What an auzzie champ!

Chris6791 said...
Did Ian make it to Dongara? I can't get the link to work but last time I looked he was in line with the Brand Highway - Indian Ocean Drive intersection.

Bonus points if you ride your electric unicycle home Ian

He made it to the pub, great effort and he was on his 10 foil, in 25 to 28knts setting a cracking pace , big heads up to his team Clancy and ash, without them it'd be almost impossible , a possible day of rest tomorrow wind permitting

Robbo2099 said..
For anyone who'd like to follow Ian in real-time, this is the new link to the tracking page: (note the old one is now inactivated)

nano.sjy.id.au/

I remember the first time I met Ian, it was back in 1999, he came over East for an event that became know as the Love In. Lachlan Beed organised a get together of the first kiters in Australia at Anna Bay on Stockton Beach north of Newcastle. We picked Iain up from Sydney and drove him up there, and I remember from some interesting questions asked by my son Peace who was only 16 at the time, that Iain was someone I was very glad was an Australian soldier!
During the weekend we all got treated to a serious dose of Youngy, from seeing him and several others spontaneously decide to kitesurf from Stockton, to Anna Bay with no support boats across a well known shark breeding ground, its about 35klms. I had a landcruiser at the time and and from watching Iain and a couple of others I could tell they were underpowered and would not make it, so I drove onto the beach at Lavers lane. This eventually gets you out onto the ocean if you don't get bogged down near the wreck of the Cigna, and sure enough we picked up Phil McConachie, driving north we could see someone in the surf zone trying to get out the back, as we got closer we could hear Youngy cursing like you would not beleive, at his pretty sh1tty Concept Air foil kite.
Anyway eventually after another hr or so he gave up, and we gave him a lift back to the house where 30 of use were sharing a 5 bedroom beach house. Youngy showed us all how to play the "aeroplane game" which was an absolute riot! Its some sort of elaborate role playing game where the intention is to put out one of the engines that has caught fire, the engines being people. Youngy of course was the pilot of this aeroplane and had arranged the whole thing so that one of us got drenched in a couple of buckets of water. We actually got our bond back on the house! Youngys pilots chair which unfortunately collapsed under the turbulence was tied back together in the morning with spare kite line....

Hahaha!!
I bought that Concept air foil off Ian in 2003. I still have it?flew it on the oval cupla months ago for a giggle and it still gets cursed at...poor thing has been parked in that many trees, the air comes out the stitching faster than it goes in the intakes!
Still can't believe it got mentioned
Donation on the way champion.

Dave Whettingsteel said...
Looks like he is on his way again, leaving Dongara backbeach... anyone know what his goal is for today? WInd is fairly ordinary.

Media commitments in gero, just passed our place , f'....g flying

i

n his 19 fly surfer,

Hope someone is keeping an eye on the weather coming up for him. Big squalls, lightning and thunder up here.

my thoughts exactly Dave, quite a surprising move, surely somebody with this much experience would not set out in flukey squally storms??

cauncy said..

Dave Whettingsteel said...

cauncy said...

Dave Whettingsteel said...
Looks like he is on his way again, leaving Dongara backbeach... anyone know what his goal is for today? WInd is fairly ordinary.

Media commitments in gero, just passed our place , f'....g flying

i

n his 19 fly surfer,

Nice update Cauncy! There's some decent thunderstorms firing off Horrocks at the moment. Heading south too from the radar images. Good idea to stop in Gero !

Yeh they guys were discussing logistics this morning, followed him on a short stretch, very impressed at the speed he was travelling, according to his GPS he hovered around 40 and hit 60 kph, personally anyone tagging along would have to be up to speed or they'd be a liability, fixed them up with accomadation and spent a bit of time over the weekend with the lads, doing it for an important cause

Good on ya Mick for looking after them. Great cause as you say. Cant do enough for those guys.

techtonic said..
Hahaha!!
I bought that Concept air foil off Ian in 2003. I still have it?flew it on the oval cupla months ago for a giggle and it still gets cursed at...poor thing has been parked in that many trees, the air comes out the stitching faster than it goes in the intakes!
Still can't believe it got mentioned
Donation on the way champion.

Sorry to refer to the old girl like that. The cloth was very porous even back in 99 must be like a sieve now? The next stretch for Ian will test him and is preparedness, but I don't know anyone as capable, good luck mate and truly worthy cause.

try doing that along the Zuytdorp region!

after the first few days, maybe a days rest would help as the rest of the week is going to get windier.
is Kalbarri to Denham possible in one day with 20 knots?

Of course he can do it. Will be epic though. Biggest risks (in my view) are around recovering from gear or body breakdown but sounds as though he is well prepared and experienced.

Looks as though there is a beach around a small headland on Carrarang station 20ks or so before Steep Point. Anyone know if that is a place you could land at if you had to?

Dave Whettingsteel said..
Of course he can do it. Will be epic though. Biggest risks (in my view) are around recovering from gear or body breakdown but sounds as though he is well prepared and experienced.

Another news article mentions he's ex SASR so with a background like that, risk management in life and death situations is an everyday thing.

Nothing like 150km+ of 200m high cliffs, big swell, whales and a healthy shark population to keep your day interesting It will be an amazing experience that's for sure

GERO!

Ian and the crew have arrived safely here tonight in Drummonds.

440km since Friday morning.

Knackered but now well-fed with just enough coldies in all of them. They're all off sound asleep already at 9:30.

Much discussion in the morning will surely ensue about the next appropriate steps, given the highly unfriendly-looking weather forecast for the next 5 days or so.

Suspect there will be a few "chill days" ahead -- after all, tomorrow is Remembrance Day and we've got a crew of ex-soldiers here!

A few equipment issues to tidy up (only little stuff) but plenty to do.

Great to see Ian in such great shape and great spirits. The man is simply unstoppable.



I watched him round the end of Point Moore with the binos, launched from Sunset and kited out to try and join him from Sunset to Drummonds, but I had no chance. Even on an 11m kite, had to give it up and pack it in after less than 500m--was hardly able to plane... The way he flies that 19m foil is just amazing.

By the time I'd put the kite down, packed up and walked back to my "support vehicle" and drove home, Ian still beat me to Drummond Cove, about 15km up the beach. In less than 6 knots of wind he must have been travelling at least 20knots on that monster foil to get there in that amount of time! Incredible!

More to come tomorrow...