Light session runs into overtime

Odd looking forecast for the afternoon ... light wind then a big peak at 5pm-ish. Worth a look ...

Head down to the lake after a long day at work, arrive about 4:20. Looks like another 16m Xbow day; hoping the peak won't kill me but the low is looking 21m worthy. Hmm, hope I made the right call!

Get out on the 'radical for a bit and although I'm struggling for about 10 minutes, the wind picks up and it's good fun.

Feeling pretty good and my loop-transitions are working nice, so I try a 'proper' kite-loop ... heh, it works but only well enough that I get shot at the water :D I'll take that landing on my ass ... hehehe! Not so successful but the boys on shore might get a giggle. Will try that again with a smaller, faster kite!

So back to the our regularly scheduled program - trying to jump as high as I can, front and back rolls ...
Wind drops off so I switch to the 'door ... then it drops WAY off and I'm fighting to get upwind at all, without playing silly buggers - stuck at the end of the beach, about to get pushed onto the marina beach if I dont watch it!

And then I manage to drop the kite TE down and it gets swamped - frantic hauling in of the center lines gets the kite over onto the LE and relaunched ... phew! That's the same spot I had to swim in with the S3 21!

The wind has picked up a little and Soh has arrived ... we keep on riding, working hard to get upwind until the sun has well and truly set behind the hills. Nice long session! Left Locus at 8pm :)

Mood of the Session was amused.

Moment of the Day was actually as simple as getting all the way back upwind to where I started, without having to walk!

Weather was recorded as 8-12-5 knots from 4pm to 7pm; 22°C at 73%, gusts no more than 18 knots.
Wind felt like I was briefly over-powered, mostly slightly under-powered and for a short time, thought about walking.

What I learned today ...
• When self launching, make DOUBLY sure that the slackest steering leader isn't wrapped around the bar :o a gentle loop into the grass ... thank god for IDS!
• Need to watch some videos on YouTube about How to Loop Properly LOL
• Too many front loop transitions on the starboard tack = twisted lines :o
• If I had the 21 up, I would have probably been shitting my pants for a half hour, enjoying myself for the rest. Cest la vie.

WOOP WOOP! Kiteloop!

Forecast looked totally feeble, but possible so I headed off to the lake anyway. Long drive from the wrong side of the tracks ... frickin work. Got there about 4:40pm and people were on the water, I could see some white-caps so I got changed and headed over ...

Definite 21m weather ... thought maybe I could get away with the Flyradical and had a few tacks on it, but I can't hold ground. Swap for the 'door ...

Better. More speed more height ... noodle around ... wind is up and down a bit and there's a patch where I have to fight to get upwind. Then it comes back just a bit and I can keep on going.

In the midst of all this, I'm doing my "loop" tranistions ... going to the right, send the kite to the left, jump, sheet out on the way down and fish-pole the bar so the kite front-loops then land 'toe-side' and ride off in the new direction. Meh, I know what I mean.
Anyway, must have started the loop earlier or something, cos the kite was coming around while I was still in the air so I sheeted in harder as it came around and felt it yank me forewards - kiteloop! Intentional and controlled! WOOP WOOP!
Spent the rest of the evening trying to do it again :-/ till the wind dropped off so low that all I could do was rotations for shits'n'giggles ... then the sun set and the wind was truly feeble, so I packed up.

Mood of the Session was surpised satisfaction smirk.

Moment of the Day was the kiteloop that pulled!

Weather was recorded as 6 to 7 knots at 17°C 75%, gusts no more than 16 knots ...! Ri-iiight.
Wind felt like exactly what it was - just-powered to powered; I'd guess it was more like 10 to 14 knots.

What I learned today ...
• Kiteloops can be done and are addictive and fun! Now I get it ...!
• Bottom end of the S3 is fantastic. Just keep an eye upwind, so you don't get caught in the lulls ...
• The old straps are better on the big Flyboard. Still 'stretch' though ...
• My knee is sore again ... only noticed when I was kneeling in the sand though. Fingers crossed ...

To the sea ...

Long time no riding. Feels that way anyway. Forecast looked like it might be worth a trip to the seaside in Mie, over the hills and not-so-faraway.

Wife wanted to come so naturally, we ended up leaving late - I'd planned on leaving at 12-ish but we didn't get out of the driveway until 1. So I took the highway and hauled ass!

Got to the carpark just after 2 - not a bad effort. Wind was picking up slowly. I hummed and harred about what kite to use - the beach looked not as trashed as usual but was tight, with people in tents (?!?) and kids making spiked death traps out of sticks. So I went for the Cab 16 instead of the Speed3 ...

Started out riding crosswind only on the Flyradical so I came back in for the Flydoor. Better, going upwind easily. As the wind picked up gradually, things got more fun then I switched back to the Flyradical. Sometime in between all that, I had to replace the straps on the 'door cos now the right hand one is slipping - new design is easy to adjust but totally can't handle the strain!

Had a pretty good day; nothing fabulous but it beat the ass off of not riding. Some jumps were ok but nothing that'd make me go Whee! Mwa-hahaha! Ahoy! etc. I did some really nice downloop transitions, either 'carving' or jumping. So tired now I can't remember exactly what I did but one of them made me cackle with glee ...

Wind died right off and I gave up. Must have been just after 4:30 so I got off the water ... and discovered that I hadn't attached my leash when I relaunched the kite :o
Shook my head, then packed up and headed home.

Noticed as I was rolling up the kite that my right knee hurt when I kneeled on it - wonder if that time I dropped the board off one foot twisted that knee ... seems ok now though. Oh and I sliced up the bottom of my left foot on shells.

Not a bad effort for someone suffering from the flu.

Mood of the Session was satisfied happy tired.

Moment of the Day was getting the timing and kite control just right so I could land jumps on the faces of waves and surf away! Nailed everyone I attempted - sweet feeling!

Weather was reported as 8 knots at 2pm, climbing to 16 at 4 then falling off again; gusts to 20 at 3pm ... at around 23°C 62%, more or less.
Wind felt like I should have been more powered. Even when I WAS powered, I didn't go upwind much ... tide was coming in, I think ...

What I learned today ...
• The mong on the Waroo and directional is a dangerous, erratic little man. By way of confirmation, he parked his kite in the trees at the end of the day.
• Check your leash is attached :o
• Probably should have tried out the Mako instead of the 'radical ...
• The 'door has a bit of a hard time in the big choppy sloppy conditions ... bounced and slapped around a bit.
• I love my lake!
• I love my Sharks too ;)

Better than nothing!

Contrary to the forecast, the wind looked good so I headed down to the lake. Wasn't that flash but I had to get out so I changed and loaded up with the Speed3 21 and the Flyboards ...

Mmm. Not going upwind on the 'radical so I switch to the 'door. Only just powered ... noodled around for a bit but didn't have much joy. Finally give up - had maybe a half-hour riding I guess :o

On the beach, started playing with lengths to adjust the SZ bridle and get the kink out of the kite tips. Seems like I won't need more than a couple of inches, otherwise the tip-most bridle pulls during turns and makes the tip look ugly. Need to do a mixer test, measure that line and have another fiddle ...

