Well!

. . . that was a surprise.

Absolutely nothing when I got there, but everyone was sticking around so I did to and it came up some. The other foiler went out on a Chromo 15 but I suspect he was over-powered for a while, because I was. Then it slowly dropped off til we all gave up.

I had a nice time but had zero successful tack, almost no successful pre-jibe foot changes but mostly managed the post-jibe changes, however badly. . . .

Pushing the envelope

Kid's in day care, forecast for the weekend looks naff, may as well try ride the very little we have today...

Went with the 21 cos I wanted more power to try tacks etc. Wind is SFA but the 21 stays up and I can body drag so here we go...a-and here we go! Up and riding...

Get about a half hour then a lull hits, kite luffs but I semi-catch it and keep it from bow-tying, but it touches down and takes water into a tip...makes a tough and trying couple of minutes, but a gust comes and I get it back up. Ride a little more then it drops a little again so I head back to the launch spot.

Stand around for a bit, then it comes back up so I relaunch and head back out. Wind is a little better, and it even approaches too much (14 knots) for a few minutes before settling back to good enough.

Manage a handful or successful foot changes, both post-heel-to-toe transition and pre-toe-to-heel, on my good side. Managed a single tack, but that's it. Figured how to ride with both feet forward so that'll come in handy, but I really want a voluminous 3-strap board...

Decide my time is up and ride right up to the beach just as the wind fails again. 4 to 8 knots :o

First it sucks, then it blows

Forecast was supposed to be good, but it really sucked.

I went out with the S3 15 and the foil, but it was so light the kite was just staying in the air. I could ride though so that was nice.

Getting really bloody sick of being unable to transition without falling in the water first :( or having to ride topside. Even if I can do it for miles . . .

Wind started to pick up, so I went out on the TT but it sucked worse. Came back in, landed the kite and thought about packing up. Then one of the guys came over and set up, and it looked like the wind was really coming so I went back out . . .

And had a great little boostathon for what must have been an hour, cos I was late to pick the boy up :o

Lighter but better...?!

One more time to Tsu. Forecast was for lighter wind but it turned out pretty good, actually. My timing was better, to catch the squalls, so I had a nice time on the foil until the wind filled in a bit, then I played silly buggers on the TT. Gravy.

April fooled by the wind

New work schedule gave me the afternoon off . . . off to Tsu!

Gah. Wind died as I was on the way over the hills, down from 16 to 10 knots. Went out with the 15 and took the TT to the shore just in case, but I only got some gentle riding on the foil till it dropped off again. Oh well.

Foils foil Murphy

The forecast was for light wind but looked like it'd be consistent, so I went to the lake. What a surprise, I went with the foil.

Took the 21 and 12 to the lake, and I thought there'd be enough wind for a ride with the 12. Waddle out, try to ride...not happening. Back to the beach. As I'm setting up the 21 I'm betting Murphy will turn up the wind in a few minutes after I get out on the water...

Yup. Back to the beach, pack up the 21 and go back out on the 12. Very light, but I have a nice time for over an hour.

Still miles away from making a tack but I'm not sure I want to go strapless...

One hit wonder

Should have been cracking, but it was gusty crap. Tried the TT but gave up and built the foil. That was a bit weak too, but a rain front came through and I got 5 minutes of great boosts--totally way over-powered but it didn't last. Sigh.

Git yer Dukes up!

Took the Duke to the beach because I wanted a change, and am determined to give it a good run.

Wind was up, but it was gusty as hell, and the wind was so shit that everyone buggered off and left the lake all to me alone. Then it picked up and I had 2 good hours of blasting around on the Duke.

So, ride it off the back foot, with power, and it's sweet. Like, really good. I got to thinking and treated it like a Vanguard and it was gravy. Needs more body English to carve well but when you do, it rewards. Jumps nice too and I managed gybes and tacks easily, so it must be the straps ruining my style on the Foil :D

Still want a bigger one though. With channels...Adrian?

Maybe good, maybe bad...

Whoops, forgot to fill this out so my memory is a bit vague, but I remember it was light and I didn't want to risk the 21, so I went with the 15 to see what it's bottom end was with the foil. Not bad, but the problem is the kite isn't swift enough to work to build speed. Seems like the 12 is the limit for that, and if it's lighter then go for the 21 and change early...

Look where you're going. Early...

Carefully timed my trip over to Tsu, narrowly avoided a traffic jam on the highway, but it looked like I'd missed the wind. It'd dropped from 10 knots to 00.2m/s... o_0

Checked the radar forecast again, and thought I'd wait it out till 3, as there's a dark line on the horizon where the wind should be... It pays off, as the wind comes in and ripples the water, and I can see some white-caps out there. I gear up, build the board, strap myself into the harness...and dither about which kite to use. Not supposed to pick up, but I don't want to be over-powered on the foil.

Went with the 12. Couldn't get up on the board at first (3 to 6 knots according to the club weather station), took a break for a few minutes, then tried again as the wind picked up a little. Better.

Wind gradually picked up to the point I thought about getting the TT but then dropped again till it died about 5pm. So, 8 to 12 knots, gusts to 20 apparently.

Tried the fuselage on the shorter setting. I spent less time bouncing right out of the water and more time having fun. Like, tack after tack of going heel to toe, then back to heel...without falling :o so that was pretty rad. Had a LOT of fun riding the swell. I KNOW I'm riding the swell, cos if I'm not on the ball of my balance, I wobble badly as I lose pull from the kite. And bouncing off the swell is neat-o.

Even managed a surface foot switch...took like 20 seconds to shuffle around the board and straps, but I got there in the end.

Speaking of straps, I think it's time to lose at least the back one. Fell over and tweaked my ankles--both of them. The tried to heel-to-toe on my goofy side and screwed the balance; the board fell downwind, I fell upwind and...ouch.

Speaking of falling and ouch, finally fell on the fins. Wasn't going fast enough and not enough power in the kite to get over them. Wing in the ribs, stabilizer into my calf. The latter is very painful still...

Speaking of latter, that's not the time to get your head around. SO much smoother and easier whipping the head around and waiting for the body to follow.

No more, I promise.

Always seem to on about the foil

REALLY wanted to get out on the Duke and see if I can make it work, but the wind just didn't co-operate. Ended up back on the foil...again.

