling to 3 at 12.1°C 49%. 12 knots of gusts at 1pm... so very low wind!!!
What I learned today...
• I really want to try an Airush Sector thingy.
• Am going to try the Naish race boards again - once the water warms up!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Makes up for yesterday
Watching the hourly weather reports wasn't promising. And snow fell from about 9 to 11am. I wasn't holding my breath...
Things turned around about 2pm--literally. From S to NW and 10 knots. Had sat around all day so thought, "What the hell--at least get out of the house for a drive!" and I went to have a look at the lake. Must've arrived about 3:30pm...
Problem--wetsuit, rashgaurd, gloves, booties and harness are all wet and cold from yesterday... forgot to hang them up to dry :-/ bit chilly but I'll live.
The wind is good though... Junkie sensei is on a 9, Taki is on his 12m RPM (uh?) and Gloves Guy is on his 15--time for the S3 15!!! WagonR Guy arrives later...
I take it and 2 boards to the beach. Quick set up and onto the water with the Flyradical!
Mmm, it's ok. I'd like more wind but it's better than frickin yesterday. I'm playing with body-english in the jumps... and how long I can leave it until I put the board onto the water.
Wind drops enough that I'm bored so I go for the Flydoor. Better!
Get some good kickers and a few nice rotations... love the Speed3 15! Man what a superb kite! And then I get a spanking :D mistime a load'n'pop and the board skips off the water--I ditch it; loft, spin, slam, bounce, drag, glug glug... what fun!
Wind has picked up so I go back to the Flyradical and enjoy the flat water and larger waves down near the river mouth... but the wind is dropping and everyone else is getting off the water.
I try a few more runs on the Flydoor but I think it's over for the day. My face is a bit numb and so is my left hand's fingers (but not the right's?!?) so I pack it in. Leave the carpark at 5:55pm...
Moment of the Day has to be the perfect carve to launch--that excellent feeling of springing up off the board and the kite yoinking me up... is actually a lot of effort to jump properly!
Weather was recorded as 10 to 5knots at 5.7°C 76% with gusts no more than 20knots. Hmm... that seems way too low to me.
What I learned today...
• A proper load'n'pop--correct loading of the board and timing the release--is imperative for a good launch and height to a jump.
• The Speed3 kites (with the Triple Depower) work better if you sheet out with the kite is nearer the zenith and sheet in when it's nearer the water... that is, when the kite is more perpendicular to the water, sheet in to flatten it out for park'n'ride. It's very noticeable in the smaller Speed's, as they'll backstall if the kite is up the window and you sheet in... the 21 simply doesn't do it.
• Knees up, Mother Brown! Keep 'em into your chest until you are ready to put board to water and ride away. It's easier to keep facing in the right direction than when your legs are hanging down...
• But you can body-english your way around to get into a good landing position.
• Bringing the kite back over your head a tiny bit lets you actually fly in the direction you're heading, rather than just going up and stopping, or penduluming around.
• Too much though and I get spun around...
• There's a nice spot down the other end, near the river mouth where the water has wide bands of flat behind the waves, and nice sharp kickers. Not much room to shore though :(
• Apparently, it's the same down the other end, near the marina too.
Things turned around about 2pm--literally. From S to NW and 10 knots. Had sat around all day so thought, "What the hell--at least get out of the house for a drive!" and I went to have a look at the lake. Must've arrived about 3:30pm...
Problem--wetsuit, rashgaurd, gloves, booties and harness are all wet and cold from yesterday... forgot to hang them up to dry :-/ bit chilly but I'll live.
The wind is good though... Junkie sensei is on a 9, Taki is on his 12m RPM (uh?) and Gloves Guy is on his 15--time for the S3 15!!! WagonR Guy arrives later...
I take it and 2 boards to the beach. Quick set up and onto the water with the Flyradical!
Mmm, it's ok. I'd like more wind but it's better than frickin yesterday. I'm playing with body-english in the jumps... and how long I can leave it until I put the board onto the water.
Wind drops enough that I'm bored so I go for the Flydoor. Better!
Get some good kickers and a few nice rotations... love the Speed3 15! Man what a superb kite! And then I get a spanking :D mistime a load'n'pop and the board skips off the water--I ditch it; loft, spin, slam, bounce, drag, glug glug... what fun!
Wind has picked up so I go back to the Flyradical and enjoy the flat water and larger waves down near the river mouth... but the wind is dropping and everyone else is getting off the water.
I try a few more runs on the Flydoor but I think it's over for the day. My face is a bit numb and so is my left hand's fingers (but not the right's?!?) so I pack it in. Leave the carpark at 5:55pm...
Moment of the Day has to be the perfect carve to launch--that excellent feeling of springing up off the board and the kite yoinking me up... is actually a lot of effort to jump properly!
Weather was recorded as 10 to 5knots at 5.7°C 76% with gusts no more than 20knots. Hmm... that seems way too low to me.
What I learned today...
