Kitesurfing is a great way to recover from jetlag. I returned from a 2 week trip to the U.S.A. on Saturday, so with a nice north-westerly on at Frankston I headed down with Stuart to blow away some cobwebs.
The water was cold and clear. Its amazing that we had the entire beach to ourselves and a couple of dog walkers. Staying in Los Angeles for a week and Occoquan, Virginia for a few days further reinforced my view that Melbourne is one the best kitesurfing locations in the world!
It took a while to get in the groove. I was getting lots of speed and crashing while turning left from toeside to heelside until I concentrated on turning the board (after the kite) more aggressively. Heelside to toeside turns were going well, but the Noise 12 turns slower that my Switchblade 10 so I had to adjust to that too.
The small bay surf was nice and the wind was a steady 18-20 knots. Yee ha!
Franz and Wayne arrived at the beach for the next shift just as we were finishing so we handed them the baton.
4 comments:
Hi Peter, I feel refreshed just reading.. welcome back. Manny
Thanks Manny. After 40C+ in Virginia the cold water was quite a shock, but very refreshing. I got a good nights sleep and am feeling great today.
I always love your photos, Pete :)
I don't get it. You said turning toe to heel was troublesome, but turning heel to toe wasn't.
I used to windsurf, and it seemed the opposite to me. If you turned toeside, wouldn't you run the risk of the bow of the board going underwater and toppling you over?
If you turned to heelside, wouldn't it be easier because the bow of the board would ride higher in the water?
Neil
Thanks Neilius. Toeside to heelside turns are usually easiest, but I was a bit rusty after 2 weeks in the U.S.
I wasn't turning/edging the board enough so I was screeching downwind and following the kite. The solution was to use a bit less power in the kite and edge and turn the board more aggressively.
Digging the front of the board isn't really a concern, but balance is definitely more tricky when turning heelside to toeside as you end up leaning the opposite way.
Again, aggressively turning the kite, then the board, and moderating the power of the kite (bar out) helps.
Post a Comment