Wind was all up and down, gusty and rough so I didn't really have a lot of fun. Lots of porpoising up and down, no good carves. Sigh...I think the longer fuse is the problem.

In remembrance of Dialer

Wind again today, started light and built a little.

Had the mast cut down (again) and the bottom squared off, holes recapped, as the previous incarnation was . . . borked. Used the new, longer fuselage.

So far so good--no collisions with the bottom and it's still straight.

As for the feel . . . well, there "skating over stones" feeling is gone, it's slower to respond but more reactive to swells that cause it to pitch, tracks a little straighter, faster and smoother, needs more speed to plane but lifts more . . . didn't notice the difference in the length of mast.

That was nice. The wind picked up and I wanted to ride the nice waves properly, so I ditched the foil and rode the Fish. Gawd it's horrible . . . slippery, twitchy, won't go upwind, spray every where all up the legs. Sigh, I miss my Dialer.

Brr

Really cold, couldn't find my flow. Still better than sitting at home feeling crook.

Mo' riding mo' video

Ugh, so sick but...must...ride...foil...must...be competent...before...summer...

Take the 15 and the 12 to the beach, but opt for the 12 as it's supposed to be pick up...it does, and it also dies right off, but in between and after I have a good time riding and hamming it up for the ROAM2. Expect video after the .dmg for Final Cut takes 6 months to mount and install.

Weather report said 5 to 15 knots, gusts to 20. But that was 20km north in Hikone; I think we had 8 to 16, dropping to 3 or 4 in that big lull...

Pride Goeth

Good forecast in the morning, dying off in the p.m... I bum-rushed the ocean beach at Tsu when the wife finished her horsing around in the morning. Got there about 1, set the board up as the other guys were leaving. Decided on the 12m Speed3 because...well, James inspired me and I wanted to check it's range.

Mmm, might be a bit much. Whee! boing test has a lot of pop...suck it up bitch!

Turns out to be good, but oh my! the turbulence in the ocean is more aggressive than the lake swell; I get bounced around and have a hard time foiling out.

Struggle out, get away from the waves and have a nice time for about an hour. I make barely any gybes though, and I feel very out of sorts...

Decide on a break to mount the camera (says GoPro in the tags, but is actually the ROAM2), as I figure I've gathered all the mojo I'm going to.

Oh shit, the wind has dropped and continues to drop until I'm floundering and swearing...not a good look. Give up in disgust.

Weather report says 15 falling to 8 knots; the station at the yacht club was saying 14 when I arrived and SFA when I left. Range on the 12 is good, but it needs extensions.

Enjoy the vid... No audio because iMovie iSucks.

---

I am a practitioner of the dark arts!

Well, a novitiate anyway. Foil boards are the voodoo black magic of the kite world. 

The forecast looked weak, but was supposed to pick up from 3. It didn't, but I got onto the water anyway cos I wanted to push the bottom end of the foil board and see just how low you can go.

Well...

If the weather report is to be believed, it was 3.2 building to 8.2 knots, gusts to 12.4.  I think we got a lot more steady wind closer to sunset, as it picked up some and Hiro came to play.

So, pretty freakin' low.

When the 21 would sit at the zenith ok, and I could body drag slowly, that meant I would be up riding :o When the kite would luff and drop back in the window, I could get up on the board but had to work the kite (ho ho ho) to get moving, but usually meant it was tough getting up on a foil. It was the point when the kite wouldn't stall in a loop that it was all on like donkey kong...

Still, there wasn't a white cap in sight and I was going upwind a little more with each tack... Black magic, I tell you! Amazing feeling, gliding over the almost flat water.

So I'm guessing that 5 knots is the easy bottom end, and the apparent wind built up mad; easier riding the apparent wind than over-powered. I dunno if the 21 is necessary, as its slowness was troublesome and I got over-powered at 12 knots (!)--it was almost impossible to keep a constant height foil, power was on and off too much. By the time I packed up, I might have been ok on a TT...maybe.

In the middle of all that, I managed several times to do some total foiling gybes, ride toe-side the whole tack then carve back the other way! Woohoo! Didn't expect to be doing that for a while yet. Tried some jumps, but very half-assed due to fear of luffing the kite and totally crap timing...

Naturally, I had the camera, had it charged, but didn't think it worth putting on the lines. How wrong I was!

Abracadabra, bitches!

Alrigh' alrigh'

Yet again, wind didn't live up to the forecast and it was up n' down the whole session, from being unable to relaunch the kite to being worried about being over-powered...

The wind situation was clear when I arrived at the lake; few whitecaps or trees moving around violently. Never mind, I've got a foil. With a bent fuselage.

It was overcast and snowing, so I wrapped up in the whale scrot and jammed the helmet on my hooded head. I went with the SB 14 cos I wanted to try a lower AR kite, but noticed in the session how it made nicer power when turning, and didn't get soggy at the bottom in lightest wind. Hmm...

Great riding today--when the wind was up. Bit of fighting to get up on the foil when it was light but goddam, I could barely keep the kite in the sky. In fact, at one time I couldn't relaunch it til the wind picked up.

Managed a couple of gybes on the foil, but sunk as I can't ride toeside. S-turns on my good side go well enough that I can get into the shallows near the beach on the foil, then bail.

So, good speed and height control, although my goofy lags behind by a session or two.

Sun came out so I got a bit pickled in the suit...

It's a good news, bad news kinda thing

Sun's out, wind like yesterday but a work day so I got the lake to myself. Cold though, and my gears still wet so I go with the 6/5/4 suit. Ugh.

Got to the beach with the Duke, Fun Foil, and 10m XB but it was howling so I went back for the 7m kiddie's toy. So small, thin, tiny, far away from the bar!

Was fine for a bit, then the wind dropped so I was working it hard. Not so bad, I could get consistent pull out of it that way, but it was hardwork.

Went back in for the 10m. That was better, had some good foiling runs and tried some gybes and S-turns, which was fun. Got to surf a wave accidentally too, until I ran out of speed and pull and sank.

Nailed the bottom HARD at speed, twice...fuselage is bent again. But I got some epically nice rides after that, long foils at constant speed and carving turns.... Huh.

So, plan B rev. 2: ride it as-is until I can foil consistently without slamming into the bottom, then cut it down for the extended fuselage. Tempted to get some aluminum stock and shift the mast mount point too... we'll call that plan C.