• A proper load'n'pop--correct loading of the board and timing the release--is imperative for a good launch and height to a jump.
• The Speed3 kites (with the Triple Depower) work better if you sheet out with the kite is nearer the zenith and sheet in when it's nearer the water... that is, when the kite is more perpendicular to the water, sheet in to flatten it out for park'n'ride. It's very noticeable in the smaller Speed's, as they'll backstall if the kite is up the window and you sheet in... the 21 simply doesn't do it.
• Knees up, Mother Brown! Keep 'em into your chest until you are ready to put board to water and ride away. It's easier to keep facing in the right direction than when your legs are hanging down...
• But you can body-english your way around to get into a good landing position.
• Bringing the kite back over your head a tiny bit lets you actually fly in the direction you're heading, rather than just going up and stopping, or penduluming around.
• Too much though and I get spun around...
• There's a nice spot down the other end, near the river mouth where the water has wide bands of flat behind the waves, and nice sharp kickers. Not much room to shore though :(
• Apparently, it's the same down the other end, near the marina too.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
So it would appear...
... that I'm the only dumbass who tries to go out and ride when it's snowing, shifty and gusty. Must be true, cos nobody else even got changed into their drysuits :o
When I first arrived, I thought I'd need a 10m or smaller--it was like that! Then when I got to the lake, it had dropped to... nothing. Waited around and it was up and down. I had unpacked the Speed3 15 in the time before the wind had died off completely, but I gave up on that and went back to the car for the 21.
Even that wouldn't stay up... then the wind picked up some so I went out.
Well, I got riding and I got a few jumps in but nothing to write home about. It was shifty and punchy as hell--I got lofted 3 times while waiting on shore for the wind to pick up between lulls. It was shifting direction from W to E and everywhere in between.
THEN it started snowing...
I rode on until my face went numb but after I got lofted again, I thought fuck this and packed it in...
Moment of the Day was paragliding along the beach, carefully modulating the depower SO I DIDN'T DIE and planning to go for the QR when I got near the ground :o
Weather was all over the fuckin place... jma.go.jp says 10-13knots but if it was that constant, I'd have been loving it. 5°C falling to 2 at 89% LOL
What I learned today...
• Some days, it's just not even worth it.
When I first arrived, I thought I'd need a 10m or smaller--it was like that! Then when I got to the lake, it had dropped to... nothing. Waited around and it was up and down. I had unpacked the Speed3 15 in the time before the wind had died off completely, but I gave up on that and went back to the car for the 21.
Even that wouldn't stay up... then the wind picked up some so I went out.
Well, I got riding and I got a few jumps in but nothing to write home about. It was shifty and punchy as hell--I got lofted 3 times while waiting on shore for the wind to pick up between lulls. It was shifting direction from W to E and everywhere in between.
THEN it started snowing...
I rode on until my face went numb but after I got lofted again, I thought fuck this and packed it in...
Moment of the Day was paragliding along the beach, carefully modulating the depower SO I DIDN'T DIE and planning to go for the QR when I got near the ground :o
Weather was all over the fuckin place... jma.go.jp says 10-13knots but if it was that constant, I'd have been loving it. 5°C falling to 2 at 89% LOL
What I learned today...
• Some days, it's just not even worth it.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
4 in a row!
I think it is anyway... it's about now I'd be messaging AJ saying "Woohoo! 4 days in a row!" and he'd be like "Good for you! Today was 24 in a row, for me... bwahahahahaha!"... gone but not forgotten, AJ.
Forecasts conflicted with each other. One said crap southerlies, the other good northerlies. I went with the flags out the window... gradually increasing northerly, was warm in the morning--we'll probably get a thermal! Picked up my almost dry gear at lunch time and headed down to Locus after work.
Good blow! Apparently arrived a few minutes before I did. Gloves Guy is here; so is Hironobu ("It's COLD!!!"), just back from Thailand, and WagonR Man. I take my Flyboards over to the lake with the S3 21 and the 15. Hironobu has just come in to change his 14 Torch for a smaller kite, so I go with the 15 and the Flyradical...
Nicely powered! Great jumps, feeling good... I'm pretty convinced that my "matched kite & board" theory is correct--the 'radical is working real well with the Speed3!
I start playing silly buggers... hands-on dead men (makes me feel ill, looking at the world upside down), lame tail-grabs and weak attempts to "go big" with my back-spins. But I'm having a great time!
Do manage a double rotation, calm and under control. Such a shame I left the board behind at take-off :D
Wind drops a bit, or I can't be bothered working the board and kite to keep speed up so I switch to the 'door... now that's a whole heap of board to throw around!
Gradually, I'm the last left on the lake as everyone packs it in... the wind is dying but I'm still amusing myself but it's getting dark again...
Another 90 minute session! Never enough though is it :(
Moment of the Day was the first silly tail grab.
Weather was recorded as 10.4 falling to 6.6 knots, with gusts to 16.8... felt more like 15 falling to 10 with gusts to 20 to me. But whadda I know? Temp was 10.5°C falling to 7 at 70%! zOMG it's summer in NZ!
