Would be great to get pics of ian coming through centres at three mile this afternnon
My guess is he will keep on going past 3 mile and come into the bay near the boat ramp.
He is sure to pick off a wave on the way past though.
Had quick message from Ian this evening at 645pm to say he's reached Gnaraloo. From the looks of the tracker, he's pulled in at 3-Mile Camp for the night. No pics yet, as there's only scant 3G coverage and not enough for the boys to upload photos. Next few days are looking pretty "extra-lite" in the wind category. He might get enough tomorrow to make a run on the 19m to Coral Bay but at this stage it's looking a bit iffy...
Coral Bay -- and a few dramas...
Surprise to me, I get a call from Ian a little while ago. No idea that he'd left 3-Mile came as the GPS tracker had not been updating on the web.
Just when you think you've done the hard bit and the easiest and most hassle-free part of the journey is now ahead of you, the dramas begin to unfold...
Ian left 3-Mile Camp/Tombstones yesterday afternoon with what seemed to be pretty steady and gentle winds ahead. Then, about 20km north of Gnaraloo Bay the wind went a bit crazy, changing directions -- even a near-180 degree shift at times to northerlies, with the gusts whipping the kite about madly. I didn't ask, but I'm guessing that he was flying the 19m at the time.
The gusts worsened, swung southerly again and he began getting yanked about as the wind ramped up and down. At this stage he's gone too far to head back to Gnaraloo, so with no choice but to continue, running pretty much straight downwind -- ironically, one of the most difficult directions to deal with on a downwinder when it gets gusty, as you're constantly getting yanked along, outrunning the kite and forever trying to keep the kite from falling out of the sky.
Late afternoon an extra-strong gust ploughs into the kite, blasting the harness apart, ripping the whole rig off, taking the kite, harness, bar line and the leash -- and leaving Ian behind, floating with only the board.
He does his best to swim, towing the board, towards the kite and the rig, now in the water several hundred metres downwind.
After a considerable swim, he's still roughly 500-600m from the beach at this stage -- he manages to catch up with the kite, harness, bar and lines, but because the harness has be ripped apart, he has no way to re-attach the harness. He's left with no choice but to relaunch the kite (yes, you CAN relaunch a foil from the water!) and try and work his way across the wind back toward the beach, unhooked.Remember, he's flying a 19m foil.
After relaunching, the kite, even fully depowered, it's nearly impossible to hang onto it with the gusts and no harness, as the only way to fly is hanging onto the bar with one hand and the chicken loop with the other to keep it depowered as much as possible. (remember, harness has been ripped apart)The kite goes down a couple more times, Ian relaunches it, finally having to hold onto one side of the bar and kiteloop it over and over to make some downwind progress without losing hold of the kite.
After all the up and down action, at some stage the spreader bar disengages from the harness and is lost.
After some time (remember, wind here is straight cross-shore so you're getting pulled along the beach, not toward it) Ian manages to edge enough to kite along the beach another 24km (without a harness) where, just before dark, (640pm according to he GPS), coincidentally, he encounters a young bloke, Joey, who's been taking photos of him -- and turns out to be a kiter! Joey's camped nearby and Ian attempts to contact the crew but to no avail.
Joey offers Ian his extra swag and some red wine and before long the red is gone and they crash out.
Turns out that the crew vehicle has had TWO flats while trying to reach Ian, so they were unable to make it to the camp.
This morning, Ian has tied up the harness with some rope and (I'm assuming) has fashioned some form of a make-shift spreader bar that's allowed him to continue kiting. He's launched as the wind came in, kiting the remainder of the distance to Coral Bay to await the arrival of the support crew.
My most recent GPS coordinates (1505hrs) showed him stationary at a Coral Bay venue which appears to be the pub...
feckin' hell. good thing he wasn't stuck offshore requiring that support crew...!
sketchy as.
Ian's just phoned needing a bit of help, if anyone has a contact in coral bay for some dry clothes and a place to crash it'd be very much appreciated, as robbo explained he's had a bit of dramas along with the crew , who's have his spare gear, thanks for any help
Of course Youngy can relaunch a foil kite after its been in the drink for god knows how long, finish a 25km unhooked one handed downwinder when its stright cross shore and then maguiver together a spreader bar in the middle of no where! A beer definitely well earned, i hope somone shouts him a few rounds. what a ledgend! (sounds like a pretty good beer commercial to me?)
