Postby Hugh2 » Mon Jul 02, 2018 8:04 pm
Your info indicates you already ride at Cape Town, or do you only go to Langebaan? If you really ride at Kitebeach or Sunset or Dolphin then you know the conditions well, so as suggested above it's a matter of getting used to riding a surfboard on flat water, then going out in conditions with smaller waves at Cape Town. At least, that's what I did, plus lots of riding at Cape Hatteras. In a sense Cape Hatteras is easier because the waves are directly wind-generated and hence more broken up, making it easier to get out on a strapless surfboard, while in Cape Town it can take a while to learn how to get out against a wall of uniform waves coming in (tip is to take advantage of the sets, that is, wait for a relative lull in wave size; other tips are bringing the kite up to lift your body a little, making the hit from white water less severe, and also tackling the waves at an angle instead of headon). Doing downwinders helps enormously, as you are not struggling to stay upwind and can enjoy every little wave by turning on it, even on the inside, and just have fun. Or once you are comfortable with a strapless surfboard, put straps back on and get the best of both worlds, jumping on the way out and carving onto a wave on the way back in. Sit back sometime at Kitebeach and watch what guys like Alan Lambert can do with a strapped surfboard (tall with shaved head and usually on a small red or black board, with a small Cabrinha kite, launches at the south end of KiteBeach, and usually goes out earlier in the afternoon when the waves are still good, not yet blown out by the SEaster - also takes part in the local wave-riding competitions). I was there for two months this winter and since I ride best regular, found it fun to ride in the NWester and be able to use my right back foot to drive bottom turns. I still struggle with bottom turns in the SEaster.