Stopped by KBA in the morning - no spare Dakine spreader bar (O RLY) so I bought a new Mystic Supporter seat harness - XL but aside from the "Power Belt" only closing an inch, I think it fits ok. Can swap the spreader bar to the Dakine if I replace the D's hooks... not sure about the click thing though :-/
Headed out to ol' faithful - late cos someone who shall remain nameless decided to wander off shopping - but it didn't matter cos the tide was still out. A little wind at the Peaks, so I pumped up the 16, walked out over the sand to the the far off water...
Nope, slightly planning downwind. This blows.
OH look a storm is coming in - neato! Now I'm riding! Hmm Mark from NZ is heading into the shore - maybe I should pack up NAH just one more jump OMG and that's only 3cm of water splat! O SHIT the kite has unhooked somehow and then yoink! O look the D-ring has ripped out of the harness and my kite is skipping downwind... joy!
Sam made a valiant effort to hold the 'bow but he had to let the CL go... kite finally settles just short of the shore and Mark outpaces Olivia to rescue it!
PISSES down and blows like a bastard - that broken harness might have been a lucky thing...
Wind and rain finally passes over, but there's no blow left. KBA packs up and heads home... Mark and I try to fly the kites (to dry them off!) but there's nothing... he gives up. As I'm walking back to land though... it picks up!
So I finally have a few inches of higher-than-low-tide to play with and some wind! Get about a 30-minute ride before sunset, with some great jumps and nice sent rotations... I pack up cos a. it's getting dark b. the wind has picked up enough that I'm happy over-powered but worried about the landing and c. there's lightening blasting the other side of the island 0_o
Mark helps Olivia land the kite...
Get back to the hotel - tired, hungry, in need of shower and beer - to discover there's a fucking street market blocking BOTH streets that access all the hotels - and ours - down off the main road... don't even start me >:( spoiled the day and my feelings about the place, did the little wanker with the whistle who said "This is Thailand -- go back to your own country"
Wind felt like 8 knots initially, then 30 knots in the squall, then 15-25 in the last bit...
What I learned today...
• Sometimes, gear failure is a good thing :o
• Gray has some mad-ass stories!
• Best just to land the shit when clouds roll in like that...
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