What I learned today...
• Tail grabs are easy... with a small, light board you can bring to your hands easily.
• My jumps were around 5m - WagonR Guy pointed out a line on the club house he reckons I was getting up to... ok, time to aim for the roof!
• Slamming into frigid water onto a elbow already complaining about pulling a kite around... hurts.
• But not for long.
• One-handed jumps are easy enough too--more time for grabs!
• Enjoy the view up there but don't forget to breath! Getting dunked when you've been holding your breath for 10 seconds already is... stressful.
Forecasts conflicted with each other. One said crap southerlies, the other good northerlies. I went with the flags out the window... gradually increasing northerly, was warm in the morning--we'll probably get a thermal! Picked up my almost dry gear at lunch time and headed down to Locus after work.
Good blow! Apparently arrived a few minutes before I did. Gloves Guy is here; so is Hironobu ("It's COLD!!!"), just back from Thailand, and WagonR Man. I take my Flyboards over to the lake with the S3 21 and the 15. Hironobu has just come in to change his 14 Torch for a smaller kite, so I go with the 15 and the Flyradical...
Nicely powered! Great jumps, feeling good... I'm pretty convinced that my "matched kite & board" theory is correct--the 'radical is working real well with the Speed3!
I start playing silly buggers... hands-on dead men (makes me feel ill, looking at the world upside down), lame tail-grabs and weak attempts to "go big" with my back-spins. But I'm having a great time!
Do manage a double rotation, calm and under control. Such a shame I left the board behind at take-off :D
Wind drops a bit, or I can't be bothered working the board and kite to keep speed up so I switch to the 'door... now that's a whole heap of board to throw around!
Gradually, I'm the last left on the lake as everyone packs it in... the wind is dying but I'm still amusing myself but it's getting dark again...
Another 90 minute session! Never enough though is it :(
Moment of the Day was the first silly tail grab.
Weather was recorded as 10.4 falling to 6.6 knots, with gusts to 16.8... felt more like 15 falling to 10 with gusts to 20 to me. But whadda I know? Temp was 10.5°C falling to 7 at 70%! zOMG it's summer in NZ!
What I learned today...
• Tail grabs are easy... with a small, light board you can bring to your hands easily.
• My jumps were around 5m - WagonR Guy pointed out a line on the club house he reckons I was getting up to... ok, time to aim for the roof!
• Slamming into frigid water onto a elbow already complaining about pulling a kite around... hurts.
• But not for long.
• One-handed jumps are easy enough too--more time for grabs!
• Enjoy the view up there but don't forget to breath! Getting dunked when you've been holding your breath for 10 seconds already is... stressful.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Right kite, right board!
Now that's more like it! Wind looked good all day so I headed home at lunchtime to grab my mostly dry gear. Ripped down to the lake after work... and it's blowing fine! Take the S3 21 and 15 over to the lake, with the Flydoor and the Mako.
I'm a bit dubious about the wind but it was warm this morning so I'm guessing a thermal is due soon... up goes the 15. Jump into the water with the Flydoor and I'm rocking so it's all good! Nice board speed, nice big jumps...
Feeling more powered now so I swap to the Mako. Oof, bouncy-bouncy! Can't get a good balance of speed and edge control; bit tough adapting after the easy riding of the 'door. Got the power though so settle down into it... having fun, doing rotations and of course, jumping!Jumps aren't as monster as they were with the bigger, faster board. Hmm...
Ride it out til the sun has sunk below the hills... last one on the lake again! Packing up in the dark... great session!
Moment of the Day was getting up and powered with the 15, feeling the pull through the harness without having to work the kite. Just a nice feeling :D
Weather was 10 to 12 knots at 7.8°C 44% with gusts no more than 26 knots. Hmm, I reckon it was closer to 15 fairly consistently... but smooth!
What I learned today...
• Perhaps some kites and boards don't work well together... I'm thinking that the S3 points too far upwind for the Mako to build and hold speed, and pushing it back into the wind makes too much speed and the board skips around. So the flatter boards like my Flydoor and Flyradical work well with the Speed, and the Mako goes better with kites that sit back in the window more like the Xbow. Hmm...
• Over-sending the kite is too easy with a faster kite, but then so it correcting it ;) sometimes!
• And the swinging left and right under the kite is fun - so long as you time it right and don't get slammed.
• Putting your hand out before hitting the water doesn't do much... please break that habit!
• Properly bearing off and load'n'popping is the key to really good, controlled jumps.
I'm a bit dubious about the wind but it was warm this morning so I'm guessing a thermal is due soon... up goes the 15. Jump into the water with the Flydoor and I'm rocking so it's all good! Nice board speed, nice big jumps...
