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 posts with label crossbow 13. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crossbow 13. Show all posts
Monday, August 8, 2016
Thursday, July 21, 2016
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. . . .
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. . . .
Sunday, June 12, 2016
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.
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.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
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...
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...
Friday, January 22, 2016
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.
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.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Found a Fleshlight on the beach
Not your normal beach combing score... Thought it was a lump of dead octopus or a shark egg or something exciting. Nope... eww.
Storm coming through, brought some ok wind. Bit gusty but was the best for a long time... Biwako needs to step up its game!
Good blow for an hour, then it died off. Waited some, then went back out. Rain came in, hosed down for a while, then died off.
10 minutes into the second session, my frickin Fusion harness blew a strap, this time going up on a decent jump... had to hang on to the bar like grim death. Funny, cos I swapped out the CL on the bar before I started as it has holes and I was worried it'd break.
As luck would have it, had the Mystic Star in the car. Dang, lot of hard work using a waist harness... new Fusion is in-bound but goddam Dakine, an inch of stitching? Seriously...
Storm coming through, brought some ok wind. Bit gusty but was the best for a long time... Biwako needs to step up its game!
Good blow for an hour, then it died off. Waited some, then went back out. Rain came in, hosed down for a while, then died off.
10 minutes into the second session, my frickin Fusion harness blew a strap, this time going up on a decent jump... had to hang on to the bar like grim death. Funny, cos I swapped out the CL on the bar before I started as it has holes and I was worried it'd break.
As luck would have it, had the Mystic Star in the car. Dang, lot of hard work using a waist harness... new Fusion is in-bound but goddam Dakine, an inch of stitching? Seriously...
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Gusty, much?
Great forecast but damn it was gusty - really off and OH HELL on. Wanted to use the Rebel 18 but wasn't sure if the wind would be right, and I'm glad I didn't cos... dang.
Way under to uncomfortably over in a few seconds. But here and there, it was stable enough for some riding.
Had a good couple of mini-sessions on the Dialer; played around with foot more forward, stance wider and it seemed to be less bouncy through the chop; maybe even easier to plane. Fun but hard work.
Wind picked up enough to make life difficult on the Dialer so I went to the Limited but it wasn't really happening. Struggled for a while then gave up and went home to play some Assassin's Creed before picking up the boy...
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Piss-poor pay-off
For all the preparation. And I gave myself a headache shouting obscenities at the wind. Fucker.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Same old, same gold
Good forecast, better wind. Good power from the kite and I didn't need a 'door! Bit gusty for stunts, so mostly just straight boosting and wave slashing. Man, wish I had a camera on today...
Wind shifted front the N to the NW but was still rideable. 16 to 22 knots, apparently. Water was actually more rideable after the switch as it was less choppy and we got longer flatter spaces better better formed crests.
Harness is more comfy if the bottom straps are tighter than the top. I need to try the wider stance on the Limited too...
Wind shifted front the N to the NW but was still rideable. 16 to 22 knots, apparently. Water was actually more rideable after the switch as it was less choppy and we got longer flatter spaces better better formed crests.
Harness is more comfy if the bottom straps are tighter than the top. I need to try the wider stance on the Limited too...
Friday, April 17, 2015
Nailed it again!
NW forecast but yellow arrows - worth a look. Head right down after lunch.
Bit light - rig the 16. Wind picks up... Too much now. Rig the 13... Almost too much but I know it's going to die late.
Nailed it again! Epic session for 2 hours, boosting good times! Til the wind dropped, but I'd had enough anyway...
Bit light - rig the 16. Wind picks up... Too much now. Rig the 13... Almost too much but I know it's going to die late.
Nailed it again! Epic session for 2 hours, boosting good times! Til the wind dropped, but I'd had enough anyway...
Friday, February 20, 2015
One of those days...
I question what the hell I'm doing.
Wind so strong I couldn't I could barely get upwind to the water but couldn't get up on a plane.
Gah.
Wind so strong I couldn't I could barely get upwind to the water but couldn't get up on a plane.
Gah.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Aah...
Brilliant forecast ruined by reality. Squally, but got some riding in, primarily on the Flydoor, not really enough to do anything fun but it was worth pumping up the kite a second time, after I'd already decided to give it up...
Found a hole in the canopy of the XB... no biggie. New fin on the Flydoor *seems* to be smoother and gripper... Need to try wider stance still.
Found a hole in the canopy of the XB... no biggie. New fin on the Flydoor *seems* to be smoother and gripper... Need to try wider stance still.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Finally some wind!
At lunch time, it looked like I was going to get stiffed but I was bored at home and went back to the lake around 2, as the wind looked like it was picking up.
It had. I went for the seat harness and the XB13 and the Limited hoping for a boost session. Would have been better if I wasn't so much out of practice...
Pretty gusty, but I was happy. Tried to do some kite loops tricks in the lulls - dark slide and hand drag loop - but discovered that perhaps the XB isn't the kite for that kind of stunt. I landed the hand drag - just - but dark slide become a body drag. I started to investigate how the XB loops and came to the conclusion that the best I can get is a fat loop that pulls horizontally.
Time for new gear...
The LE was leaking too, pretty sure the new higher flow valve wasn't seated right. Hmm.
Wind was 14 to 18 knots, gusts to 35 :o
It had. I went for the seat harness and the XB13 and the Limited hoping for a boost session. Would have been better if I wasn't so much out of practice...
