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.

 

Sandy Point kitesurfing weekend, winter one day summer the next #596 #597

Another fine kitesurfing weekend with the lads, staying at Walkerville.  Its been a poor season so far for kitesurfing but the wind forecast was good for late Saturday and on Sunday.

 

Session 596. Cold winter conditions late in the afternoon with squalls coming through from the west. Solid 30 knots so I used my 6m kite in case it got a lot stronger. I was a bit underpowered at times. Got out the back by picking gaps and had some nice runs in.

 

Dinner at the Fish Creek Hotel was excellent.

No tracklog.

Session 597. Back to Sandy Point but spring conditions now.  

 

Warm and sunny with 15-20 knots of wind. I used my 9m kite which was good for the first half of the session. Some big surf made for exciting runs.

The wind dropped later on. I couldn't get back up wind, eventually dropped the kite and walked back.

 

Kitesurfing Hampton to Green Point with good wind #583

Some good wind again late in the afternoon! 

I kited on the bay swell down to Green Point to catch some waves, then back upwind to the Marina and downwind slalom back the beach.

Very happy with the new Union 9m kite.

Kitesurfing Hampton with the Union 9 and some good wind #582

First session on a new Airush Union 9m kite  I was able to buy a discounted for a good price. Airush have discontinued the Union model so it was my last chance to get one.

I have changed my quiver from 6, 8, 10, 12 to 6, 9 and 12. This will be better for travelling and take up less room in the car.

The kite flew well and there was plenty of wind. Had some fun in the bay surf at the beach and slalom turns on the rollers going downwind.

Kitesurfing Augusta, Parry Beach and Albany in South West WA - trip summary

We booked flights, vehicles and accommodation at Geraldton for a kitesurfing trip. Six people came from Victoria (Dan, Mike, Garry, Tony, Anthony, Lee, Taz and myself) are three were WA locals (Gaz, Adam, Neil).

The out-of-season heatwave with very strong hot easterly winds over Perth and up as far as Geraldton (our planned destination) resulted in a very poor wind forecast for Geraldton so we changed our location to South West WA where the wind forecast was much better.

Day 1. Kitesurfing Augusta WA in surf and flatwater

We drove to Augusta, arriving mid afternoon and setup for kiting.  The wind was a bit soft but the location was great - good waves and flatwater.

Day 2. Parry Beach kitesurfing with good wind and surf

Two excellent kitesurfing sessions today Parry Beach.  There is ramp down to the beach so we drove on onto the beach and parked near the inlet mouth. The wind and waves were good. I was a bit overpowered on my 8m kite and was wishing I had brought my 6.

The section of off rock and reef in places added some interest!

Day 3. Parry Beach kitesurf in bigger waves and blue water

We scoped out Ocean Beach an Hillier Beach but decided that Parry Beach would be the best location. Bigger surf was more challenging.

Gaz cooked a super lunch on the beach.

I finished the day with a short downwinder back to the beach entry ramp.

Day 4. Albany - Shoal Bay kitesurfing flatwater speed runs and boosting

The wind direction changed to have some North in it so we headed to Albany to check out some better locations for kitesurfing.

Middleton Beach and Goode Beach both had 30+ knots onshore and dumping waves. Christian from Kitebud was in the area and advised that Albany Shoal Bay Kite Spot was worth a go.

He was right - the flatwater kiting was superb.

As a bonus he checked out my bar and tuned it - adjusting the front lines and the safety line.  I hadn't done that for a while so it was great to get it sorted.

After a solid day we drove back to Denmark and had a good dinner in the Denmark Tavern.

The next day we did the 4.5 hour drive back to Perth Airport, passing through only one town on the way.

Overall, an epic trip.  

Next time for WA we will leave bookings to the last few days so we can go where the wind is.

Locations

Kitesurfing Seaford in winter #566

Session 566. Kitesurfing after an extended break due to sore tendons in my left elbow.  It seems to be a form of Tennis Elbow that has lingered for 6 months.  My elbows felt better after the session!

Nice kitesurfing in small bay waves and cold conditions.  Light wind so I used my 12m kite.

Epic first kitesurfing at Kaliantan beach Lombok #558

Session 558. Our first day kitesurfing of the trip at Kaliantan was everything we had hoped for. 

We headed toff after lunch in a van to Pantai Cemara, the location now favoured for kitesurfing, which is to the east of Kaliantan. The driver took us close to Tampah Boleq as the vehicle track into the kitesurfing location is quite rough. We walked around the corner to get to the kite beach.

The wind was howling around 25-30 knots.  

This spot is around the corner from the main Kaliantan beach and has a nice sandy beach. The wind is cross onshore and there is a good tack out into deeper water in the lagoon.  

There is a local kitesurfing school operating there. Herman and the friendly guys from Kitesurf Lombok provided us with good assistance launching and landing kites and advice on local conditions.  They are based at the nearby  Kaliantan Paradise Bungalow and can provide local food at the beach if you order it. They also have accommodation in bungalows.

I would have used my 8m kite if I had it. I borrowed Stu's 10m Union, rigged the lower knots and headed out close to overpowered.

This is the strongest wind by far I have encountered in Indonesia - its worth packing a smaller kite for this location!

The water is warm and the sun was blazing. The reef had a good cover of water at the high tide,

We tacked out to the reef break next to the channel which had a serious rip going out through it. The waves were big and a bit intimidating. I was overpowered and finding it difficult to stay on them.

Kaliantan beach

Kaliantan beach

Walking to Pantai Cemara

Pantai Cemara - kite beach

THe 

Flying from Bali to Lombok and transfer to Ekas Panorama Hotel

Our Lombok kitesurfing trip was finally happening after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID restrictions!

After flying to Bali last night and sleeping in the well appointed Novotel airport hotel, and a great breakfast, we walked to the domestic terminal to catch a flight to Lombok for our kitesurfing trip.

It took about 15 minutes per person to get the Lion Air boarding pass and to book our baggage on. They only accept cash for the excess baggage, which cost more than the flight.  Lion Air directed us to the Wings Air counter, it turns out they are the same airline.

My luggage trackers indicated both my bags were on the plane.

It as a short scenic flight over.

Lombok airport was very quiet on arrival, but outside taxi drivers were clamouring for rides. An army soldier was keeping them under control

We met our host Max, loaded his SUV and he drove us away.

They have built some good quality new roads for the Moto GP race. The smaller roads are narrower with lots of small enterprises and dwellings along them.

We stopped at ATM for cash, they can be difficult to spot.

We arriving at Panorama Ekas hotel, our base for kitesurfing. There are good views across the bay, lots of fishing boats, and a good pool.

Good locally cooked meals are available, including Indonesian Nasi Goreng, Mee Goreng, pancakes, steaks etc.

After lunch we organised our gear and headed of for our first kitesurfing session at Kaliantan.