Kitesurfing Aspendale to Frankston and return crosswinder #598

A cracking crosswind tour from Aspendale to Frankston and back in 25-30 knots. 

  6 of us headed off from Aspendale in nice surf with good wind. Some of the wind swells were breaking a fair way out.  The biggest surf was just past the entrance of the Patterson River.

The wind direction changed when we got to Frankston. I decided to head back without delay cruised back on a good tack.  My right thumb was numb so I didn't dally.

A big seal surfaced right in front of me at the mouth of the Patterson River.

I deployed my safety and put the kite in the water to land as the wind was still quite strong.

After landing the others kites, we realised Anthony had not made it back so I headed down to Bonbeach and Carrum but I didn't see him.  I gave details to the Carrum LSC in case they or another LSC had seen him.  Then Stu said he was back at his van so it was all good.  

He said he cramped up and the wind dropped so he landed and walked back, borrowing a shopping trolley to carry his gear.

Overall, an excellent session enjoyed by all.

 

Aspendale Fliteboard to Mentone and Gnotuk FB#45

A calm morning provided excellent conditions for my Fliteboard tour from Aspendale to Mentone and Gnotuk. Nice riding past Mordialloc Pier up to Mentone then back a bit further out. 

I stayed up on the foil most of the time, enjoying turns.

I got back to Aspendale with more that 50% battery (Explore) so I continued on down the Gnotuk Av and back. 

I swapped out the battery for my Nano battery and did some loop and fast turns up the pier and back. 

 

Aspendale fliteboard with Nano battery in choppy water #30

 Fliteboard session #30.  Used my new Nano battery.  The wind sprang up late in the afternoon creating small choppy bay waves.  It was difficult to get planing and on the foil.  I spent most of the time on my knees.  

The Nano battery makes the board much more sensitive - I got bounced off a few times hitting swells.

I need to practice more for our upcoming "Flite tour" down the east coast of Tasmania.

 

Zappa's SUP session - nice waves and no wind & Aspendale Fliteboard #FB18

I finally got back on my standup paddleboard after a long period of resting both sore elbows - and it was a good one.

Surfers at The Pines, Shoreham, 7:30am

I paddled across to Zappas slowly testing out my arms.  There was a little discomfort but I felt OK. 

The waves at Zappas were small to medium size and surprisingly easy to catch.  There was no wind so the takeoffs were smooth.

I logged 10 waves with a total of 1,461 wave ride distance.  The longest ride was 60 seconds and 273m, almost to the beach.

It was so good to be surfing again!

Aspendale Fliteboard (#FB18)

I had my Fliteboard with me but decided to dodge the reefs at low tide and instead stopped at Aspendale on the way home for a 30 minute session on the Flow 1300 wing.  I did a tour up to Parkdale Sailing Club then back to the Gnotuk Ave beach houses. 

I covered 12.73km in 35 minutes and only used 50% of the battery. The Flow wing is more efficient that the Cruiser 1100.

Greg's first session on a Fliteboard

My friend was keen to have a go on my Fliteboard. We headed down to Aspendale for an early start before a breeze kicked in. 

Greg is a keen skier and has good balance. He was standing on the board quite soon enjoying the flat water. He got some good speed up with the board low to the water. He rose on the foil a few times but lost control fairly quickly.

The micro forward and back adjustments are very tricky when learning. 

Riding the board flat on the water helps getting used to the speed.

"Micro flights" - getting on the foil and quickly bringing the board back down - helps you learn the small weights shifts needed to rise on the foil and descend back to a plane.

A very impressive first session - well done Greg!

Fliteboard Aspendale - session 3, standing up, carving and going fast

I stood up early in the session while planing. One leg forward, then step up to stance like the yoga "warrior 2"pose.  

Once up I felt stable and was able to keep planing with out trouble. I was then able to easy back slightly and get up on the foil using gear #7.  

Touching down from the foil was good, I had no big stacks. I was able to stay on the foil for around 6 to l8 seconds each time. Its fast! 

No footage today due to a camera malfunction.

Fliteboard at Aspendale kneeling and foiling! Session 2

I got planing and on my knees quite quickly and felt very stable. I tried standing up once and fell off so I decided to focus on getting some speed up while kneeling. This went well, I was able to get on a fast plane then some short sections on the foil then touching down. 

Letting go of the trigger brought me to a rapid stop - its better to adjust "gears" to regulate speed.

#5: I can get planing prone and on my knees

#6: Faster planing and short sections on the foil

#7. Faster again and longer sections on the foil.

Turning was fun. I made good progress during this session.  Standing up is next.

Fliteboard at Aspendale - session 1

First session on my new Fliteboard Pro. 8 knots wind, there was a bit too much chop, its better to have flat water to make starting easier when learning.

I have the smaller Pro model board (67 litres) which is harder to learn on than the regular board (100 litres).  Once you are up and going the smaller board is better though.

I got going in prone position, then up on the foil which was very fast!

Kneeling was less scary and I had good control.

I lost Bluetooth control when the board nose dipped under the water, everything stops.

I had to get weight well forward on the board when prone to get planing.

The board stopped when I bailing off it.

First impressions - a bit tricky to get on the plane on the smaller board, then a lot of speed when on the foil.

Kitesurfing Aspendale near Mordialloc #534

Session 534. Kitesurfing some nice bay waves in Aspendale just to the south of Mordialloc Creek.  

Kitesurfing downwinder Aspendale to Frankston #533

Session 533. After the session at Aspendale I headed off on one my favourite downwinders, enjoying bay surf all the way from Aspendale to Frankston. 

The train at Frankston wasn't running though due to work on new railway stations. I was lucky to get on the replacement bus for the return trip (they normally don't allow surfboards).

Aspendale kitesurfing #532

Session 532. Nice session well powered on my Ultra 12 kite.

