Looking at the forcast for the week, doesnt look to be any thing worth pumping up for.
www.seabreeze.com.au/maps/vic.asp
Time to head north for the winter one thinks
Or you travel!!
No wetsuit just Boardies
Warm water
Solid winds
Flat lagoons
Surf on the outside
Cant wait!!
Or you can shelve the kite gear for awhile, and go snowboarding instead!
Then, when winter's done, you re-focus on the kiting and it feels fresh as again!
Hmmm off for a bit of both in winter, got two weeks kiting in Cumbuco in Brazil then 2 weeks snowboarding in Chile........cant wait!!
No, but the season is changing to winter - cold, westerly, gusty and heavy wind. Surf at Hampton, woo hoo!
More photos and details: www.peterskiteboarding.com/2012/04/kitesurfing-bay-swell-in-30-knots-at.html
Pete, the warm afternoons and seabreezes are over, but the awsome strong winds are just starting up. Never thought id enjoy the start of winter so much.
Had some great sessions my self over easter!
Yes, a 7 is very handy for those 30+ knot heavy wind days we can get over winter. I was overpowered on my 10 (fully depowered!) but sweet on my Crossbow 7 yesterday, once I again got used to how fast the 7 turns!
I don't use it often, but when I do I love it. Its the only way to kitesurf big waves in the bay.
If you get a 7, choose a kite that has maximum possible depower. You may need to cope with 40-45 knot gusts and conditions that can sometimes accompany storm fronts. Its essential to check the wind forecasts to best match your session timing with your confidence & skills.
I like to wait for fronts then go out after they settle a bit.
Just my two cents, on a good surfboard you can ride a 7m from the high teens up to insane winds. It is *MUCH* safer than dicking around with a middling too big kite and trying to ride out storms and squalls and lulls and stuff.
By being a little underpowered you can really power the kite through the turns on the wave so you can rip around and have a good time. You need to be very strong on toeside, able to swap feet for jamming upwind under powered, and comfortable over sheeting a small kite (they can be a bit twitchy if the wind drops out at the wrong time).