Hi everyone -
Most of the visitors have gone home from Cape Town. The handful that remain are enjoying spectacular on water conditions with good winds on many days and very uncrowded water! I thought I would offer a recap of the season:
Winds were a little less than usual with some "gaps" in January and February but it is interesting how guests fall into two categories when it comes to wind: those who will only kite if the wind is "on" at Blouberg and those willing to drive 1h - 1.5h for wind e.g. to Platboom, Misty Cliffs, Brandvlei, Langebaan. I had a couple such guests (Otto!) and they found wind maybe 9/10 days over their 6 weeks here.
In peak season (Dec 27th to Valentines Day) main beach got quite busy but people do like to kite together don't they haha. If you look carefully there are gaps and if you kite "downwind" (Big Bay to Haakgat) there is still tons of space.
I thought people were more courteous to each other on the water this season, which was nice to see. Fewer people shouting at each other. Let's keep that up.
There was a big shortage of cars to rent this year as the rental companies downsized their fleets during the Corona years and struggled to rebuild them. So some people trying to book last minute were disappointed. Same thing for accommodation - it is no longer the case you can just show up and immediately find somewhere (or at least somewhere good).
There were two big events this year ... King of the Air (November - which is a great month for it) and the new BAKL (Big Air Kite League) which turned out a fantastic event on a modest budget. Bravo to all those involved. Lots of new faces and up and coming riders.
Our house manager produced a little retrospective of the season which captures some of the amazing vibes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwsXq4asxvw
Wishing everyone a great Spring/Summer/Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and see you later in the year maybe.
James / BA
www.capetownkiteclub.com