Kiteventure

With my main bar looking like it is about to give way, I took out my old 7 bar and changed over the safety from the other harness.  A few too many variables which should have been a bad sign.  Got out on the water and as soon as I put some real power through the kite (a loop) the safety went bang.  Then, cause I hadn't put the safety on the harness correctly it also popped.  Leaving me with a long swim in, and James to grab my kite which drifted in by itself, luckily the bar didn't grab on a rock groyne or something which would have been a disaster. Enough impetus to go and get a new bar and kite - so yay !

Massive air with kiteloops on great waves.

Mucked around with the wrist mount - not a fan as I was worried I'd wrap the lines somehow.  Amazing to be down the prom again on waves.

Dodgy wind saw me head down to the southern most section of the beach and surf the waves down that way for as long as I could.  James, Pete and Mike all followed me down and we had fun while it lasted.  Straight westerly not ideal for that beach, you definitely need some southerly in it to keep it consistent.

An amazing north westerly forecast made us explore some options.  We planned a track from the sandy point inlet on the eastern side, all the way down to Darby's beach at the prom.  Epic tour ! The plan The reality We started by cycling cars across to the other side of the inlet.  James, Anthony, Dobbo and I stayed and pumped kites while the other guys dropped the cars down at Darby's beach.  On their return, we all put kites in the sky and headed down the inlet.  Kinda busy with 9 kites around, but the wind was absolutely cranking, so I was well lit on my 7.  Big jumps and lots of secondary lift, I mucked around with some rotations and lots of toeside stuff until we were ready to head off. With a wave of the hand we were off.  Saw Lee do a spectacular drag across a sandbar and had to avoid some crazy moves from Adam, but otherwise all was going well.  Spent heaps of time toeside going straight downwind which was fun, and cranking it...

Grabbed a very big kite - 16 or something - and a big nugget and got a reminder of what it was like to be overpowered.  Kinda fun to be out, but not something I would bother investing in.  If there is not enough wind for my 10, I really can't be stuffed trying to grind it out with a big monster kite.

Borrowed one of the almighty nuggets for a longer go.  Grabbed James' bigger kite too and had a few runs.

We headed back to Sandy point and although there was wind, it was not quite enough to hold a line.  I thought stuff it, may as well kite a bit and walk back.  So, in and out for over an hour and gradually losing ground, with a massive walk back.

We headed down to 90 mile beach to kick off proceedings as that was the most solid forecast.  Pete, Anthony, James, Stu, Lee, Mike, Dobbo, Adam and myself made up the crew.  A beautiful beach and pretty solid wind greeted us at Woodside, we all piled in.  Just enough wind to keep a line, ride the small swell and do little jumps, but magnificent to be on the water to kick off the session.  After a fun couple of hours the wind started to swing offshore, so we headed in, dodging fisherman, to have some lunch.  After lunch, although the wind was picking up, we decided to try our luck at Sandy Point.

Pulled another big air with kiteloop landing.  Took me a while to adjust to riding the big kite again.  Pretty cold in my short leg wetsuit.

Met up with Stu, James, Mike and Dobbo at Aspendale at lunchtime. About 20 knots, but given the wild weather of the last couple of days I put the small kite up.  Almost straight away I had a secondary lift on a jump, then looped it to land beautifully smooth on the water - a perfect jump.  Great session in the waves, lots of power, heaps of fun.

met up with Stu S at 9am at Aspendale.  The forecast was for wild winds with gusts up to 50 knots.  We guessed they would accompany the storm fronts. We were half right. One blew through just before I got there, but there was still plenty of wind.  I decided on Gnotuk St carpark to give us a bit more flexibility and backup in case we mucked up a launch - there are heaps of obstacles at Roycroft.  Got out and everything was smooth, strong wind with good jumps and a fun surf.  Did some rotational jumps and thought I'd try out one on my non preferred.  Felt all sorts of our of position and hit the loop early.  My lines went slack, enough for me to wrap one of the lines around the bar.  Of course the kite powered right up, looped and sent me flying.  Quick chance to try and free, then loop again, airborne.  I wasn't particularly panicked, I knew I just had to unloop the line.  Eventually found it, but by this time my kite has looped ...

