Scored a great downwinder from Brighton to Frankston today. The wind dropped a couple of times but came back, and we dodged the stronger gusts later in the afternoon.
Getting ready for the next Bay Crossing!
More photos and info: www.peterskiteboarding.com/2013/09/cracking-kitesurfing-downwinder-from.html
Good on you Peter. Glad to see you had a good time and missed the stronger gusts (you seem blessed with good luck, but I dare say it's more experience than luck).
So silly question, but on these long downwinders do you ever find the wind drops and the kite crashes into the water? How many times does this happen on the average 2hr downwinder?
Cheers!
That's crazy.... U guys were so far out. We had the kites up at carum was a sick day for it! And u ended up in Frankston? Looked like u guys were heading out to mornington or something?
We could see some kites in at Carrum in the distance. We were on a fairly straight route to Frankston "following the wind" as you can see from the GPS log, but Ricketts to Frankston direct does take you a fair way out. We are still eyeing off the next leg down to Rosebud, but need boat backup for that.
Also, at that point (in front of Aspendale, 4-5Kms out west from shore) a big sailing boat was in the vicinity so in case of big trouble that would have been our alternative. Worse case scenario, VHF would allow us to contact Coast Guard. IN the very worse case scenario we always carry EPIRBs.
Most important, training sessions like this allow us to understand the wind patterns.
Exercising the constant checking of the wind, no matter if you are going out or not, will allow you to be more confident in making the decision while in the water. Knowing that there were no fronts coming, checking at least 3 different websites (BOM, Baywinds and Seabreeze) help to organise your logistics (times, sections, equipment, etc).
It looks pretty crazy what we do, but in reality is very well planned. Thats why going out in all different conditions help you to gain more confidence.
If you guys are interested in learning more about this, come and join us in the Half Crossing option Across the Bay to conquer Cancer this next Jan.
www.facebook.com/pages/Across-the-Bay-to-Conquer-Cancer/418371941550110
I'm not getting involved!
Just to flag, as a 2nd season kiter (the second seasons has started, right?), I find the write ups of such downwinders an inspiration, and aspire to get involved with downwinders in due course (obviously building up to these via baby steps).
It's fine if you want to aspire to downwinders and long distance kiting. But the fundamental rule for all adventuring of any kind is to have a backup escape route and to preserve it at all costs. You need to have a series of alternatives that you can drop back on long before you get to the point of calling in a rescue.
Escape routes do not include "... just make it through ...". That would be like a mountaineer getting to the top of the mountain then calling in a helicopter for a lift down, or a base jumper climbing to the top of a cliff and not being able to walk back down if conditions are crap.
It's simple in kite boarding. Rule 1 is never go further out than you're prepared to swim. For me that's about 2km, but I limit myself to 500-1000m. Even with that restriction it's not hard to do 30km coast runs.
Others are only ride with (multiple) safe landing options downwind. Know how to self rescue and actually be able to do it. Be prepared to discard your gear if conditions warrant it.
Only after you've done all that does carrying gear to call in a rescue come into play.
The other side of this is it is absolutely fine to call in a rescue if you need one or you see someone that you think needs one. It's just not fine to deliberately put yourself in a position to need a rescue if you haven't done the basics to avoid being in that situation in the first place.
Salty,
The first downwinder I did was from Ricketts (Beaumaris) to Hampton, I really loved it. The launch there is sketchy and once you get going there are some sections you definitely don't want to drop your kite and drift in (reefs, Cerberus, marinas etc.). Note that you can stay close to the shore.
Most downwinders will pose some form of difficulty - that is part of the appeal - as long as you can handle it.
In summary:
* Practice full self rescue first, including swim to shore.
* Carry the right gear - an EPIRB should be carried if you are ever more than 2km offshore, including in the bay (even they are only mandatory for offshore waters).
* Check your route for safe bailout locations (pilots do this while flying, they often check proximity to nearby airstrips while on their route).
* Don't do it alone - go with a buddy
* If in doubt don't go out (or bail out). Conservative judgement is better than an avoidable rescue.
* Its good to have a waterproof comms device you can use if necessary to advise someone of a situation (phone, SPOT, VHF radio etc)
* EPIRB should only be used if you are in "a life threatening situation" beacons.amsa.gov.au/distress-beacons.html
* Start small (e.g. Hampton to Brighton, being careful at Green Point and around the reefs at Brighton).
Have fun!