The westerly change arrived with a vengeance on Friday evening at around 6pm, with gusts in excess of 50 knots. Conditions were so severe that the yacht Inception sank off Port Campbell while competing in the Queenscliff to Port Fairy race. All six sailors were rescued from the water by another yacht the race Trybooking.com. [link] [link]
The front had gone through by Saturday morning but there was still reasonable wind in the morning. I headed to Hampton and went for a great upwind tour on my Sector 60 with my Switchblade 10. I had no trouble at all going upwind all the way to Ricketts Point on one tack in the 15 knot wind. It was a nice sunny day but there were no yachts about, and only one other kiter off Hampton.
I turned at Ricketts and headed back, mindful of the wind forecast that it would drop at midday. I came close to shore and kept up a good speed. I cut behind the Cerberus wreck - wondering for the umpteenth time why it has not been salvaged and restored.
The wind cut out almost exactly at midday, so I came to shore at Sandringham, packed away my kite and walked back along the foreshore. I was glad I wasn't further offshore. I finished the outing with a nice coffee and muffin at the Sandy HQ beach cafe.
Going touring is a lot of fun. I still find it amazing to get such a good session from conditions that would have seen me struggling to even get going on a twin tip or surboard. The Sector 60 opens up a new dimension in kitesurfing.
Here is some video from the tour, taken with a Contour ROAM board mounted.
2 comments:
Nice one Peter. Awesome video too. I wonder if a similar Easterly could afford a similar tour along the west coast of the bay? It would be nice to tour down from Altona to Werribee.
Kazan
Thanks Kazan. Its my first "boardcam" video. Yes, I think an Easterly would enable a similar tour from Altona to Werribee and possibly beyond.
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