There was something else I meant to add, but have forgotten. Oh well.

Lotsa wind but not much riding

Went out with the 10 and the TT for a few jumps, but blimey, wind is bit.... Came up earlier than it should have so that's better than not but it's very bloody gusty, but strong, and the waves...made foiling tough, as I couldn't maintain speed or power easily and had to contend with decent (for the lake) sized waves. Boing, boing.

Impressed "that guy" by gybing. He can't at all so I'm cool.

Attempting to ride the TT at the end of the session ho ho ho...

Getting better. 6 hours in. . . .

Should have been a cracking forecast but it was crappy. Took the 15 and 21 to the beach but chickened out because the wind was up. Got the 16m XB . . . dude it su-uuucks! Too slow to be useful in the light wind, too much power when the wind picked up, which of course it did. Had fits trying to get up the beach and keep the kite in the sky. Then the wind cranked up. . . .

Got the 10m but of course, the wind dropped. Got to see what it was like riding a fast, small kite and trying to build apparent wind. Hard!

Went back on the 16 and had a nice time for a while, good long runs with smooth foiling, then the wind dropped right off and I gave up on the whole thing.

Did get to try with the rear foot unstrapped, as the screw worked itself out. Not sure I like it.

Good news, the fuse has stopped bending despite how many times I nailed the bottom! Oh myyy.

Suddenly clicked

Got some long tacks running off upwind, with some very long runs flying the foil, standing tall and steady. Woohoo! Goofy feels horrible, out of control and twitchy, but actually getting longer runs on the foil that side. Had a play with transitions and did some accidental S-turns. Good day!

Not sure I like the SB with the foil . . . the XBs are better.

A day of weirdness

The forecast I thought was for lightish wind... but it was a bit more when I got to the lake. 8 degrees, but sunny... I went with my 4/3 wetsuit and it was fine, til water got blasted down the neck hole.

Enough wind for the 13 and the foil, I think. Or at least to body drag out to the deep water...

That part of the plan worked. Got out into deep water ok, but just discovered new sand banks in the process. Did manage to get a bunch more time on the board though, up and riding for longish tacks with some foiling up and down in the middle. Felt so very precarious up there, in control but sorta not. Moved my back foot forward in the strap; set them up on the widest positions so I got it forward an inch or so from the middle position. Also had the time to play with foot position, rail to rail. Can't be right, weighting the heel side edge....

Very uncoordinated goofy, stance must be the problem as I'm rolling over my toes downwind of the board and having to bail, sometimes tweaking my feet in the straps, sometimes narrowly missing the foil, and once donking my head on something. Still seems to be bleeding, might have to wear a helmet next time....

Wind picked up, and the speed got unmanageable and very, very scary. Discovered the trick to going downwind is sheet in hard, drag the board with the downwind hand.

Back on the TT. Holy moly this feels weird! Every push on the front foot has my brain thinking that the whole thing is going to rise out of the water, and I can't edge properly. Add to that, the broad feels slow, draggy and totally dead, like a big lump of wood. Weird!

Doesn't look like the fuse bent any more so that's good. Plan B is cutting it down to 900mm and retapping the threads when I buy the longer fuse...

Fat Bastard strikes again

Plan was to use the light wind to get some time on the foil, ready for summer.

Good decision: using the 6/5/4 suit and 5mm gloves n' boots. Spent a lot of time in the water.

Bad decision: not squaring off the bottom of the mast :-/

So the wind was good when I hit the lake, but after 20 minutes fighting out to chest-deep water, an attempt or two, the wind just dropped right off. I kept playing with the gear but it was frustrating; progress was hampered by fighting to keep the kite in the air, and the foil hitting the bottom.

Found a hole in the lake bottom down near the new breakwater... it's not very long, but if I could get up on a foil, I could fuck off upwind from there easily. The problem is of course, getting up on the foil....

Got back to the beach and thought the fuselage was bent. Yup, sure is. Dammit....

Think I got body dragging with the foil sussed out though. And the feel for the foil again, although goofy is very goofy indeed.

Little bit light

Should have been good, but the wind didn't shift until after 3, then it was light wind puttering around. Oh well, at least I coukd still get back to shore.

Much better

Good wind, easy power on the 10.  Adrian was there, so I returned the Vanguard (sniff) and got a wee run on a fat rail Limited 138... Nice!

Ooh, lucky

Nothing at all was forecast but the wind came up so I hit the beach. Thought I might be able to try some surfing, but not enough for the 10m and the Vanguard-clone is still a slippery despite the awesome wax job by the ASP guy. Swapped it all out for the 15 and the Limited.

After a shit launch, I got rolling nicely powered and had a little boosting fun for the rest of this four hour session.

Got tired, got lazy, dropped the kite at the shore, let it get tangled... called it a day. A good day, that is.

Have I told you already? I hate wax

It's the devil!

Good wind forecast and it delivered. Tide is low until very late so I went for a look at the beach, thinking I'd do a little on the surfboard then head off to the estuary...

Goddamn wax! I'd redone it but I still slipped off the front of the board every time I tried to swap my feet. Real shame cos I was having fun.

So back to the car for the TT. Zoom zoom!

Ermagerd! KICKERZ!

Good air play. Found a nice section of the beach with long period waves and flat water between the foot high kickers. Boom! Splash down depth was a bit hinkey though... thanfulky though I only ballsed it up once big time, hitting the lip of a breaking wave and jumping out of a strap, spinning around and splashing down not so badly, in front of the rubber-necker.

Repeat for 3 hours til the tide changed the water into mountainous chop and I was tired of the anal probing from the Dakine Proctologist harness. Started carving around and a wind-down but that lasted an hour...

Finally came off the water around 6:30. I love daylight saving time!

... have sunburned knees where the harness pulled my shorts up over the tanned zone :-/ stupid country. So cold out IN SUMMER you need a sweater, but you get burned in minutes.

I really hate wax

No joy again today. "The next three days are going to be great" seems to be the local joke.

Got desperate and headed out for a run. The Axis board stuns again with how good it is, and wax annoys me again with how shit it is.

Give up after a few runs and walks. Again.

I hate wax

Hmm, lost some days here. Sure I went out on the last two days but then what happened to Thursday?

Low tide early afternoon so I head to the beach rather than the estuary... No messing about, straight out with the Speed and Spud.

