Kite surfing - Woolacombe

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Forces-of-Nature » Personal Diaries » Kite surfing - Woolacombe

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Session Description

Toys Used

Owner: pebble
Member

Member#: 1318
Location:
Registered: 05-05-2005
Diary Entries: 13

27th July 2007
Kite surfing: Woolacombe
Wind Direction: WSW
Wind Stength: Force 5
Surf / Sea State: 8ft
Air Temperature: warm
Sea Temperature: warm
Weather: sunny
Max Speed:
Distance Covered:

I was on holiday in North Devon, and got out early on Friday morning before all the beach tourists/once-a-year surfers came out.

Was on the water at 07:30 with perfect conditions - only me about, blue sky, force 5 winds and lots of waves.

Glad I picked last week for a holiday, and not this week. Last week it was good news for kiters - those Atlantic systems which kept coming through made the waves big and delivered wind. This week, wind forecast looks crap.

Having not really kited big waves before, I quickly learnt what not to do and what to do. After a few minutes I got out the back and had a bit of a rest in the swell with only the occasional wave breaking. Then found myself the shore side of a huge wave (well huge for me, perhaps not for you wave masters out there), and the only option I had was to out run it back to the shallows. It was amazing - I was on starboard tack, and the breaking wave was literally there next to me and felt like it could be touched with my right hand! The noise was tremendous.

Well, after surviving this one, I had to have a another go and spent the rest of the session just going out and carving back round to race the wave. Brilliant.

GK Lift behaved itself impeccably - what a superb kite.

I think I just got hooked on this wave riding thing - despite the Spleene board being too big, not carvy enough and not designed for waves. My other board is a 132cm Caution Redline which I know is a lot better in waves. But can't help feeling I should get a board designed specifically for waves? Any recommendations out there? I'm just under 11 stone, and the wave location I most often sail at would I suppose be Borth/Dyfi.

jon

Toys Used: