Kite carnage in the surf

[robertovillate]

Eddie,

Nice account of the conditions and your experience on Big Tuesday. When I arrived in St Augustine last Monday night I was stoked to get out on Tuesday morning. My smallest kite was a 7m, which might have worked, but all the other factors added up to be very challenging and a bit risky. Tempting as it was I decided to pass. I was not eager to lose a kite or a board (or worse), especially if there wasnt' someone else out to offer support. 30-40 kts is a lot of wind and not being familiar with the local conditions made me err on the side of caution. The ebb currents can prove to be dangerous and a flood current could present it's own set of problems. Recently a friend of mine and solid rider got "sushi-rolled" in 10' surf on Lake Michigan...he seriously thought it was game over, but he managed to free himself...a lot of the same factors were at work.

But it looked like it could have been a blast at the same time. Todd (?) looked solid with his 5m, but as you said one kite size can make a big difference in that kind of pressure.


Some great lessons contained in your post. Thanks for the detailed account, and great meeting you and some of the other St. Aug crew!

cheers