Mood of the session was mellow resigned not-unhappy.

Moment of the day was simply getting out and getting some air under the fins!

Weather was reported as 11 knots falling to 3, 19°C at 64%.
Wind felt like it was exactly as it seemed - I should have just gone home ... chop was gnarly though!

What I learned today ...
• Tweaking the bridles is easier than I thought but could be incredibly time consuming ...
• The kite seems to fly better without the tucks ruining the airflow ...
• Need to check a video or two of other 21's to see how they look when sheeted in.
• Next time, I'm buying a brand-new purple 21 :D

In the Evening

You can sail the seven seas!

Why the hell not? Left my wetsuit and harness hung up and drying at Locus so I could come down after work and have a quick splash before I had to go to work at 7:30pm ...

Well, it was light. I knew it would be, GPV was spot on for the whole day - except for the gusts. There was a breath of wind but I thought it was doable so although everyone else was standing around looking sorry for themselves, I set up the big Speed between all the LEIs and got it into the air ... just as the wind picked up :D

Tacked back'n'forth for a bit trying to get upwind ... bit more wind ... ah, now I can (try to) jump and ride upwind! What fun!

A few good jumps! Bit of a surprise, given how the light the wind is - I'm doing something a little different though, without noticing ... which I don't click to until later.
The wind is up'n'down and although I ride constantly for the next 90 minutes, I'm the only one - everyone else is on and off the water like jack-in-the-boxes. Mistress of Disaster is trying to ride a 9m kite ... I seriously think she has a very small brain - even Taki is on his 14!

Finally the wind dies right away and it's good timing - just before 6 - I need to get off the water and go to work again :-/
A nice satisfying session to unwind from the hectic morning!

Mood of the Session was smug mellow surprised.

Moment of the Day was popping up the big airs in next to no wind!

Weather was reported as 12 falling to 8 knots at 16°C 64% and it looks like it picked up to 12 again after I left.
Wind felt like I shouldn't have been riding at all, let along upwind AND jumping. A few spikes of "Oh yeah!" but they didn't last.

What I learned today ...
• A few things about the GoPro ...
• Fogging issues - using the car a/c to blast the case with cool dry air ... you gotta blast it for more than a few minutes. It might even be the case that the WHOLE CAR should contain cool and dry air.
• Perhaps the fridge would be a better idea ... or the toilet paper, just in case. Bah.
• Battery ... using one that was charged weeks ago only gets you an hour of recording :(
• Jumps that feel great IRL look like you just cleared the water on the GoPro. And they look even lamer when all the details are blurred out by fog :-/
• Jumping ... the good ones in the evening, I was sheeting right out as I sped up with a little downwind. Recently, I've been not sheeting out at all and the height of jumps has been variable. With the sheeting out, the UP was more aggressive!
• Which reminds me ... ages ago I decided that if you can't hold and load your edge when you sheet out to jump, then you're over-powered. How about that then?
• Water/wave/wind theory DOES work but is only any good for that moment in time ...

In the Morning ...

You can sail the seven seas!

Took 3 hours off this morning cos it was supposed to be crankin', yo! Well it wasn't. But it was punchy as hell instead 0_o started off trying to ride the S3 15 but it was lulling below its capabilities. So I ran back across the road and got out the 21 but it ended up gusting above its capabilities; so it was survival kiteboarding mode. Me versus the Norwester. Came out as a draw ... and I have a horrible feeling that the moment of the day was NOT captured by the GoPro :-/
Yep, confirmed ... damned battery!

So started off underpowered, but fighting gusts, trying to get away from the beach on the Flyradical. The wind came and went and came back with a vengeance; by which time I'd swapped to the Flydoor then back to the 'radical again ...

The Master of Disaster has arrived and will be raceboarding ... after he figures out how to relaunch his kite.

The jumps get better ... then, I got on the elevator - from hell! Up, up some more, then again and - oh wow I can see INTO the carpark that's behind the 20m-tall trees! Now I'm finally going down but wait what - I'm flying backwards?!?! I can actively feel the kite flying into the wind :o Try to redirect the kite on the way down but leave it too late so sorta dunk my bum then ride off ... does that count? +1 for me!

That was fun so I keep riding, but the gusts are nasty - the next big one shoots me off across the lake at Warp Factor 5 and I end up pulled forwards spinning around, miles downwind from my board. +1 for the wind :(

Keep riding for a while more but it's getting a bit mad, and I think it might be close to pack-up time ... I land the kite just as Miyachi comes over the road and he lands me - nice!

Pack up the 21, go to pack up the 15 but it's put a wingtip through a bridle while I left it laid out on the beach, so I untangle that then head on home. Hmm, I think I should come back after work and see if I can get some satisfaction ... wind is supposed to be more stable in the PM.

UPDATE 20/05/2012
I stand corrected! Good ol' GoPro! It was the whacky file-naming convention that threw me off ... I DID get the massive jump, all fogged up though it is. Looks like nothing special on the video :( nuts!




Mood of the Session was frustrated psyched shell-shocked.

Moment of the Day was the elevator ride from hell ... then flying backwards. Now I know what the gliding guys do ... and I think I can handle it - over nice soft water, anyway!

Weather was reported as 9 to 12 knots (LOL what-evah!) at 18°C 61% with gusts no more than 20knots. I think Hikone was a bit sheltered today ...
Wind felt like it was trying to kill me or make me pack up in disgust.

What I learned today ...
• Make sure you have ALL the bridles around the right way before you unattach lines and manually loop the end of the bridles through other bits of the bridle :-/
• Face-first into the water at speed ... doesn't matter if you close your eyes, the water is getting in anyway :o but you can still tell which way is up and keep the kite under control at the zenith :D use the force, Luke!
• When you're flying backwards, redirect sooner so the kite has time to pull you forwards.

Mellow top-up session

Been watching the weather forecast since Saturday, even the long range one ... getting desperate. Today there was a slim chance of a ride, so I went down the lake. Got there about 4pm (thanks to idiots at work insisting on a meeting in the middle of my lunch hour) and it looked doable.

Headed over to the lake with the S3 21 and the Flydoor and Mako, just in case. Nice quick set up but the launch went haywire because something got tangled in the bridle. Couldn't dump the kite on the ground cos ASSHOLES had left the gear they weren't using strewn across the beach so I had to fly it between their shit and then stall it to the ground. No bad skills for a kite that wasn't flying properly. Untangled that mess then got it back in the air ... bastards.

Started out on the Mako but I've yet to click with that ... going downwind too far. Get on the Flydoor - much better! More board speed means better jumps ;) I work on my load'n'pop take-offs. A few nice big jumps when the wind gusts up around 5 I guess.

Now I'm more powered, I change back to the Mako ... but the holes for the mutant setup are squirting water directly into my eyes. Dafuq? Give up on that and ride out the rest of the mellow session on the Flydoor.

Do some rotations, mess with the backroll transition ... might have that down, we'll see.

