New location is OK

Wind's forecast to be up in Mie . . . I'm betting Machiya will still be borked, so I'll go have a look anyway and maybe do the Yacht Harbor. The wind hasn't picked up by the time I leave at 12, so I may end up driving around just checking out both locations.

Yep, zero wind at the ocean, but there's white caps moving in from the horizon. So I might wait for it . . . car park is good, though far away from the area where the flags stop. Oh foo, a whole 5 minute walk! Problem is, what to do with my car keys.

Mmm, here's the wind. Light at the car so I go out with the Flite. By the time I reach the beach, I'm wondering if that's a good choice, but it's gusty (lully) so why not? Alone when I launch but by the time I get a tack or two in there's 3 other guys on the water; one keeps waving at me - wonder who that was?

Waves are small and almost at the wrong angle on both tack to use as boost ramps, as they're mostly too 'soft' for great boosts off them but - it's better than sitting around at home!

Doop-de-doo . . . wind is picking up, ceasing to fun and I need a drink anyway, and there's someone to grab my kite so I come in and land it.

Naturally, the wind has dropped by the time I set the XB up :-/ we all wait around for a while, the wind picks up for a brief yeehaw then drops right up . . . until I've completely packed up again. Oh well.

Only thing I don't like about that beach is all the shells. Worried self-launches will bugger the kites. Need an anchor, I guess. There's much, MUCH less trash though!

Here's the beach at the Tsu Yacht Harbor.

---

Moment of the day was a rather slick cut-back (I think it was called) while surfing down a wave. I'm getting good at that. Har har.
Mood of the session was happy worried satisfied.

Weather was reported as 17 knots falling to 12, gusts to 28 at 5pm; 27˚C at 86%. 27 . . . I guess summer is over then, huh?
Wind felt like it was over 20 knots when I changed the kites then was 15 or less when I got back on the water, then struggled up to about 15 :( fickle bitch.

What I learned today . . .
• Fins on Ol' Faithful need replacing! Where ARE those damned spares?
• XB13 is just the greatest kite for doing what I like using it for; I love riding with "small" kites! Going to get a play with the Draft 14 and see . . .
• Straps on Ol' Faithful need work too.
• The Yacht Harbor beach has smaller waves than Machiya.
• Those poles with red flags delineate the swimming area.
• Watch out for old buggers with cameras who like to grab the bar.
• Need a spare key for the car.

Either I've been REALLY spoiled by Thailand . . .

or just today was gusty crap. Cos if it's always like this, then . . . well. I remember Thailand being forever smooth :(

Came and went all afternoon. Got out on the Flydoor, on the Dialer, then had a drink and went back out on the 'door.

Now, I've not much to say cos it wasn't an epic session but FOR THE EVERLASTING LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST why would you take your stupid pre-school brats, walk in a straight line from the break in the trees opposite the carpark at the clubhouse, and park your ass on the beach in the middle of everyone launching and landing AND put your stupid brats in the water in the middle of everyone leaving the beach?

You know you're being a FUCKING MORON when the JAPANESE guys are saying you're a fucking moron. And you should fucking know better cos your husband is a fucking instructor!!!

I'm trying really hard to /rant.

---

Moment of the day was that proper carve!
Mood of the session was whee bah whee!

Weather was reported as 12 knots gusting to 22...? 29˚C at 50%?!?
Wind felt like 10 to 15 knots, gusts to 20.

What I learned today . . .
• The XB is slo-ooow!
• Boost height is a little better than the Flite (MAYbe) but you get more loft out of sending it but only if you do it j-u-s-t right.
• Going from the Dialer to the Flydoor - I kept wondering if I'd snagged a fin on one of the little kids. Drag, much?
• Better to put the harness on loose? Certainly easier to wiggle it down and get the straps outa my ass crack.
• Backspin transition no loop - get aggressive and redirect early to get a yank and get planning sooner.
• Oh I remember - loosen the harness off . . . lessens the relentless wedgies.

In which I realize I've been spoiled by Thailand

Forecast looked like it might happen but there was no agreement between GPV and JMA . . . but at 2pm the webcam was going off.

Got down the lake at 2:30pm and headed over with the Dialer, Flydoor and Flite.

Out on the Flydoor - feels different to the v2 eh. So does the rough water :o felt a bit timid, didn't really do much. Knots on the pigtails in the wrong place make the steering vague.

Pull the strap out . . . same bolt, different board. Hmm. Wind's dropped and I ride/walk back for the Dialer. Get a few minutes in then the wind drops again. Up, down, shifting from N to NW then drops right off.

Stand around for a while then head home about 5pm. Water was a bit cool . . .

---

Moment of the day was carving around on the Dialer.
It sucks when you're too lazy to reset the settings.

Weather was reported as 3 to 12 knots, gusts to 20; 24˚C at 85%.
Wind felt like 12 to 15 knots . . . powered in the best bits but I could have done with moar!

What I learned today . . . 
• Check all your screws often if you're not going to Loctite them!
• Or at least, leave the good screwdriver in the car.
• The new-style Airush pump is brilliant.
• The new-style Airush clip is bloody annoying on the Flite cos of the hook in the end, and the strap.
• Second knot.

Good last one

Forecast looked ok for the PM and as it was our last day here, thought we'd just relax at the beach anyway. Got there about 4pm to SFA from the SW . . . changed then slowly picked up to lookin' good from the NW.

Went out about 5pm and had a pretty nicely powered session! Good power to nicely over in the gusts, to just under in the lulls. Only came in cos the sun was setting.

Tried out the Xcaliber and Tronic for a good few minutes . . .
Xcaliber is awesome on flat water, feels really locked in but may be too stiff in the chop - tended to get bounced around if you weren't on the ball.
Tronic is too narrow at the tips - constant spray on the back leg (but none on the front and into the face?!) and tougher to go upwind. Wonder if I shouldn't just go for the XL size :( Tough call now . . .

Dawn patrol is the answer

Again, up early and out to Nathon. Best light wind session so far, riding upwind ok most of the time. A few silly jumps and stunts but I still want more wind!

Dawn and storm

Dawn patrol again, paid off with a just-powered session for a couple of hours.

Storm came through in the afternoon, and I arrived just in time to . . . miss it.

Dawn patrol

Been noticing that the wind comes in at dawn then dies off, so heading out bright n' early today... got some underpowered riding in from 7 to 8am. Flat water is still amazing!

The following few days looks better...

One mad minute

Spent all day humming and harring cos the wind didn't seem quite there. Mark assured me that it'd come in, in the late afternoon. So we went to Angela's for a late lunch then got back to Nathon about 4.

Waited some more, looks like it'll pick up, there's a storm cell out at sea. I decide to be the guinea pig and launch first. Tack out through the flat, 3 inch deep water... mmm, it's coming in but it's gnarly - canopy is twitching like a mad thing.

Get out past the sand bar and let rip. Good jumps, some almost make me go "woohoo" so it's good. I'm just getting used to being well over-powered and then Mark cuts by close and says "Watch out for that"; that, being a big black cloud bank.

Another what felt like 5 minutes of great fun then it started to drop. When I couldn't go upwind any more, I made my way back into the shallows. Landed my kite, then the wind fell right off.

Well, it was awesome for a while there!

Weather was reported as 15 to 20 knots.
Wind felt like 25-30... it was hairy.

What I learned today...
• Mark likes pies.
• Buzz is a wind god. Or whatever it is that when someone comes and sets their gear up, the wind dies.
• Jumping from flat water is tough. I like my kickers.

Nathon again

Early morning trip to the beach was a waste of time, but a storm whipped up some fun in the late afternoon, until dark. Thankfully, the tide had come in some so it was good.

---

Weather was reported as 15 knots.
Wind felt like 15 knots. Comfy powered to wanting more.

What I learned today...
• Don't leave your kite out in the sun! A non-painful lesson, I think.
• Pump that bugger up properly.
• Don't trust that your lines aren't tangled, even though you wrapped them up carefully...
• Tips can fold if you load the kite and haven't pumped it up enough.
• I'm sure there was something else too...

Back in Thailand!

The usual trepidation when heading out to a "new" spot... checked out Twin Peaks but there was no water - tide was wa-aaay out so I went up to Nathon. The KBA boys were there, so quickly caught up then headed out. Walked out through ankle deep water to the deeper part of the bay.

Well, there's enough wind to get up and plane downwind. Slowly picks up over the next two hours but still isn't epic. A few tiddler jumps and rotations but the crowd isn't going wild. Rated it "gravy" cos it was good enough to get me back into the groove.

---

Moment of the day was that first tack out on the perfectly flat water... OMG!
Mood of the session was bemused amused.

Weather was reported as 10-13 knots from the SE,  30˚C.
Wind felt like that. Underpowered but riding downwind to just riding upwind but unable to really do anything cool.

What I learned today...
• Flat water is so damned nice!
• Using a compressor to inflate your kite is so damned nice!
• Having a lawn to pack your kite up on is so damned nice!
• Having a cold beer right after you pack up is so damned nice! And no threat of getting caught by the cops is... so damned nice!

Third time's a PITA

Good wind but the wrong kite - not in a suitable state of tune. Nothing exciting really happened, except having such little low-end that I had to tack way the fuck out to Otsu before I could get out of the Marina bay.

