Go with your gut, next time

Southerlies again, over to Mie I go.

Supposed to crank around 1pm... it's 15 knots when I arrive. My gut tells me the front came through early but I rig small (13m) to be ready for the 20 knots!

Mmm, looks cracking but there's no waves and I'm really not that powered. I can barely get any height from jumps, there's no float so I won't be able to do multiple rotations, even front-rolls and just hovers over the water :(

Kite-loop back-rolls are a joke, when they work - they're just back-rolls with a loop to keep moving. Or a face plant cos the kite is looping in the bottom half of the window.

I get fed up and try the Mako, cos the waves have decided to make an appearance. Not enough power... go back to the Flydoor.

And to think, I was thinking of rigging the 10!

Keep riding but the wind is right off. Do 4 hours though... should have sunblocked my lower legs. Dang.

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Moment of the day was that kiteloop backroll that was perfectly timed and felt like an unhooked move looks.

Mood of the session was annoyed not-amused placated.

Weather was reported as 12 to 16 knots, gusts to 20 at 1230 - just as I was measuring the wind, you cheater. 25ºC at 75%.

Wind felt like just powered enough to ride upwind easily enough, but not enough to have any big fun.

What I learned today...

• Gotta fix my S3 15 - I would have been happier on that.
• Except for all the fucking wooden stakes on the beach for all the digging and construction they're doing... uh oh.
• XB doesn't loop worth a damn. For me, anyway.
• Really need a surfboard!
• Even with crappy wind, you can load up and boing pretty well...

Flite 175 departing as scheduled

Two different forecasts online today: GPV said a nice peak at 1pm then falling off; JMA said 12-18 all day. Hmm… put my money on GPV and went early.

Arrived about 12:30. Hmm, tough call on the weather—people are out on 9 to 12s… it's supposed to pick up too. I'll go with the Flite, I think.

Hmm, crowded beach—lots of non-regulars. Launch and go, making my way through the gear.

Out with the Flydoor, easy powered but could do with more power. Jumps aren't massive and I can't get double-rotations done. After a few minutes, it picks up though and I'm enjoying myself.

Good double front-spins, definitely different feel to the S3—more direct which shouldn't surprise me. Seems a bit easier to time it too, but it's also easy to send it back too far. Splash!

Had fun for a while then decided to get on the Mako before the wind dropped. Had a nice time playing out there, then decided to head back and get the Flydoor and a drink again, but could hardly get back to the beach, so had to walk a bit.

Went back out but it was light, so I gave up and headed back to the beach. Hironobu was doing his TV thing in the Shiva suit; very amusing! Stood around watching that and waiting for the wind, but I don't think it's going to happen so I pack it in. First back to the showers, that's a first!

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Moment of the day was… well, there were the perfect 720 front- and back-spins, but I think the long ride into the marina beach on the mutant was the winner.
Mood of the session was well-satisfied.

Weather was reported as 8 knots with gusts to 15; 28˚C at 60%.
Wind felt like 15 dropping to 10, gusts to 18—happy-powered at best, just under-powered when I got off the water.

What I learned today…
• Flite likes speed into the jump with enough edging to load and pop but not so much that your stop the board.  Sheet in, ride downwind a while until you build speed then send the kite and edge.Be gentle with the board!
• Front 720 down-loop transitions. Easier than 360s!
• Hand-drag back-spin transitions… watch the loop! Hand further out.
• Sunburn season is here :( glad I wore my hat!
• Sand burning feet season is here too!
• Accidentally did a kite-loop back-roll and I didn't die. Not sure I want to try it again just yet though.
• Mistress of Disaster is just u-s-e-l-e-s-s: she can't even transition properly. And she nearly dumped her kite on top of kids swimming at the YMCA beach zone. Stupid cow.
• Turkey just can't relaunch any kite. He got blown down to the marina beach and his kite dragged over the rocks on the drain. I spotted 2 holes in his canopy when he tried to relaunch later on…
• Back foot pad further back on the Mako… sticks better into the water but also feels vaguer. Which is odd, cos with it further forward it feels less vague but more slide-y.
• No problem with upwind again.
• The thing with the bottom end Flydoor vs. Mako mutant—the 'door will park 'n' ride for longer but the angle is about the same. You gotta work the kite sooner on the Mako and so you sink. Not much sooner though…

Ehrma-gerd! Ar lurve Jesus!