Feeling more powered now so I swap to the Mako. Oof, bouncy-bouncy! Can't get a good balance of speed and edge control; bit tough adapting after the easy riding of the 'door. Got the power though so settle down into it... having fun, doing rotations and of course, jumping!Jumps aren't as monster as they were with the bigger, faster board. Hmm...
Ride it out til the sun has sunk below the hills... last one on the lake again! Packing up in the dark... great session!
Moment of the Day was getting up and powered with the 15, feeling the pull through the harness without having to work the kite. Just a nice feeling :D
Weather was 10 to 12 knots at 7.8°C 44% with gusts no more than 26 knots. Hmm, I reckon it was closer to 15 fairly consistently... but smooth!
What I learned today...
• Perhaps some kites and boards don't work well together... I'm thinking that the S3 points too far upwind for the Mako to build and hold speed, and pushing it back into the wind makes too much speed and the board skips around. So the flatter boards like my Flydoor and Flyradical work well with the Speed, and the Mako goes better with kites that sit back in the window more like the Xbow. Hmm...
• Over-sending the kite is too easy with a faster kite, but then so it correcting it ;) sometimes!
• And the swinging left and right under the kite is fun - so long as you time it right and don't get slammed.
• Putting your hand out before hitting the water doesn't do much... please break that habit!
• Properly bearing off and load'n'popping is the key to really good, controlled jumps.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Wrong kite, wrong board!
Was watching the weather data all morning and early PM... 1 knot, 2 knots, 1 knot, 3 knots... didn't hold out much hope for the heaps of wind GPV was predicting, so I went out for a ride on the Duke around 2pm. On the way home, there seemed to be a bunch of wind so I bundled up the gear and jumped in the car, making it out to Locus at about 4:45pm.
Well, there's some wind after all. Not much, cos all the kites are barage-ballooning at the shore. Even the mighty Turbine... hmm.
Not having a lot of faith, I take ONLY the S3 21 and the Flydoor over to the beach. Set up, get on the water - nicely powered! Whee massive jumps! Oh that'll be cos the wind has picked up... yikes REALLY picked up; that'll be the thermal then :-/
Depower totally and it's doable... just. I'd be having more fun on a smaller board or kite or both.
Interesting coming back to the 21 after the 15 and the smaller Xbow... getting the timings better and am more aware of what I'm doing with the kite. More successes with the bigger jumps and longer hang-times, but with the wind up the chop is pretty gnarly so there's a lot of bork.
Ride until just approaching sunset, then reverse land the kite. It's not so bad in the higher winds with a good technique... but what to do with it afterwards can be interesting. I usually walk up the line hand-over-hand but WagonR Guy wants to help, so I get him to hold the steering leaders as I joggle down to the kite...
Good session, despite being over-powered but it could have been better. Mind you, it could have been worse too. Got probably 90 minutes again.
Moment of the Day was the first ten minutes of lovely perfect powered moves.
Weather data was recorded as... I forget now, but I think it was 13knots at 6°C 60% with gusts to 24 or so. I reckon it was over 15 consistently although the wind was very smooth so it was easier to cope with than the other day!!!
What I (re)learned today...
• OPTIONS! Take at least another board!
• Actively fly the kite through the jump, don't just hang on and hope!
Well, there's some wind after all. Not much, cos all the kites are barage-ballooning at the shore. Even the mighty Turbine... hmm.
Not having a lot of faith, I take ONLY the S3 21 and the Flydoor over to the beach. Set up, get on the water - nicely powered! Whee massive jumps! Oh that'll be cos the wind has picked up... yikes REALLY picked up; that'll be the thermal then :-/
Depower totally and it's doable... just. I'd be having more fun on a smaller board or kite or both.
Interesting coming back to the 21 after the 15 and the smaller Xbow... getting the timings better and am more aware of what I'm doing with the kite. More successes with the bigger jumps and longer hang-times, but with the wind up the chop is pretty gnarly so there's a lot of bork.
Ride until just approaching sunset, then reverse land the kite. It's not so bad in the higher winds with a good technique... but what to do with it afterwards can be interesting. I usually walk up the line hand-over-hand but WagonR Guy wants to help, so I get him to hold the steering leaders as I joggle down to the kite...
Good session, despite being over-powered but it could have been better. Mind you, it could have been worse too. Got probably 90 minutes again.
Moment of the Day was the first ten minutes of lovely perfect powered moves.
Weather data was recorded as... I forget now, but I think it was 13knots at 6°C 60% with gusts to 24 or so. I reckon it was over 15 consistently although the wind was very smooth so it was easier to cope with than the other day!!!
What I (re)learned today...
• OPTIONS! Take at least another board!
• Actively fly the kite through the jump, don't just hang on and hope!
Monday, March 19, 2012
A mixed bag...
... like putting your hand into a bag of Pineapple Lumps and getting Werther's or Fisherman's Friends or something nasty like that instead. Wind was all over the place, from nothing at all to raging; from the NNE to the W :o some tacks, I'd head out perpendicular to the beach then turn around and come back in parallel... waves were going one way, the wind the other... madness!