The Master of Disaster and dropped his kite TE down and is drifting up the river. Miyachi rescues him with his the SUP board.  Uncle Pyro has dropped his kite on the shore and wrapped lines around my Mako - that'll learn you for leaving your shit over the beach. Other kites are dropping. Auntie is going downwind. People are giving up. I'm still riding. In fact, yet again, I'm the last one riding and I'm still going upwind. Huzzah Flysurfer!

This should keep me going for a few more ... days.

Mood of the Session was cranky satisfied mellow.

Moment of the Day was getting the load'n'pop ju-ust right and rocketing up in the air!

Weather was recorded as 12 knots at 3pm, 22°C 44%, falling to 5 knots at 6. Gusts of 16 knots at 1pm.
Wind felt like I was slightly over-powered on the big board few a while, comfortable most of the time, falling to mowing the lawn. Was surprised to be riding without white-caps but still able to get right back upwind ... so long as I didn't jump or anything.

What I learned today ...
• Yes, the back-roll transition - stop pulling on the bar once the kite has moved to the other side of the window.
• But digging the new direction's front tip into the water is a silly way to face-plant.
• MUST replace the straps on the 'door! That LH one is hacking me off ...
• Good load'n'pop makes for good jumps with lots of drift ... hard edging on load'n'pop gives a more UP jump with little cross-wind drift.

Damned work

Who needs it? Not me. Not when it's blowing 20 knots ... finished at 5pm and rushed down the lake, probably got onto the water about 5:30pm well powered on the S3 15.

Mmm. Wind's gusty and punchy. Water is making like it can't decide if it should do rolling waves, short waves or karate chops. Or which direction it should come from. I try to get my thing down (as the kids say) and get a couple of fun jumps, a bit of elevator action but most is pretty limp - it's tough to get speed up, hold it long enough to find a piece of water to boost off then set up the jump :(

A couple of times the board gets wiped off my feet and once, I manage to keep the board on one foot, only to slam my other foot with it when I hit the water. Ouch.

The wind drops off again and people are getting off the water. Eventually, I have to loop the kite just to get back to the beach. Wait around for the wind to pick up - but it doesn't. Bastard. Be surprised if I got more than 45 minutes riding today ... all that lovely wind wasted!

Mood of the Session was expectant battered unsatisfied.

Moment of the Day was that first pair of tacks out, flying upwind of everyone thinking the rest of the session would rip. Oh you poor deluded fool.

Weather was recorded at 5pm as 21 knots falling to 15 knots 2 hours later; 12°C 68%.
Wind felt like it was awesome bu was just teasing me.

What I learned today ...
• My Grand Unified Wave/Water Theory has yet to be proven wrong.
• Might have gotten more riding in if, having had a psychic vision, I'd waited till the gusts had passed and pulled out the 21.
• Landing with your foot UNDER the board hurts.
• But not for long.
• Best way to pack up a Flysurfer ... use two of the bags of sand, on LE and TE, then fold the kite in half and tuck it under the bags. Now you can tidy up the bridles and THEY'LL STAY PUT while you roll it up.
• Oh  yeah and pack it in the bag while your standing - trying to stuff it in on the ground drags the sand in and makes it all messy ... we all know how important a tidily packed kite is :D

Blah

Forecast was cranking, hourly wind reports was cranking, wind LOOKED like it was cranking the flags. Unfortunately, it was all show and no blow :(

Put up the big Speed3 21 expecting to be nicely powered but couldn't ride either the Mako or the Flyradical so I went back to the the car for the Flydoor. Meh, still mowing the lawn but at least I'm going upwind occasionally. And getting the odd nice jump ... shame I'm so close to the shore - nearly had a close call there!

Despite being so underpowered, I stayed out for just over an hour. Naturally, just as I start packing up the wind picks up again ...

Mood of the Session was blah blah blah.

Moment of the Day was that back roll that was totally supporting by the kite moving around over-head :D funny!

Weather was reported as 12 knots falling to 9 (BULL-SHIT!) at 12°C 79%. Bloody cold, wind-chill was nasty - water felt warmer!
Wind felt like I should have been at least a little powered ... but wasn't :-/

What I learned today ...
• I should have asked Miyachi to borrow one of the race boards - would have been a good day for it.
• My theory with the waves seems to be a good one.
• Good speed and pop can still produce surprisingly good jumps in light wind.
• As does sending the kite properly.

\m/

ROCK ON! Epic session! Forecast was for heaps and that's what we got. Of course, it was better before I got there :-/ Frickin' work - who needs it?
Hauled ass out from the wrong side of the train lines and finally got to the lake around 4:40pm.

Everyone looked under-powered on their 7 to 10m kites - I guess it was even better before I got there.  I got changed in a hurry and took my 13m XB and 15m Speed³ cos ... well why not, the wind is forecast to drop and I want to jump BIG. For a change :D

Unwrapped and launching the Speed, although the wind felt fine on the beach it was a something else again once I got up and moving. And it was punchy too ... I was a bit worried for a few minutes.

First big jump I screwed up the redirect and slammed into the water; I can see how people break ribs. From then on though, it was absolute BUT-TAH!
Could I do anything wrong? Not really :D I borked a (very) few landings but that was down to either enjoying the view for far too long or doing something silly with the board, like falling off it. There were some ugly landing: flailing around trying to get into a balanced position but for the most part I landed and rode off like A BOSS. Several times I over-did the launch and ended up sailing through the air backwards ... but still landed it.

Fear is the mind killer.

From then on, it was all shits and giggles. Well, cackling like a lunatic anyway. And lots of WHEE! and AW HELL YEAH and I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HERE and even an AHOY ME HEARTIES AAARGH! yeah, I dunno where that one came from ...
Hironobu gives me a thumbs-up while I'm flying a few times :D

Took out the Mako for a run early on but was too over-powered - it bounced me around like a toy but when the wind lulled, I got a nice smooth ride out of it and some nice pops. It really does carve well ... maybe I need a 140 too :o

So when I swapped back to the 'radical, it got me thinking about how lazy I was being with my load'n'pops - I wasn't really using my legs. I worked on that for a while and got some smoother  launches ...

But the wind is dropping now and lulling down ... soon, Hironobu and Soh give up and I'm only riding across wind. So I pack it in ... my legs are tired but I had an awesome session!

I was in the car loaded up for home by about 7:30 so I guess I got 2 solid hours on the water ... great!

Mood of the session was jubilant cracked weary.

Moment of the Day was yet again another jump. This time though, it wasn't the highest or longest; it was the most backward-flying. And not getting pasted on the landing which is nice.

Weather was reported as 15 knots falling to 9 then climbing back to 11 knots by the time I quit; 15°C at 70%. Gusts no more than 30 knots - peak was recorded at 1pm. That data was recorded at the weather station at Hikone, about an hours drive north of Locus ... 1pm to 4 at Hikone was 17 to 8 knots; FWIW.
Wind felt like I was comfortably over-powered (on the Flyradical but fighting too hard for control on the Mako) and having fun; falling to being unable to ride upwind. After about 6pm, the wind got very lully, and as it dropped the lulls got longer till I gave up around 7pm.