Bah. So close to being able to go upwind well, but I can't so I ride, carve a turn, ride back, jump off and wade out upwind...

After an hour or so, I give up and ogle the blonde in the bikini as I pack up.

Head to the estuary cos I think I can get some riding in. Same set up; works just ok, I'm getting upwind a tad so I switch to the smaller Axis prototype Vanguard clone.

Oh myyy! What a stunning thing to ride... only 5' 4" but bloody hell, it cranks upwind, handles chop, and carves a turn better than the Spud. Which is bigger and wider. Wow! Shame the wax is such a shit of a thing!

Give up when the wind dies away.

Right. Plan D.

Home to drink beer.

Waste of time, wind wasn't picking up. Fucking frustrating.

35 degrees!

Total luck I got any riding at all. Forecast was supposed to switch to cracking NWs but that held off long enough to get an hour's blast in.

Prior to that, I'd gone to Tim's shop to ask about beach access and he offered the Spud to demo.

So I rode that and liked it, but I still think it's too small, but I can't get a straight answer from anyone on the matter of a longer board giving better bottom end...

Off to Jed's for fush n' chups.

The more I learn about wax, the more I hate it

Arrived at high tide and was the only one or two there... Bit light relatively speaking, rigged the 15 and went out in the Limited. Not that good for jumping, then the SPL broke and I had a long walk in. Weak, dude.

Pumped up the 10 and went out. Ok but the jumps aren't stellar so I start in on the stunts... yeah, the old tricks work. Tried some hand-drag back rolls and only one worked so I gave up in them.

Wind dropped so I went out on the FruJu. Good board -- too good for me. Crisp and lively, rocks upwind but I had a hard time carving it nicely. Good ollies when you hit it right, butt he was is going and I risk doing the splits...

Wind seemed to pick up so I went out on the Limited but it sucked and I went out on the FruJu again til I decided I had enough... Good long session, about 4 hours!

Fare thee well, Dialer

Wind seemed light so I went out with the 10 and the Dialer, but it was also shallow so I spent a lot of time running aground and falling over.

Board felt strange when I got out of the water and it was then that I spotted the cracks in the fin bamboo near the fin boxes. A trip to Groundswell and a conversation later, the big D is pronounced DOA.

Sadness.

Goodbye J-winter

All excited about using the 7, even thought I'd need the TT but no, the wind is just jerking my chain. Maybe 10 minutes riding, 5 continuously... bah.

Not bad, not bad

Light wind forecast, turned out ok. Rode some on the TT, rode some on the directional. Bit light, bit strong, bit gusty.

Dum-de-gah-GAH

Wind picked up as the session went on, but I really should have been on the S3 15 for the kind of riding I was doing. Gah.

The deck pad is falling apart so I pulled it off and put on the new Dakine pad but . . . it isn't the same size. GAH. Naturally I didn't check before I started ripping the old one off and naturally theres messy patches of adhesive and rubber that just won't come off. Fuck.

Am now looking at SUP and longboard pads as they're the only ones long enough to cover all the mess :(

Paid for the LF Fun Foil too--watch this space.

Dum-de-doo

Bit of a disappointment cos the forecast was cracking, but did some riding as the wind picked up on the Dialer. Better jumps now I've learned to take my back hand off the bar . . . but of course, no camera this time. Landing is easier cos I've discovered I can put my foot anywhere. Kinda. . . .

Well that was lucky!

Was a good forecast but when I got to the lake, it was light and the FS crew had packed up, deciding the day was done.

There was some wind so instinct around, setting up the Swiss Army knife. Had a giggle at Miyachi trying the Lotus 10... too light for a twin tip. I tried on the Dialer but wasn't working. Stood on the beach having a moan then tried again...

... and the wind gradually picked up to the point I thought about the TT but didn't give in. Good session, it was. I liked that.

Yesterday's epic is today's gravy

 Good forecast that delivered for a change. The FSer crew was in town, but I didn't get to snarf any gear :(

Instead, I got some riding with my 10m Crossbow... Works fine on Dialer. I think. Even got some ju,oing in, but it was gusty enough for me to chicken out and resort to straight jackin'!

10m weather used to be epic, but now it's just a good day. I must be getting spoilt.

Got some footage too... 6 months later, you might see it.

Too close for comfort!

Too light. Got some riding done but we did a lot of fighting to ride. And there were some messy scenes trying to get off the beach... kite collisions and near misses on tangled lines... sigh.

Ah, tis the season

Good forecast, nothing delivered except for about 10 minutes riding. Bugger.

Tease

Cracking when I arrived and jumped out on the 10m but soon the wind dropped and I stood around with my thumb up my ass. Decided to get the 15 and the wind came back, so that was nice. Big gap of nothing in the middle but it ended nicely.

Heh...

Epic forecast, but when I arrived at the lake just after midday, it didn't seem up to much so I headed out with the Speed3 15...

... oops. It was so gusty that "couldn't keep planing" was violently contrasted with "speeding out of control". Somewhere in between, I did some jumps. Some really big ones too -- getting my head almost level with wing tips of kites parked at 12. I need a Woo or a Xensr...

After some time doing that, the beach had cleared out some so I went to land the kite... needed help, so overpowered, glad Jun was there.

Took the Speed back to the car and got the 10 and 7m XBs. Went back out with the 10 and the Limited for some more yeehaas. The wind was up and down, so when I next came in I went out on the Dialer. Then changed to the Lim when I got overpowered, then back to the D when the wind dropped to wind the session down on a high note.

Tough conditions, but I had a nice time and enjoyed the 10m XB with the D.

Riddle me this, Batman

Q. What's worse than a small beach crowded with Asian kiters?

A. A small beach crowded with Asian kiters... with foils.

FFS people. Kites landing left, right and center on too of people and gear; foil boards left standing all over the show, wrapping up lines; kites stalling everywhere; lines laid out to every point of the compass. What a mess. Self-centered people and foil-learners is not a good combo... at least I'm not the only one getting grumpy at the dickheads...

Leaving the show aside, there was no wind. In desperation, I took the Dialer and Limited back to the car and for the Flydoor and the 21.

Super light, flat water but going upwind -- amazing. Then, as I'd feared, the wind picked up and it was a bit much... should have gone with the 15, but it was good after all the waiting and watching the comedy....

