Sunday worked well for an early session. We had perfect 15-20 knots down by the Novotel at Brighton-le-Sands.

No dramas for a change. Just beautiful speed on the water. My second time up was the best session ever, on the 16m bowkite. Doing some nice upwind, dropping my arm and working on my stance.

Much much much easier to go left foot first for some reason. Cuspy reckon's it's the direction of the waves, ie on our way out right first we're crossing the waves by a few degrees so its a bumpy ride. But on the way back in right foot first we're parallel with the waves. Maybe. Might also be that I'm, just no good one way. Cuspy had fun, first time out in a few mths given his recent addition.

Still p1ssing around doing alternate turns. Next time with Proto or Cuspy we must break that hurdle and go out at the same time. Will treble our water time for each visit to Botany at least. When we're losing ground just have to come back to the beach more regularly and walk back up. Just have to work on self-launching for the second guy up.

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Wind was howling yesterday - first decent knots in ages - 15 gusting to 25. Me & Proto made it down to Dolls Point - wow what an awesome location on weekdays - just us and a handful of other kiters, stunning white sands, big beach (thx council for chucking all the extra sand on!). Beautiful, sunny and a bit of wind.

Went for the 16 depowered. Soon reaslised error of our ways and powered her up.

Proto got an awesome session in - not losing any ground for the first half. Then he came a cropper and lost a bit of ground he couldn't make up, so I had to meet him downwind (northerly) before he ended up o ff the edge of the beach.

Then I was up, wind of course dropping by now. Hey - I am up first next session. or maybe we go crazy and both go out together??!!

Had to really throw her around to get some decent momentum. Not long after getting out there the wind fell off a cliff, kite hit the decks, and I was left struggling in the middle of the Bay.

I stuck it out for 20min or so trying & trying to relaunch. Now the 16 crossbow is nrmally really easy to relaunch - even we've found when she's inside out. But in zero wind and upside down and inside out there was no chance.

I was remarkedly calm. Normally in these circusmstances I can't untangle knots for thiknking about sharks. And frightening myself everytime the board leash touches my legs under the water! Any way I went thru the process very calmly, blissfully unaware that I was drifting awy from Brighton toward the national park on the other side. The guys on the beach were far more worried than I. There was apparently talk of police and the current I was drifting into and the local woman who drowned in it last year. Tide wasn't moving though so wasn't really that bad.

Fortunately not long after I started getting cramp i spotted a small fishing boat heading roughly my way. I tryed a fdew more attempts at relaunch then gave in and asked for a ride.

They'd caught no fish so a bedraggled kitesurfer was probably not a bad result.

More soon.

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Yesterday served the purpose of broadening our potential wind spectrum.

The airport telephone message was saying 10knots 40degs, the chart shows what 'breeze was saying. JK mocked me as I set out to Botany.

But there was a consistent 2hrs+ of 12 knots from 3pm. After pussyfooting around on the middle setting for the first few runs we saw the light and went to max. Then the 16 (Crossbow) came into its own giving me some awesome runs, I was screaming, getting the buzz again! Proto got out too - though we were both losing lots of ground downwind.

I made a few improvements with some onshore instructions, the wind being light I was able to hear!

But kiting not being kiting without some incident or other. Proto's beloved lost her wedding ring - maybe on the sand? What's the score Proto - did you call the ringfinder dude? Did you find it in the car?

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