Sunday: Pancakes

[Skyway Scott]

Flat as a pancake right now. Hopefully it'll pick up by 2pm.
15m weather today it looks like. Glad we nailed it yesterday while it was blowing.
I am a little sore from yesterday (mainly my ears, from listening to Roy at lunch!!) :eek:

J/K, the lunch session at B.o.B.s is always fun.

[BigR]

Yeah but you also did the Marathon run to Skyway So. and back!:rolleyes:

BTW, I think it was actually Bishops Harbour not S.S. you got to

I was too cold + tired, But Lori + I will cruise by the area today as soon as the wind picks up!:rolleyes:

[Skyway Scott]

I think Donna and I are going to stay here in the Gulf.
I don't like the idea of breaking down out there (for her sake, not mine). It'd be a long wait out there in the mangrove area for a pickup.

I don't doubt it's as beautiful as it can get over there (I use to fish there a lot, and you feel like you are in an uninhabited area of FL. still).

[BigR]

and you feel like you are in an uninhabited area of FL. still).

Thats exactly why I Love kiting there!:D

[Cornel]

Hey Scotty, i'm finally in the loop..if u guys are going out to the Gulf this afternoon, give me a holler...BTW, placed 3rd at the Derb and HardRock, last nite. It was an all night session of Hold 'em

[Skyway Scott]

I am playing right now, and calling you.;)

[shogun1204]

Whatever Scott! You loved my story!!!!!!!! LMAO!!!!!!

[Skyway Scott]

Well, Sundays seem to always rock, and it did again. Tom and I did a downwinder from somewhere to somewhere around CLW and IRB. It was pretty epic. Solid low twenties the whole time. :)

Wonder how many more Sundays in a row we can get? :cool:

What happened to you Bayflite?
Bob, was NB good, or was the current too much of a drag?

Oh, and Scott Wolfe single handedly got us kicked out of Sand Key forever for jumping surfers, thanks Wolfie, way to go. (just kidding).
But apparently the lifeguards are enforcing no kiting in the Park this year. He can expand on the situation.

I rode there at least ten times last winter and they never cared, guess they do now.

[BigR]

I don't know about you guys but I've kited just about everywhere in the US and Mex but my little spot on NW winds is just nirvana. The only spot in FL that beats it is Crandon!

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Nothing like kiting in the middle of nowhere,.......... And seeing downtown St. Pete., Downtown Tampa, and the Skyway bridge all at once in butter flat water or waves ( you take your pick )

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D :D:D:D:D:D:D

[bayflite]

tent beach waz nice.
hard2 beat a hot shower right at the launch.
piping hot in fact...coulda made hot chocolate
livin large

[Wolfie]

Yes...Yes
I had to show those surfers the difference between Surfing and Kite-surfing. So I showed them from 25 feet up! Anyway, Right after I had set up and was launching at the furthest North part of the beach (marked surfers only), a life guard approached and said we can only launch outside of the marked off swim area. This, he further explained, meant at the South end just outside the park. I, of course, told him that was fine and he was nice enough to ride me down to the south side. Anyway, We have to launch and ride out/in , South of the park and not ride in the swim zone. We are welcome to ride and taunt the surfers just outside the buoys!! It was a great time and is still a great place to ride.
I too rode there many times last year without any problems...maybe it is the fact that it was the weekend?

[Unimog Bob]

The wind was good at NB too, but it hadn't had time to kick up much surf yet so it was just short chop. It was 20+ by the time I got rigged. Adam was already on the water on his 15 totally lit. It was a short session for me but it seemed like the gulf had warmed considerably, or maybe my perception was of after freezing my ass off in that god forsaken hell hole called Boston

[Skyway Scott]

;) Glad you guys got wind. I thought it was only going to blow up north of us today, so when Wolfie gave the ground confirmation, I was outta' here heading his way.

Sundays ROCK!! (Did Adam stay on his 15 once it filled in?) Tom was litt on his 12 Waroo.

[invisible]

Yeah it was just unreal... we left dead st. pete and bang 25mph at IR.

My analog meter showed 25 on the beach, and I know for a fact it was a LOT more 100yards out. I am sure it was 25+ out there despite the sensor readings...