Kitesurfing Aspendale after another COVID layoff #531

Great to be kitesurfing again after another COVID-19 lockdown was lifted.  It as just nice to be out there. The wind was light so I took out the Airush Ultra 12. The kite has a lot of power for its size so I kept the depower on. It also turns a lot more slowly than the Union 10. 

Great to catch up with the kiting buddies too.

Kitesurfing Aspendale in big bay surf #530

Session 530. Strong winds whipped up some big surf in Port Phillip Bay.  The 6m kite is great in these conditions - its fun surfing the waves without getting dragged off them.  I don't get to use it often but I enjoy it when I do.

Kitesurfer Brian Kiss von Soly completes epic kitesurfing journey down the Australian coast to Aspendale

Brian Kiss von Soly completed the final leg of his epic kitesurfing journey down the east coast of Australia today. 

Photo: Brian Kiss von Soly

Brian started his trip from near Brunswick Heads in Northern New South Wales on 28 December.  Brian completed his journey (and a world record attempt) on Sunday 4 April 2021 at Aspendale in Port Phillip Bay.

Brian on the beach at Aspendale. Photo: Brian Kiss von Soly 

The long kitesurfing journey is over, Aspendale. Photo: Brian Kiss von Soly

Here is Brian's track log

The voyage took 86 days (26 days kiting) and Brian covered more that 1,700 kilometres to reach Melbourne.

Brian has a camp marked on the 90 Mile Beach but it looks like he did in one go.

Check out his route around Wilsons Promontory - that was a big day.

Brian Kiss von Soly kitesurfer, credit: Jonathon Carroll

Brian carried lightweight camping gear in a waterproof backpack and a Personal Locater Beacon for emergency communications.

External links

• Brian aims for kite surfing record – The Echo, 7 Jan 2021
• How a North Coast kite-surfer landed on Newcastle shores during world record attempt - Drive - ABC Radio, 1 Feb 2021 
• Coast pit-stop as Brian kitesurfs to Melbourne - Central Coast Community News, 8 Feb 2021
• Kitesurfer leaves Sydney to set world distance record, Sydney Morning Herald, 11 Feb 2021
• Brian Kiss von Soly - World Record Kite Surfing Journey Attempt 
• Local kite surfer smashes long distance world record – The Echo, 5 May 2021

Kitesurfing downwinder Aspendale to Port Melbourne #522

Session 522. Headed to Aspendale with a nice southerly over 20 knots coming down the bay.  I headed off on my Union 8m kite and North Cross board.  The surf at Aspendale and down towards the Mordialloc pier was great.

I tacked past the end of the pier and headed towards Ricketts Point.  The aquatic farm that was off Ricketts Point doesn't seem to be operating any more.  Coming into Beaumaris there was a few other kites out.

Good wind past the wreck of the Cerberus, its nearly submerged now.  

I noticed a disturbance in the water off Red Bluff lookout - there were two swimmers in the water some distance off shore. They were not easy to see in the swell but I was able to keep well clear.

There were a couple of guys on a wind wings and foils off  Sandringham. 

I tacked into Hampton then caught some nice rollers along to reef break and Green Point.

There were some kiters out at Brighton. The wind stayed good past Elwood with some good rolling swell and a few reef breaks to St Kilda Marina, then a tack past St Kilda Breakwater and a nice finish across to Port Melbourne. 

Caught the tram back to Southern Cross station, walked across Spencer Street, then caught the train back to Aspendale.  I got a few of the usual curious glances on the tram and train  and walking through the city with my wetsuit on and board under my arm. 

This is an epic downwinder in 25 knots!

Kitesurfing downwinder Aspendale to Frankston on the Wave 6 #514

Session 514. My sore hip is feeling much better and the MRI last week didn't show any major problems (despite the pain!) so it was time for some more kitesurfing with a solid westerly blowing. 

I got to Aspendale at 11:00, James and Stuart were on the water. I got on the water after a squall passed on my Airush Wave 6 aiming to enjoy the bay surf.  After a couple of tacks I headed downwind enjoying the waves without the need to tack back.  There was good surf.  

There is now more yellow poles along the way with large sections marked as "no boating" so I stayed out past them. The Wave 6m kite is good for surfing - the last time I did this trip I was overpowered on my 8.  

Down past Seaford there were some other kiters out, then more down at Frankston.  I kiter on the beach landed my kite saving me the hassle of releasing the safety.  He had access to a kiters bathing box right on the beach that is owned by a local kiter. That's the first time I have seen one used for kiting and its a great setup.

I stopped for lunch in Frankston then boarded the train back to Aspendale.  There is a now a bonus view on the train trip back with the new elevated Carrum station providing a great view across the bay.

My hip was fine afterwards which was a relief.

Here is a cool 3D animation of the trip

Video to follow.

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.  

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.

Kitesurfing downwinder from Aspendale to Frankston

Session 476. Always stoked to do a downwinder!  Another sunny day and 20 knots of NNW wind so the downwinder from Aspendale to Frankston was a great option.  Good waves all the way down, then a coffee and the train back.

Video

Leaving Aspendale

Patterson River

Seaford Pier

Note: GPS was paused for most of this trip!

Kitesurfing crosswinder tour Ricketts to Aspendale and return

Session 467. First day of the new year and a good seabreeze in the afternoon.  I have got a nasty chest cough and wasn't feeling too well but this was an opportunity to good to miss.

Got out from Ricketts then a few tacks to get around the reefs, following by a long haul to Aspendale, almost as far as Gnotuk Ave.   The bay surf was great all the way down to Mordialloc pier.

A great way to start the new year!

This video shows some of the action - but its not motion stabilised, next time I will use my Quark stabliser!

Having a rest tomorrow, the chest cough has got a hold of me.