*** Hurricane Riding, the Real Deal ***

[greg meintjes]

You got to be real careful, even a 5 mph gust can can cause problems if you have no buffer zone, my biggest worry tomorrow is if we get some newbies on the water and and we also get some strong onshore gusts,Ijust read a kiter got killed in Brasil while riding when a squall came through , I will not be taking any chances if the weather is squally, and hope some of the other riders will help set an example for the benefit of some of the newbies.

Greg

[John-]

i have raced boats through tropical storm and huricanes, don't be stupid and get your kites down, with big pressure changes the wind directions that veer dramatically. a bunch of years ago i was doing a race up the east coast off of southern tip of NJ and a tropical storm chase us down, saw a 60' race boat gets its rig ripped off the deck by a veering gust 25 to 50+ in a instant, could'nt imagine having a kite up when that stuff hits. always live to fight another day

Our forecast is for 40 to 70 on Tuesday.
Think I will pass. I had a ss bar (a real one) get snapped in two a few years ago in sixty.
I am not real interested in seeing what a real kite would do in 70

[greg meintjes]

Remember ,you dont always have to have dark ugly clouds to get a squall, The worst squall I have been in in the Keys was from a greyish looking cloud, the winds went from 16mph to 35-40 mph in a few minutes. The only indication of it,s approach was a hazy look just above the water and the wind shadow from the wind on the water.The point I am making is always be aware ,and keep a lookout behind and upwind of you for changing conditions even if the clouds aren,t dark and scary looking.

Greg

[jim]

I just might go windsurfing instead.

[ricki]

Originally Posted by jim

I just might go windsurfing instead.

Excellent idea! Been saying that for years when it comes to squalls sans lightning. As long as you have the skill set, right sized gear, a helmet for sure, have at it. When was the last time a windsurfer was picked up and lofted a 100 ft. into a tree? If you want to mess with storm winds, it can be a more sensible way to do it. There still are risks but the lofting and death spiral hazards go way down.

I am curious if anyone is actually debating going out (windsurfing or not) if it is actually gusting to 70, or if you are talking about riding after it passes. The title of the thread is "Hurricane Riding, the Real Deal".
So, are you guys talking about going out in the peak winds? Get it on video if you do decide to go out in the peak.
Video of people just standing in that usually makes the news.
I would love to see vid of someone kiting or windsurfing in 70 (if we get that).
It's impossible, is the other reason I want to see it.

[OttoNP]

I'll be in Florida 8/27/2008-9/02/2008 hoping to ride in Lauderdale by the Sea area; however, I just found my hotel has no internet...

Anyone in the area want to clue me in on the forecasts for my stay? Rick?

Thanks.
Nick

[BigR]

Anyone in the area want to clue me in on the forecasts for my stay?

You may have dead calm winds OR you may have hurricane force winds....

Anything goes....


Most likely no winds but as you can see, there is a small chance of 75 mph winds as well

[OttoNP]

Well, it is more than a week away, 10 days from today. I think the hurricane will be passed by then...

I don't mean clue me in to what it says now, I can check that, I mean during the time I'm down there.