---

Moment of the day was making it back to where I started from :-/
Mood of the session ranged from goddamnitmuthafucka to oh-bah-humbug.

Weather was reported as 10 to 12 knots, gusts to 18; 29˚C at 55%. Huh.
Wind felt like crap. Kite was out of tune so that didn't help.

What I learned today...
• The P4 19 is in dire need of a tune-up!
• Dialer is hard on the legs!
• The Infinity bar mod works great.

Better. Keep working on it

Good forecast for a change, due in around 2pm. Watching the JMA and webcam like a hawk... do some laundry (!) then head off about 2:30pm. Get to the lake and it's still not arrived, really. Take the Flite and the XB13 over the lake with both TTs.

Hum n' harr for a bit... go with the Flite and the Z. Out of the gates it's ok, the water isn't hacked up yet so it's easy upwind but I'm not super-powered.

Wind drops, I swap to the Flydoor. Wind drops right off, I land the kite and wait. Repeat several times.

Get a few multiple rotations, one really good jump but mostly it's just low-level dicking around. Had hoped for so much more... maybe I should have gone with the 13 :(

Wind picks up really well for one last run... not having fun with the Z in the extra slop n' chop so I go back to the Flydoor. Easier to ride!

---

Moment of the day was either the solitary Big Jump or the really phat, lazy, perfect front roll.
Mood of the session was fine hmm whee!

Weather was reported as 12 to 15 knots, gusts to 22; 30˚C at 68%.
Wind felt like I should have been boosting higher, given the effort it was to hang on to the bar.

What I learned today...
• Slow steering = heavy bar pressure but not much slower. Smoother, I think though.
• Those bloody screws in the Z need to be loctited!
• Less extreme penetration deep anal sex with a wetsuit on... it was downright comfortable for the first 2 hours!

Could have been worse...

Forecast wasn't up to much but I was a-prayin' for the thermals... and they delivered.

Watched the webcam all P.M. until 5 when the wind turned and picked up. Rocked on down, decided to go with two TTs and the 21.

Was having an ok session... jumps still can't do well with that damned board. Foot-outs are easy though. Getting upwind fine if I slow it down.

Got stoked cos I was landing backroll board grabs :D so started trying to do backroll kite loops... but now I realize they were doomed from the start, because I wasn't thinking about the right way to do them and had used up the mojo on the triple front- and backrolls and grabs.

So I borked one up, was underwater and thought I'd let the kite finish the loop and then - SPROING - the kite is flying by the RH lines only :( the LH power pig tail has ripped in half. Sigh... kite spirals down onto the beach, with a tip in the water. Wrap up the lines and rescue the kite, bamboo tangled like a mother in the lines... and there's a broken line, so that'll have to be fixed too. Grr. And there's a boo-boo on my finger.

Oh well, I got nothing but time baby! Back to the P4 for light wind then :D

---

Moment of the day was landing the backroll grabs! The multiple backrolls were groovy too.
Mood of the session was ho-ho-ho-doh.

Weather was reported as 10 to 8 knots, gusts to 14; 30˚C at 71%.
Wind felt like an honest 15 knots, with a few knots on either side.

What I learned today...
• The FS pigtails aren't designed for the big boys to throw down the powered submarine moves.
• You can give yourself a lot of pain by smashing your own fist into your harness. Who knew?
• Backroll board grab! without a redirect so I gotta be careful... and they're tough on the starboard tack for some reason.
• Trimming the Z is a tough job.

Well ha bloody ha.

Iffy forecast, but I thought I'd go with GPV and head down the lake around 3. No wind, but people on the beach. Went over to the lake with the Dialer under one arm, the Z under the other and the 21 on my back.

Phew, wind coming in in squalls, nearly binned the kite with the stalls and jerks. Wind, no wind, wind, no wind... pissing with rain.

Gah.

---

Moment of the day was the hang time.
Mood of the session was uh-oh, ho-ho, hmm.

Weather was reported as 12 to 8 knots, gusts to 20; 32˚C at 68%.
Wind felt like crap. Initially I was bit worried, then it sucked, the it really sucked, then it was ok, then it really sucked again.

What I learned today...
• The "problem" with the Z is that it has very good bottom end for a "small" board, but you can't hold it down as the wind picks up. Well, I can't anyway.
• Going upwind is better done slowly on the Z. Which isn't so exciting, especially when you want to boost huge.
• Jumping to the Dialer feels like you're dragging a rope behind you, from all the fin-drag.
• Or maybe the Z is just too lose?
• The 21 is bloody heavy when it's soaked and covered in sand. Needed a wash anyway!

Double skunkage

Forecast looked good for Machiya, so I headed over there aiming to be in time for the 3 o'clock 20 knots... we got - dick. Got a look at the construction going on... god, it's rooted. The construction has made a total mess of the beach and there's almost no parking within miles. God knows how crowded it will be when the new park is up and running. Idiots and assholes!

Drove back to Shiga and... WTF there's wind from the north! Head out to the lake - yup, people are riding. Looks light and they're walking on 10m and directionals, so out comes the 21. Er, think I'm going to be over-powered... nope it's fine!

Try the Z out again. Better, the water is flatter but boosts are still hard to edge into. Then the wind drops, and it's all over. A handful of jumps and rotations, but not enough to get my mojo going.

Head out for one tack on the Flydoor but even that's not doing it. Pack up... sigh, what a day!

---

Moment of the day was getting upwind on the Z :-/
Mood of the session was resigned exciting resigned.

Weather was reported as 12 to 6 knots, gusts to 30 about a 1/2 hour before I go to the beach. 33˚C at 66%.
Wind felt like I'd be over-powered on the 21 but was only just powered enough to work the Z upwind, to being unable to fly the kite.

What I learned today...
• Machiya is F-U-C-K-E-D.
• The 21 needs a wash - a golden brown from the dust on the beach. Goes to show how rarely it goes in the drink!
• The Z can be made to do things right... I'll keep persisting till we get back from Thailand but I think it's just too technically demanding for my dumb ass.
• Need to try new fins and different stance widths too...
• Some dickhead fisherfuck put nets across the beach - got my foot tangled in it.
• The 2012 Fusion is officially dead - straps have broken off the harness.

A lament for the 'radical

Forecast looked crappy so I went out for a ride on the Duke. New brake pads and tyres... what fun! But noticed the wind was up... crikey, quite a blow!

Get home and yes, the wind IS up so I head down the beach. Looks a bit light so I go for the Flite with the Dialer and Z just in case.

Really nice play on the Dialer in light wind. Reading the article on ikitesurf helped to cement what I'm doing/trying to do. Wind seemed to be picking up so I went for the Z...

Man, I just can't get with that. Good blow on but I spent 2-hours tacking out, doing a trick, loosing ground, and basically just trying to get back to where I started from without having to walk.

Spray in the fucking face, unable to load and boost... man, I want my Flyradical back :(

---

Moment of the day was riding the waves into the marina beach like a BAWS.
Mood of the session was la-la yeaaaaah argh.

Weather was reported as 12 to 13 knots, gusts to 19. 30˚C at 66%.
Wind felt like just-under to nicely-powered... I'd say 15-18 knots in the good spots.

What I learned today...
• The Z is not the board for me.
• Dialer is a board for me.
• Riding on the stopper is a good way to build speed.

Pick n' mix

Had some fun, made some gybes, ate some shit, missed the thermals. . . it's all good.

I knew the wind would only come in for an hour so I made sure I was there in time. Went with the Flite cos why not.

Started out on the Dialer, having a nice time. Some kids are waving and squealing at me - think I heard one of them say my name, wonder if they're students. Having fun riding waves.

Wind picked up some so I came back in to get the Z . . . ballsed up a gybe and things got weird - board downwind, me getting pulled at the pointy ends, body-english to avoid it, dive the kite a bit and get dragged up the beach so I half-heartedly hit the QR. Doesn't release so I think it missed it, but as I get my feet under me it goes - I'm hanging onto the kite with both hands but there's no way that I will be able to reset the QR so I just let go the kite. Now I think I could have put it to the edge of the window . . . doh.

So I reset the kite and got on the Z. Under-powered but it was actually feeling really nice . . . less chop?

That was good until the the pad slipped . . . WTH? Oh, the screw has come out - shit! Go back and get the Flydoor, but the wind has dropped.

Back on the Dialer ride around a bit but the wind has really dropped and we're all walking now. Let Miyachi take a run on the Flite and he seems to enjoy it. Thought he was bit over-powered but he seemed ok.

Stand around waiting for the wind to come up but in the end I give up and pack it in.

As I'm driving out of the carpark, it looks like the wind has come up some - could have been riding on the 17 maybe, 21 for sure. Sigh . . . maybe tomorrow.

---

Moment of the day was doing a flawless gybe like I wasn't a tard.
Mood of the session was rah ah? bah gah.

Weather was reported as 12 to 15 knots, gusts to 22 at 3:30pm; 31˚C at 78%.
Wind felt like just powered until I broke the board, to completely under-powered.

What I learned today...
• Probably shoulda waited for the thermals . . .
• Don't try tricky shit right next to the shore.
• Starting to feel comfy on the Dialer - finding the balance.

Enema much?

Forecast for more than yesterday and while that what the weather station said, it didn't feel like it.

Started out on the Flydoor just to see if it would splash me like the Z. It did, but it didn't stall like the other one. I'll have to try it again.