Met up with Pete, James and Stu for another ripping session at Aspendale.  Lots of wind on hand, almost too much at times, I had to depower the 10 to keep it under control.  Nice air but waves not as great as last time. Rode with the new Harness (Mystic drip) - I'm not really sure about it at this stage - its a great fit (small) but it sits a bit higher than the majestic so I'm tossing up whether to go back to the majestic.

The wind suddenly cranked up, 25 knots and the sea kicked up some perfect waves.  Massive airs, riding big head high waves, it was a stunning session.  Had an absolute ball and followed it up with the first swim of the year in the pool. 

Up and down...but just enough to hold a line.  Out on the 7 just in case as it was one of those days that could easily go ballistic.

About 20-25 knots, onshore, big waves, crystal clear water - fantastic session.  Left the kids on the beach amongst the media throng and I think its the first time they've actually seen me on the water when its good wind.  Got some big air, did some basic rotations and tried to surf the massive close out waves.  Hell of a lot of fun.

Pretty dodgy wind but very nice backdrop. Nice rainbow, awkward spot.  Landed very heavily onto a sandy reef. Dog, rainbow, kite, imminent jump

Forecasting skills came in handy today, picking the slot between rain fronts for an hour long kite with James at Hampton.   Perfect wind so I had a crack at heaps of rotational jumps.  Heaps of progress on my weaker side, nailing double backrolls, forward rolls and a backroll to toeside.  Session ended perfectly, packing up and getting in the car just as the next front dumped rain on us.  Yeehaa.

Took Job's new nugget out for a spin, had a great time gybing jumping and carving.

Went down to Rye to meet up with Job and Luca.  Had a blast on the big kite in about 18 knots.  Gotta sort out this unhooked raley.

Gave Daphne a go on the trainer kite - which is very hard on the arms, particularly in 30 knots.  We then put up the 7m so that she could get a feel for it without actually being tethered.  Julie and Keith dropped by, it was fantastic to see them before they head off on yet another European adventure. Got out on the 7m again, by this time it had calmed down a bit - heaps of fun putting on the regulars.  Tried riding blind without heaps of success, but got a nice deep darkslide in.  What a joy.

We were heading down for a family weekend down at Rye, and a honking early forecast saw me get up early to grab a ride with James to allow him to get back home by 11.   We arrived at Rosebud to 32 knots, and strong as hell, but very consistent.  Definitely small kite time and I was having second thoughts about inviting Daphne down for a go on the kite - it seemed like the kind of weather where she might just fly away. On the water it was very strong, I started doing my regular tricks and soon realised that conservative was the way to go.  Big big airs on magical water.  Nice little surf and very shallow as ever.  Job, Luca and Rich all arrived but took a little while deciding on the most appropriate kite given the ballistic conditions.  Got an awesome 1.5 hours on the water until Daph arrive and it was time to fly the trainer.

Stu, Anthony joined Rich, Job, Luca and I on the beach and not long after the wind cranked up beautifully.  Tried lots of triples and got really close to landing one.  Landed a deadman.  It sure took a lot of courage to let go of the bar, it's such a weird feeling.

Arrived to honking wind at Rye, advised Job and Luca to put up small kites, put up the 7 and the wind was rubbish.

Down to Hampton on a rain sodden weekend for a great little 40 mins.  Great to get out, bit of rotational practice.

Fantastic forecast saw Stu S, Anthony, Rich, James and Taz motor down to Rosebud for an awesome session in the winter sun.  Slightly over 20 knots and very consistent, just past low tide and Taz still in the halo and very prepared to stand in the water and take photos. Heaps of fun looking for that perfect shot.  Stuffed up quite a few jumps into shallow water.  Still not nailing the darkslides, sometimes getting totally yanked.

