Sunday, July 08, 2018

Kitesurfing Hampton to Brighton on the big kite, almost made it back too

Session 446. I arrived at Hampton with about 18 knots of wind blowing.  I rigged up my Union 10m but it dropped just before I entered the water.  I wasn't able to really get going so I landed the kite and packed it away in the car.



I was about to drive home but the wind picked up a bit - 16 knots at Fawkner Beacon - so I pumped up my Ocean Rodeo Flite 14.5 (the "Session Saver") and headed out.

Its a miracle kite.  You can get going nicely when there "isn't quite enough wind".  I got out past the groynes then down to and past Green Point.  A couple of kites were in the air at Brighton close the beach.

The sun was shining and the wind was nice and  I kited right through a large flock of birds in a feeding frenzy above a school of fish. Life is good!

I turned around at Brighton marina and dodged through four racing sailing dingys then set a tack back to Green Point.  I didn't quite make it around on the first tack but I did on the second, wary of the reef at the point.

Then the wind dropped. I re-powered the kite to no avail so I came into the beach near a groyne and landed.

Winter wind can be fickle.  I was happy it didn't conk out when I was some distance offshore.

It was really good to get this session after yesterday's no go.






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