So pootled around on the 'door then when I had trouble going upwind, switched to the Dialer. Nice wee session, getting used to that. Managed a few gybes going from starboard to port but there was a lot of falling over.

Tried out the 2013 Fusion too . . . jesus wept, I hope that thing stretches out soon!

---

Moment of the day was a single semi-decent carving turn.
Mood of the session was whee! wah! ahh.

Weather was reported as 16 to 12 knots, gusts to 24. 28˚C at 69%.
Wind felt like under- to happy-powered but wasn't consistent enough for big fun.

What I learned today . . .
• Should probably wear the short john suit to stop the harness going so far up my ass I can taste neoprene.
• Getting a feel for riding the fins. Noice.
• The old Flydoor . . . what a great bit of kit!

Hmm...

Good wind forecast and we got it too. Left work just after 4 and trotted on down. Wind looked good...

Went with the XB13 in case we get thermals. Have a tack or two on the Z-series, but it's too light. Go out on the Dialer. Great fun! Made one gybe too... beginners luck :)

Wind has picked up so I switch back to the Z. Should have been a good boosting session but I just can't click with the board. Everytime I edge hard, the spray is so great that the board stalls. Not to mention, any time I edge at all or put weight on the front foot, the spray is tremendous :( shame, cos it's really frustrating and otherwise, the board is a charmer - fast (too fast if you can't edge), carves like a knife, smooth as silk through the chop (when you weight the back leg) and the pads/straps are terrific.

Good long session... home for a cold drink. Been a shitty day and it took a bit of the shine off the sesh.

---

Moment of the day was actually setting up for a boost, slamming into a breaking "wave" and leaving my board behind. Amusing. I hope the guy with the camera on the shore got that shot.

Mood of the session was whee hmm gah.

Weather was reported as 10 to 7 knots, gusts to 20. 27˚C at 66%.

Wind felt like I comfy on the Dialer to I should have been boosting sky-high but the board just wouldn't let me.

What I learned today...

• Demo boards before you buy.

• The Flydoor2 is a total machine... or maybe it's just the outline. Or the fins behind the heels.

Mmm...

Supposed to be windy all day... but it wasn't. Contrary weather thankfully didn't rain, as the forecast said it would fine, so I had a dry ride in to RS Taichi to get new tyres.

Got home, went and checked the lake - southerlies. Came home, checked GPV—ah, now the forecast says wind at 5pm.

Go back at 5pm... oh ho! the wind has shifted and there's a blow line coming in...

Looks like it'll be light, so I take the 21 and the Dialer over to the beach... but by the time I arrive, there's fearsome white caps inbound. I dash back for the Z-series... probably should have got a different kite or at least the seat harness but oh well.

Wind was a gusty bitch for the first 20 minutes—lots of kites in the drink until the wind filled in properly.

Waist harness shits me right off, riding into my armpits every time I fall over or do a stunt. Jumping is not going well cos I can't adapt to the shorter and narrower board. But I keep slugging away at it...

The Z-series is a smooth ride. Carves really nice, going to be fun freeriding that. Pads are awesome... good board. But the spray... my god, it's constant. I figure my stance is to blame so I adapt and it seems better. Can't get the hang of edging for the boost, but I think the harness is the problem there...

Nearly dark but the wind has dropped a tad so I risk a run on the Dialer. Much easier to get onto it with some wind! I play with feet position, riding the fins and trying to gybe and tack. Nearly manage one of each. I still suck riding toeside... but it's fun. I shoulda done that with a smaller kite :( but then, I'd be fucking with the fucking harness even fucking more.

Pack up and in the car at 8:20pm... good long session but all the wrong gear!

---

Moment of the day was getting out on the new boards.

Mood of the session was OH-YES-we-got-wind OH-NO-I'm-over-powered OH-GOD-fucking-harness.

Weather was reported as 12 to 8 knots, gusts to 18. 28˚C at 76%.
Wind felt like should have been fun over-powered to what would have been comfy powered. Except for the frickin' harness.

What I learned today...
• I am so not interested in waist harnesses.
• Despite the fact that it's SO much easier to move your legs!
• Z-series will take some adapting too. But it has potential.
• Starting with weight on the back foot seems the best way with the Dialer.

Win some...

Supposed to be wind today, so I headed off to the beach. Looked like enough wind to try out the 2011 Slingshot Dialer… and nobody else was around, so it wouldn't be embarrassing. Much.

Not much wind... hot launch the 21 but run out of beach behind me before I get it up and inflated. Reset... try again. Success! REALLY freakin' light... I mentally prepare myself for a wet, messy kite...

Water is flat as, I've got a little bit of power in a dive... might just work.

Bit of a spaz getting the board near my feet and myself up onto it. Eventually get something to work and I get a nice long tack down to the marina. Success!

Walk and body drag back... repeat without as much success. I can get up on a plane sometimes but there's just not enough wind to keep it going. Plenty of mistakes and my shit going every which way but loose... but I had nice attempt!

More wind, please!

---

Moment of the day was that single powered tack to starboard. It lives!
Mood of the session was ho ho ho!

Weather was reported as 6 knots. 33˚C at 55%.
Wind felt like less than that! Tough job keeping the kite in the air... shouldn't have even been trying to ride.

What I learned today…
• It's a hard job getting onto a surfboard!
• With a bit of apparent wind, the bottom end is amazing.
• Strapless ain't so bad. Just wait for the wind though...

Go with your gut, next time

Southerlies again, over to Mie I go.

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

Mood of the session was annoyed not-amused placated.

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

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

What I learned today...

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

You win some, you lose some

Low-wind forecast, hoping for a bit more but got what we got it was ok.

I was the only one constantly riding. Hooray for Jesus! Still, a bit of a struggle for a while, til the thermal kicked in, I guess. Even then it was pretty iffy - only a few double rotations, and even singles were a bit tough.

Then I discovered that by popping when doing hand-drag backrolls, you actually can do a kinda-backroll kiteloop :D so I did a lot of them.

Lost my Sharks doing one. Get this - they fell off my head, the strap looped over my heel and the force of the water pulled the strap off the glasses. So I found the strap, floating... but not the glasses. Gah!

Gave it up after the sun slipped behind the hills.

---

Moment of the day was landing the first kite-loop back-roll. Duh!
Mood of the session was dissapointed greatly amused.

Weather was reported as 6-8 knots, gusts to 16. 25ºC at 73%.
Wind felt like... well, I was only just going upwind most of the time. A trick per tack would be just holding ground, except for the rare occasions the wind picked up.

What I learned today...
• Really gotta secure glasses with a leash for them to be 100% loss proof :
• Kiteloop backrolls!!!

Variations on a theme

There wasn't supposed to be any wind at all, but there was a bit of a puff when I walked out the door at work. So I stopped off at home and grabbed the togs...

Just me and the skinny man at the lake - I reckon I could make a ride out of it.

Out with the great white lumbering Jesus... onto the water with the Flydoor, powered enough to have some yahoos.

Try to perfect my single front-rolls, but just can't get them sorted with big air... only the half-hearted low-level solos work. Doubles work fine :) Even nailed some mighty double back rolls!

Then I start playing with hand-drag back-roll transitions, and discover they're actually easier done as just as back-rolls, the loop being a proper kite-loop :o hmm, maybe I'll be able to dark-slide or back-roll kite-loop eventually!

So it was a loop and roll fest till dark-ish. Back in the car by 8pm.

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Moment of the day was that double back-roll that was so totally under control. I might have it sussed now, or at least know what I'm looking for ;)
Mood of the session was LOL bah har.

Weather was reported as 10 knots, gusts to 14. 25˚C at 75%.
Wind felt like 10 to 15 knots :D just-powered, a few times we got close to having-fun-powered.

What I learned today...
• I'm out of shape... totally exhausted!
• Foot-out loop transition may be a bit ambitious when you've only ever landed two foot-outs on that side! An amusing splash, nonetheless.
• Foot-outs on my other side feel as awkward as trying to use chopsticks with your feet.
• Can kinda do one-handed backrolls, as a stepping stone to grabbed rolls... need a bit of work.
• Carve harder for front-rolls.
• More vertical launch for double back-rolls.
• For the back-roll hand-drag loop thing... just do it!

Flite 175 departing as scheduled

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ehrma-gerd! Ar lurve Jesus!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wanna see my stiffie? It's huge!

So the forecast was for 5 to 10 knots… we got more like 18–20 solid. Well, after I got out on to the water with the S3-21 anyway.

Was light-ish when I got there. Hironobu was being interviewed by a TV crew (of one) and Grandad was showing off.

Beach was crowded so I had to launch in the middle of people's shit, but it went up easy enough. Once it filled, sheeting in with the kite at zenith was an up-lifting experience :D paraglider time!

On the water with the Sumo for shits'n'giggles. Kinda feels like the Mako, sorta skatey unless you get the edge right. Work up to some multiple rotations when…

… I go for the first 720 and halfway through, I here someone whistling. I look around thinking the shit is about to hit the fan, but it's only Miyachi trying to get a beginner under control. The distraction is enough for me to leave the kite out of position, stall it and… twist the tip.

Can't relaunch it, have to drag it across the shore. Get it emptied and the bridle sorted then go to launch and MOTHER FUCKER that beginner has just crashed his kite on the shore right next to where I'm trying to relaunch. So I have to wait for his dumbass… thanks Miyachi.

