Cape Town - 1st time, pick kites with me

[BernieTomic1]

I am going to Cape Town in mid february.

Would you say I need all kitesizes as it obviously gets real windy in the evenings, but also could be very light?
My plan would be to bring a surf board and a twintip. Kitewise I am primarily going to learn wave riding, but I also want to try boosting big.

What kites would you bring?

I have an 16' EVO 6m, XR5 7 and 10m, 15' NEO 7 and 16' NEO 9 m and a Core Free 15 m. I also have a 2014 Rebel in 9 and a 2015 Rebel in 12 m, but I am not really thinking these are the first priority. At home, the XR 5 10 m is my go to kite at the moment.

I can bring 20 kg plus 32 kg in a kitebag.

Which kites would you go for? I am very much in doubt that I can fit more than 4, and while I do not really use the Neos at home, those should probably be part of the luggage.
My thoughts are that the Neos don't boost that well, that I might need a 6 m if it gets big, weighing 75 kg and not loving to be extremely overpowered, and that I want the lightwind kite too. That would mean not bringing my favourite kite though.

[bri7]

take all your small kites up to the 10 and leave the 15 at home. you will have more worry about hanging on for dear life than how high you can boost

[BernieTomic1]

Hi bri7,

thanks for your reply!

You don't think I might regret that on a lovely 13 knot day? Or is the wind always 20 knots and up?
I can use the 10 m from about 16 knots I would say.

[piccio]

I have been four times cpt ,twice with rebel 5 6,once with neo 4 5,last year with religion 5 6. I am 76 kg.when wind blows last all day and it is always strong ,no need for bigger sizes.
6 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon.
buy a 5 home ,everything more and more expensive in few years .
too many in the water ,haakgat nearly impossible last feb ,once counted 30 windsurfers on queue.
be ready rigged on the beach for the start!

[BernieTomic1]

I have been four times cpt ,twice with rebel 5 6,once with neo 4 5,last year with religion 5 6. I am 76 kg.when wind blows last all day and it is always strong ,no need for bigger sizes.
6 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon.
buy a 5 home ,everything more and more expensive in few years .
too many in the water ,haakgat nearly impossible last feb ,once counted 30 windsurfers on queue.
be ready rigged on the beach for the start!

Hi Piccio,

thanks for your answer.
Nothing bigger than a 6 is smaller than other suggestions I have read. Is that on TT or on a directional with bigger volume?
I will not buy a smaller kite than the 6 Evo, but I realise that there might be some evenings where I will not feel comfortable going out with that size, which is fine.

[Peter_Frank]

On normal waveboard, 5 and 6 and a 7 or 8 for the lighter days, are the three sizes I always bring @ 78 kg.
Have had a 9 with me also the first years, never used down there, too big...

If I were you, I would take thethe 6, 7 and 9 or 10 for the TT mostly, and that's it.

Peter

[Hugh2]

I'm with Frank on this. Take 6, 7, and 9 or 10m. Only places you might want the 12 are if you go up to Langebaan or along the East coast. I'm 85kg and have been going to Cape Town for 6-8 weeks each summer for the past six years or so. I do use my 9m, even sometimes on surfboard, but I mostly use my 7m. On a truly crazy day like the one in KEVLOG 34, and we had a couple of those this season, I rented a 5m and even 4m from the Best shop at kite beach. They were fun to ride, while the pros were on 8 and 9m kites!

And you don't have to ride where it is crowded. Go upwind from Dolphin beach to escape the crowds, or downwind from Big Bay for some completely different conditions from Kite Beach. And watch the forecasts for Struisbaai, Witsand, and Stillbaai if the Cape Town forecast goes away, windyty will often show you how the system has moved east and you can get another day out of it by going east yourself, plus see more of the country. Visit a vineyard along the way and get some fruit and cheese. Drive back through some mountain passes. Or drive the coastal road from Betty's Bay back to Gordon's Bay, spectacular.

[leepasty]

If you want to ride more on the surfboard you will need smaller than 6 at 75kg but if you want to ride tt when its nuking it will be ok.
From your kites I would bring 6 evo, 7 and 10 core. The 10 will get you out in the onshore some days before the se kicks in then you will be straight on the 6 with surfboard.
If you want some wave coaching when you are here give me a shout

[Peter_Frank]

Kitesizes for CapeTown has always been a tricky one where a lot of "firsttimers" go wrong taking too big kites, let me give it a shot at explaining:

The thing is, about Capetown "winds", around CT and down to Cape Point, that there is not always wind, dont expect that

We have been lucky and it has been windy 85 % of the days down there late january/start february (say 12 out of 14 days), but you can also have rain occasionally, or no wind, or almost no wind from the right, or okay wind from the right down near Cape Point

And then, WHEN its windy from the left, fully sideshore a bit off sometimes, it will start either quite early, but in most cases totally calm in the morning and before noon, perfect for clean surfing, and then just after noon it starts to pick up.

The thing is, it picks up so fast the next hours, that you will not be able to use a bigger kite very long.

It continues to pick up and usually a lot of wind from 16 to 20 when the sun has set, and it does not stop again, till late night.

This is the very reason why big kites usually does not make sense at all - either way too little wind, or it picks up so fast that before you have rigged your "bigger" kite, it gets too big.

Only for hydrofoiling in almost calm, or dead onshore or wind from the right, bigger lighter kites could make sense, otherwise not.

If you go to Langebaan far up north, for flat water as said, it is different and can often be used, but not in and around CT in my experience

Peter

[BernieTomic1]

Thanks for all the great answers.

As a consequence, I am looking at bringing:
Evo 6, Neo 7, XR5 7, XR5 10.
If it is big, I am thinking twintip and the 6. The XR5 7 and the Evo 6 might be a bit too close to each other, but I should be able to fit both.
These small kites weigh less, too.

In regard to wind: windguru suggests up to 20 knots, with a big higher gusts, but it does get about 10 knots stronger than the Windguru forcast?