Yarr

So-so forecast but tis the season to deliver wind in the late afternoon.

Really late... I'd gone out to experiment with the Flite and line extensions, so it wasn't a total loss when the wind that was exceptionally light dropped off to nothing...

I'd stood around, glaring at the horizon, then given up and packed up the Flite when the wind picked right up... I rushed back to the car for the S3 15 and proceeded to have a great 45 minutes till dark fooling around around... even nailed a few tacks.

Gah

Looked promising, and it started off nicely on the Dialer and the 10m XB but dropped off after a half hour or so. Tried the S3 12 for a bit but it's not a solution in the low end of its range, and maybe too leaky when it's on... Got the 15 out but it just dropped away.

Still going to be a tough call trying to decide what to take to NZ for the hols... but it was good to experiment.

Ooh

Average forecast was better than expected. Good boosting, good stunting, great carving, nice surfboard riding... let's say nothing about the out of town assholes who take 15 minute showers whole people are waiting, cos that would spoil the buzz.

Oh, got new brown lenses for the Shark v1s... the shizzle! Glad the web store is up and running, well worth the money: 720-armour

Bah

No work today for a change so naturally, the wind chooses this weekend to not blow. Bah humbug.

Tried a few tacks on both boards, and while I could get upwind occasionally it wasn't fun. Gave up and test-flew the S3 12 to check for how much I need to resplice the FDS to take tension out of it...

Ah, that's better

Didn't risk it this time and went out on the S3 and had a cracking good time, despite the light wind. Wind dropped off as I needed to stop for work so that worked out well.

Tricksy weather

Forecast predicted blow at 3 so we all duly descended on the beach and glared at the horizon. It finally turned up and the inevitable bums rush to the beach followed.

I wanted to try the 10m XB on the Dialer again, but didn't trust the wind and with the SB despite having laid out the 10m's bar... Didn't suck as much as I thought it would though.

Went out on the Limited and came in for the Dialer as the wind dropped then lulled then picked up then dropped. Lame.

Twice in a row was too much to ask for

Forecast better than yesterday but it was worse -- more range in the gusts, even less low end, long time no blow.

Started off on the TT as the photo dears were there again and they wanted the action. Started on the 10 but it wasn't working, so I hit the 15 and it was better but not like yesterday. Not by a long shot. Hope they got some shots of the bottom of the board so I can share on Axis FB page.

Tried again later on the Dialer and the 10. Surprisingly good, but it didn't last... Shame.

Come fly with me

Good forecast turned fucking epic.

Started on the Dialer, underpowered weirdly but riding ok. Then the wind picked up a little and the riding got tentative so I got on the TT and went for a fly.

Goddam, big jumps. Couple of old duck with cameras too, might get some photos...

Nearly a disaster at landing, gust collapsed the kite and Miyachi missed it so I went to safety and it wiggled across the window, narrowly missing all the kites on the beach and the camera lady.

No harm no foul. It were all-ll good.

I done foil!

Got some time today on the Alien Air and MHL Lift foil and my Speed3 15.

Bloody hell, water handling is a PITA! I figured out how to body drag, but our spot is just shallow enough for a couple hundred meters out to ground the foil, and just deep enough to make it impossible to walk... so I spent about 99% of the time splashing around trying to get to deep water.
Only got a half dozen or so so rides, out of a dozen attempts, before I was worn out. My wish or goal was to water start, get up on the board and ride it on the water and let it lift with board speed. Now I look at it, I wonder if I wasn't a little overly ambitious...

First attempt was, of course, a total moon shot. Boing! and dragged over the foil... ow.
Next couple I got up on the board and moving, but sunk out in the light wind or got pushed off by chop.

The wind had picked up a little so body dragging out was easier, and the last 4 or 5 rides were easier too. I managed to get up on the board and riding, with a few seconds of feeling lift from the foil but not properly foiling before grounding out or mis-balancing the board and getting lobbed.

On the last two tacks, I got up and foiling properly for long enough to enjoy the ride -- maybe 4 seconds of kangaroo hopping and finally 10 seconds of wobbly "omg omg I'm doing it I'm doing it!" before losing speed, lift, and grounding the foil again...

Yeah good fun, I can see me buying one.

Aside from that, some Dialer riding and Limited boosting. Good day.

I done tack!

Me! Fuck yeah!

Ok powered today, for 2x 45 minutes, with a drink break between. Started trying to tack on a port reach, after watching a Cabrinha tech tip video. Got closer and closer until after about a half dozen attempts - nailed it! Woohoo! Got them 50/50 for the next half dozen but that did me; now for the other side!

Otherwise, a good day.

Psch

Lully and nasty. Got about 30 seconds of perfect riding, the rest being riding along then trying to do something just as a lull hits...

This time, the cocks walk

Had some hours free this afternoon, so I fixed the 21 and went to the lake for a test flight...

Oh it's the "competition" today too. Goody, the beach is completely covered with kites nobody is using, and the only free space is down the far end. Tough launch with the long lines, between the pile of bamboo trash and all the weeds and twigs on the shore... had to wade out to get it up, but the job got done.

Me and a Lotus 18 were out, and the only ones going upwind. A couple of hours fooling around doing rotations... not bad.

Idiot me... rather than land at the YMCA beach, with plenty of space, I got Miyachi to land me in the only space free at our beach.

Sigh... the North rep, call sign "Cock One", was trying four his unhooked mad skills 2 inches from the shore and dumped his kite downwind with his lines right on top of me, wrapped around my neck and actually started trying to relaunch his kite, before someone grabbed it and landed it, and I could untangle. Naturally, he apologized to Miyachi -- who was 12 feet away -- and just ignored me. Nice one.

Enter "Cock Two". First, he drags his boards and fins over my lines, then proceeds to drag his lines out from under my kite, ignoring the horrible noises as it catches on the material, then just yanks them out of the bridle lines. Then, when I'm halfway into rolling up, he's got the nerve to ask me to launch him -- without using polite grammar, so it's like he said, "I want to start, so launch me." I suggested he should ask someone who wasn't busy...

Fuck I hate comp days, and the cocks from Tokyo.

This time, a giant rubber cock

Good forecast didn't pan out but it was ok. First real ride on the directional in ocean waves... well, if you can't do little strapless airs you could be in trouble, instead of having a hoot. Waves weren't up to much but we're good for hopping and floating over.