What I learned today...
• You can (probably) gauge the wind by the height and "quality" of the waves.
• Free your mind and your ass will follow. Look where you want to go!
• My load'n'pops are getting VERY lazy. That *may* be down to sore legs from working out this week but most launches were very average - thank god for kickers!
• Mako needs less power than the 'radical but it's bottom end usefulness drops off sooner. I think 0_o
• Perhaps I need a 140 after all :D er, Buzz ... got any left?
• Speed3 15 has a great range! Easy to hold a good posture and ride over-powered with good YOINK when you boost. So much less back-stally than the 12 too ...
• Seems I jump both ways fine but it depends on the direction of the wind and waves ... I might be better one way than the other due to the above conditions.
• Sheeting out on the redirect speeds the kite across the window then sheet in just before you touch down - fast and butter-smooth landing!

Is more like it...

Last day of the hols for me; forecast looks good, thank god!

However, the weather had other ideas - I knew it was going to rain about 3-ish ... but hail? Seriously? In 15 degrees. Crikey! Once that was over though, the wind eventually picked up and the sky cleared and it was all good!

Well, it was better than yesterday. Wind was up and down and I had to concentrate solely on making ground upwind on occasions, but when the wind peaked around 5 it was great. Nice big jumps and as the wind dropped off, I did some rotations for the hell of it.

Pretty crowded out there, full turn-out for once. No real problems ... other than having to be super-careful about who was where when I was thinking about jumping - nearly landed on Mr. Fujii when he came ripping in almost under me :-/

Must have ridden for about 3 hours - I gave up when the wind was totally off ... and my legs were starting to be unable to cope with edging. Good day!

Moment of the Day was realizing that I can pretty much land any jump I do now ... sweet!

Mood of the Session was baffled satisfied worn-out.

Weather was recorded as 5 to 9 knots at 19°C 48% with gusts no more than 22 knots ... but that was at 10 a.m.
Wind felt like I was just powered at worst and well-powered at best. Could have done with a few more knots for some epicness though ...

What I learned today...
• As I said, landing 'regular' jumps seemed to have totally clicked.
• Good, clean pop is the key to jumping big. Messing that up ruins the jump ... big time!
• I should be doing rotations with my body more in the axis of the lines, rather than perpendicular to them ...
• That might solve my over-rotating when I get more loft than I expect.
• You have to look downwind, in front of and behind yourself before you jump ... problem with Flysurfers and their mad hang-time is how far you can float downwind and how much the traffic can change in the time you're in the air.

Well that was lame ...

Long story short - wind came up twice at 2 pm and 4pm-ish, allowing for short mowings of the lawn. We all packed up and ran away when the lightning started.

Mood for the Session was blah.

Moment of the Day was riding at all.

Weather was recorded as 8knots for one session and 10 for the other, 21°C at 55%.
Wind felt like I should have been having fun ... but wasn't.

What I learned today ...
• If it's sunny and warm, I don't need a wetsuit.
• But this is actually still cold water season - run-off from the snow melting in the mountains.
• And I get sun-burned :(

Like Mythbusters Life Raft*

* "... I'm ok I'm ok OHHHH MY GOD OHHHH MY GOD I'm ok I'm ok ..."

Supposed to be nukin' all day with some rain thrown in. It rained hard here in the morning so I kinda gave up on kiting and went out for lunch with the missus. By then though the rain had stopped, the wind was up and everything was dry. Headed to the lake at about 2pm.

No freakin' wind. At all. Stood around watching the horizon for a half hour, then some white caps rolled in. I suited up and dragged the S3 21 and 15 across to the beach. Waves looked small, white caps weren't that numerous so I set up the 21. Got it in the air - despite Uncle Pyro trying to dump his Rebel 16 on top of it ... for FUCKS sake you buy a brand new kite but skimp on the bar? Fucking F-One bar won't bloody work, that's why it won't fly!!!

Should have known ... when I was trying to launch, the wind shifted a bit and flopped the kite over. Got it in the air ok, then ... well DAMN. Got onto the water fine, started moving then got hit by shifty gusts as the kite shifted from NE to NW. Kite falafeled around up there, right over all the kites lined up on the beach - I was worried I'd have to QR and they'd get sliced. I barely managed to keep the kite flying but was being lobbed a little so I spotted Miyachi and called for a landing. By now the wind has shifted to total W and as I finally get the kite near the ground, the wind turns to S and starts blowing the parked kites around :o mine is in the lee of the trees so I wrap it up and pack it.

Crikey! I guess it IS bigger than some paragliders ... but that doesn't mean I want to do THAT in the middle of a crowded beach!

Wait a bit, wind settles then picks up from the NW. Seems constant but after the previous excitement, I'm wary. I wait a bit ... ok fuck it - lets go!

I pull out the 15m this time as it seems to be blowing. Have to wait while Boof-head walks OVER MY BAR and then OVER MY LINES then stands around dicking with his trim :-/ but eventually get on the water. Well powered! I'm loving it ...

Some nice boosts ("I ... like ... big ... boosts and I can not lie!") and some great kickers off the waves that are ramping up ... and some nice rotations. SOooo much easier using a smaller kite! Or maybe just shorter lines ... carry on like that for bit, then the wind dies off. My jumps get smaller, I'm losing ground so I get off the water cos it's NW and very cross-off - should I have to swim, I'll end up way past the Hino river mouth in the windsurfer area ... if I'm lucky. I'm still nearly the last one on the water though.

Tons of surfer dudes out there today, lots of non-locals. Thankfully, I get upwind away from them easily. Then look down on them from a great height :D
Gloves Guy is doing back-rolls now like a boss - he gets about 3m up on one and although he doesn't complete it (slams back-first into the water) he looks really great during the trip up!

Anyway, it looks like rain is on the way. I wait a bit; the wind picks up and others go out, but there's rain on the way for sure. I pack it in ...

Mood of the Session was disappointed worried stoked.

Moment of the Day was getting out on the S3 15 again - I love that kite! Easy pleased I am yes.

Weather was reported as 5 to 13 knots at 15°C 78% with gusts to 21 knots. The "averages" seem a bit low, I doubt I can be THAT powered on the 15 and Flyradical in 15 knots!!!
Wind felt like ok-powered then falling away to barely riding. That was when it wasn't trying to yank me skyward 0_o

What I learned today ...
• When the weather forecast say NW and the wind is blowing NE, it might shift and punch you in the nuts. Check my shorts!
• You don't need to tighten the leg straps up so much on the Fusion harness - snug them up and they don't ride up. Or rather, they don't get trapped and return to a suitable position.
• 15m Speed3 is a superb kite. The range is incredible - but when the wind drops, I see it stalling like the 12 does. So I can only assume that the 12 needs even more wind to be rocking. Yikes.
• When you do a front roll, on a smaller faster kite, don't keep pulling with your front hand - not only will it pull you out of the roll, but the kite will down-loop and lob you downwind, then drag you and ... it's not pleasant.
• After holding your breath through a jump (STILL?! idiot) it's best not to open your mouth for the big breath just as you land and spray water into your faith. Le splutter.
• I can do silly tail grabs - judo kick your front foot out and make an karate face ... OOOS!
• It's actually very satisfying to look around at the other riders, people on the beach etc while jumping ... I can see my house from here!