We had some circus music playing at the start and it returned when we couldn't figure out which parking lot we left the car in, but we had a good time. Crystal green and blue ocean, clean breaks on the inside and a washing machine outside but fun anyway. Plenty of girlz2see and waves to ride.

[Skyway Scott]

Yeah, only 8 or so mini kitemares, not bad. I am overdue for something, so may as well get a full year's worth packed into one day.

I guess you have to hook up the front lines and back lines for a kite to fly?
I guess you have to have foot straps for a board to stay on your feet?
(That kid that ran to my truck to exchange boards sure was cool).

I guess when self landing, getting a clusterf#$k of your lines in not good, and you might get worked (especially on a 15m)?
Oh, maybe hook up the leash prior to launch? (not when getting worked post launch in 25)
Maybe remember where you parked your vehicle?
Don't expect people to have screw drivers handy in their bathing suits.
Don't water launch your kite with a swim buoy wrapped around the lines?
Geez.... whatta joke. (Good times)

What else? :rolleyes:

[invisible]

Remember the screwdriver

practice re-adjusting constantly slipping straps in 20+ on 20 feet of beach bordered by a seawall while flying kite with bystanders grabbing at your bar

Question your buddy when he lends you a board with pads which are not glued down.

Since you forgot to bring the screwdriver, learn to ride the remaining mile of the down winder in breaking waves with no straps

Since your pads were not glued down, do that strapless wave riding with no pads!! Talk about slippery!

Look cool when chatting with the super impressed girls who are asking about your kite in the air. DONT tell them you can't remember where the hell you parked and dont ask them to look in the parking lot for your toyota.

Dont freak when her 8yr old daughter yanks your bar and almost loops your kite

Dont panic while flying your kite and trying to catch your buddies kite which is powered up and out of contorl, flying only by leash and tangled bar out of his reach

Don't forget to start the circus music when you self land a 12m waroo in 25mph on one of the back lines.

Dont turn off the circus music, ever.

wahahahaha

Ok it wasn't really that bad... a ton of minor but comical events. Whoot!

[Optionryder420]

Too cold... my wetsuit hasn't been cleaned since the other day and I didn't want to jump into a cold, wet, wetsuit.

Not to mention I was still feeling last night when I woke up at 11am...

That put a damper on my kiting for today.

[BigR]

Whattaya talkin" about?!?

I waz in my shortie, it waz toastie!

[Skyway Scott]

Yeah, that was the most mishaps I have ever seen in one day. Coming ashore (right where the girls were) seemed awfully coincidental. ;) It seemed much more warm than anticipated, Raul.

[bryanleighty]

i missed out this weekend..

bought a huge top of the line HD tv and could not stop watching it.

could.

not.

stop.


ha...

and.. i took a good beating last thursday after an accidental kiteloop.. my body needed a few to rest...

glad folks got some this weekend!!!

yee haw!

[toby wilson]

, or maybe my perception was of after freezing my ass off in that god forsaken hell hole called Boston

Hey hey there Bobby, you're talking about where I grew up...Boston rocks! But you're right, it is TOO cold!!!!!!

Whattaya talkin" about?!?

I waz in my shortie, it waz toastie!

Yeah, I was in a thin neoprene shirt and board shorts all afternoon at Backside. Got cold at sunset but the afternoon was nice and warm! You can come up with a better excuse than that Kev, like "my dog ate my homework so I had to do it over and couldn't come out Sunday because it was due first thing Monday morning"!!! LOL!

[amber]

scott- i feel your pain. Apparently everything other than equipment failure happened to me yesterday. I was so excited to be up and riding on my offside that I failed to notice the exposed sand bad and rode right into it. boom!!! got drug on my back all the way across it till the kite finally crashed. According to Toby i did leave some cool skid marks.

Kite decided to tea bag me into the air about 10 feet and I freaked and tried to turn the kite and I landed on my shoulder in about 1 foot of water. Then...(yes there is more) kite inverted. not fun. got tea bagged a couple more times and tried to overcorrect when i was diving the kite and landed on my shoulderblades and my head bounced off the bottom. If I wasn't wearing my helmet...guaranteed concussion. It was a hard hit and my head knocked around in the helmit a bit, but took the majority of the impact.