Spent the first hour downwinding and walking, which is where I tripped over the latex rod of love. After I'd had enough of the walking, I landed the kite and took the ROAM2 of so naturally, the wind then picked right up and the riding improved...

Dropped off again so I packed up at sunset.

Another pair of sunglasses at the bottom of the lake

Was pretty good from about 3 to 5, but I was feeling a bit over-done on the Dialer and wanted to do some jumping so I switched to the S3 15 and the Flydoor... just as the wind died off. Did some low wind waffling around; rotations and kite loops that didn't do much.

Lost my Sundogs too... floats, my ass. Now, I wonder where I put the new ones I bought recently...

Coulda been worse

Good forecast all day, but have to work in the afternoon. Headed down at 10am for a couple of hours, but the wind was lulling too much to be worth the effort...

I was stood on the beach watching the horizon for a blow line when the guy on the hydrofoil dropped his Chrono wa-aaay the hell "outside"... it wasn't going back up so I went and told Miyachi and we went out on the boat looking for him. Couldn't find him, and it took another boat coming over who had seen him to point us in the right direction. Bloody hell!

Came back after work about 530pm and went out for a run on the Dialer with the S3 15, but it was crappy again. I packed up after a long lull, close to sunset, and just as I'd put the kite in the back in the bag it picked right up. Could have had another 45 minutes... Oh well.

Coulda been better

Forecast looked ok, but it didn't pick up til close to the time I had to leave, so only got less than an hour of powered riding... life is tough. And it turned out I didn't need to leave so early anyway!

Good enough

Not as much wind as yesterday, but enough to try to recreate the awesome feeling... although it fell a little short.

Tougher to transition feet on the Dialer with less wind to tap with the bar, need to keep the speed up. Has some need hitting of waves and getting a push back to get the feeling of actually surfing.

Despite being mostly underpowered, I had a pretty good time for 3 hours or so. Need to give my knees a break -- 5 sessions in 6 days! Unheard of!

Awesome!

Forecast looked ok, but it turned out to be a stonker!

Started out doing some good jumps on the 'door then as the wind dropped, got onto the Dialer. What a great session, just totally awesome feeling.

Has to be the Dynabar, just so much freer riding the boards. Even now I put in an hour or so on the TT with the Dynabar rather than changing it for the fixed hook, that's easy too. Greatly prefer; I reckon it's easier on my back too.

Just wish I could get the Teletubbies theme outa my head...

Dynabar intro

Thought I'd done this already. Can't remember the details, but I seem to remember it being acceptable and having a nice time playing with the Dynabar...

Two in a row?

Arienaiiiiii!

Forecast wasn't up to much, but I had the time so why not? The SB had arrived, I was sitting on the Dynabar for a light wind day, and the Mako Duke was sitting there begging for it...

Unfortunately, while the wind was ok, the water was a little full of crap, like chunks of wood and bamboo. I went out on the Dialer, was doing ok and avoiding the flotsam, then went out on the Mako Duke...

Initial thoughts are it's over-finned, as the back end is dug in and doesn't like to be shifted but it's more stable at speed than the Dialer and maybe I just need to move my foot back, like in the video. Tougher to gybe as it's narrower at the front but I only got to try that a couple of times...

Worried about the gunk in the water, I change back to the Dialer as the wind is up and down too... ride out the rest of the afternoon thusly.

Man, I love the Dynabar. The pad still rides up like a pig on the Mystic harness but at least it's not trying to dig my guts out. EVERYTHING is so much easier on the directional!

Sonic BOOM

Typhoon forecast was all jacked up -- last night it looked great all day, this morning it looked weak as. I'd pretty much given up on it as a bad joke, but had been messaging with Jun in Mie during the day. He reckoned 4 pm would be good, and I had the time free so I rocked on over.

Bloody glad I did... Jun offered to let me use the Sonic 18 he's borrowed, so long as I could pack it away dry :D it got soaked on the weekend. High tide, low wind, hot launch...

It was 6 knots when I got out of the car, and it picked up to 16 when I got back in. At first, I filled the kite and struggled with the tips a bit, then was surprised by how much pull it actually had. Hmm...

Got out in the light wind, a loop to get up and planing (!) and away across the beach. Got halfway back to my starting point then headed back out. Can feel the wind picking up, and I'm actually GOING UPWIND WHILE WORKING THE KITE! Amazing...

Wind continues to pick up, I go upwind easier, the jumps get bigger, the hang time longer... bloody amazing kite! It's a little more stable, and a little more twitchy, than the Speed3 but in different ways. Teeny bit more bar pressure I reckon, but more responsive. I want one.

Had to pack up as Jun was going home... didn't want to stop.

My thanks to the truck driver who threw a tantrum after I overtook you -- great comedy, I laughed mightily at your antics.

:(

Forecast looked ok, but I got ripped off. A handful of tacks, barely going upwind, for about 30 minutes. The racer boys impressed with the foil boards -- Sonic 11 guy was amazing.

On top of that, it rained so I have a soggy kite with no chance of drying it out cos it's rained every day since we got home...!

And so it begins

Light wind, just enough to ride. Got a bit of practice in on the Dialer... There's a ripped cell in the right wing tip too, great. Going to fix it with Dacron tape and be done with it. Poor old girl...

Rode from about 5pm to past sunset. Temp dropped under 30 and so we get out first whining about the cold... Gotta wonder what is wrong with these people eh.

Not as good as last time

Hoped for the same as last time, and took the Limited to the lake and out for the first run, but was lighter than last time and a bit limp. Need to do the mixer...

Unprepared for a warm welcome

Back in Japan, the wind is finally blowing.  Got to the lake only to realize that I'd forgotten my hat and glasses in a suitcase somewhere. I hope. And my Limited is in the shed...

So I took the Dialer and the Flydoor over to the lake, with the 21. Nope. Too much wind for the big beast, go back for the 15.

Good choice. Wind was a bit Lully but some fun was had.

Hard work, all this chop. I'm out of shape, it seems: spiked by flat water, light wind, big boards and beer on the beach...

Met another gringo too, which was nice.

So long, Samui

Probably last chance day - don't want to face wet, heavy gear at check-in again.