Phew!

So I've been keeping an eye on the weather - the way you do - and the forecast said the afternoon will be rocking. All afternoon. Thus one PM found me making my way to Locus ...

"Ah, this morning was great! We were all on our smallest kites! And the wind was silky smooth!" says everyone. Great, weather report was off again ...

Oh well, it looks ok now - but what is the wind going to do? Tough decision ... and everyone's telling me it's going to be windy ... but the waves are small and those on 12's and smaller look underpowered - I go for my 16 with the 13 handy just in case.

Well. I get out on one tack on the Flyradical but I'm underpowered so I go back for the Flydoor - then the wind totally dies. First time I've had to carry a kite on a Walk of Shame :o

Waiting, waiting ... hmm, I may as well unroll the Speed3 21 and check that I haven't tangled shit up while I was fixing the bridle lines the other day. Joy, I did a good job - even got the lines around the right way. Still pulling on that part of the kite though - that's annoying. Wonder why ...

Oh hey, the wind is picking up ... is it worth the effort? Why not! I prefill and launch and jump into the water - yeah! We're rockin'!

At first I'm comfy-powered and play with rotations some, keeping away from the far end of the beach cos I'm paranoid of the wind dropping like it did just before and leaving me to swim in for a third time ... but I kept an eye upwind on the white caps and didn't push my luck.

I did drop the kite once though, and it taco'd and had me worried cos it took a bit of time to relaunch it ... the wind was light at that time so it didn't really pop straight back up like it usually does. Got it in the end though!

As the wind reached its peak, I was throwing down some good jumps - got some well timed sends with kickers off the 'waves' too. Man, I'm giving up a lot of ground downwind though - scary amount really; more than once I fly further than I thought and had to make some emergency moves to stop riding into or wrapping people up in my kites and lines. I nearly collected Hironobu but he just laughed and smiled at me like a loon.

But all good things must come to an end, and the wind eventually started to drop again. Soon I was the only one riding upwind, then the only one riding and although I couldn't help myself, jumping was losing me too much ground downwind to get upwind enough on the remaining part of the tack. So I went back to shore and waited ...

The wind never came back so I packed up, glad to have had a good successful session on the 21 and to have tested my bridle replacement!

Mood was annoyed amped relieved.

Moment of the Day was landing and riding away from the really big jumps - and having someone notice and comment :)

Weather was recorded as 6 to 10 knots at 17°C 80% with gusts to 14 knots. Maybe - the good bit would have been at least 10 to 15 knots ...
Wind felt like I was on the verge of being over-powered ... I was having mad fun but if the peaks had become the average I would have changed kites.

What I learned today ...
• We seem to be into that season where the forecast doesn't match the wind, and the wind comes and goes in waves. As it were ...
• You can make ground upwind even if you cut your tack short so you don't get stuck with a long  crappy swim, should the worst happen. Again.
• I've lost a bit of confidence in the Speed3 21 - or maybe just have a less blase attitude toward it and light wind. Which is probably a good thing.
• S3 21 still delivers the goods for light wind power, lo-ooong hangtime and - when you time it right - frickin' big jumps!
• The group from Fukui had no clue about water etiquette - even simple things like raising or lowering their kites when passing :o
• Timing is king with the big kite - you have to pay a lot more attention to what it's doing to survive the jumps and landings!

Nice end to the week!

Finally get a day with decent wind ... maybe I won't have to swim this time! Good chance to break out the 16m Xbow ...
Get to the lake after a LONG day and everyone tells me how awesome it was an hour before I got there :-/ nice one guys. Still looks good but I know it's forecast to be dropping. And everyone is riding 10m kites ... I think I'll try the Speed3 12 ... would prefer to use the 15 but the bridle line I need to replace is a whole lot more intricately connected than I thought it would be, so that's still awaiting repair. Take only the Mako over to the beach cos I don't think this is going to work and bet I'll be heading back to the car soon.

Hmm, maybe not - the 12 is lifting me good and the whee! boing! warm-up is impressive! On the water it's a bit different though ... tough to get the kite making power - keeps wanting to back-stall. I try to adapt my style but the wind is lulling so much that I end up walking back up the beach :( man, that kite can jump though!!! Just time the redirect correctly :o

Stand around scratching my head ... oh well, I'll try the 16m Xbow after all. Find 4 holes in the canopy setting up :-/ not so happy. Once it's in the air though - oh yes, it feels better than the 2010! On the water ... it's faster, more responsive and less bar pressure. Jumps really well too!

Spend the rest of the session on the 16 and Flyradical - swap once back to the Mako but I can't yet go upwind as well on it and nearly have to walk. Have a great time jumping, then start doing rotations. Oh my, easy! And even better - I start doing sent front-rolls! Getting some nice height on them (feels like anyway) and using the kite redirect to pull me out of the spin.

Everyone else packs up but the wind is ju-uuust ok so I keep riding till after sunset ... I been waiting for a good session all week! Pack up in the dark and hump 2 kites and 3 boards back over the road ... phew!

Mood of the session was frustrated satisfied stoked.

Moment of the Day was the first front-roll that I went up, had enough hang time to go "Hey! I'm doing a good front-roll!" then redirect out of it and ride away ... awesome!

Weather was reported as 8 knots 17°C 52% from 4pm, falling to 4 knots by 7 but that just aint right either. Gusts of 20 knots at midnight ... huh.
Wind felt like I was almost over-powered with fully trimmed kite but lulling to walking!

What I learned today ...
• Speed3 12 ... needs really good technique or nukin' steady wind. It might be an ok land kite for me, cos once you get speed up it hauls nicely but it's a mare to get to that stage.
• Above kite was very back-stall-y especially during turns near the water. Huh? How you supposed to work it, if it won't turn without stalling?
• 2011 16m Crossbow is an improvement on the 2010 for sure - new bridle design I bet is the answer.
• The blue actually looks really nice IRL although it looks lame in pictures.
• 60cm is a lo-ooong bar ... maybe I need a 48cm for my 13 after all ...
• Using the kite for rotations is fun. I'm getting ok at it :D
• Jumps are no problem it seems - with the Xbows. I think I only screwed one landing and I even rode away from the splash down!
• Need to spend some time in the hols this week doing maintenance :(
• Switching from the Flyradical to the Mako - the 'radical feels more slicey when riding but the Mako feels more carvey when turning.
• Mako pops of its edge easier when jumping when is, in the chop, a bad thing.
• I can't go upwind as easy on the Mako ... yet.
• Mako certainly is a nicer ride through the chop.
• Both boards feel light on the feet; the 'radical feeling a little more mobile, especially when in the air. It IS shorter though ...
• Feel like I'm riding more on top of the Mako too. FWIW

Wot - again? Seriously???

Forecast looked ok - as good as the last time I was out there anyway - so I hit the lake.

Got on the water about 5 I think, nicely powered on the Flyradical and the 21 ... doing jumps and rotations, trying to stick the ball under the guidance block again but the wind is dropping. Having to concentrate on the riding to hold ground so I give up on the 'radical and get the 'door.