After the kite hindenberged a couple times and decided to taco on me, I finally gave up and walked back in. NOT FUN! I guess I took a lickin and kept on kickin, but it definitely took a toll on my ego and dampered that spirit I had last weekend. Its good at least to hear i wasn't the only one who got worked and at least we're all still around to bitch about it on the forum. Good stuff. hopefully we'll get some more wind this weekend and my luck will change. Still looking forward to playing with the big kids.

[invisible]

Congrats Amber, that is part of the learning process. Learning how quick things can go wrong and what happens when they do. The surprise sandbar has gotten me so many times! Especially at night..... one time I was racing Scott at lassing ... really hauling butt ... no moon out.... BAM! Surprise, its only 1cm deep. Full speed, fully powered up on my 15M C kite dragged across the sand bar at mach 5 in the dark.

I had enough time to pray that there were no oysters or horse shoe crabs on the sandbar. I guess my prayer was answered and I laughed it off.

Problem is I forgot to include crab traps in that brief oh sh#$ prayer. I found those 15 minutes later when I was dragged through and over them in 1ft of water. Cut me up pretty good.

If Guardian Angels exist they are slackers.

[Skyway Scott]

Amber,

The question is: where did you LEAVE the skidmarks?:eek: and when did Toby see them?

I have run aground at full speed too, many times.
It's hard spinning and not pulling on the bar, but with enough experience wiping out, you learn. It might be best to just let go of the bar and let the kite go limp. Hope you are alright.
Donna got whacked big time once while just learning as well. She was on a C kite and it went from about 12 to solid 20 in a heartbeat, lofting her and then drilling her with a kiteloop. Stuff happens, but it is usually a lot less gruesome on a non-C, especially if you sheet out.

[bayflite]

peter lynn kite might help for that stage of the learning curve

[toby wilson]

Yeah, Amber showed how tough she was yesterday! Took some pretty hard hits and just kept getting up and trying again. Rough day for her but she sure took it in stride!

Like Tom and Scott said above, we all have those days. After Amber gave up I was riding in those epic flats between Backside and EB when Gary's kite (that I just sold him) blew a LE and he had to walk about a mile back to shore with his kite and board in tow. He said it was a great time when he got to shore and wishes he could do that every session. (I didn't tell him about the bb gun that I was shooting at his LE while riding upwind of him).

So after I helped him get the kite folded up and started off on his leisurely stroll, the flats had gotten considerably more shallow. I tried to make it back and was trucking along good until a gust or two hit me and litt up my kite. I also noticed that the water had gone from 6 inches deep to 2 inches deep all of the sudden. I had about 10 seconds of that slow motion thinking "oh shit, I am screwed", looking ahead of me for oyster beds, conch's, horseshoe crabs, etc. Then all of a sudden SSSSCCCCRRRRAAAAPPPEEE and head over heels I went, tumbling and sliding across the shallows. It didn't help my ego when I came back into shore and tried to hop out of my board real nonchalant like with about 30 spectators looking on and my right bootie stuck in my foot strap. My foot came out of my bootie but the resistance sent me into a face plant into the sand!!! I'd rather get worked under a kite any day (as long as I come out of it okay of course) than be sitting here at work tho!!!

When I got home, (no exaggeration) about a shovel full of sand came plopping out of my compression shorts. At first I thought I crapped myself when I fell but upon further inspection, I confirmed that it was in fact sand. SO I GUESS I HAD SKIDDIES TOO!!!

I think a lot of people got worked yesterday. It happens, just learn from your mistakes and have a good time Ambs and it's all good!!!

[Skyway Scott]

LMAO. Best post ever possibly. :cool:

[invisible]

oh yeeeah the sand. Once I came back from a lassing night ride, still in my harness shorts. Wipped them off in the shower to find about half a gallon of sand and vegetation. it was tough explaining to Becky that I had been carrying it around in my underwear all night :oops:

[bryanleighty]

aint nothing that smells quite as foul as a that backside skyway mud.... let it sit a couple days in your vehicle and it develops its own atmosphere.

yummy yummy gumdrops.


glad everyone is OK.

bow kites do not help against low tides. i have also had my experiences w/ this.

:P