Start out on the 21 and the Slayer, doing fine in the light wind but I can see big black clouds behind me. I keep an eye on them but decide too late that I need to drop the kite. Get tea-bagged in the gusts and call it a day with the QR again, timing it right so the kite drops on the sand bar; honest, I meant to do that. I pack up the damp (but not sodden) tangle and leave it for another day to sort out, chase down the abandoned Sector and head back in for the XB and the Limited.

Boosting fun for a half hour until the wind drops off so I get back on the Slayer.

Slayer goes through chop fine, probably less bouncy than the Dialer but is harder work going edge to edge and carving gybes are like squating 400lbs, and holding it there.

Wind drops off again, so I haul the gear back to the beach and pack up. Sit around drinking and talking, then the wind picks up but I've got a date to get too. Moo thod samun prai and pad thai noodles, mojito and sex on the beach...

PS. In Japan, we loaded all our luggage on the scales at once so all my careful packing to get 23kg in each bag was pointless. Figured they'd do the same here, so I dumped all my kite gear in the kite bag for easy packing... 36kg on the scales, as they weighed them individually. We instantly agreed to pay the excess baggage and it went through without a hitch. Fnar!

Wedding photos photobomb

Sat around waiting for the wind, was supposed to be good so had the "small" kite pumped up on the beach, after abortive efforts to do... anything.

Wind came up close to sunset and Tim convinced me to try his 2012 Slayer 60.

Tide was up so I rode right off the beach. Very nice board, super stable and fast off the fins. Easy to ride and not so dead for such a large and well-finned board. Good upwind too... Fun!

Someone was taking wedding photos out on the spit, with the stormy skies in the background (uh?) and possibly a big fat farang too.

Back again after back blow-out

Pulled a muscle in my back bending over to change a nappy, and spent the day in bed with Voltaren and ice packs. The next day was a quite one too, although greatly improved. One more to be sure, then a tentative session in light wind today... No problems!

Not quite the same

Almost the same as last time, but slightly less wind... Took off and landed on the beach, so I can do that.

Light fun

Light wind la-la in the lagoon. Launched from the sand bar, noodled around having a nice time. Landed on the beach and got seaweed all up in the lines... ah yes, I remember that from last time too.

Way over the top welcome to Samui

Arrived on Samui on Monday, and some wind arrived today. I thought it'd be light, and contemplated putting up the 21, or going out on the XB16 and the Flydoor... Thank god I did neither!

As it was, I was overpowered, then out if control in gusts. Some nice boosts though. The wind picked up and the gusts got worse, and after about a half hour I got hit by one I couldn't hold onto and started rocketing off towards the pier...

So I threw the safety, splashed down then walked back to the beach, towing the kite. Shame, I was having such fun!

Sliced up my foot on reef remains in the shallows... forgot my reef shoes and my Kindle! More to come, no doubt...

Oh, and the force of the wind on the kite when I ejected caused the Amsteel to cut the bungy in the safety line. Huh!

Sea Day. At the sea side. Dodging the sea life.

Thought the weather forecast has stuffed me, but after waiting til it felt like the right time, then relaunching the kite for one last time before giving up, the wind came in as predicted.

Light but went upwind with fun for a while, then slowly downwind with fun til I just couldn't get back upwind.

Goddam fish jumping out everywhere at me... think I sconed a couple with the board, so take that.

Wussy-phoon

Supposed to be psycho, but if it wasn't for the gusts I would have been on the Speed3 15. Surf was big so that was fun. Jumps were ok but the gusty wind meant it was like flying through turbulence.

Got dunked once and dragged, then later thought my harness was broken. Turned out the battle belt had gotten caught somehow so it all worked out in the end. After the wedgies had gotten too much and I packed up.

Guess where

Tsu again. Started good for a while then died off, but had a nice time.

Got pulled over the board, couldn't get my foot out of the strap and it broke. Sigh. Rode another hour like that til the wind was naff.

About time Biwako

Back to normal - forecast was rocking, get to the lake there was no wind. At all. Lame.

Turn the lines of the S3 15... depower rope was a few cm too long... wind picks up as I'm trying to sort that out and balls it up by twisting the trim straps.

Head over to the beach, take the Rebel 18 out. God, I can't live with the fifth line tangles and the retarded bar pressure. It's up for sale.

Unpack the Speed3 15 and have a good time, despite the wind drops and squalls. Bar needs some glue, pulleys need replacing but love it. Fucking tubes...

Fun! at Tsu again

Weather delivered a whole lot better than the forecast, so that was nice.

Arrived just ahead of Jun, who's training for the race this weekend. I, on the other hand, planned to have fun.

Good enough for the 15 and the Limited; not epic but I'm having a nice time for maybe an hour, then the wind drops. Take a break, Jun lands the kite for me, then he heads home. I noodle around on the 'door (middle straps better, but board feels so heavy!) for a whole, then the wind picks up so I get back on the Limited.

Not epic, as I said, but I really enjoyed myself... doing my tricks, playing with the waves - fun!

Tsu again!

Could have been better... but it was better than nothing.

Tried the old 'door on wide foot strap... Don't think I like it for that board - too hard to pop.

Found a Fleshlight on the beach

Not your normal beach combing score... Thought it was a lump of dead octopus or a shark egg or something exciting. Nope... eww.

Storm coming through, brought some ok wind. Bit gusty but was the best for a long time... Biwako needs to step up its game!

Good blow for an hour, then it died off. Waited some, then went back out. Rain came in, hosed down for a while, then died off.

10 minutes into the second session, my frickin Fusion harness blew a strap, this time going up on a decent jump... had to hang on to the bar like grim death. Funny, cos I swapped out the CL on the bar before I started as it has holes and I was worried it'd break.

As luck would have it, had the Mystic Star in the car. Dang, lot of hard work using a waist harness... new Fusion is in-bound but goddam Dakine, an inch of stitching? Seriously...

Let down, big time

Same forecast as last weekend, but it haut didn't pick up enough....

Tried to ride the landboard but the sand was too soft, the wind too light. Ah well.

Light but that's alright

Light wind forecast, picked up enough to have a little fun at the cable park... Nuff said.

Gusty, much?

Great forecast but damn it was gusty - really off and OH HELL on. Wanted to use the Rebel 18 but wasn't sure if the wind would be right, and I'm glad I didn't cos... dang.

Way under to uncomfortably over in a few seconds. But here and there, it was stable enough for some riding.

