#31 - KITEBLOG IS BACK!!! Electric shocks, a lost IDS & big waves

I sadly neglected this blog between 2006 and Jan 09 - but I'm back on - I can actually kitesurf now! I'm an IKO-level 1 instructor and one of my new year's resolutions is to get to Level 2, I'm in the waves on a twinny but BIG waves scare me on the surfboard, I can do some basic tricks, know the ins & outs, in the last year have snowkited NZ, continue to kite Botany Bay for regular relief, occasional other places round Sydney - Lingerie, the SWester place over the winter, been enjoying Picnic Point lately for teaching weekends, Seven Mile, Shoalhaven lagoon, etc etc - will get  bit of an update of the year together soon.

It's been EPIC.

Here's the last few days:

It's all going pear-shaped again! Proto & Cuspy - we need you back!
1 - Got electric shocks kiting on Sunday at Botany - read this:

I got my first electric shocks on Sunday night - Jon & I arrived early eve as the masses were packing up after a great day's wind (I had Saskia-duty all day) - got out in some 20ish knots but it was all a bit ominous with dark skies coming in from the SW despite the wind coming from the NE? Weird. I'm no weather man but that must be a phenomenon of some sort.

Anyways, came in as looked so scary, dropped the kite then messed on the beach teaching Tuna Jon how to self-launch and land while waiting for it blow over (as if?). Then while my kite was in the air stood on the sand I got shocks thru my feet. I was shocked - thought i'd been bit by some creature - then it kept hitting me. Screamed at Tuna to land my kite. Can't remember what I said - but he was acting dumb for a while. Momentarily scary. Afterward i didn't quite believe it was shocks - though I've been done by electric fence and homemade radios before and it was very familiar. There was no lightening in the sky. Then about 30mins driving him we saw the lightening flashing cross the sky! .... More on this stuff here: http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=44581 ... basically says I'm not mad - has happened to a few people.

Had a great session - only me & Jon at the beach opposite Scarborough - all those shark tales must've scared the punters away: Three Sharks article in The Age

2 - Tuna's first decent KITEMARE

He now has a great tale himself - to keep it short - he tried to jump. Crashed. Came up for air and KITE WAS GONE - across the bay. I was on the SRT half a km upwind - I could only see the kite, couldn't see why he couldn't relaunch. But Nick from kitesessions was there so I left it to him to do the rescue. Transpired that his fancy new IDS is not totally cook-proof, or Tuna-proof - it had unhooked and as NEEDS no leash, just shot off. I didn't realise Jon wasn't attached to the kite til he shamefully dragged his heels back to our launch spot. Must've forgot the DOG DICK???

3 - OH MY GOD - last night was EPIC

At the LINGERIE location - VERY F'IN BIGGGG waves - I need to emphasise BIG and SCARY somehow, a bit more

Anyway today my left elbow is completely buggered - I spent all morning Googling tennis elbow - now also widely known as kiters elbow

As for last night: Me and Daz, and three others

Massive waves

I really crapped myself on the way out the first time - - just thinking shit gotta get through these breaking waves then I'll be safe out the back

And these bloody surfers keep appearing everywhere - gotta dodge them and the other three kiters doing their thing as well while getting smashed about a bit - no big wipe-outs though (yet!)

Thinking gotta get to the back

Gotta get to the back

Then got there - and oh my god the world was moving - enormous swell, a storey deep on either side of me, and some waves breaking right out there as well

Went further further til I was at the edge of the bay

Not quite til I could see rind to the next bay - that's for another time when I have someone with me out there!

Then I got my guts together and felt safer to head back in

Nice rides back - not really surfing the swell-forming waves or waves themselves - more kiting them

Got some great runs back & forth - - buzzing buzzing buzzing

All over the shop

Starting to get a bit cheeky, running hard at the breaking waves trying to jump off them, no need to try that hard really, had to TRY NOT to jump off the swell even

And trying to jump OVER the whitewater, that was nice, also getting used to careering hard through the whitewater

Anyway loads of nice stuff, good vibe between the five of us - I think was the only one NOT to crash his kite in the water! Daz almost dropped his kite on some girls head on 30 secs from going out! Not that has anything to do with ability - there was one bloke who was awesome on his surfboard. Daz the Irish was Daz - though not as happy as usual - on his 8m IDS complaining about lack of power - - but I was totally fine on the 9m Revolver - - and your board helping me out - HAMMER TIME (btw only time I've used it while you've been away) - - - I took the SRT but GLADLY didn't go out on that otherwise would've been a complete fkup. Though I did get out on it on choppy Botany water on Sunday and really got into it.

Also took my 11m to the beach but I was plenty powered on the 9m - great kites those I reckon

Anyway time passed

Then loads of wipe-outs - one after another

Got completely nailed by a wave I was surfing behind when I fell over the front of it and it broke on top of me

Lots of flailing around in the washing machine, but I kept the kite (with my left hand) so in a way it's better then when you wipeout while surfing as certainty of where is UP is very reassuring

Lost the board a cupla times just had to bodydrag toward shore and pick it up

Really got into it - nice to get aggressive with the waves on the way out and caress them on the way in

Didn't quite get a pure surfing feeling off any waves last night though -not like the time we went when it was orgasmic

Maybe the board - your's great - but there's nothing like a board you know and you're "man-and-machine" with - especially when in dicey conditions

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