Saturday, October 26, 2019

Kitesurfing downwinder Aspendale to Frankston in a raging north westerly

Session 490. Got to Aspendale around 9 a.m. with Stu S and Stu W already out.  The wind was strong, around 25 knots. I setup my 8m Union, rear lines on the low power knots, and my downwinder backpack then got on the water. Wow, plenty of power.  I did a couple of tacks and the kite was fully lit on full depower. 

I headed downwind and saw the two Stu's walking up the beach with their kites in hand.  The wave were a good size but the wind made catching them difficult.  I got the hauled downwind with the kite high and stacked on a few waves so I stopped trying to catch them out the back and moved behind the first sandbar to get some smoother water.

It became an exercise in survival.  My 6m kite would have been perfect, but I was committed.  I saw one windsurfer out crashing over waves.  I more or less straight lined and kept my speed low, going fast meant rapid acceleration and a big stack.  It was a relief to get around Seaford pier then down Frankston.  I pulled the safety with the kite in the shore break and was able to secure it.

I packed the kite and untangled the lines up on the grass in a blissfully sheltered location.  Another squall came it, the weather was seriously gnarly.  

Great coffee and muffin at the Coffee Club then the train back to Aspendale.

The wind chart at Fawkner shows the wind got to 30 knots, gusting to 40, which explains why I was overpowered for the trip.  










Saturday, October 19, 2019

Kitesurfing Aspendale in a cool westerly

Session 489. Kiting again! A forecast for a good westerly got James, the two Stus and myself down to Aspendale at around 8:30.  The wind was good and picked up while I was getting ready so I used my Union 8.  The wind was strong but there were some lulls.  Really nice to be kitesurfing again in bay surf without booties in the sunshine.






I felt a bit rusty after some time off the water, kiting regularly is a good safety factor.

The wind dropped a bit and my kite started feeling odd and back stalled with high bar pressure so I came in early. Inspecting the kite revealed that it was soft - there appears to be a slow leak.

Westerly wind can be unpredictable, there were some big spikes and rain around noon.

We had coffee and a chat at the Two Cow Girls cafe after the session.