And it didn't help that I had the S3 21 up when I should have had the 15 up, and vice versa.
Back to the beginning... holiday today, so I casually headed down the lake at 1pm, to time it with the day time high at 3pm... Taki was there too, and the wind looked ok but not as great as was forecast.
Put up the 21 and rode for a bit but the wind is still dropping... and now I'm body-dragging back to the beach cos there's NO wind at all! Stand around for a bit then the wind comes back up - Junkie Sensei and WagonR man are here now too.
Cue the seizure that I described above. It had some moments but not many...
Then the QR on the 21 popped. Must have knocked it, or unhooked partially or something?!? Second time it's every happened which is a pain...
Anyway, kite didn't want to get down on the water, flapping and spinning in the air. It eventually settled though, and I reeled the bar in - QR had released. Nuts, wonder if it's the new nut I'm using...
At the end of the lines, the kite is a mess - a tip has gone through the bridle and it's inverted at least once - and I contemplate swimming in but there's mountains of debris on the shore - bamboo spears, dead turtles (the dog has gone), branches and any manner of junk just begging to crucify my light-wind savior.
No real choice then but to untangle it... which I start by dragging the bar back in. Hook in, start jiggling lines... most effective method seems to be pulling the center lines, getting the kite to open up then yank a rear line to pull the tip back through and... voila! kite is flying again. Awesome, so much for unable to relaunch a downed and tangled Flysurfer...
I ride back into shore and land the kite (bit of a fight, the wind has picked up) to throw the bar back through the lines. While doing so I question the wisdom of putting the 21 back up, and instead go get my 15.
So naturally, the wind drops again - either that or it's Soh's Curse cos he's just pumped up his kite. He's just going upwind so I head out too - and I'm going upwind ok.
The 15 takes a bit of getting used to - it will actually backstall if you choke it too much - but once I get the hang of it - man, what a PEACH of a kite! It's so quick that I can set up another jump within a few seconds of landing the previous one and the hang-time is excellent! Even better, it's really easy to time the redirect!
I'm having a ball! I stay out way past when my hands have gone numb, so when I come in pack it in for the day when the wind has finally died, I suffer several minutes of agony as my fingers warm up...
Worth it though!!! Got back to the car about 5:30pm... probably had about 2, 2 and a half hours riding today.
Moment of the Day was that 'click' when I synced with the 15 and popped that first big, floaty jump... magic!
Weather was recorded as 14knots, rising to 16 then dropping to 9, 6.8°C falling to 4.9 at 47%. Man, that so doesn't tell the whole story - it was gusty, punchy and shifty as hell!
What I learned today...
• It's bloody cold out there still. The water gives you brain-freeze when you dunk your head.
• And it would appear that my gloves are buggered. And there's none in the stores until next October.
• Flysurfer kites can be untangled on the water and flown back after an invert just fine.
And it didn't help that I had the S3 21 up when I should have had the 15 up, and vice versa.
Back to the beginning... holiday today, so I casually headed down the lake at 1pm, to time it with the day time high at 3pm... Taki was there too, and the wind looked ok but not as great as was forecast.
Put up the 21 and rode for a bit but the wind is still dropping... and now I'm body-dragging back to the beach cos there's NO wind at all! Stand around for a bit then the wind comes back up - Junkie Sensei and WagonR man are here now too.
Cue the seizure that I described above. It had some moments but not many...
Then the QR on the 21 popped. Must have knocked it, or unhooked partially or something?!? Second time it's every happened which is a pain...
Anyway, kite didn't want to get down on the water, flapping and spinning in the air. It eventually settled though, and I reeled the bar in - QR had released. Nuts, wonder if it's the new nut I'm using...
At the end of the lines, the kite is a mess - a tip has gone through the bridle and it's inverted at least once - and I contemplate swimming in but there's mountains of debris on the shore - bamboo spears, dead turtles (the dog has gone), branches and any manner of junk just begging to crucify my light-wind savior.
No real choice then but to untangle it... which I start by dragging the bar back in. Hook in, start jiggling lines... most effective method seems to be pulling the center lines, getting the kite to open up then yank a rear line to pull the tip back through and... voila! kite is flying again. Awesome, so much for unable to relaunch a downed and tangled Flysurfer...
I ride back into shore and land the kite (bit of a fight, the wind has picked up) to throw the bar back through the lines. While doing so I question the wisdom of putting the 21 back up, and instead go get my 15.
So naturally, the wind drops again - either that or it's Soh's Curse cos he's just pumped up his kite. He's just going upwind so I head out too - and I'm going upwind ok.
The 15 takes a bit of getting used to - it will actually backstall if you choke it too much - but once I get the hang of it - man, what a PEACH of a kite! It's so quick that I can set up another jump within a few seconds of landing the previous one and the hang-time is excellent! Even better, it's really easy to time the redirect!
I'm having a ball! I stay out way past when my hands have gone numb, so when I come in pack it in for the day when the wind has finally died, I suffer several minutes of agony as my fingers warm up...