Met up with James for an early Sunday Seaford sausage session. Cranking woke and some of the biggest waves I've seen on the bay. Cranked a few loops then did circuits riding waves back from tyre pier. Awesome start to a rainy Sunday.

Good north westerly blew up so a quick pre soccer kiting run.  Joined by Aiden, not quite the wave experience of Noosa but hey - ya take what ya get in winter.

Not quite enough wind but fun to be on the beach with Tina.

Great session in the waves at Golden beach in Noosa.  Forgot my glasses, but otherwise an absolute joy to be in the warm water hooking into waves.

Went out on the 10 and had an absolute blast.  Gopro in hand, with James, Job and Luca.  Got some amazing footage on the water, during jumps and got some tips on using stabilisation on video editing.  What a difference.  Beautiful session.

Great turnout at Seaford - with James, Dobbo, Pete, Stu, Mike, Rich and eventually Adam all coming down for a session.  Just a shame that the king of Seaford couldn't make it - Tarren got hit by a car while riding his skateboard on Friday night and is in hospital with a broken verterbrae. Nice little waves, powerful wind so some nice jumps, lots of rotations and all round fun.

Early morning solo at Hampton with nice wind and a whole bunch of footy players doing recovery.  Patches of rain, but pretty good wind and little surf.

after a movie viewing session last night, the wind popped up so I jetted down to Aspendale, met up with Rich and hit the water.  Inverted my kite and it flew inverted which was a bit scary.  Half landed 4 rotations on my weaker side, but the kite lines were so twisted it powered up and did scary stuff again.  Got smashed and dragged for a bit, and had to search for my board for a while.  Fun session.

Fantastic turnout at Rye for some great wind....at times. It kicked up for 2 fantastic sessions.  Landed a couple of triples, frontroll transitions with loops, backroll to toeside on my weaker side - it was all going on. We had Job, Luca, Rich, Rich's son, Tony, Stu, Anthony, James, Athol, quite the turnout.  I think we nailed some amazing footage too. Athol was onhand for spectactular photos as ever.

Last session and heaps of fun with James' camera, Taz chose the land board and learnt that water is softer than land.  Practiced the jesus walk which was heaps of fun - you have to crank the speed to keep it going.  Cream on top of the cream on top.

Switched over to the twin tip for the second half of the session - I still find the twin tip is heaps better in waves for riding and getting around the chop.  Had a ball.

Sunday morning, hit the water with Stu's mutant.  A real struggle at first as I thought you could only ride toeside and getting out through the big surf was a nightmare.  I finally worked out how to ride heelside both ways - which unlocked big waves on a surfboard.  Heaps of fun tracking to get out the back, ride the monsters all the way in, then do it all again.  Nice board !

After the standard sausage in bread, backed it all up with another session in the surf.  Classic.

An inauspicious start with tonnes of rain, but upon arrival at Sandy point the heavens cleared and a truckload of wind greeted us.  The forecast was for around 40 knots and the sky showed that it was going to deliver.  Great to be on the water, lots of big air and holding down the kite when the bigger gusts came.  At one stage I did a big run down the beach to escape some ominous storm clouds.  As ever at Sandy point, the water between the waves is heavenly flat and the waves are primo for surfing.  What a spot !

Met up with Job and Luca - and later joined by Mike - down at Brighton.  Heavy northerly, with looming frontal clouds in the distance, and some folks with no clue launching on the windless side of the beach.  Once out with the small kite it was hard going - very strong wind with some heavy gusts.  Took a little getting used to but still heaps of fun.  

Forecast looked great, but it just didn't quite make it.  Beautiful beach with views to the island, but it really needed more of a southerly to work.  Very swirly wind made my kite do all sorts of weird things.  Fish and chips and beers on the foreshore was the highlight, plus great to catchup with james on the commute.

Cracking 18-20 knots at St Kilda, solid as a rock, so I tried every rotational trick in the basket.  I'm starting to get my head around triples.  Forward 360 transition with hand in water is sorted, as are doubles on my weaker side.  Had a lot of stacks but a super fun session.