Kite seems ok, except for a twig stuck in the bridle. I go back and get the Flydoor.

And so, over-powered, I proceed to noodle around lazily and boost some good airs. A few make me go woo-hoo but mostly it's just days of hangtime, grabs and giggling. A few back- and front-spins but mostly it's about the air time. And silly bugger wave-riding…

Ride until dark. I'm so over-powered though that I can't land the kite by backstalling. Was about to do the WTMW method but Hironobu grabbed the kite for a perfect foil landing. Nice!

Grandad is looking old and thin though :( hope he's ok.

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Moment of the day was jumping right out of the board. It was funny :)
Mood of the session was annoyed lazy amused.
It sucks when you're sure it's not your fault.

Weather was reported as 13 to 15 knots, gusts to 24; 23˚ at 68%.
Wind felt like about as far as I'd want to push the 21. I can't have lost that much weight… maybe it's just tuned better? cos it's a fucking beast now.

What I learned today…
• I need to fix the S3-15.
• I need a smaller board.
• Gotta check over the 21 for damage, but it seems fine. Seems to have stretched in a few places… we know the lines shrink, does the fabric stretch?
• Found a bloody loop knot in a bridle line—cheeky bugger!
• Loops on landing to save a jump… not a good idea when the wind is up. Warp speed, Mr Sulu!
• Can wave-ride ok with the 21, if you don't ride down-wind too much.
• That feeling. When you pendulum under the kite, redirect then sheet in hard and just sorta hover there, with the board just about the water… magic!
• The above is the best way to land a jump. Spend most of the time with the kite behind you!
• Learning that a trick you can do is called a "stiffie"… priceless!

I'm a mutant lover

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back in the saddle

Didn't seem like there'd be much wind today, but the forecast filled in as the day progressed so I headed down the beach after work. Looked like I'd be able to get away with the Flite…

Well, just. Losing ground if I don't work it hard and go without stunts on at least one tack. But I have a good time doing rotations; get some good ones in, bork up some too.

Brain is getting in the way sometimes and I forget which hand I'm supposed to pull to redirect—very nearly do a double front spin kite-loop by accident :o got me thinking though… which is dangerous!

So good session, bit under-powered but happy to be riding again!

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Moment of the day was that first perfect double front-spin.
Mood of the session was ho-ho-ho! oof!

Weather was reported as 11 knots falling to 4, gusts to 18. 23˚C at 66%.
Wind felt like 15 knots falling to 10 with gusts to 18. Just powered 50%, comfy powered 50%. 100% wanting more!

What I learned today…
• Redirecting the kite gives it some sink when doing front spins.
• Gotta really whip yourself around with the less-floaty kites.
• Power in the kite determines what stunts you can do, or how cool they look.
• Very incomplete front-spin down-loop transition, landing with the board almost backwards upwind, can result in cool powered carves into the other direction!

Enough already!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make mine a triple!

Cracking forecast on both JMA and GPV but the hourly updates aren't looking good. You know I'm going to head down there anyway though… fucking traffic jam on the Kogan Doro! Some dick-tard has had a car accident. Morons.

Only delayed 10 minutes at most but it feels like all day, of course. Oh damn, where's the wind? Not looking good… hump the Flydoor, Flite and S3-21 over to the lake. Not much wind on the horizon, nobody is riding, everyone is setting up their big kite—12s and 14s LOL.

Head out and am surprised that I'm actually going upwind—Jesus saves! Again!—while Taki (50kg) on a 12m RPM and 150x48 board is walking. Hey I think I'll throw some double rotations just to rub your noses in it. Fnar!

Ooh bit more powered now… the doubles are turning into triples and—aw yeah! landed one!

Even more power, so I boost and do foot-outs. I'm extra-careful to clear all around me and make sure I'm not going to scare the sissy-bitches… needn't have worried cos the cry-baby has dumped his kite again, trying another trick he never lands, and can't relaunch it. No wonder he's always in a foul mood.

Start to worry that I should rig a smaller kite, but the wind drops and soon it's just me on the water. Even I can't ride in nothing though, so I come into shore. There's literally no wind, the flags aren't moving but the kite is riding at zenith fine… sweet!

Land the kite then pack up and head home. Ask Miyachi about lines and parts for the Cab bar, and a ride on a directional. He reckons he can get me a demo…

So, not what I was hoping for but still pretty damn good!

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Moment of the day was landing and riding away from the triple. Hell yeah!
Mood of the session was ooh aah aww.

Weather was reported as 16 knots in the good bit then falling to nothing. 19˚C at 59%.
Wind felt like it was heading to being uncomfortably over-powered but stopped short at too much power for rotations (check out the triples!) but enough for big air and foot-outs.

What I learned today…
• Triples are just as "easy" as doubles, although easy may be an overstatement as I don't seem to land them properly too often any more :D
• Forgot I have the Airstyle DVD! Time to watch for inspiration!
• The Great White Lumbering Jesus is an incredible machine!

Hey bartender, hit me with a double!

Forecast was for N-O-T-H-I-N-G… nothing at all! There was a tickle after work though so I thought I'd chance it. Down to the lake!

Hmm, looks a little lighter than yesterday. Oh well why not? Same gear over to the beach… launch the 21—oh yeah, that'll do nicely!

Straight back into the double rolls like yesterday :D little less power actually makes it tricky, cos it's too easy to stall the kite being ham-fisted. So the success rate is down but the fun rate is off the charts!

Even manage a double back-roll at one point, and very nearly land several triple fronts—having trouble getting the kite in the right place for them on landing though.

The wind seems good so I switch boards. Bit of diddling around then I click with the Mako. Oh wow, it really does fly upwind! It loves the magically flat water though, slices through the chop, and just carves lovely. Can get skatey when you do… something… and carves wicked fast when you edge. It'll be surprisingly floaty as a mutant, I think…

Wind has dropped and I have to walk. Get the Flydoor and… what the hey—I'm not actually making that much more ground upwind! Struggle for a bit, worry about dunking myself and the kite, throw a stunt per tack but lose so much ground that I'm thinking of giving up.

So's arrived and… he's bought the wind with him! Keep on riding, throwing some one footers, till after dark again. The moonlight on the water is magic and I'm having great fun stunting but I'm getting tired and hungry. Fight back upwind to the start and call it a night.

A session from nothing… Jesus saves!

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Moment of the day was the double back-roll.
Mood of the session was aw HELL yeah again!

Weather was reported as 6 to 12 knots, gusts to 20 (!) at 6pm; 22˚C at 49%.
Wind felt like 10 to 15 knots, and less: walked a couple of times but never felt over-powered like 20 knots worth!

What I learned today…
• I can do double back-rolls too!
• Might even be able to do triples :o
• Mako rocks upwind and slices through chop but needs board speed—flat water helps, it really doesn't like bouncing around. You can ride it pretty flat too.
• Would I like a King more than a directional?
• Kite skills for landing the stunts are vital. Lost it a bit as I got tired… but was still chuckling!
• Nearly landed an accidental double front-roll kite-loop :o
• One-footers are so easy when you have days of hang-time! Getting used to doing tail grabs the other way too.
• Shore water is warm but it's still chilly out in the depths.

Double delight!

Didn't think I'd get a session in today as the forecast was for crap. All day though, the wind was blowing so when work finished, I headed for the lake.

Got down there about 5pm and the wind looked light, so I humped the 21 and 2 boards over to the lake. Good call, it's light and it's supposed to drop. Everyone is coming in, as I setup and launch Jesus, the great white session saver.

Well, there's power in the kite. I go out on the Flydoor and it's good. Teeny bit gusty, and I'm worried if it picks up, I won't enjoy myself…

Needn't have worried. When I can't jump and get my kicks that way cos the wind has dropped just a hair, I start in on the rotations. There's so much float though that I start going for double front-rolls... and land them!!!

w00t a new trick!!!

Pretty soon, those are the only things I'm doing—both directions!—and then... well, why the hell not? Triple front-rolls! Mwa-haha! Get mighty close to landing and riding away from a couple of them too :D

But I also collapse the kite several times, swinging under it and sinking. Recover it most of the time, but twice it gets tips stuck together and I have to let it hit the water and bounce it a bit to get it open. And one time, I get a proto-bowtie that I have to "fly" into the beach (close call, nearly hit the rock wall!) and put it on the ground. Phew!

Everyone had long since disappeared though so nobody is there to enjoy the show… except Soh but he's mostly walking and trying to relaunch his kite. I don't feel guilty at all, whooping and hollering when I land and ride off from double-rolls.

Sun sets, keep riding! There's a 3/4 moon so it stays light for a long time, but finally I can't see the water any more so I finish up with the slow singles then ride right back to my starting point. Pack up about 7:45… I reckon 2 and a half hours on the water—on a day with nothing forecast!

God, I love Jesus!

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Moment of the day was landing and riding away from that very first double… oh YEAH!
Mood of the session was AWWWWWW HELLLL YEEEEAH!!!
It sucks when… not today it didn't!

Weather was reported as 5 to 10 knots, gusts to 17; 22˚C at 67%.
Wind felt like just comfortable for the big board, wanting more for boosting but was happy as it was.

What I learned today…
• The water has warmed up.
• I'm getting massive wedgies from the harness again… what up with that?
• Front-rolls are where it's at!
• There is a general feeling of having gotten better ;)
• Steady wind at just the right level makes for interesting times.

