winddoctor
Log Started:
Sunday August 22, 2004
Total Records: 1320
This Year: 82
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Saturday August 19, 2006
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Nitinat Lk, Kitesurfing
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Saturday August 19, 2006
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Conditions
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TOW
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Toys Used:
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Nitinat Lk, Kitesurfing
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W 18 - 22
small chop
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1.00 hours
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1st time on the 14m Bronco. Had the help of G Mac in the AM to set up the 5th line and launch later in the eve (Thanks!!). It was fairly windy for my experience level (kook) on this kite but I tried to slow everything down to keep it safe. Good launch, no hangups. Mouth dry and pasty with fear. Dove the kite, popped up, and I was off. Down wind. Quick. Tried my best to get the edge in, but it felt like one of those dreams where you are running but you can't quite get any purchase on the ground because you are floating floating floating just above the ground. My eyes were scanning erratically for other kiters/windsurfers like a crackhead's looking for a hit. My mind had yet another shitty 80's song at full blast, skipping over and over on a cheezy chorus (at least for once it wasn't the god- awful song"Private Dancer", but it was still very bad). Decided to put the kite back up in neutral, take a breath, and depower the kite. Seemed to help some, but my kook-like reflexes were trying to ride the board with equal weight on both feet; just like my waveboard. This only helped allow the kite to continue to overpower me and send me downwind. I turned near the opposite shore (Hey! I made my first turn!) and quickly got my ass handed to me by a big gust. Lost my edge, bounced, the kite tired of its kook puppet and fell/luffed into the water with a full wrap of the 5th line around the kite. Shit. Self rescue time. Had some difficulty getting the lines wrapped up around the bar, was getting dragged, a little tangled, and my board had quietly snuck away from me in the chaos. Crap, I'll find it later. Managed to swim along one of the lines to the kite and began body dragging back in with the lines in tow. Lines got run over by a jet ski coming to see if I was ok and one line got severed. I know, I'm a kook. Was doing fine with the self rescue, so carried on. Eventually got picked up near the village by Ian from Nanaimo and his son Travis (I think?) who had graciously picked up my board and drove me back to the campsite. Thanks guys!
Well my lesson the weekend before rocked on Marie's 12M, and this solo session was much less enjoyable. Hmm. Sounds like my first experiences windsurfing...Guess I'll have to try in more mellow wind for the 14!
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