Still easily riding upwind, but the jumps are getting lame and I'm only just getting around on the back-rolls. Then my jumps are all turning into down-loop transitions cos there's just no wind to ride the landing out, without looping the kite.

By now, there's only me and a couple of directional riders on the water and I'm the only one not going downwind. I'm feeling pretty impressed with myself and my gear ... I should have known better :D

Fall over being silly bugger and lose the board, so I drag back to it. Not really paying attention, just enjoying the cool water and the warm evening, the glow of the sun behind the fog when ... the wind just DIES.

The kite stalls at the edge, and I wait for it to drop so I can pull a steering line but instead, it flies FORWARDS and almost lands on me. I swim backwards from it but there's literally NO WIND to relaunch it. I float around for a bit, check the horizon 'upwind' but there's nothing coming ... sigh, another swim I guess 0_o

I wrap my lines up carefully this time, properly at the bar, a hitch near the kite then wind on as much of the bridle as I dare and hitch that too. Swim to the board - it's not gone far - and head for the shore ...

Of course, I'm way the hell down the other end again and have set myself up for the longest possible swim. Again. Murphy screws me again.

Drag the kite in, push the board ahead of me ... probably a 30-minute-swim but it feels like an hour. The kite has got water in it again, but cos I've wrapped the lines and bridles up well, it's easier to deal with on the beach, soggy. Drains easily and I roll it up, start walking out ... then Miyachi turns up with the van! I get a nice ride back to the club house and someones brought my bag and other board back :) that's nice!

Lay the kite out, shake off the sand. There's only one inconsequential tangle in the bridle that's soon shaken out so otherwise, I'm good! There has to be a better way of getting the kite in though ...

It'll all learn me for crowing over everyone else's having to walk upwind eh!

Mood of the Session is happy, smug, humble-pie.

Moment of the Day was popping a big jump right in front of Mr Fujii, turning around to look down at him and STILL riding further upwind :D

Weather was recorded as 8 knots, 19°C (ZOMG!) 61% at 5pm falling to ... 1 knot LOL gusts to 14 knots at 4pm. Water was nice and flat again too.

What I learned today...
• If the wind is dropping and you don't want to quit riding, taking a long-ass tack all the way out towards Otsu is not the best idea - stay closer to shore with shorter tacks. Better to walk than swim!!!
• The Speed3 21 is a dangerous kite because it WILL fly in sweet-fuck-all wind ... so I've become overly cocky about just how little wind I will actually try to ride in, and how far away from the beach I'll push it.
• And if you're up and moving with apparent wind, you don't notice if you're scarily out of wind ... so you don't stay on top of keeping the kite loading and - well, you know the rest.
• Wrapping the lines up properly AND as far up to the bridle as you can is the way to do it.
• Get the kite over onto it's trailing edge while it's still full of air.
• I'm gonna have fun trying to dry this big white monster ...

Grr... bah humbug.

It all started so well...

Wind was forecast to be a bit on the light side then die off as the evening wore on. I got to the lake around 4:30 and everyone was setting up big kites... well, big kites for them - 12m and 14m kites :o

I thought it'd be a good session on the 21 so I hauled that out (been a while!) and got out onto the water with the Flyradical...

Oh yeah! I would have to say that I'm perfectly powered! Absolutely in the sweet spot - lots of power for speed, big floaty jumps and easy rotations but not so much that I can't edge up and load'n'pop perfectly! Loving the flat water too - best it's been in M-O-N-T-H-S!!! I'm happy! For maybe 30 minutes...

Then... coming out of a front roll, the lines are of course twisted but I look up and see a ball on the steering line is wedged in under guidance block and the kite is diving to right, picking up speed... I struggle with the line, pulling and yanking but it won't release the ball. In the second before the kite slams into the water I decide the smart thing to do is to pull the safety. Kite releases fine but flaps around in the air... hmm.

I swim up the fifth line and reassemble the QR (easy) and hook back in, but by this time the kite has managed to invert itself, bowtie and wrap a bridle through the middle of the bow-tie, effectively sealing the bow-tie in place. I struggle with the kite for a bit but I can't get even a tip up into the air and it looks like I'm pumping water into the inverted LE.

I think about swimming to the kite and manually untangling but it looks like I would drift into the marina wall. So I decide to self-rescue. Wind up the lines, swim to the kite (yup, pumped water into a tip) and begin my swim to the marina beach.

Oh so I wasn't actually that close to the beach :( I finally arrive after an epic cross-current swim, struggle to drain the water out of the kite then struggle with the tangled lines I've created by badly wrapping them around the bar. I think about relaunching it from the marina beach, but it's not big enough to lay out the whole kite - even though it was big enough and clear enough of junk to get onto safely. Actually pretty lucky where I ended up...

So I hump it back up to beach Locus. Phew, weighs a ton wet and sandy . . . lay it out, untangle the bridle - all this actually takes less time than it took to swim in :-/ shake the sand off and relaunch - takes a while to get air into it, but it flies ok and everything looks fine . . . will check it thoroughly in the daylight.

In the mean time - my board has dissapeared. We are not amused.

UPDATE 19/4: Mr Miyachi took the boat out today for an hour and found the board! Ahoy!

Moment of the Day was realizing I was perfectly powered and this was going to be a totally epic session. O cruel fates!

Mood was stoked baffled annoyed.

Weather was reported as 13 knots (16°C at 62%) falling and gusts of 20 just as I got on the water. I could believe 13, but not the gusts...
Wind felt like I was 100% perfectly powered!

What I learned today...
• The guidance block has GOT to go.
• Pulling the QR is not a good solution.
• People who worry about dangling bridles and getting tangled up underwater are wrong.
• The fifth line, on the other hand... tricky bugger.
• Even full of water, the kite floats.
• Wet and sandy, it weighs a ton.
• When self-rescuing, wrap the lines properly - don't figure-8 them over the bar. That leads to the bar putting itself through the bridles etc and compounding the mess.
• I've learned a great deal of patience in this sport - I didn't swear and curse or throw a tantrum at all.

Another good one

But a bit chilly...

After a drive from my new work location - way the hell out the other side of the state highway :-/ I finally arrived at the lake around 4:45. Wind looked great! Got dressed and decided to leave off the boots and gloves... took the Flyboards and 13m Xbow over to the lake.

Kickin'! Boosting big, pretty much at the limits of the kite I reckon. It started misbehaving in the gusts but not badly. I did, however, have to trim it all the way at one time - got difficult to hold the edge while riding.

It was pretty awesome being able to boost big jumps time after time on a single tack and still be making ground upwind :)

I kept riding till the sun started getting close to the hills and thought about packing up, then Soh showed up so I didn't stop :D we were the last two on the water as it got dark... the wind had died by then so I packed up, feeling satisfied.

Mood was mellow satisfied bemused.

Moment of the Day was another front roll, that went up up up and round and down oh so smooth. Just like I meant to do it that way ;)

Weather was supposed to be only 6 to 8 knots :o but I'd pull the trim strap all the way in on the 13. 11°C at 78% and gusts of only 20 knots... you're letting me down, JMA.
Wind felt like I was 30% powered but not riding upwind, 65% over-powered but loving and 5% over-powered: check my shorts!