Wind, waves, and range!

No wind in Shiga this weekend but Mie was supposed to have some… with some rain too. Thought I'd chance it and dragged the wife out the house early and got to Machiya about 12. Measured the wind—20 to 25 knots, yup that's how it feels… out comes the 10m.

Sketchy launch, assisted thank god cos the beach is crowded and strewn with shells 'n' shit and the other side of the drain-thing is under construction… looks like they're building a seawall, neat!

Powered ok on the big board, some amusing jumps but very soon I wish I had the 13 up. Wife has gone walking with the car key so I just keep riding. Small kite is fast and entertaining, especially with the loops—some amusing yoinks horizontally that I'm not used to.

As the wind keeps dropping, I start playing with the waves more. When I can—the windsurfer-kooks keep falling over! Get some nice carves and rides in, once or twice carve toe-side then heel-side etc like a real surfer.

Rain starts early, around 1:30 but I keep riding anyway. Finally give up when the wind has dropped to the point where it's a nuisance to get back upwind.

What a groovy session!

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Moment of the day was snap-popping a transition and landing on the crest of a wave, actually surfing it and then, as the kite caught up, riding out the other way under power… magic!
Mood of the session was amused entertained satisfied.
It sucks when you realize you might need a surfboard too.

Weather was reported as 22 to 13 knots, gusts to 26; 74% at 19˚C.
Wind felt like what they said. Measured 20 to 25 knots before I set up but it dropped steadily… ok-powered to only just. Was pretty shocked I could still ride a 10m at the end of it there!

What I learned today…
• The ocean is rough!
• The kickers are nice though - gliding up a big ol' wave and riding out the top is awesomesauce.
• Small kites are quick and seem to make more power when they're moving quick… so if you don't choke the kite with the board, it's gravy.
• You can get face-slapped like a BI-ATCH on the smallest waves when you dig a tip in. Like, insta-slap!
• Ninja-waves are getting better at hiding themselves… sneaky buggers!
• I might need a directional :o for the ocean, the bouncing around gets annoying but the waves are just so much fun!

Topped up the tanks

Didn't think I'd get a session in today—forecast looked like crap; but the wind blew steady all day. Got lumped with some work in the PM which meant I didn't get away til 5pm… got the gear off the washing line at home and headed on down.

Only kite on the water is Naish Directional Dude. Nice, no whiners!

Took the 21 and the 17 over to the lake… looked light so I went for the 21. Er, bit powered guvnah! For the combination of board and kite, might be a bit iffy… could be in for a spanking.

Get stuck in and get to boosting. Not super-huge (level with a parked kite?) but days of hang time and the amusing penduluming back 'n' forth under the kite :) initially, too powered for tricks but as the wind drops off I get into them too.

Wind is dropping, working harder to get upwind now. Finish at dark with just enough wind to get back to the beach, then it drops right off as I land the kite. Sweet session!

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Moment of the day was doing a very-powered front-roll transition and using the down-loop out of it for horizontal pull :)
Mood of the session was aaah!
It sucks when I need a Flyradical L :(

Weather was reported as 8 to 13 knots, dropping to 4 at 7pm. 19˚C at 59%.
Wind felt like a bit over-powered for the board, to under-powered at the end. If I had to guess, 16 knots to start falling to 8.

What I learned today…
• The S3-21 is a BEAST!
• It's also very lifty—check out the wedgie!
• If you're a twit and release your QR unintentionally but somehow catch it before it flags, you CAN hold the depower line in one hand and reassemble the QR with the other—without dumping the kite :o
• Landed several double rotations but couldn't ride away cos the kite was out of position.
• An over-aggressive take-off saw me do a 360˚ before I'd gotten a foot off the water. Managed to wiggle around and almost landed it though :D
• You can still do front-roll down-loop transitions even when powered with the big Speed.
• Could be considered a bit too cold still for just the 3mm suit… especially if you have to body-drag for a while!

We was robbed

Forecast was good, wind looked good at work but by the time I arrived, it was crap.

Thought about it for a bit then unpacked the P4 19 to test the bar mod - get something done at least. Had replaced the single line spacer with a double, a la fsmodman, like this. Everything reattached the right way so I struggle with a launch in light wind on a very narrow part of the beach cos the rest of it is covered with kites.

Kite flies fine, the bar seems to work. Wait around some but nothing much is happening. Head out for a few tacks but it's on and off (mostly off) so there's a lot of walking up the beach.

Waiting around with the kite in the air, a front comes in. Ji-chan is telling me it'll be dangerous, so I reverse-land my kite down wind and prepare to hang on. Unfortunately, my lines are over someone else's and of course, his kite starts twitching as the wind picks up so I launch my kite, slide downwind at his lines, stop in time then joggle backwards so his can control his kite.

Notice Soh (who's been avoiding eye-contact with me since his screaming fit) having a word with Ji-chan and they're both glancing over in my direction… I've come to the conclusion that he's a whingy sissy bitch who was having a crap session and vented at me but hasn't the cajones to let it be.

The big bad dangerous squall is so weak I can only just get upwind on it for a few minutes…!

Give up, pack up, head home. 2 hours of waiting!!! A few lame back-rolls and a single front-roll transition… sad.

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Moment of the day was a very smooth front-roll transition. And that was it.
Mood of the session was ho-bloody-hum.
It sucks when there's no wind but there is supposed to be.

Weather was reported as 14 to 10 knots; 15˚C at 80%.
Wind felt like bloody nothing to very almost under-powered.

What I learned…
• Bar mod seems fine… but… when there's no tension on the FDS line, it binds a bit. All the actual riding un-spins worked fine, so far.
• Ignore advice from others who are well-meaning but wrong.
• 3mm suit is enough cos the water is warming up… but the old one is all hard and making like it's shrunk!

Weird but wonderful

Forecast was good but the wind had dropped off at work by the time I'd headed out. Should still have been good... and the lake looked good... but once I got onto the water, it was crap.

I pumped up the Flite cos it was light, but there was a blow line moving in, although it wasn't going to be much, according to GPV. Just as well I didn't try the S3 21 cos it was twitchy wind...

Got out on a tack though... but had to work the kite and it really was twitchy. Downwind, walk a bit then try again. Was thinking about giving up but noticed Miyachi and the windsurfers were riding well wa-aaay out off the beach, so I had another tack out there and when I reached the old "upwind marker" buoy, the wind just took off!

Good jumps, great fun, tack back in, cross the marker and... nothing. Really weird! So I spent an hour out past the marker, way the hell out further than I've been for a very long time, enjoying some crazy wind.

Started to drop, I noticed the number of white caps falling off so I decided to come in to shore - good call, as it turns out cos the wind fell right off. Pretty good session, considering how shit the wind was at the beach!

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Moment of the day was getting some riding and fun in when not expecting to.
Mood of the session was baffled amused baffled.

Weather was reported as 6 to 5 knots :o 16˚C at 50%.
Wind felt like 15 plus a few knots *out there* but about 10 on the other side of the markers.

What I learned today...
• The wind is a queer mistress.
• Man, the Flite is such a fun kite!
• Bit awkward with Soh... he was determinedly not looking in my direction. Tosser.
• Still not sure about rigging the Flite on the rear line knots...
• Must have barely got my hair wet... just noticed, it's been blow-drying like a lame Flock of Seagulls-do, from the direction the wind was strongest :o so it's sticking out sideways over my left shoulder :D

Missed it by *that* much

OMG the wind was wicked today! Thought I actually would need my 7m for once! Got down the beach after work and... it dropped right off :(

Had a few minutes of ok boosts, then went on to rotations, then messed around riding waves then gave up.

Tried to land the kite on the QR but got 'helped' by someone before I could fully understand how it all worked...

Better luck tomorrow!

---

Moment of the day was a front-roll loop transition, landing on the lip of a wave and surfing it out :D
Mood of the session was aah hmm bah.
It sucks when you only catch the tail end of the most epic weather in months :(

Weather was reported as 20 knots falling to 14.
Wind felt like... well, that exactly. It was rocking for the first ten minutes then went to crap, rapidly.

What I learned today...
• We got freaky wind yesterday - apparently, in Hikone (where the wind station is) they had 8 knots... Miyachi's friend went paramotoring up there, while his buddies here were grounded by the mad wind!
• Much prefer the Flydoor on the 'normal' footstrap setting.
• Only really warm enough for the 3/2 when air-temp is over 20.

Super session, soured... sad

Forecast was for fun at 3pm. Miyachi reckoned 14 knots (7m/s) so I rigged the 17. Nothing happened until about 4pm though, so we were all eager to get out on the water.

It was fine for about 30 or 40 minutes. I started on the Flydoor2 with wide stance, then when I felt a bit over-powered I got on the Sumo for the first time since I broke my wrist riding it in 2009. Quite a weird experience! I enjoyed riding the Flydoor more though and went back out on that... nope, not enjoying it - going to get my 13m XB.

Land, deflate, pack, get the 13, pump, rig... and get a launch from Lil' Grom's dad.

Here's where the day starts to get weird... while he's picking up the kite, Turkey walks right at my lines and like boxer going into the ring, lifts them up and walks through them. As I'm trying to launch. I'm stunned!