Worth it though!!! Got back to the car about 5:30pm... probably had about 2, 2 and a half hours riding today.
Moment of the Day was that 'click' when I synced with the 15 and popped that first big, floaty jump... magic!
Weather was recorded as 14knots, rising to 16 then dropping to 9, 6.8°C falling to 4.9 at 47%. Man, that so doesn't tell the whole story - it was gusty, punchy and shifty as hell!
What I learned today...
• It's bloody cold out there still. The water gives you brain-freeze when you dunk your head.
• And it would appear that my gloves are buggered. And there's none in the stores until next October.
• Flysurfer kites can be untangled on the water and flown back after an invert just fine.
• The 15 is a total gem - in the right wind, it's going to be a boost monster!
• I want a dry-suit.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
And then there was one...
Good forecast, hit the lake early. Probably got on the water by 4pm.
Hmm, tough to judge the wind - Soh is under-powered on his 9. I go for my 13 and the Mako.
Wind is gusty as hell and although initially I get off the beach, I end up back on it again. Switch to the Flydoor... ah that's better! Upwind...
Mmm. Gusty. Really choppy water, current going different directions - tough to get clean launches off them. Have some fun though! More landings this time, but get massively over-powered.
Soh dumps his kite at the shore break and can't relaunch, and the other guy packs it in - I'm all on my own now, having a lark boosting as the gusts hit :D Feeling pretty good so I just don't stop riding till the wind drops off again...
Reckon I got 90 minutes riding, mostly on the 'door. Not bad for a sick guy. I feel better now too!
Moment of the Day was actually a back-roll this time, using the kite to loft and then pull me out of the spin. All the neater cos it was intentional! And with the Flydoor :)
Weather was recorded as 20 falling to 16 knots with gusts to just over 30 at 8°C 44%, falling to 6.5°C 50% when we packed up. No wonder I was over-powered at times!
What I learned today...
• The Mako really flies upwind - so long as it's powered good. Need to work on the bottom end technique a bit...
• Truly is a great freeride board too - slashing waves, jumping, carving turns... it's so light on the feet it's easy to flick around!
• The 'door ain't bad though! And I'm getting used to adapting between them... I think!
• With the faster, smaller LEI kites you gotta really use the speed across the window to soften the jumps - most of my landing were slappers today. If they weren't butt-first splash-downs.
• Seems the LEI really prefers to make height out of board speed and sending it aggressively behind you - when you really feel the pendulum (rather than the yank) that's when you go UP.
• Should swap to a smaller board sooner :D
• Damn cold - first time I've had numb fingers since the first session this year in February. Winter isn't letting go without a struggle!
Hmm, tough to judge the wind - Soh is under-powered on his 9. I go for my 13 and the Mako.
Wind is gusty as hell and although initially I get off the beach, I end up back on it again. Switch to the Flydoor... ah that's better! Upwind...
Mmm. Gusty. Really choppy water, current going different directions - tough to get clean launches off them. Have some fun though! More landings this time, but get massively over-powered.
Soh dumps his kite at the shore break and can't relaunch, and the other guy packs it in - I'm all on my own now, having a lark boosting as the gusts hit :D Feeling pretty good so I just don't stop riding till the wind drops off again...
Reckon I got 90 minutes riding, mostly on the 'door. Not bad for a sick guy. I feel better now too!
Moment of the Day was actually a back-roll this time, using the kite to loft and then pull me out of the spin. All the neater cos it was intentional! And with the Flydoor :)
Weather was recorded as 20 falling to 16 knots with gusts to just over 30 at 8°C 44%, falling to 6.5°C 50% when we packed up. No wonder I was over-powered at times!
What I learned today...
• The Mako really flies upwind - so long as it's powered good. Need to work on the bottom end technique a bit...
• Truly is a great freeride board too - slashing waves, jumping, carving turns... it's so light on the feet it's easy to flick around!
• The 'door ain't bad though! And I'm getting used to adapting between them... I think!
• With the faster, smaller LEI kites you gotta really use the speed across the window to soften the jumps - most of my landing were slappers today. If they weren't butt-first splash-downs.
• Seems the LEI really prefers to make height out of board speed and sending it aggressively behind you - when you really feel the pendulum (rather than the yank) that's when you go UP.
• Should swap to a smaller board sooner :D
• Damn cold - first time I've had numb fingers since the first session this year in February. Winter isn't letting go without a struggle!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Testing, testing...
Took the Speed3 15 out of the bag for a test... tuned the lines, checked the set up of the mini-5th and gave it a half hours run. Nice... should be fun!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Film THIS, fruit loops!
EDIT: I forgot to add - the dead dog floating at the shoreline that I nearly stumbled over may have given me a day's fun with vomiting and diarrhea too. Whee.
Having to work Saturday PM seems to be a recipe for great winds... determined not to miss another session, I decided to try the beach in the morning...
