I started another thread about this bar line break so will refer you to that, but yes this bar was supposedly after the recall, bought in June 2020, and the 2021 bar supposedly also fixed some issues.
Today, as predicted, was extraordinary, but too difficult for me. Swells were absolutely enormous, thundering into the beach and I woke to their roar at 4AM and could not get back to sleep. The forecast of 5m swell was accurate. I walked the beach at Milnerton around 7AM, and even though two hours after high tide the water was coming right up to the fences. The wind forecast was for a late SEaster here, but stronger and earlier further north. I decided to make a day of it and drove up to Langebaan, going through the West Coast NP, which is always a treat, but this time was extra special. I always visit the bird hide at Abrahamskraal and this time I spooked a rooikat, which is a rare sighting. And a pair of swallows had built their nest on the rafters inside the hide, so it was entertaining to watch them. Later on the road I found a karakal, another rare sighting, that allowed me very close before slinking off into the scrub. Langebaan itself was already blowing and I'm sure folks there had a good time, although it probably got very crowded with most people too intimidated by the waves in the ocean. I chose to go further north to Jacob's Bay, at a place called Swartriet. I've tried kiting there before two years ago but there was not enough wind. This time I waited till 3 and even then it was not windy enough to try to tackle the huge waves, plus the tide was coming in and the water rushing up the beach precluded even rigging a kite. Back at Kite Beach at 5PM there was noone out although the SEaster was starting to build. Eventually at Dolphin Beach around 5:30 one kiter headed out, so I went over to watch. Turned out it was Luke Thomas, the owner and designer of the local Lacuna kites, on their 9m Omega and strapped directional. And he put on a show for the few of us on the beach, ripping and jumping on the way out, only occasionally being forced into a chicken gybe, and regularly making it all the way out and actually riding the monsters coming in, including a bottom turn or two. When he came in he said it was seriously scary kiting, which was enough to convince me not to try. Various other guys did try after Luke, but until some hotshots arrived, none survived. One lost his board immediately and was teabagged half way to Kite Beach, another barely made it out and stayed out the whole time till I left around 7, another actually tried a strapless board, which was bizarre, and immediately got chomped. Two others could barely get over the first couple of broken waves and soon gave up. Even the first few hotshots had to chicken gybe several times away from monsters before making it out. I'm sad not to have the nerve to try, but tomorrow and Friday look good, so I'd rather live for another day.
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