Sometimes you just have to get out there...

[RRC1962]

To figure out why you're the only kite on the bay. I got to the beach and the wind was 8-10 so I blew up my 17. I get all set up and walk out for a drift launch. About the time I get a couple hundred yards out in the bay, it turns into a mill pond. Zero wind...or maybe 1-2. So I'm relaxing with my board strapped on and the kite sitting on it's leading edge while what little wind there is slowly inches me downwind. It is side on shore so eventually I'll drift back to shore.

After 20 minutes or so the wind comes back but it feels much stronger than the 8-10 that I measured earlier which isn't really a problem. So I get the kite to 12 and dive down for a launch and up I go, but as soon as I edge to go upwind, the wind drops out. I come off the edge and point downwind-ish but the wind is gone. So I play the waiting game again. During this time the wind shifts to offshore so now as I wait for enough wind I'm slowly drifting off shore. I managed to get back up on the board a few more times and I could get upwind when up on the board, but couldn't make enough progress upwind to offset the downwind drift while waiting for wind.

So an interesting day overall. The gusty conditions (basically 2-18) and shifting winds were a challenge. More than once the kite just went limp in the air and fell straight down. One time I had it overhead and it just fell straight down and landed in front of me. Amazing the light wind this 17m Contra will fly in but I really need 10+ to ride. Fortunately the bay is shallow so I eventually hit the QR, wrapped the lines and walked the 1/2 mile or so back to the beach. No one died, so I'm calling it a win.

[JakeFarley]

Sounds like a sea breeze collapsing when the wind goes from side onshore to off shore. We have that here on the west coast of Florida. Many years ago I was out one spring afternoon and the wind was side onshore around 5pm. A couple of other kiters I had not seen before showed up and I told them that the seabreeze collapses around 7pm and not to go off shore too far. Well they did not listen and were out about a half mile when the wind died. I was close to shore and my kite hindenburged. About 10-15 minutes later the wind came back up, directly off shore. I had enough wind to relaunch and body drag back in. They had to self rescue and swim back against the wind. Took them about an hour to make that swim. It pays to know the local conditions.

[RRC1962]

Nice thing about the bay is that the wind is always on shore depending which side of the bay you are on. I never ride the ocean side unless the wind is on shore or side on shore. When we ride jet skis to the kite beach, wife just tools around on the ski while I'm kiting. If she notices the kite down and I'm a ways away, she comes and tows me back in.

[br44]

So an interesting day overall. The gusty conditions (basically 2-18) and shifting winds were a challenge. More than once the kite just went limp in the air and fell straight down. One time I had it overhead and it just fell straight down and landed in front of me. Amazing the light wind this 17m Contra will fly in but I really need 10+ to ride. Fortunately the bay is shallow so I eventually hit the QR, wrapped the lines and walked the 1/2 mile or so back to the beach. No one died, so I'm calling it a win.

There are sessions out there where the greatest excitement, and the best part, and the most memorable and pleasing adventure is..…. coming back in one piece, and with all of your equipment. Yours was not just a win - but a big one.

[RRC1962]

Yep...A day at the beach, good exercise and some good no/light wind practice. I could think of worse ways to spend a day. Forecasts look the same for next few days so more of the same this week. Hoping I can pull off a decent session later this week.

[CARMELHILL]

I'm getting crushed this summer.

I moved from Long Island NY to New Smyrna Beach on the east coast of Florida in late June. NY is getting 15 to 10 knots almost everyday. Meanwhile I can't buy a puff of wind here. It's excruciating. I didn't realize the wind was THIS bad during the summer. I've vacationed here on Xmas, Midwinter, Easter, and mid summer breaks. Oh sure the NON-summer breaks has great winds, but I don't remember getting skunked during a summer break for this long. At least I'm trying to look forward to some awesome cold fronts this fall. I had some amazing days last Xmas and Easter.

Then to make it worse, I got covid 4 days ago and I'm quarantining in my condo staring at the beach. TORTURE. I'm going to go crazy soon.

[Toby]

Life is about decisions to make.

Some are good, some are bad.

Sounds like a good idea to move to another place?