Got down there about 9.30am to discover an odd collection of cars in the carpark and - on the beach :o Miyachi informs me that someone is filming a TV drama (either called "Akai Kaze" or "Atsui Kaze" meaning "Red Wind" or "Hot Wind" but both are equally stupid names for a show filmed on a freezing cold lake shore) on the beach "but only for a half-day". Naturally, it's the half-day I want to use the beach :-/ Miyachi said, so long as I stay out of the shots, they don't mind. Well that's nice of them... but I won't go into that rant here.
Thought it might be a good day for a Xbow 13/Mako combo... geared up and tried to ignore all the film-crew standing around staring at me like dogs that have been shown a card-trick. Miyachi launched me and I jumped in the water.
Dead on-shore wind, big chop and it's tough to work it out away from the shore. I try a few tentative moves but I'm not feeling it... slowly warm up into the groove...
The wind is up and then down. And then up. I swap boards a couple of times (getting to used to switching from the Caddie to the Lotus) and make the most of it. I've got my launches sorted to the jumps are big, but I'm not landing and riding away from many :( Having fun though, that's the main thing!
Wind drops off again, and as I'm floating around in the shallows waiting for it to pick and trying to decide if I've had enough, Miyachi waves me off to the other end of the beach - I guess, after 2 hours setup, they're finally ready to film... I decide I've had enough and leave the water, getting Miyachi to land me. It's only after I've packed up that they actually start filming - all 20 seconds worth :o
Moment of the Day was, you guessed it, the monster air! That one moment when board speed, gusts, kite sending and launch timing all came together for the height and float that makes you go "Ahoy!" Well, it does me anyway...
Weather supplied 8.5°C 66% and 6.7m/s to 7.7 with gusts to 14!*
What I learned today...
• Yes the Mako really can jump!
• Mako is so much less inclined to spray in the face and really does slice through chop better.
• It does, however, seem to need a tad more speed to plane... sorta stop'n'start in the big chop as you bounce over waves. That may just be down to my familiarity with it - or skill level. As in, lack of.
• You CAN have a great session in the morning!
* Now a while back, I questioned a Professional Expert National-level Inter-discipline Sponsored kiter over his smarts of putting a hi-performance foil in the hands of a "new kiter" in winds with a delta V of 20 knots - basically, questioning his premise that cos the newbie got scared by the foil in wild wind, the foil obviously is a crap kite...
I mention this because a 20-knot differential is basically what we had today... and so it was on my mind.
Even the rock solid and stable with 7 struts Crossbow was a wild ride in the gusts... I could cope with it fine cos I'm used to it and was mostly underpowered, but if it had been a foil and it was last year and the average wind was 10 knots higher, then I doubt the newbie would have enjoyed himself.
Does that mean the kite is crap? Obviously not. Despite what my narcissistic and scholastically-challenged insisted...
But then... I'm not an expert.
Having to work Saturday PM seems to be a recipe for great winds... determined not to miss another session, I decided to try the beach in the morning...
Got down there about 9.30am to discover an odd collection of cars in the carpark and - on the beach :o Miyachi informs me that someone is filming a TV drama (either called "Akai Kaze" or "Atsui Kaze" meaning "Red Wind" or "Hot Wind" but both are equally stupid names for a show filmed on a freezing cold lake shore) on the beach "but only for a half-day". Naturally, it's the half-day I want to use the beach :-/ Miyachi said, so long as I stay out of the shots, they don't mind. Well that's nice of them... but I won't go into that rant here.
Thought it might be a good day for a Xbow 13/Mako combo... geared up and tried to ignore all the film-crew standing around staring at me like dogs that have been shown a card-trick. Miyachi launched me and I jumped in the water.
Dead on-shore wind, big chop and it's tough to work it out away from the shore. I try a few tentative moves but I'm not feeling it... slowly warm up into the groove...
The wind is up and then down. And then up. I swap boards a couple of times (getting to used to switching from the Caddie to the Lotus) and make the most of it. I've got my launches sorted to the jumps are big, but I'm not landing and riding away from many :( Having fun though, that's the main thing!
Wind drops off again, and as I'm floating around in the shallows waiting for it to pick and trying to decide if I've had enough, Miyachi waves me off to the other end of the beach - I guess, after 2 hours setup, they're finally ready to film... I decide I've had enough and leave the water, getting Miyachi to land me. It's only after I've packed up that they actually start filming - all 20 seconds worth :o
Moment of the Day was, you guessed it, the monster air! That one moment when board speed, gusts, kite sending and launch timing all came together for the height and float that makes you go "Ahoy!" Well, it does me anyway...
Weather supplied 8.5°C 66% and 6.7m/s to 7.7 with gusts to 14!*
What I learned today...
• Yes the Mako really can jump!
• Mako is so much less inclined to spray in the face and really does slice through chop better.
• It does, however, seem to need a tad more speed to plane... sorta stop'n'start in the big chop as you bounce over waves. That may just be down to my familiarity with it - or skill level. As in, lack of.