Had a good couple of mini-sessions on the Dialer; played around with foot more forward, stance wider and it seemed to be less bouncy through the chop; maybe even easier to plane. Fun but hard work.

Wind picked up enough to make life difficult on the Dialer so I went to the Limited but it wasn't really happening. Struggled for a while then gave up and went home to play some Assassin's Creed before picking up the boy...

In which I face-plant from several meters above the water

Started out light and built up.

I got out on the 21 and the Origin for about 30 minutes, just in case it continued not following the forecast. Flat-bottomed boards just aren't as locked and loaded feeling as the channeled boards. By the time I don't need to ride the 'door, I can get on the Limited so I think I either want an Ultra or will just get rid of the Origin and leave it at that.

Swapped out for the 15 and had a good time. Ok jumps, so I got into some tricks. Started doing some foot outs until, near the end of the day, the chicken loop snapped at the apex of a jump.

I was ended up falling and hitting the water in a staple, with the board still on my feet. Thought the spreader bar had gone again, but nope. Nothing hurt but my pride... although I had an odd, very localized ache in my left leg... gone now, so not broken or anything.

Fuckin' CLs. That's the fourth FS one I've broken. Looks like the hook is wearing through the PU tube and then the rope is just letting go, which it shouldn't cos I'm guess it's rated to thousands of pounds, so maybe it's rotting as water gets in...

Checked all my others... the 21 is borderline, the 12 is fine; 55cm Cab bar has holes, the two 48cm bars are fine; and of course the North bar is fine. Hmm... will either replace with Switch CLs or try adding another layer of PU.

Might flick a mail to FSer...

I know I went out but...

Forgot to do this, now I forget what happened. Oh I remember - I went to Mie. Left here early and got to Mie and onto the water just as the wind was dropping. Had a boostathon for 10 minutes, then it dropped so I played with the waves. Started to feel iffy after a while and gave up... mustn't have timed brunch right cos I felt much better once I got something to eat.

Super-light again

Crappy cos it just didn't last long enough...

Was a fun start though. Flat water, fun rotation tricks. Shame. I need a foil.

Mmm

New kite arrived, got some wind... Off we go.

Well. Lotsa bar pressure, feels like it's over-sheeted, bloody hard work getting upwind, can't figure out how to jump it, turns like balancing a broom in the palm of your hand. Want to sell it on, but I'll give it a run in the wind it's supposed to be in and with a bigger board.

Went straight out on the S3 15 and was much happier...

Piss-poor pay-off

For all the preparation. And I gave myself a headache shouting obscenities at the wind. Fucker.

Boostathon

Big forecast for Mie.

Supposed to pick up so I went for the Speed3 12, as I wanted to check the state of tune and test the Cabrinha pulleys. Was a bit underpowered for a while, then it dropped off. Kite needs a tune, the mini-5th is too short.

Got out the 15. Much better! Could probably tickle the mixer a little but it was good. Mmm good REAL good! Real huckfest... gush and choppy so it was straight jackin' but jolly good fun. Good height and hang, and a bit of a tweak to technique produced some of the most violent rips off the water I've experienced. Crimes! And I thought I had it all sussed out...

Even though I dunked the 15 a few times (water dropping away under my landing spot) and inverted/bow tied once, it was still a kick-ass session!

---

The Tsu Yacht Harbor; yachts to the left of me, kiddies' park the right...

Sub-10 knots... Believe it, or not

Light wind forecast but thermals may improve it. Went and waited...

About 4pm, everyone decided it was as good as it as going to get and jumped in. I joined them...

Still impressed with that 2014 Zephyr, eh. But I must have really nailed the tune for the 21 cos it rocked upwind, was super-stable and gave good lift.

Everyone gave up after a while but I kept going cow I was making headway upwind, and was still able to throw some rotation tricks. And so it went for the next couple of hours...

The wind was so light... no white caps at all, you had to stand still to see trees or stalks of grass moving. Amazing! Weather site said 4 to 8 knots, gusts no more than 14 but that was 2 hours before I got on the water...

Same old, same gold

Good forecast, better wind. Good power from the kite and I didn't need a 'door! Bit gusty for stunts, so mostly just straight boosting and wave slashing. Man, wish I had a camera on today...

Wind shifted front the N to the NW but was still rideable. 16 to 22 knots, apparently. Water was actually more rideable after the switch as it was less choppy and we got longer flatter spaces better better formed crests.

Harness is more comfy if the bottom straps are tighter than the top. I need to try the wider stance on the Limited too...

Home sweet home

Didn't quite live up to the forecast but was pretty good anyway.

Crowded ol' beach with just over 15 kiters out and about. 10s and 17s... but there's some wind so I go with the Speed3 15. End up having to swap my boards a few times but it's a pretty good day's riding.

Called this one "epic" cos I nailed many big phat sent rotations, like I meant to do it that way...

Tsu yet again

Kinda the same as yesterday, (without the traffic) but with the wind dying it went from fun to lame...

Tsu again

Dropped the wife at the airport with the bit and took the other highway to Tsu... traffic was bad.

Had a nice time doodling around, despite the crowds of trailer trash on the beach.

Tsu on a holiday

Was good fun but I need to tune the kite.

Nailed it again!

NW forecast but yellow arrows - worth a look. Head right down after lunch.

Bit light - rig the 16. Wind picks up... Too much now. Rig the 13... Almost too much but I know it's going to die late.

Nailed it again! Epic session for 2 hours, boosting good times! Til the wind dropped, but I'd had enough anyway...

Tsu again.

Good forecast, headed down to Mie alone. With my refreshed local knowledge of how the wind rocks on in then buggers on off, I timed my arrival carefully and went out with what I hoped would be the best kite and board for most of the conditions...

Nailed it!

But either the mixer is out, or it was gustier than it seemed... Bit twitchy. Stunts weren't up to much. Fun, nonetheless.

First in Mie for '15

Should be a good southerly come through today, so headed down to Mie.

Hmm. Very light when I arrived. Set up the 16... wind picked up. Oops. Hung on to it for a bit but I'll have more fun on a smaller kite... except the wife has wandered off with the car.

When she gets back, I set up the 10m XB but soon I'm just under powered . Sigh... To lazy to set up a third kite for the day.

Had fun though. Even got applause by some spectators when I got off the water... weird.