Gets worse... Lil' Grom's dad holds up the kite, I give him the thumb up and - he throws my kite into the air :o it stalls, rotates back into the window so I grab and pump the center lines. It comes up nicely but a steering line is looped around the tip of a kite just downwind of the launch so the kite veers across the window. I recover it but now it's going to clothes-line Turkey so I turn it into the ground. It hits LE down with the lines on either side of Turkey. He skips out the way and I get the kite back into the air. For fucks sake, man!

Enjoy the rest of the ride. A little too powered to stunt aggressively for me but have a nice time anyway. Get slammed a few times going way too big on back-rolls but do some nice front-roll transitions. Can't quite balance it right to do foot-outs though.

Wind drops off and slowly the water clears. I'm the last one in but I have to walk back up the beach in the water cos I can't walk downwind to the beach without the kite stalling. Everyone packs up. Wait around for it to come back... and it does! A bit violent at first, but Lil' Grom is riding ok so I head out.

Then it arrives like goddamn! Me and Grom start booooooooosting and it's good! Big air, and it's getting bigger! The waves are shaping nicely and provide enough resistance to really boost some good ones!

Until... Soh is ahead and downwind of me when I boost off the face of a good sharp wave. I get pendulumed into the air and shout for joy. Soh looks back and shouts something at me. I land behind him, maybe 15 to 20 meters away. He turns and comes back at me shouting "That's fucking dangerous! Why don't you look where you're going!" I thought he was joking, but no he's serious and is pissed. I thought I had plenty of room... so I feel a bit sad.

Try to get my stoke back but it takes a while. Get some monster boosts but bugger the landings - timing seems to be the issue... I'm falling without a soft landing. The jumps are in that zone above what I'm used to. But I discover that actively holding the kite behind me - or tweaking it back - then giving an aggressive redirect when that close to the water works perfectly. HOOJ air and gentle landings!!! Woot!

Legs are burning from fighting the surges, which are getting violent. Hand hovers over the QR a couple of times... riding the waves results in rapid acceleration downwind. Sun has set behind the hills... I head in to call it a day.

Oh nuts, there's no leash or hook on the anchor... I hang around on the beach trying to self-land but it's so gusty I daren't risk it. Miyachi comes in and lands me then heads back out.

Phew, what a day! I doubt even finding my beloved Flyradical would cheer me up :(

---

Moment of the day was the first huge air that I sussed out the landing of, perfectly!
Mood of the session was ah-ha! boo-yah! boo-hoo.
It sucks when you get screamed at for something that you don't think happened at all.

Weather was reported as 13 to 15 knots, gusts to 26 at 6:30pm. 47% at 20˚C.
Wind felt like more than that! In the first session, I was over-powered and not enjoying it on the 17, but enjoyed the 13 - my guess is 18knots average; in the second, it was epic but there were numerous moments of survival kiting as the kite was fully depowered - 23 knots average.

What I learned today...
• Need a small board :( a proper small board.
• Wide stance on the Flydoor2 is easier to ride and weight the tail but doesn't pop anywhere near as well - the back just slides out.
• The Sumo went upwind remarkably well!!! The rocker wasn't as tough to deal with as I thought it would be but it's so stiff - reminds me of the Mako - and I couldn't really get a decent pop with it. Narrow tail and the giant fins really locked the board in though... interesting feeling. Pads are naff. Severe outline might help the upwind too... I dunno.
• Don't let strangers launch your kite
• XB13 is actually a darn good kite. Do I really need a Razor 12?
• Leave EVEN MORE room around myself when jumping.
• Have a cut in my finger that's no more than a few mm but stings like a mother :-/
• So I need a board with some flex.

More mellow amusements

Committed myself to going to Costco during the day cos the forecast looked like poo anyway... but we got back at 4 and it actually looked like a day like yesterday so I reloaded the car and headed down. Didn't even hesitate, and took the 21 and only the Flydoor over to the beach.

Quick set up, easy pre-fill and launch. Mmm, feels a tad lighter than yesterday - people are packing up cos it's dropped. Tack out, just going upwind... till I do some stunts then I gotta work it. Fight my way through the pack...

... and right under Fujii's kite. It was right above my head and I think he yelled "Abunai!" at me. But it was awesome, like a kite movie, and I was past his slow ass in a few seconds. Then, if I interpreted his waving at me correctly, he wanted me to fuck off upwind and in the middle of waving, rode into the shore and wiped out LOL Dude, watch where you're going at stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.

Put a bit of a damper on my stoke... but I soon got it back. Rode till I was alone and it was dark. Same menu as yesterday; rotations and stuff. Managed a double front roll by accident which was cool :) tried a double back-roll immediately but borked it up.

Got back to the carpark to discover I'd left the car lights on... thankfully, it started just fine.

---

Moment of the day was Fujii waving me off like an ass then riding into the shore going ass over tea kettle!
Mood of the session was rah! uhh? ooh.
It sucks when dickheads ruin your stoke.

Weather was reported as 12 to 10 knots, gusts to 18; 15˚C at 48%.
Wind felt like powered enough 65%, 30% whee ho ho ho, 5% working to get upwind.

What I learned today...
• Getting safety advice from a tosser who never looks behind himself before turning, rides right behind me so I have to ride out into the river before I can tack, wears a helmet on the water but not on his scooter is... funny as hell! Upwind envy?
• Big ol' floaty front-rolls are easy (on the starboard tack) so long as you redirect nicely.
• Still not doing nice front-rolls on the port tack...
• Dragged-hand back-roll transitions are doable... but not advisable in a wetsuit - blast of water up the arm!
• Legs need straps cos the suit inverts and it's tough to get it back on the water.
• Heat shrink for the laces?
• Need to work on front-rolls, f-r transitions and jump-loop transition on the port tack.
• Landing on your trapezius muscles hurts...!

Great White Beast rides again!

Props to John at powerzonekitesports.com for a great priced and speedy repair that looks good too!

Hourly updates were looking awesome right up until the time I got to the lake :( not a good sign when everyone is sitting over at the club having a chin-wag. I checked the tune of the S3 21's new bar & lines - close enough - then hauled ass over to the beach. Bit of fiddling to get the bridles untangled but we got there in the end... inflated and launched just fine... my bridle mods look fine, but the very tips look pulled. Gah! Test pull on the bar... big loft 'n' float! Whee!

Onto the water... with the Flydoor3 cos I know it's light. Easy upwind on a single stroke... DAYUM that's a slow kite! Balls up a few turns and jumps cos it's... so... s-l-o-w but get the hang of it quickly enough and it's the good ol' Great White Beast again.

Not really enough wind for the big boosts, although the hang time is just endless :D a few near calls as I drift towards the beach, and even one occasion when I run aground and have to jump off the board :o

And so I go for the rotation thing again. Roll rate has to be slowed right down - a moment of over-enthusiasm sees me almost making a double but swinging under the kite and it falling... to be caught before it hits the water :)

I even manage to do the front-roll down-loop transition thing... although they take FOREVAH!

Got some foot-outs down, with the masses of hang-time they are pretty easy.

So I keep riding until the sun sets and although I'm not over-powered, I had another great session!

---

Moment of the day was boosting an air nearer the beach than I meant to be, but watching the rubber-neckers who were coming to the shore for a gawk stop, then back off LOLz
Mood of the session was smug ow smug.
It sucks when you really wish you still had your Flyradical.

Weather was reported as 15 to 16 knots; 11˚C at 65%. Gusts 26 but that was 6 hours before I got there.
Wind felt like 10 to 15 knots, gusts to 15.1 knots... consistently more gutless than yesterday.

What I learned today...
• The very tips of the bridles are now too short... le sigh.
• So much hang time from the Cable Park in a Bag!
• Cos things happen so slowly and you have so much hang-time, it's kind of easy to do stuff.
• Very hard to time jumps now... been spoiled by the Flite!
• Noticeably more difficult to do front-rolls on the left. Nuts.
• Down-loops need to be planned and began early in advance! Like, 3 weeks before :o
• Gotta recheck the lines etc...
• The Flydoor3, when landing with the board across the wind and power in the kite just stops man, it just STOPS.
• Don't need a lot of redirection to get enough pull in the new direction... noticed that the kite was still almost at zenith when it was most effective.
• Now I remember - back-loop transition... I was doing a half, then redirecting the kite while still facing backwards - it was pulling me out and off on the new tack nicely :)

Front-roll fantastico!

Looked like another good forecast but I noticed the wind dropping during the PM while at work. Oh well... toddled off to the lake anyway. Looks ok but I'm going out with the big guns - Flite 17 (cos it's raining) and the old Flydoor.

Naturally, the wind has died by the time I get over the beach. White caps are moving in from the horizon though - so I go ahead and rig up. By the time I'm done, the "wind" has arrived.

Phew, only just enough to ride upwind. Jumps aren't happening so I set about doing rotations. What fun! Sent back-rolls, front-rolls and - drum roll please! - front-roll transitions with a down loop! No problems getting back upwind but no big air :(

So I played silly buggers as the wind (and rain) came and went, and then finally gave up around 6:45 - just before dark. And the rain. Again.

Oh, I slathered myself in sunblock and wore a hat too... the sunburn has finally stopped hurting all the time, but the hat sliding on my skin still hurt...

---

Moment of the day was kind of accidentally nailing the front-roll transition with a loop... I meant to do it, but didn't think it'd work so wasn't really thinking about it :)
Mood of the session was bah oh? har!