What I learned today...
• 15°C is enough to go without gloves and boots. Right about the time the cherry trees blossom ;)
• Water is still too cold to be trying to do rotations and getting dunked... brain freeze!
• I should probably have put up my 10.
• Or the 12m Speed3...
• If there's waves on the water like there was tonight, probably a good idea to use the Mako.

Now we talkin'

Well it's about goddamn time. Good afternoon forecast... I tried to weasel out of working a full shift but it didn't happen. So when work let out at 4:45 I headed straight down the lake... got there about 5:20-ish. Straight into the wetsuit, quick look at the wind and other kites up - 13m day! hopefully on the Flyradical - and hauled ass over the road, pump the kite (quick relax and check my shit is wired right) then jump in the water...

... just as everyone is getting off :D so for a while it's me, Soh and Hironobu, then just me and Hironobu till dark.
Wind is great, I'm psyched so I go at it as big as I can. Some really good jumps, and I only foul up the landing of one. I even start doing some backrolls, trying to go big (double to splash down) and front rolls...
I rode until dark and when Hironobu got off the water, I decided it was time to pack it in... the wind was dying, anyway.

Mood of the session was amped.

Moment of the Day was that front roll that straight up, around and back down to land almost where I took off... not sure if that's how they should be done, but it felt really good :D

Weather was recorded as 18 to 14 knots, 11°C 76%. It was gusty, and there was one occasion when the kite started twitching so I'm betting the peak gust of 28 knots was pretty accurate.

What I learned today...
• Don't need gloves and boots any more.
• I can get to the lake after Saturday work and still have enough time to wear myself out - HOO rah!
• You can survive pretty much any ugly send or takeoff so long as you get the kite back over your head and time the redirect properly.
• I still hold my breath when jumping :-/
• And I'm still pussying out when the gusts come through and I could really boost huge!
• My excuse for the above is that it's tough to hold the edge to pop properly. Honest.

Better...

but still not Epic.

Forecast looked awesome all day, so I headed to the lake at 12:30pm-ish to make the most of the sunny afternoon... and there was frickin' NO WIND.
Stood around shooting the shit with Miyachi and after moaning about the bar pressure on my Xbow 16 (am I turning into a limp-wristed sissy?!?!) he offered me his 14m RPM. I was actually hoping for the 15m Naish Charger but oh well :D

During the standing around, the wind picked up and we got white-caps on the lake - suit up! Rush the beach! Hump the gear!
Pah, no need... even after setting up the kite and diddling around going back to the car for gloves, it still wasn't that windy. I got on the water anyway with the new kite...

So what's it like, mister?
First thoughts on the RPM were "Wow, this is just like my arcs! But without all the power through the turns!" As the day went on, that feeling was reinforced as the kite jelly-fished, twitched and vibrated just like the arcs do. It IS a very nice kite though, don't get me wrong!
Heavier on the steering that the sheeting; likes to be worked to make power but doesn't really feel like it's powered; fast in turns but not so fast that it'll spank you... where I enjoy riding it the most though is no doubt out near it's top-end... and it gets twitchy and punchy up there, jerking and behaving badly.
Directly connected rear lines give good feedback - but too much in my opinion... you feel every twitch and vibration of the lines; I prefer the 'damping' of systems with pulleys. For now...
I was surprised at how little power it made in loops... and it needed a lot of wind for me to park'n'ride. I never got off the Flydoor and never though about trimming it either - much to Miyachi's surprise.
Also, really didn't want to turn with the bar right out - I dunked it once (and only once!) when it just wouldn't  turn and I dragged a wing-tip... relaunch was fine, maybe just a tad more difficult than the Xbow but that may have been cos the kite was heading towards a buoy and I was getting worried...!
Over all, a really nice kite but I'm happier with my 2011 Crossbows!
(Was on a big bar - 65cm probably, with 27m lines too... FYI)

... wind was up and down all session - we spent a lot of time trying to get moving in the lulls and then having fun in the gusts. Soh changed his kite several times and I either kept working the hell out of the kite, jumping like a loon or standing on the beach :(

Got some nice jumps in, really nice float with the RPM - there was even one magic moment when I just hovered there, like a helicopter :) one hard landing really gave my gammy ankle grief though and I thought I'd have to quit... but I didn't!

As I was giving up for the day, I was trying to catch Miyachi's eye to get him to land the kite - I don't want to self-launch or -land borrowed kites! - the kite got hit by a gust and front-stalled, falling to the ground :o I watched in horror as it rolled over on to the L.E. and I sheeted out so it flipped on then just waited as Miyachi was dashing over to secure it... phew!

Nice session, despite all the underpoweredness and it was really interesting to try a modern, different kite system to those I'm familiar with.

Mood of the Session was relaxing enjoyable.

Moment of the Day was the back-spin that used the kite nicely and was more what I think they should be rather than an overly quick whip-around... it was up, float, rotate, redirect then pull out of it :)

Weather was all over the place... it's recorded as between 12 and 14 knots with gusts no more than 29 (5am) but it was above and below that all day. Temperature was between 7 & 8°C at 45%. I felt cold when I got off the water and stood around doing nothing.

What I learned today...
• JMA forecasts, especially the hourly ones... if the wind is NW then it's an hour ahead, if the with is N to NE then the wind is an hour behind. So if JMA said the wind was 6m/s at 1pm from the NW then it hit Locus at 6m/s around 12; 2pm at Locus if the wind is N.
• I should be happy with my 2011 Crossbows cos they are really great, stable, and well-behaved kites.
• Where I like to ride kites is out the top-end of their design limits.
• So the heavier, more stable kites give me more fun and peace of mind. See point one.
• I'm still of the opinion that behaviour of the kite when over-powered is related to the number of struts... I'm thinking 5 might be a magic number for a balance of light weight (my god the RPM was light!!!) and stability...
• My jumping 'skills' are transferable between kites.
• I prefer riding my S3 15 in winds like we had today - and I would have been jumping much higher :D

Light-wind workout

Forecast looked good so I tripped down the lake at 12 and had a look. Mmm, looks bloody cold out there... I'll shoot off to Immigration and wait for it to warm up a bit.

Got back about 3 and Taki was out on the water. Miyachi reckoned it would be ok and the sun was out so it was warmish. Took the 16 Xbow and Flydoor over to the lake again...
The 'bow is mostly dry from yesterday's horror show so I only need to flick the sand off. I lay the bag out on a stump to dry out...

Onto the water, I'm feeling as powered as yesterday but am going upwind, which is nice. Bar pressure still feels massive though! Some tiny jumps and some half-assed rotations but the wind is dropping.
I unpack and launch the Speed3 21 but now the wind has totally dropped, so I land it and pack everything up. Le sigh again.

WagonR Guy got stuck down past the marina when the wind dropped... he had a good ol' walk back to the launch spot. So it could have been worse!

Moment of the Day was not having to walk.

Weather was reported as 10 knots, falling to 6 at 6.1°C 66%. It was cold enough that you could see your own breath! Yet my body was warm. Weird.

