Who needs radar?

[ricki]

For starters some guys in New Zealand:


"I agree dudes, watch that radar on Sea breeze, in full on storm conditions, you can set it to scan up to 250km off shore and switch onto loop and see what black bitches are commin, I watched the radar last Sunday , and after the big blow (up to 70knots)at mid day the air after that was clear of black bitches, but I had a Mothers day afternoon on, I saw you dudes out at Cott in fantastic Big surf and 30knots late that arvo, Monday I was gonna go out, but the radar showed 50 or so black bitchews commin intowards Perth that arvo, real densely packed and only about 5km apart, I went down to Swanny and Matty had his wind meter out and the black bitches we reading 45knots constant for up to 5 minutes commin through every 15 minutes, with 30 to 30 knot sbetween, great surf 2-3 metres, BUT SUPER DANGEROUS conditions even on a 8m X3 which is a super high wind kite."

From: http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/t...?TOPIC_ID=2153


Check the rain radar before you leave. Sometimes you can fit a kite in between rain squalls (watch out for these bastards). Consider giving it a miss if there is not at least a 60 minute break between rain clouds.
If the clouds are pretty consistent (i.e. uniform cover), you can score some very good kite sessions. Just remember to come in as soon as the black clouds start to approach.
On the odd occasion you can kite on a NW when there is not one cloud in the sky (a day before the front actually hits). I found that these days can be nearly as consistent as a summer seabreeze. However the wind can die so don't venture too far out.
Lastly, check the graphs before you leave paying particular attention to Rotto and Garden Island. If theyre really up and down, its not worth it.
If you get caught in a squall dont be a hero. Use your safety system (test it too). Better yet, come in before it hits.
Cheers
Dan

and

G'Day all,

Laurie is right on the money, noobs should be a bit wary of winter winds. Especially the winds where showers, heavy clouds and days that aren't "pleasant looking".

Of course there are other wintery days where you can get decent breeze without the showery stuff and instead enjoy a bit of sun on your face, these are the more preferable days for beginners.

As Laurie says, the dangers are winds suddenly shifting onshore from side and increasing in strength. I was at Watermans Bay yesterday morning and the wind was cross on and about 5-7 knots when a dark patch of cloud and rain approached. The wind increased from 5-7 knots NW, to around 30knots W, and absolutely pelted with rain for approximately 20 minutes and then cleared and went back to around 10 knots NW again. The front approached very quickly and left as quickly.

had anyone been out flying a kite, the potential for an accident would have been very high.

When kiting Winter in WA, keep your eyes on the clouds and rain all around you and watch for the sudden increase in winds indicated by white caps in isolated areas.

Good winds and safe kiting,

Darren Marshall
Australian Kiteboarding School

From: http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/t...rchTerms=radar


More ideas about weather planning which ALL kiteboarders should do routinely appears at:

http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=130

[ricki]

For starters some guys in New Zealand:


"I agree dudes, watch that radar on Sea breeze, in full on storm conditions, you can set it to scan up to 250km off shore and switch onto loop and see what black bitches are commin, I watched the radar last Sunday , and after the big blow (up to 70knots)at mid day the air after that was clear of black bitches, but I had a Mothers day afternoon on, I saw you dudes out at Cott in fantastic Big surf and 30knots late that arvo, Monday I was gonna go out, but the radar showed 50 or so black bitchews commin intowards Perth that arvo, real densely packed and only about 5km apart, I went down to Swanny and Matty had his wind meter out and the black bitches we reading 45knots constant for up to 5 minutes commin through every 15 minutes, with 30 to 30 knot sbetween, great surf 2-3 metres, BUT SUPER DANGEROUS conditions even on a 8m X3 which is a super high wind kite."

From: http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/t...?TOPIC_ID=2153


Check the rain radar before you leave. Sometimes you can fit a kite in between rain squalls (watch out for these bastards). Consider giving it a miss if there is not at least a 60 minute break between rain clouds.
If the clouds are pretty consistent (i.e. uniform cover), you can score some very good kite sessions. Just remember to come in as soon as the black clouds start to approach.
On the odd occasion you can kite on a NW when there is not one cloud in the sky (a day before the front actually hits). I found that these days can be nearly as consistent as a summer seabreeze. However the wind can die so don't venture too far out.
Lastly, check the graphs before you leave paying particular attention to Rotto and Garden Island. If theyre really up and down, its not worth it.
If you get caught in a squall dont be a hero. Use your safety system (test it too). Better yet, come in before it hits.
Cheers
Dan

and

G'Day all,

Laurie is right on the money, noobs should be a bit wary of winter winds. Especially the winds where showers, heavy clouds and days that aren't "pleasant looking".

Of course there are other wintery days where you can get decent breeze without the showery stuff and instead enjoy a bit of sun on your face, these are the more preferable days for beginners.

As Laurie says, the dangers are winds suddenly shifting onshore from side and increasing in strength. I was at Watermans Bay yesterday morning and the wind was cross on and about 5-7 knots when a dark patch of cloud and rain approached. The wind increased from 5-7 knots NW, to around 30knots W, and absolutely pelted with rain for approximately 20 minutes and then cleared and went back to around 10 knots NW again. The front approached very quickly and left as quickly.

had anyone been out flying a kite, the potential for an accident would have been very high.

When kiting Winter in WA, keep your eyes on the clouds and rain all around you and watch for the sudden increase in winds indicated by white caps in isolated areas.

Good winds and safe kiting,

Darren Marshall
Australian Kiteboarding School

From: http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/t...rchTerms=radar


More ideas about weather planning which ALL kiteboarders should do routinely appears at:

http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=130