Good on you Ian ya crazy bastard!
Joey: hey mate how did you get here?
Ian: ive done a downwinder from Perth, last 25k's swimming and unhooked on a 19m foil
Joey: cool, you want some red wine?
Ian: sure, maybe some small pieces of rope also.
this could be the Australian bear grylls episode
but, all seriously, stay safe youngy
Congratulations Sir. Ian Young,
Ian has been an ambassador for kitesurfing in WA since it began. Swirly winds, relaunching a 19m foil with no harness, he would have been cool as a cucumber.
(he probably fought off a great white with his line cutter).
What an amazing doco.
Select to expand quotecauncy said...
Ian's just phoned needing a bit of help, if anyone has a contact in coral bay for some dry clothes and a place to crash it'd be very much appreciated, as robbo explained he's had a bit of dramas along with the crew , who's have his spare gear, thanks for any help
All good a local is helping out ,
Remember when we started just before 2000, there was simply no harness, no depower, 2 lines kites and a massive bar ... but I still cant image hanging from the 19m foil that pulls like a truck ... What a legend!
been kiting since 02 seabreeze member since 2011(had to sell my 02 gear) but never felt the need to post a comment.
tonight i met an absolute ledgend! cruised into town on a 19m foil "hey mate can i borrow a harness?"
been talking and drinking for a bit but words like pioneer madman epic mission and really top bloke have been thrown around but if you havn't noticed Ian isn't doing this for giggles he is trying to raise money for "Soldier on" its a great cause to raise money for our ex pats who may not be going so well so if you like me have found some really big respect for this bloke please log onto https://soldieron.giveeasy.org/campaigns/kitesurfing-perth-to-the-north-west-cape/ and donate to his cause. cheers
Never heard of anything so challenging! If Ian attempted the Zuytdorp cliffs section I would have thought he was bonkers - he's anything but obviously - check out;
www.ianyoung.net.au/home/consulting/about-ian-young---consulting
A resume like no other!
What an inspiring epic downwinder.
Thanks to all of those bringing it to us.
Thanks Seabreeze
How about an Ian Young award for super human achievement!
I did a lesson on the river with Ian in 2002. I still have his directions ringing in my ears!! He was directing my control bar movements with LEFT,, RIGHT,,LEFT,,RIGHT
Got me going in one lesson and I thank him for that. Was pretty much addicted straight after that lesson.
Hugely motivated guy, epic journey. Well done Ian, will definitely throw a few bob in.
Karl
Ian gave me lessons on the Foils at Trigg only a year or so ago. I had no idea he was so accomplished. Well done Ian ! I've added some to the kitty.
Self-explanatory! A true Ian Young Macgyver moment!
Reckon the Flying Objects guys owe him a new harness! ;-)
Ian was the first kiter I ever met - in about 2000, I'd say. I walked out on to Leighton Beach infront of the old Freo SLSC and he was flying his kite with tales of 'Just seen the US Marines doing this in Somalia, after they'd cleared the mine fields on the beach'. Crazy stories then, even crazier now. He let me fly the kite - a two-line job. I crashed it.
This voyage to NW Cape is one of the great yarns. Hope you make it. Hope you get a big audience for any doco.
There would hardly be a beach in Western Australia you couldnt find a length of cray pot rope on! Fine repair....
TUESDAY ARVO UPDATE:
Ian left Coral Bay at 1435hrs today with a stretch goal of Yardie Creek. As of 5pm he's done 53km and Yardie Creek is still about 55km away.
The forecast for Exmouth suggests the wind will keep blowing, right past dark, so we might see the first "NightKite" session today unless he decides to stop a bit short and call it a day.
We don't actually have an online weather monitoring station at Exmouth-- only a forecast model -- so no way of knowing what's actually going on there, except that his most recent update on the GPS tracker has him travelling due N at 35.1km/hr at 1715hrs, having just rounded the cape at Coates Hill.
Not many options for hooking up with anyone else in this part of the world so hope his crew will be able to connect with him this time.
Big thanks goes out to fellow kiter Col Walker in Coral Bay for looking after Ian last night when the crew weren't able to join him and for loaning him his harness to complete the rest of the mission!
Will post again later if I hear from Ian or the crew by satphone this evening.
Today's data:
weather.aims.gov.au/?station=8&time=last12hrs. This will givei you an idea of what's happening wind wise. The weather station is at the visitors centre probably 30-40km north of Yardie Creek
