Didn't think I'd get a session in today, cos the forecast looked borked - snow and rain and mental wind. Storm front coming through I guess... thought I'd go and look anyway. Yeah, it's cold but the wind is up and the rain is easing. Hmm...
Junkie sensei is out on the water with a 7m SB he borrowed (brave man) from Dennis the Menace and he looks like he's doing well. Measure the wind as 10-12m/s - if the gusts are bad, I might prefer the 10. Miyachi reckons I should take the 16. He's taking a 6 - bloody joker!
Leave the shop to get ready about 2:30pm... by the time I gear up and get over to the lake, the wind has dropped some and I'm a bit concerned the 13 won't be enough. I can tell it's gusty though, so I head out on the Flyradical.
Not bad. Trim the kite for comfort and start playing. Fun!
Then the wind kicks it up a notch :o crikey it's a bit mental out here! Hang on to the kite and try to jump when I can... get some great boosts in but it's hard getting upwind in the gusty conditions and some get a bit close to shore. Not to mention the epileptic elevator rides... gets hairy at times, lobs and drops and jerks. The wind is punchy and shifty and very, very angry!
This one time, I lose the board on take off and get to enjoy a nice flight without it... recover from the off-kilter take-off, then almost loop the kite, now the shore is coming up and SPLASH oh I've hit the bottom - hope I don't lose the kite and... no! Whee, great fun - now I'm still alive.
Repeat that with various erm variations... I daren't try doing any stunts. Carving the waves is risky enough... after a while, I'm alone on the lake. Then Ji-chan comes out and - the wind drops. I ride for a while more but am just powered and falling... I give it up when I almost have to walk. It's been about 3 hours anyway!
Moment of the day was not getting killed.
Mood of the session was hmmmm yeaaaah aaaargh.
It sucks when the wind has a delta-V of about 30 knots in the gusts...
Song stuck in my head was California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas. "I'd be safe and warm, if I was in LA."
Weather was reported as 12 to 16 knots with gusts to 36 :o 5.3°C at 80% and falling.
Wind felt like 50% the 20-25 knots I'd measured on the shore, 30% AW SHIT SON and 20% Am I going to have to walk?
What I learned today...
• Drying your gloves inside-out messes up the rubber on the fingers, where they crease as they're inverted. Thankfully, only on the $8 gloves, not my lovely XCEL gear.
• You can invert a Crossbow by sending it hard across the window and completely sheeted out.
• Might need to start wearing sunblock... and sunglasses.
• Thank god I didn't try to use a Flysurfer - they would've been jerking and yanking like a school boy.
• Crossbow is good'n'stable but not very exciting, except when the shit is hitting the fan... Razor 12 want :)
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