• You CAN have a great session in the morning!
* Now a while back, I questioned a Professional Expert National-level Inter-discipline Sponsored kiter over his smarts of putting a hi-performance foil in the hands of a "new kiter" in winds with a delta V of 20 knots - basically, questioning his premise that cos the newbie got scared by the foil in wild wind, the foil obviously is a crap kite...
I mention this because a 20-knot differential is basically what we had today... and so it was on my mind.
Even the rock solid and stable with 7 struts Crossbow was a wild ride in the gusts... I could cope with it fine cos I'm used to it and was mostly underpowered, but if it had been a foil and it was last year and the average wind was 10 knots higher, then I doubt the newbie would have enjoyed himself.
Does that mean the kite is crap? Obviously not. Despite what my narcissistic and scholastically-challenged insisted...
But then... I'm not an expert.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Bork bork bork!
Forecast looked iffy but I'm jonesing so I headed off down to the lake when work let out at 3pm. Soh was just coming in - "Wind is dropping. Check out my new car." - and that guy with the WagonR was just going out. Taki was there so I geared up...
Started off well. Just powered on the Flyradical but indeed, the wind was dropping. I did a bit of a walk and swapped it out for the Flydoor. By this time WagonR guy has given up and Taki is just getting in the water. We ride for a bit...
At it was all borked - trying out the tips for holding the big jumps in line, I still couldn't get shit right and was all over the show. Then I slowed my thinking down and concentrated on what I was actually doing and hello, my problem seems to be I'm redirecting almost as soon as I'm off the water - that ain't right! Stop doing that and the jumps are better... now I can play with final redirection timing!
The wind is dropping and so are the heights of the jumps... Taki is walking, I'm holding ground after a single jump each tack and now then I'm only holding ground - just. I look upwind but don't see any more wind on the way - if fact, the white caps have disappeared. I'm calling this session over...
Must have been out there on the water for about an hour or just over - we're back at the clubhouse by 5:20pm. Good session though I called the wind 'crappy' for dropping out on me :) thank god I didn't leave work at 4!!!
Moment of the Day was realizing what I was doing wrong and getting my mojo working again. I bet I forgotten it all by next time though!
Weather was around the 11.2knots mark, falling to 5.9 at 8.1°C 71% by the time I left. I would have guessed a little more in the good bits and... a little more in the bad bits :o it's the first time I've almost gone downwind on the 'door in a lo-ooong time. Well... almost ;)
What I learned today...
• S3 21 + Flydoor + fattie > SB12 + 150x45 TT + 50kg Asian dude :o
• Don't meddle with the bar on the way up!
• Don't meddle with the bar on most of the way down!
• Mako is much smoother through the water than the Flyradical - less splash in the face.
• I'm more used to the 'radical though, so I find it easier to ride upwind. Maybe :o
• Both Flyboards are easy to jump but I love jumping the 'radical!
• The old FSer straps are a bugger to adjust in gloves :(
• I'm looking forward to warmer weather so I can ditch the booties!!!
Started off well. Just powered on the Flyradical but indeed, the wind was dropping. I did a bit of a walk and swapped it out for the Flydoor. By this time WagonR guy has given up and Taki is just getting in the water. We ride for a bit...
At it was all borked - trying out the tips for holding the big jumps in line, I still couldn't get shit right and was all over the show. Then I slowed my thinking down and concentrated on what I was actually doing and hello, my problem seems to be I'm redirecting almost as soon as I'm off the water - that ain't right! Stop doing that and the jumps are better... now I can play with final redirection timing!
The wind is dropping and so are the heights of the jumps... Taki is walking, I'm holding ground after a single jump each tack and now then I'm only holding ground - just. I look upwind but don't see any more wind on the way - if fact, the white caps have disappeared. I'm calling this session over...
Must have been out there on the water for about an hour or just over - we're back at the clubhouse by 5:20pm. Good session though I called the wind 'crappy' for dropping out on me :) thank god I didn't leave work at 4!!!
Moment of the Day was realizing what I was doing wrong and getting my mojo working again. I bet I forgotten it all by next time though!
Weather was around the 11.2knots mark, falling to 5.9 at 8.1°C 71% by the time I left. I would have guessed a little more in the good bits and... a little more in the bad bits :o it's the first time I've almost gone downwind on the 'door in a lo-ooong time. Well... almost ;)
What I learned today...
• S3 21 + Flydoor + fattie > SB12 + 150x45 TT + 50kg Asian dude :o
• Don't meddle with the bar on the way up!
• Don't meddle with the bar on most of the way down!
• Mako is much smoother through the water than the Flyradical - less splash in the face.
• I'm more used to the 'radical though, so I find it easier to ride upwind. Maybe :o
• Both Flyboards are easy to jump but I love jumping the 'radical!
• The old FSer straps are a bugger to adjust in gloves :(
• I'm looking forward to warmer weather so I can ditch the booties!!!
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