Weather was reported as 12-14-11 knots from 5-7pm, gusts no more than 28 at 2pm :o 78% at 10˚C.
Wind felt like 10-15 knots, a few gusts around 18 maybe.

What I learned today...
• Rig the Flite on the longest knots. Maybe...
• Might be time to fiddle with the other knots... less depower = ...?
• Back-rolls... send the kite, have a good ol' look way back upwind :D
• Don't send it back too far... oof!
• Front-roll transitions with a down-loop... lines are untwisted :D
• And they're easier than they look... well in one direction anyway.
• Land with the board more square to the wind, ready to ride off!
• Knees up on the rotations - you can just hang there on the way down, ready to go!

Psycho saves a session

Forecast looked crappy but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. Supposed to be good from 10-12 then falling off...

Got down the lake about 10, sorted out my Speed3 21 bar and lines then noticed the wind had picked up so I hauled over to the lake...

Inflated the 17 cos I really wanted to ride it, but it just wasn't co-operating. Contemplated going to the effort of tuning the 21 bar but just unpacked the Psycho4 19 instead...

I can get up on a plane but it's not enough to ride upwind. Spend a half hour or so, riding and walking before it picks up and holds steady enough to goof off and still get upwind.

Having a good time! Rotations of all kinds and even get into foot-outs! Land a few too :) but not really enough height for anything but a quick whip-it-out, like a flasher in a public park.

Towards the end of the session, I try out the Mako. Seems so skittish when compared to the 'door! Carves like a beast... but I just struggle to get up wind. Land the Psycho and put up the Flite again, back on the 'door. Meh... not going upwind enough and I'm tired and feeling burnt, so I call it a day.

Not bad for what was a crap forecast!

---

Moment of the day was actually 2 - a big, fat, long stare backwards at the horizon on a back-roll; and a big, fat, slow-as front-roll.
Mood of the session was bemused annoyed satisfied.
It sucks when you want your lost board :(

Weather was reported as 8-14-7 knots, gusts to 20; 16˚C at 41%.
Wind felt like a rip-off - looked and felt like we should have been rocking but it was, at best, just powered.

What I learned today...
• Magic wind season is over :(
• Miss my 'radical :(
• REALLY need sunblock :( I am a tomato bobblehead.

• Mako is so loose and bouncy but DAYUM does it carve like a knife!
• Flite just HANGS at the top of the jump, and you just hover - will be a good board-off kite.
• Psycho has so much lift at the top but really pulls downwind a lot, it seems...
• The old Flydoor straps need to be on the widest setting...
• Front rolls are getting better; as are back-roll transitions.
• Did a foot-out on my "off-side"... man that felt WEIRD!

Bye bye, Flyradical?

Forecast was for awesome picking up to OMFG at 3pm so I thought I could toddle down to the lake just after lunch, set up at a relaxed pace and work up to going bat-shit crazy out there...

Got there about 1-ish, decided on the 10m Crossbow but took both boards over to the lake... hand trouble walking upwind with them though :o got changed and waddled over... gloves but no boots and a nice, new, red t-shirt to start the day.

First half hour on the water was great; huge airs and plenty of hang time. Then the wind dropped right off so I came in and had a drink, stood around for a bit, waiting. It piced up so I went out again, but it wasn't as strong so I just enjoyed some rotations and medium airs.

Another lull, so took another break. Went out when it picked up again and was having a great ol' time!

Wind direction was ll over the place again... at one point, we were riding straight out into the waves and then heading back in right behind them, dropping in over the top of the waves - neat!

Then I went out the other side of the river, to enjoy the sharper waves for boosting off... borked a landing and managed to drop my kite right on top of a fucking buoy - black and moldy on a dark green lake; didn't even see it. So while I'm trying to get the fucking thing out of my power lines, I lost my board. My hook knife has gone missing so I dumped the kite and hand-over-handed and cleared my lines. Am now downwind of the rock wall - try to body-drag past it but give up and just walk over it. While I'm standing on the top, I look around for my board but I can't see it at all :(

The body-drag from hell back to the beach... Miyachi goes for a walk down the beach to look for my board, I walk over the bridge to spot from a height but can't see shit, captain!

Go back out on the Flydoor but despite getting closer to the trees than I should, I can't see anything on the shorelines. Wind is dropping again so I call it a day... and get packed up just before it starts raining on me as well.

Drive up and down the river looking but no luck. Le sigh... Miyachi can't go up the river in his boat so if it's up there, it's gone, it seems...

And to top it all off, my knee is killing me... nuts.

---

Moment of the day was any of the boosts in the gusts... yeehaw!
Mood of the session was aw yeah! aw ok! aw no!
It sucks when you lose your board because of fucking fisher-assholes.

Weather was reported as 20 to 15 knots, gusts to 30. 11˚C at 57%.
Wind felt like crappy 20%, gravy 60%, and epic 20%.

What I learned today...
• When you really need something and you don't have it... it's bad.
• Somehow, Turkey can get his lines wrapped around mine even though my kite was on the ground.
• Should probably have put my cell number on the board... now I think of it, I could have melted it into the grab-handle. Doh!
• Love the little kites!
• I'm doing something to really hammer my right knee, but not the left. Seems to be not letting the knee flex enough...
• Boards that are white and blue quickly become invisible, especially at eye level on the water.
 The next one(s) are going to be bright and garish.
• Possible replacements... my mind goes straight to Switch, Naish, Underground/Axis and Cabrinha.
• Now, go I go for the same size or slightly bigger? Certainly won't be going smaller...

What happened to spring?

Awesome forecast and awesome wind all day. Hauled ass to the beach; launched the kite just after 5pm I reckon. Put the 13 up (even though Miyachi thought I was mad) and left 20 meter long skid marks down the beach, just self-launching and getting it to zenith. Sheeting in sent me hovering downwind... this is going to rock!!!

Get on the water, tack, tack away for the shore, set up for a jump and... oh FFS the wind has dropped off. And so it went for the rest of the session - on and off wind, never quite delivering the goods :(

A few good boosts and elevator rides, some front- and back-rolls, some good rotation transitions but lots of gusty annoyance.

Still better than nothing!

---

Moment of the day was finally getting a decent boost.
Mood of the session was rah bah har.
It sucks when the wind is gusty like a night after the curry and beer.

Weather was reported as 16 to 15 knots, gusts no more than 30 at 9am :-/ 9˚C, 54%.
Wind felt like 10 to 20 knots, gusts to 25. Perhaps - cos I was trimmed for full power and it wasn't a thing.

What I learned today...
• Glad I had my gloves with me - could have done with boots too... was chilly!
• In fact, it still is chilly - bloody put the heaters away too soon :-/
• Seems I've been resorting to edging up too hard to set up jumps... use the back fin more, eh.
• Want a Razor...

Great day for a swim

Noticed at 4 the wind was up, so postponed after-work work and rushed to the lake. "Ooh it's too strong I'm getting my 7" everyone told me, so I took my 15 and 13 over to the lake. I knew we'd only get an hour of cracking wind before it wimped out and I was looking forward to go stratospheric on the Speed3 :)

Launched fine, powered up real good - should be intense! Tack out with the Flyradical (only brought one board to the beach) with the CrazyFly straps* on... first tack only but I narrowly avoid 2 people turning without looking behind themselves and almost riding into me. Nice long tack out the marina end of the beach, set up a small jump to test the weather, no problem. Redirect and SPROING the kite is gone. I pop up out of the water and the kite is down, the bar is missing a steering line.

Great, the same place I had to swim in from with the 21 :( the lake is drifting south, parallel to the beach... I wrap up the lines* and try to keep hold of the board* cos that's shooting off down the beach towards Kusatsu. Thought I could make 'our' beach but the drift is pushing me at the retaining wall that's bristling with bamboo. I opt to go with the drift and take it to the marina beach... naturally, I get tangled up and have line wrapped around my foot but better yet, the buoy that marks the retaining wall has snagged some line too - neat! Then the kite is being pushed away from the beach cos of the 'reflection' of the waves off the shore - I revert to towing it in. Get it drained, out of the water, wrapped up* and then hump it back to the club house.

Back to the beach, I inflate and launch the XB 13... powered but I know the wind is dropping.

Some good boosts for a while, then some ok ones, then it's gone and I'm trying sent front- and back-rolls... lame.

Ride till dark with So and pack up when I can't see the waves. Tough making ground back to the beach but we get there in the end. Interesting session!

---

Moment of the day was the solitary good front-roll that felt so good - knees up mother Brown!
Mood of the session was worried worried worried - too much wind? gonna make the beach? not enough wind?
It sucks when shit breaks on the first tack.

Weather was reported as 18 to 8 knots, gusts to 24. 14˚C at 44%.
Wind felt like 30% powered, 70% barely-powered :(

What I learned today...
• The CrazyFly footstraps are easier to adjust, stay tight longer and hold well, but still shift around and dig into my feet :(
• Holes in your t-shirt are great for snagging the bar ends when you try to wrap your lines up :(
• Contemplating putting my reel-leash back on the harness for when I have to self-rescue and the board wants to run away or wrap itself up in the kite
• Much easier to handle a wet 15m than a soggy 21
• Whipping your knees up on front-rolls really seems key... and you need a good amount of power

Lawn mowing but laughing

There was supposed to be wind today. It was even blowing a bunch in Ryuo so I headed off to the lake with high hopes... only to be disappointed when I got there. The surface was broken but there were very few white caps - looked like that time I arrived from Osaka so decided to head over with the P4 19 cos hey - what else am I going to do?