Fuck work. Let's just get that out of the way.

Got to the lake just after 5, rolled over to the beach with the 21 on my back, the Mako and the 'door under my arms. Wind looks lighter than yesterday, and it's supposed to drop—like yesterday. We'll see…

Yeah, it's fine. Some boosts, rotations etc but I'm worried the wind will go before I get a chance to use the Mako. So I swap board… what a hoot!

Do that for a bit, then the wind drops off—leaves the 10m surf boys with kites in the water, and me looping to get back to shore. Walk up the beach, watch the front come in, head back out on the Flydoor.

More silliness ensues… there's wind "up there" and down that end of the beach; it's shifted to the east. I do all kinds of flukey stuff but get increasingly paranoid about the wind dropping right off and leaving me swimming, so I call it a day.

90 minute session—not bad! Quality, not quantity today! Unlike work, which is just a mountain of shit.

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Moment of the day was landing the first ever front 1080 down-loop transition :D
Mood of the session was aah rah ooh-er.
It sucks when you're just getting into the zone and the wind dies.

Weather was reported as 4 to 8 knots, gusts to 14; 26˚ at 76%.
Wind felt like 10-15… comfortably well powered.

What I learned today…
• Bottom end of the Mako Mutant is astounding!
• Carving to toe-side, then popping off the lip to switch back to heelside… roolz!
• The board carves so hard and throws such as solid wall of water :o
• It's actually quite a workout riding that board—end up breathing hard on a really fun tack.
• The sets (is that the right word?) of waves go into the crappy beach. So long as the wind is up, it's easy enough to get out…
• It *IS* possible to do hooj phat single front-spins… just not sure how :o
• It is also possible to do hooj phat triples :D
• The line extensions make it possible to catch that good air up there…
• Mako wants MOAR SPEED!
• Jesus saves!

I'm a mutant lover

Good forecast, hit the lake after playing table tennis at school. Musta got on the water about 5pm.

Rather powered with the Flite and the big board, not really feeling in the mood for boosting though. So I land the kite and run back to the car for the Mako.

Have a hoot on that! Likes being so powered up cos it just sinks when you stop it, but it's great fun. Good lord it's fast and stable! Slices up the lake like a katana.

Wind drops off, and I have to walk up the beach. Go back out on the Flydoor but WTF, I have to walk again? Give up and go home. Get in the car about 8pm, musta had a good 2 hours on the water!

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Moment of the day was actually smacking the lip of a wave. SMACK! it went, in a wet way.
Mood of the session was unconvinced amused impressed.

Weather was reported as 14 to 8 knots, gusts to 20; 23˚C at 61%.
Wind felt like just about to get uncomfortably over-powered, falling to under-powered (no white caps) with the Flydoor.

What I learned today…
• Right time for the short john suit.
• Bottom end of the Mako… pretty impressive ackshully. Couldn't get upwind on it, and couldn't on the Flydoor either!
• Want to try the back foot back as far as it'll go.
• Want to try it as a TT again too!
• Want to try a King too.
• Goddam! the Flite is a great kite for noodling around under… but it really doesn't get a lot of altitude.
• So I'm thinking I might keep the XB16 for boosting in 15-20 knots.
• Buying Cab lines in Japan is expensive.

Enough already!

Another light wind session. Seemed a tad more wind to begin with so I thought I could get out on the Flite. I could but it wasn't inspiring so... Praise Jesus!

4 days in a row; one the same as the other... and sometimes that's not a bad thing.

Golden moonbeams on the water to guide me home… magic!

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Moment of the day was landing the triples.
Mood of the session was yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…
It sucks when the kite you want to be out on just ain't enough.

Weather was reported as 4 to 8 knots, gusts to 12 (?) 22˚C at 59%.
Wind felt like 10 to 15 in the good bits.

What I learned today…
• Rolls are body more horizontal than vertical; flips, board goes over the head; spins, body more vertical that horizontal. I'm a spinning fool!
• Using your legs for maximum pop is good for jumps and…
• doing the same when going for rotations is the best way to ensure vertical travel instead of flying downwind.
• Timing of the redirect is more important with front-rolls. Sorry, front-spins.
• Double-spins are easy with the Flite too but watch the timing of the redirects.
• Might be over-doing it—my ribs hurt :(