What I learned today...
• I need a big inflatable kite with less bar pressure!!!
• A good load'n'pop is essential to jumping bigger. I knew that already in my head, but seeing it work on the water set it in stone. Ok not seeing - feeling.
• Should have gone with the S3 21 straight away... that would have made it a gravy session :(

Riding in the rain...

... sucks.

Forecast was for the rain to come through then stop - which it did - not for it to start raining again :( I wanted to try out the 16m Xbow again so set that up and got into the water with Miyachi and Taki.

Man, what a gyp. At first, the wind was fine and there was no rain so it was ok, but I'm not really enjoying the kite - too much bar pressure and I'm not getting good drive. Then the rain starts and the wind (apparently) is all shifty cos although I'm feeling powered, I can't actually get upwind.

Keep riding for a while but give up in disgust - about 15 minutes before it stops raining :-/ now my kite is soggy, my gear is soggy, the kite bags are soggy... le sigh.

Moment of the Day was the nice warming vodka shot when I got home.

Weather was reported as 14 knots, falling to... 3 :o at 8.7°C 80%. Gusts no more than 20 knots.

What I learned today...
• Not even worth trying to ride in the rain.
• You can't wait it out.
• Xbow 16 has too much bar pressure for me now - I've been spoilt by the smaller kites and more technically effective Flysurfers.
• Of course, it might be the 5mm gloves causing the forearm pump :o

More like it!

Forecast for today was less than yesterday, but the fronts weren't rolling through, so I was betting that the wind would be more stable. Loaded up the car and headed down at 1pm.

The course racing kooks were at it again, and the carpark was crowded, the beach was crowded, the water was... you get the picture. Junkie Sensei and I stood around looking at the far banks of the lake, humming and harring. He decided on his 9, I decided on my Xbow 13. I had my 16 with me too but when the blow-line arrived, I thought it wouldn't be needed so when I went back to the car to change and get my boards, I brought my 10 with me...

Laid out my lines to set up and go to launch but - the Flysurfer distributor has laid his lines out over the top of mine. Derp. And not the last time today he'll annoy me - he turns in front of me hard, without looking behind him and nearly wears my kite. Good thing I was watching him... kook.

At first, the 13 is great and I switch to the Flyradical and have some fun. The wind dies off again so I'm back on the Flydoor. So continues the theme for the day, repeating 3 times until...

Must be about 4pm - big front comes through and it's all on like Donkey Kong! I'm over-powered on the 13 and have to trim it a bit, and it's gusty and punchy, but I'm having great fun, boosting as big as I can and - best of all - I'm landing all but maybe one or two! As the wind starts to stabilize, it drops off a bit and while I'm getting some great boosts, the wind drops off while I'm up and I get plonked a few times.

After maybe 30 minutes or more, the wind finally falls away consistently but I'm weary and a bit cold so I call it a day. And what a great day it was!!!

Poor old Flysurfer Guy had another kitemare - dunno what happened yet but when I left the beach, he was unpacking a Pulse 2 and when I looked back a few minutes later, it was wrapped around the top of a tree :o

The Mistress of Disaster is obviously feeling threatened by ability to ride upwind when she can't, land big jumps and do back-rolls - she had the bloody cheek to ask if I'd put weight on. Shame my Japanese isn't good enough to say "Actually, bitch, I gone down 2 sizes in pants. You, however, look like you need a bigger harness and wetsuit." Oh ok - I can say that in Japanese but I'm just too polite.

Moment of the Day was surviving the gusts and boosting huge and riding away with feather-soft landings!

Weather was reported as 8 knots falling to 4, back up to 16 then dropping to 10 with peak gusts of 24 knots; about 8°C at 68%.

What I learned today...
• Why people like fast kites.
• It cos when you do jumps and stuff, you can use the kite to rescue your cock-ups with timing, sending etc.
• And it's easier to control what's actually happening.
• Everyone is someone else's kook.
• Freakin' course racing numpties riding downwind through the middle of everyone else trying to tack, flailing around in the launch zone trying to get on a plane, dropping kites while trying to man-handle their gigantic boards, not giving way and pushing through the riding pattern... dicks.
• Ok so I can handle more power with the Crossbow 13... but on flat water. With the big chop and waves and whatnot on the lake, you bounce around so much that you can't edge up against the kite and drive it to the edge...
• Glad I didn't have my S3 21 out!
• S3 15 wouldn't have been totally mental!
• Started playing with using the kite to 'pull' me out of backrolls... mixed results.
• Sometimes it's just fun to edge up a kicker-wave not so hard, send the kite back and rotate around to downwind :D
• And some other times it's fun to ride in fast, edge up hard and send the kite - BIIIIIIIIG jumps!!!

Gnarly... and cold.

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!!!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

• The 15 is a total gem - in the right wind, it's going to be a boost monster!

• I want a dry-suit.

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!

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!

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.

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!!!

Leap Day lays on a sweet sunset session!

Wasn't thinking about getting a ride in today but when I opened my browser to check mail, the weather tab was open and showed a cracking forecast. I refreshed the tab thinking it was old data but no, the weather has improved over-night! Woot! Luckily, I still have my gear in the car from the aborted session on Monday...

Wind is good up north where I was working, but when I arrive at Locus there's SFA. Looks like a front coming in though... stand around chatting with Soh for a bit then as the wind definitely has picked up, get changed and hit the water!

Head out on the Mako and initially, I'm powered fine but then I'm losing too much ground in the jumps that I can't jump AND get back upwind, so I come back in for the Flydoor.

Better... I enjoy some jumps that all seem to end up as transitions cos I have to downloop the kite to stop from borking the landing.

Soh is riding upwind ok but packs it in slightly earlier than I do. I keep going and the wind picks up even more - BIG jumps now! Having trouble sticking the landing - think I'm redirecting too early and getting turned to the side.

Have a great session though and come in to pack up in the dark... must have been 90 minutes on the water. Excellent.

Moment of the Day was the "kite loop" that I did on purpose and actually felt the lift and pull downwind... just like a real one. Ok I lie - the big jumps are still giving me wood.

Weather was recorded as 6.2 knots at 5pm, 8.1°C 73% BWA-HAHAhahahaha whatever!!!
Gusts to 16 knots at 10 minutes past 5--yeah that seems more like it.

What I learned today...
• The disadvantage of having loose footstraps is that your feet slip out mid-jump.
• The advantage of having loose footstraps is that you can slip your feet back in--after they slip out mid-jump.
• The Mako isn't really great at going upwind. Well, not as good as the Flyboards... wonder if it's the rocker or the curved rails?
• The kite going to the edge of the window IS what's pulling me around to land backwards.
• I need wrist straps to stop water going up my sleeves and my gloves being peeled off.
• Miyachi sells wrist straps.
• I bought wrist straps.
• On the rooly big jumps, I'm being rotated to land backwards because I'm redirecting the kite too early.
• Maybe.
• Soh broke his wrist over the New Years in Okinawa.
• Miyachi rode on Monday but it was very shitty conditions - I didn't miss anything worth not missing.