Seems So and Turkey have nothing better to do either - So on his 12 and Taki on a 9 FFS!

Kite is pulling a little... water start was sink, sink, sink, plan, then take off on the 5th sine. OMG I'm going! Had to do a big of a walk but on the way up, it picks up a teeny bit so I'm off again - and riding upwind!!!

Noodle around some. Hmm, the wind has picked up a little more - upwind is super-easy... wonder if I could ride the Flyradical?

I can! But there's still not enough wind to boost so I work on my rolls.

Wind drops off again, swap back to the Flydoor and keep doing rolls but there's just not enough wind.

Pack up in the dark again, all alone. Light wind, lawn mowing but it was ok anyway.

---

Moment of the day was sneaking in the last, nice front-roll before the wind completely died.
Mood of the session was heh har hum.
It sucks when the lots of wind forecast doesn't really arrive.

Weather was reported as 10 to 15 knots, gusts to 26 (LOL) 9˚C at 68%.
Wind felt like 8 to 12 knots with gusts to 15. Just powered enough to get upwind with one, maybe two stunts per tack.

What I learned today...
• Sometimes you don't have to be flying to the moon to be having fun
• Working SUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS
• Looking forward to getting my S3 21 back - thanks John at powerzonekitesports.com!
• Need to wash socks and undies

Ridden hard and put away wet

Not good for kites but what can you do?

Miyachi said it'd be a good session today so I left my gear hanging up last night and made my way to the lake at about 4:45 today. Hoping for another 15m session :)

Started well, was great for about 20 minutes then the wind dropped. Came and went in gusts so I stuck it out while the other 2 packed up. Then a front came in from the NW and it picked up a bit again.

So I started out doing some ok jumps, then got into sent back- and front-rolls, then tried some actual kite loops (with a Speed3!!!) and then went back to rolls and jumps. Tried some heli-loops but couldn't make them work.

Started raining as the sun set so I called it a day. Good session, worth the effort despite the less than stellar wind and the rain.

---

Moment of the day was a big phat sent front-roll. Felt all proper-like.
Mood of the session was yargh bah mah-mah.
It sucks when you have to pack a wet kite.

Weather was reported as 14-10-12 knots, gusts to 24 and 10˚C at 61%.
Wind felt like ok powered to under-powered (but holding ground) to blah powered. If it was truly 10 knots, then bloody good job S3 15 and Flyradical!

What I learned today…
• The S3 15 isn't a looping machine :D it (or I) seem to loop in the lower half of the window. I'm only just getting off the water so perhaps the kite doesn't have the time to climb back up the window and catch me…
• It's a hell of yank downwind. Or rather, backwards and sideways—it reminds me of the feeling when you send the kite back to like 10, or launch off a wave before the kite is all the way sent.
• Can't see how you can Darkslide like that. Attempted some not-jumping loops but it just felt so wrong :-/
• Really shouldn't slam the kite—it's not an LEI, don't just let go the bar fool!
• Wore gloves and boots and I'm glad I did: still had cold hands for a wee while.
• Get your knees up on front-rolls, redirect when you're facing the wrong way but when you feel the kite pull stop pulling on the bar.

Lucky epic session!

GPV forecast a change of weather around 5pm today, so I played the odds and headed down to the lake from work... at least I'd get an idea of how long it takes. 20-25 minutes, by the way.

Standing on the beach talking to Miyachi, he reckoned nothing would happen. I agreed and was about to head home when the wind started to shift. Thought I'd give it another 5 minutes... and spotted white caps rolling in. Decided to wait around and see if the wind is going to stick around. It did so I hauled ass back to the car to gear up. Looked about right for the S3 15 and the Flyradical... fingers crossed!

Quick set up so I'm first on the water :) after a few tacks, the wind has a fit and gets all nasty... got me a bit worried but it settles down so I go back to jumping like a nutter :D ooh good ones today! Several "Yeehah!" moments!

Now I encounter a new problem... I'm having problems timing and controlling the redirects and landings. Not cos I'm useless, but cos they're so high I'm swinging around and dragging the kite in front of me before I really want it over there! So I use some downloops to control it (otherwise the kite just tacos) but that's freaky cos the kite is going right back into the powerzone. Simply sheeting in and holding it doesn't seem to work consistently either... I might have to learn how to helicopter loop properly :o

Anyway, the jumps were great fun! We rode until dark - could hardly see the waves by the time we gave up and came in. Thankfully, Miyachi was there to land my kite for me; the wind had picked up and it would have been an interesting landing if I had to do it solo!

Awesome session, despite the nasty herka-jerk moments; sometimes it pays to wait another few minutes, eh! Only a short session - 90 minutes max! - but I packed in as much air-time as I could :D

---

Moment of the day was watching as the wind changed direction by 180˚ and the front rolled on in :)
Mood of the session was oh ooh yargh!

Weather was reported as 14 to 18 knots, gusts to 25 :D 11˚C at 70%.
Wind felt like 15 to 20 knots with gusts to 25. How about that for a coincidence? Unstable but perfectly powered... when it wasn't trying to rattle my teeth out.

What I learned today...
• Redirects on big jumps... tricky. Needs work.
• Taco'd the kite a few times too, mostly recovered them though. Seemed to be when it went too far upwind (cos I'd gone downwind under it) and I sheeted right out and I rode at the kite on landing. The problem being that if you keep the bar sheeted in during the jump... well I forget now but it didn't work. But if you sheet out at all, the kite zooms across the window and taco. Annoying.
• At least the relaunches were easy, despite some attempts by the kite to bowtie. Good.
• I think I did a backloop transition by accident! Trying to wiggle the kite back when still way up there and just kept pulling. It was a bit messy but I didn't slam... hmm.
• Sometimes, if you sheet out on the way down, you drop like a rock (nice negative Gs!) but can catch the kite as it whips across but before it slams into the edge of the window... and land light as a feather. Whee!

Surprise soul session in light wind

Had to go to Osaka for an annoying visit to a mendacious clinic, so hauled ass back to Shiga to see what was what on the lake about 4:30. Turned out, not very much but Junkie Sensei was doing OK so I trotted back to the car to gear up...

Run, fat-ass, run!

Into the suit, no time for boots or gloves! Light wind out there, so I took the P4 19 and the Flite over to the lake. Wife was with me so she carried the camera... and got some footage of me faffing around.

Well, it's bloody light. The occasional white cap and foot-high chop... Junkie Sensei is going upwind ok though, with his Turbine. Time is of the essence so I unfurl the Psycho4 19. It's due for a test run since I set the mixer to 0 -0.5 -1 (I think) and this'll be the first time out since it went over the trees (also I think). Barely enough wind to inflate it, so it's going to be a messy launch. And it is...

But it get up and it's pulling ok... might get some downwinder walks in though. Out onto the water...

Ride, fat-ass, ride!

Crikey! Actually feeling a little freaked out by just how grunty it is in the "gusts", as I take off like a rocket and struggle to edge against the kite, then realize I probably haven't checked the relative line lengths. Trim it some to cope... Well, going upwind is easy! Kite seems stable too - let's play! Edge it and send it...

Fly, fat-ass, fly!

Woof, not bad! Nice jumps for such light wind, I'm amazed! Back-rolls are big and floaty. Front-rolls are off though... man, for a non-light wind kite the 19 is actually doing rather well in the light wind! I clown around some for the camera... then the wife wimps out cos it's cold. Junkie Sensei has gone home, so I'm all alone.

Drop the kite once, and it lays on the water tip-on-tip, with a bit of a bend in the middle... think I'm going to have a swim, cos when I start trying to work it out, it makes like it's not going to open up at all in this light wind. I try an arc-style recovery and manage to open the center of the kite and get it LE down, but it'll only rise a meter or so off the water. Drop a line and it comes around - phew!

Swim, fat-ass... no not this time.

Enjoy myself for a bit longer, but the sun has set behind the hills (although it's still light) and the wind has dropped - I'm having to work hard and careful to get back upwind. So I call it a day... 90 minute session, which I wasn't expecting and was amazed to be riding at all! Good ol' Flysurfer!

Movie coming... eventually.

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Moment of the day was what felt like a massively high back-roll :)
Mood of the session was wha-? whoa!
It sucks when you fly the kite wrong.

Weather was reported as 4–8 knots, gusts no more than 12 (2am)! 17˚C at 44%...
Wind felt like 10 to 15 knots

What I learned today...
• The P4 19 is a beast. Seems sensitive to it's state of tune though.
• Big ol' back rolls are easy. Like, as big as a regular jumps big. Yikes!
• Don't need gloves or boots when it's been 17˚C all day.
• Front-rolls need more commitment and skill than on the Flite.
• Don't dive the kite straight down after a jump - riding towards it and sheeting out is what causes the tip-to-tip clamming.
• If you go for a down-loop transition, when you redirect the kite sheet out to send it right across the window, and when you can feel it start to pull from the side, haul on the bar for the loop. Makes a big fat loop with more constant speed and pull, with much less faffing with the bar.
• Really seems to me that Flysurfers need a firm hand on the bar...
• Gotta go over it again and check the lines.