2015 11 13 - Kiting weekend - epic downwinder

After another break it was time for the main event.  We debated about what we should do and came up with a down winder into the inlet.  With everyone being very capable kiters we were confident we could handle anything that conditions would throw at us.  Plus - if anything went wrong we could just go for a bit of a hike.

We dropped a car at the inlet, then setup and headed off.  We still had 25 knots or so wind - although in the inlet it was mostly offshore and a bit dodgy - but isn't it always !

Heading off we knew we were in for a treat.  The sea had turned angry - it was very hard to get out the back - but the flat water sections and the smaller waves rolling through were providing fantastic rides.  There were a stack of smiling faces all the way down.








After about 40 minutes I thought we needed to get a wiggle on - I still couldn't spot the entry to the inlet and it looked like it was miles away at what I later found out was Wilsons prom.


Then - we found the entry.  The tide was starting to go out, so we were greeted with some sections that we couldn't kite.  I did develop some mad skills later on to enable me to kite in virtually no water.... but more on that later.


The inlet mouth
Once inside the inlet there were magnificent flat water sections.  We all hit around 40km/h through this section - magic.  As Stu said - we were all "giggling like little girls".

Then....reality hit.... we had a lot of upwind to cut up into.  Fortunately the water was flat, but progress was a little slow.


Finally hit sections that we can cup up into.

Magic flatwater in the inlet.



Trying to get a good long reach, I thought I'd cut across some very shallow flat water.  I found that if I kept the kite fully powered I could fly along basically lying on my arse.  I was giggling while doing it - lucky I didn't hit any sticks.


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