St kilda just got out in the middle, then the wind died.  Rubbish.

After an excellent snorkelling adventure with Darren and the kids, the wind came in hard.  Setup the small kite and had a blast - big air, nice waves, the whole deal.  Went down to the south where there is a fantastic flat water section leading in to some great waves, beautiful setup in a westerly.  Was a bit heavy at times, so after it started raining I headed in so that I could still land the kite.  Great opportune session.

and a triple back on the non preferred.  And a crash

probably should have been big

And again packing up and wind picked up a little.  Back out for another mini session.

As we were packing up the wind changed direction and picked up a little.  Tarren and I went out and suddenly had enough wind to play with.

Anthony, Tarren, Mike and I met up at Pines following an amazing forecast.  On arrival there was not much there, you could see whitecaps in the distance but it wasn't getting to shore.  Eventually a puff more came in, and after much work, Mike and I were able to go slightly up wind.  Most of the wind was centred in one funnel, enabling me to go out to the reef.  Lots of rocky outcrops to avoid.  Its a very strange wind effect at Pines - probably better to go to Point Leo in future.

Got the heli loops really happening now.  Glorious session at Port with James, quick run across to South Melbourne and wave o clock with the small kite. Just loving rotations and loops right now.  Very close to having the double back on my weaker side nailed.  so much fun it kinda should be illegal.

Great to be back on my normal board with the new/old bindings.  Joyful.  Lots of loops and transitions and rotations.

with James and the Jaime. Great board, just not quite as good as the x ride.  Hard to grip on when going through chop, and not as easy to hold a line toeside, otherwise very good.

With Mike, Job, Luca and a friend of Job's.  Rode the Cab Ace - which was not ace.  Zero pop, heavy and big.

Just another glorious run to south melbourne with James.

Tricky traffic at Mordialloc, but beautiful water and.... 1 double frontroll with backloop 1 frontroll transition with front hand in water and forward loop and a partridge in a pear tree.

300 out of 10.  Beautiful setting, clear, clean water and some little waves greeted James, Stu and I on Point Leo beach.  It made quite a contrast to the stink of my wetsuit, still slightly wet from the last session at Port. The wind was charging in so we all went small kites and launched from the point.  It was incredible that people were still hanging out at the beach, it would have been pretty unpleasant.  On the water, it was ramp city and air o clock.  After a couple of runs we followed the wind down the beach to surf some of the small breaks.  Glorious, just glorious.  Stu had to pull in and depower, then had to pull in again after hitting an exposed rock and killing one of his fins. The Pines was the highlight for me, such a great little break with lots of fun waves.  Got some great footage on the gopro with James just behind me, can't wait to edit it and make a mini movie.

James, Taz and I hit up Port and James and I were quickly down to South Melb for a glorious session in the waves.  I've got the heliloop going and the amazing ramps were all setup for some high flying joy.  What a cracker !

Another great session with James, Taz and Athol, with Aidan joining us a little later.  Athol had a quick session then grabbed the camera, which lead to mayhem as we all jockeyed for position.  Great fun and amazing shots as ever.

Marginal wind, but inspired by the ultra kiteloop videos ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHP4QQ2dUqM ) I had to get out and give things a shot.  Athol came down and took some shots, which is always great inspiration to try and kill myself on the shallow sandbar.  Did a double back with kiteloop, dunno what I was thinking but came down flat onto a few cms of water.  Athol got some amazing shots as usual.  Wind picked up later in the session for some fun transition jumps, and managed to get quite a few heliloops in which are easy to do and give no yank factor whatsoever.

Big crew - James, Stu, Mike, Pete, Job, Luca - met up at Ricketts to attempt the mystical round winder - up wind to Mordy pier then back home. Fantastic session, crossing the bay was fun across the big rollers, but the waves and beautiful water around Mordy pier to Aspendale was the highlight.  Landed a double on my weaker side that I was wrapped about.  Rode a million waves, so much fun. Amazing way to kick off the year.