WOW... it is still blowing, is NE1 going?

[Skyway Scott]

Who is going out?
The Donster is still asleep, but... we are going riding when she awakes :D

Anyone going out? We will prolly hit the beaches, maybe Big Beach DeSoto.
The beach was good yesterday in terms of consistent wind (not gusty).

Apparently it is 15 to 20 at PaG. The Baynews9 cam is definitely showing wind out there :D

[Skyway Scott]

We decided to hit the Undertow. Free parking and food/drink afterward.
We will be cruising the length of the beach from Blind Pass to Pass a Grille.
Hope to see someone out there. :lol:

[Skyway Scott]

Undertow was good. :D
It was about 13 to 15 when we got there. Currently solid 15 knots.

Donna was tearing it up on the 14m TD and the 157WT (underground).
I mean she was LITT baby!! Her legs are currently dead.

I rode the TD after she was done on the Aggression SP. That combo was just sick in terms of upwind at will and playing in the waves. Had a great time out there.

It seems to me as if it was still filling in.... it definitely was not tapering off.
It was pretty choppy out there due to 72 hours straight of W winds.
Still a blast, tho.

[Z-Type]

can some1 please tell me where the hell do you park when going to undertow?
I know undertow has a parking as big as a shoebox and it's usually full...
and publix or pass-a-grill is a mile away.....
se where do ya'all park?

[bryanleighty]

z - gotta get there early..
park in the public parking lot and walk down is the only other option unless anyone here knows different.

i prefer going to the most nothern beach access at pass a grille.. usually less people to deal with..

[Skyway Scott]

I only hit the undertow before 2 on weekdays.
Today Donna and I were there before 9 am... empty parking lot.

After 4 or on weekends I don't think it is do-able at the tow.
I would park at Blue flag and ride there.
PaG is usually good, but, sometimes (like today) the current is outgoing and is gonna work against you the closer to the inlet you get, so Blue flag would be better.

[Z-Type]

thx ppl
good to know
Maybe I could catch the trolley from a nearby station too.......

[toby wilson]

Z, just be careful out there in the Gulf. It is not as forgiving as flat water is and you already learned what can happen when you hit up spots with unfavorable launches that can cause issues...did you call Keith yet? He'll take care of you.

Another obstacle that you may want to keep in mind though on weekends while riding in the Gulf is people and crab trap buoys. If you hit a person and hurt them while crashing the kite or getting dragged, it will come back to haunt you as well as the rest of the locals here... Getting your lines tangled in a crab trap buoy can also be VERY frustrating not to mention dangerous to you...hope you had a good and safe session at the UT!!!

[Skyway Scott]

True Toby.
In addition, if you can't confidently go upwind, you proably shouldn't be at the beach, because most of the time during the summer it is dead onshore winds.

Lately has been great (side-on) but odd. It is usually dead onshore.

Also, I would get a wind meter. If it says 11 or less (mph), don't even try. You'll probablly just put your kite on someone's head.. not good :(

[Optionryder420]

Z, just be careful out there in the Gulf. It is not as forgiving as flat water is and you already learned what can happen when you hit up spots with unfavorable launches that can cause issues...did you call Keith yet? He'll take care of you.

Another obstacle that you may want to keep in mind though on weekends while riding in the Gulf is people and crab trap buoys. If you hit a person and hurt them while crashing the kite or getting dragged, it will come back to haunt you as well as the rest of the locals here... Getting your lines tangled in a crab trap buoy can also be VERY frustrating not to mention dangerous to you...hope you had a good and safe session at the UT!!!

Damn, I never thought of getting tangled in a crab trap bouy... who's that happened to?

I really wish it'll pick up soon... I want to ride really bad...

[Skyway Scott]

It's happened to several people. It happened to Adam three outings in a row about 4 years ago :?
The swim buoys are even more likely, if your kite falls in and drifts into one.

[E-Bone]

We had a loose kite here in SRQ last week in about 18 mph after a harness hook broke at the welds. The damn kite motors downwind and it's time to say goodbye until it catches on a crab trap and starts flying in the middle of the pass. The kite's owner gets the kite off the crab trap, brings it back to the beach, and breaks down the kite. Then the kite (with no lines attached) gets loose again and blows off of the key. The next morning, a friend of the kite's owner finds the damn kite on the next key over and returns it.

Some days, luck is with you, some days it's not.

Wev'e had several harness hooks break in the last few weeks, so it is a good idea to attach your leash to something else on your harness just in case the hook goes.

[toby wilson]

That guy must be sleeping with lady luck or something!!!

Good points E-Bone, I wouldn't have ever thought about that if you hadn't mentioned it...

[C. Moore]

I got tangled in a crab trap when I was first starting out. A whole lot of water and I happen to find the only crabtrap in the area. :x

[Big G]

I also wondered how yu could get hung up on a crab trap until just a few weeks ago it happened to me...

Eagle and Josh were both in the Dux boat as I was trying to relaunch in deep water far from the safety of F. Desoto. When my kite powered up in the HOT zone it had enough power to rip the foam float in half. Something on the buoy clipped one of my center lines and it broke. If the guys werent there that day....that trap would have forced a very long swim back to the beach for me....it was an offshore wind also which means I may have needed to ditch the kite if they werent there....thanks again guys.

G-money

[JoshTaylor]

no problem big G, anything for a fellow kiter!