more force 4
Log Started:
Tuesday July 13, 2004
Total Records: 978
This Year: 9
|
|
Tuesday July 6, 2010
|
Floras Lake, Ore, Kitesurfing
|
|
Tuesday July 6, 2010
|
Conditions
|
TOW
|
Toys Used:
|
|
|
Floras Lake, Ore, Kitesurfing
|
NW 20 - 35
mirror
|
3.00 hours
|
|
|
The Windsurfishes had me convinced to go to Cape Sebastian with them early morning, but first I asked if there was a kite lesson available; there was, so I was doing something else challenging. Excellent learning venue, tons of gear, helmets with radios, jetskis with sleds, very experienced instructors, etc etc.
The wind started at 18 gusting 25 knots and I was on a 7 m kite. Rusty kite flying skills and I was put through a few downwind and upwind body dragging routines. Ready for the board and the wind had really ramped up to 30-35 in the gusts, instructor Andy kept asking if I was OK with the conditions, could delay to later if I wanted. Switched for a 5 m kite.
On a relaunch, in swimming around the lines and leash must have got slack and wrapped around one end of the bar. I didn't notice till I was relaunching, I almost had time to grab the lines and flip them off before the power hit- but not. The kite roared up and around in a loop or two and I hit the quick release. The kite released and went to the leash, and I thought "good, it will just go to the 'autopilot' positon, when the kite relaunched itself and went into another loop. I was thinking 'this isn't supposed to happen, oh F*' and went for the secondary release, which I just touched and the kite was gone. Andy found the leash had broken rather than the release, but I have no doubt I would have been able to ditch the kite in another split second anyway. The safety systems work!
Kite retreived and a new bar and set of lines and I was ready to continue. The wind started backing off and I ended up short of power to get going; then the kite got a little soft and it started folding when I powered it. Repumped and tried again but even less wind by then, switched back to the 7m, ALMOST going but couldn't sustain the ride. Andy wanted to go to a bigger kite but it was 3 hours by then and I figured I couldn't afford more time. Sure wish I was rich! Maybe a lesson at Nitinaht can get me riding!
|
|