Pretty gusty, but I was happy. Tried to do some kite loops tricks in the lulls - dark slide and hand drag loop - but discovered that perhaps the XB isn't the kite for that kind of stunt. I landed the hand drag - just - but dark slide become a body drag. I started to investigate how the XB loops and came to the conclusion that the best I can get is a fat loop that pulls horizontally.
Time for new gear...
The LE was leaking too, pretty sure the new higher flow valve wasn't seated right. Hmm.
Wind was 14 to 18 knots, gusts to 35 :o
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
First in a while, last for some time?
Well the weather wasn't great but it was better than nothing. Weak, then lully. Sigh... got to scrape the rust off the Dialer though which was needed!
Bit cold... 4/3 and 2mm gloves kept me warm enough but my feet and face suffered. Especially walking on the stones. With my feet, not my face.
Bit cold... 4/3 and 2mm gloves kept me warm enough but my feet and face suffered. Especially walking on the stones. With my feet, not my face.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Redialed
Actually looked enough wind to contemplate my 10m, and Miyachi had the Bandits there for demo so I borrowed the 8th edition 11m for a run. Ok powered, falling to under so I swapped it out for the XB. Bar pressure was light for sheeting, medium for turning but crisp. Flapping behind the LE robbed power when sheeted out. Vague at the zenith... didn't like it.
Had another good time on the Dialer, but fell and hit my spreader bar hook on the rail and damaged it. Dang, something else to repair but I expected to ding up my first board. And an excuse to check out a new board... or maybe a Dynabar.
Really seems I'm going to end up riding the Dialer in lighter wind and saving the TT for really good boosting day... shame I can't surf worth a damn.
Weather was reported as 12 to 16 knots, gusts to 22; 15 degrees at 55%.
Wind felt like just to under powered.
What I learned recently...
Had another good time on the Dialer, but fell and hit my spreader bar hook on the rail and damaged it. Dang, something else to repair but I expected to ding up my first board. And an excuse to check out a new board... or maybe a Dynabar.
Really seems I'm going to end up riding the Dialer in lighter wind and saving the TT for really good boosting day... shame I can't surf worth a damn.
Weather was reported as 12 to 16 knots, gusts to 22; 15 degrees at 55%.
Wind felt like just to under powered.
What I learned recently...
- front foot pressure is important to make gybing your feet easy
- still no clue on tacking
Thursday, November 6, 2014
From crap to cool
What started out as a shitty frustrating day of wind drops, tangles and swamped kites, ended up pretty bloody good. A cackle-fest on the Dialer... once the wind picked up before, during and after the rain. We rode til dark, what fun!
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Pivot session
Oops nearly forgot this.
Wind was, I guessed, good enough for a 10m but only just. So I thought I'd ask for a ride on the Pivot that's in the shop, and go out on the directional.
Wind didn't really cooperate. All session it was gusty and up n' down. I got some riding on the Pivot - but only on the Dialer - then switched to the XB, then back again for a final buzz on the P.
Re. the Pivot. Pretty good for a 3-strut kite, no flapping at all and I'm pretty sure it never deformed. Didn't really get to fly it heavily loaded or over-powered though. Good low end when worked but it got jerky in the punchy gusts, and hindenburged two or three times in lulls. Great drive through the transitions on the Dialer, really pulled you through. I liked it but would want to try it more before I bought one. Love the bar! but the swivel... didn't.
Weather was reported as 16 knots, gusts to 30! 15°C at 40%...
Wind was, I guessed, good enough for a 10m but only just. So I thought I'd ask for a ride on the Pivot that's in the shop, and go out on the directional.
Wind didn't really cooperate. All session it was gusty and up n' down. I got some riding on the Pivot - but only on the Dialer - then switched to the XB, then back again for a final buzz on the P.
Re. the Pivot. Pretty good for a 3-strut kite, no flapping at all and I'm pretty sure it never deformed. Didn't really get to fly it heavily loaded or over-powered though. Good low end when worked but it got jerky in the punchy gusts, and hindenburged two or three times in lulls. Great drive through the transitions on the Dialer, really pulled you through. I liked it but would want to try it more before I bought one. Love the bar! but the swivel... didn't.
Weather was reported as 16 knots, gusts to 30! 15°C at 40%...
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Jolly good fun in... 5 knots?!?!
Better than the forecast and weather reports. Headed out on the 21 and was comfy powered, but then it picked up and it was getting hairy in the gusts. Ceased to be fun, and I wanted to ride the Dialer for some reason so I dropped the 21, got out the XB13 and swapped harnesses.
Good fun but damn, falling off that board is punishing! Got the fins clear of the water for some air, nice carves too. Getting there.
Weather was reported as 5 to 10 knots... bollocks. 18°C... perfectly comfy in my new Voodoo 2.5mm short leg spring suit, while the other guys are wearing 5mm steamers!!!
Good fun but damn, falling off that board is punishing! Got the fins clear of the water for some air, nice carves too. Getting there.
Weather was reported as 5 to 10 knots... bollocks. 18°C... perfectly comfy in my new Voodoo 2.5mm short leg spring suit, while the other guys are wearing 5mm steamers!!!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Post-typhoon ride
Crook as a dog yesterday, feeling well enough to ride today.
Gusty as hell, and the wind slowly dropped so I went from Limited to Dialer. Had a nice mellow time.
Discovered a funny mark on the Limited and lifted the footpad - huge crack :( must have happened on Sunday, but can't think of anything out of the ordinary...
Gusty as hell, and the wind slowly dropped so I went from Limited to Dialer. Had a nice mellow time.
Discovered a funny mark on the Limited and lifted the footpad - huge crack :( must have happened on Sunday, but can't think of anything out of the ordinary...
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