Had a edgy one at Pinaroo today with my 6M cat, managed to get out for an hour round mid-day. Storm sessions are always a bit funny, just like to add my gratitude towards windsurfers who are good sports for assisting with launch and landing quite happily, there was no other kiters that went out (rightly so as when coming out was fully depowered but overpowered, 95kgs) so always glad to have them around and amicable at that. Self launch and landing in those high gusty winds would be dangerous especially when the beach is 5M wide due to the powerful waves and nasty cross shore winds.

Well anyhow wind is up this week so time to man up and come out of hibernation!

Man up? yesterday wasn't that bad! self launch isn't too bad it you launch of the fench posts

brand new fence posts down there too, installed lately. May sound stupid but how do you do it? have a special hook you attach? Never tried that way.

hook the safety onto the chicken loop & safety system, then loop the safefty leash around the post, walk out the kite and it will just 'bounce' off of the sand, walk back to the post. Holding the chicken loop unhook the safety leash from around the post, hook in, then sort out the leash on the chicken loop (if you want to of course), then lift the kite off the beach (as it is still bouching on one wingtip). When you feel its safe hook on your leash.

The safety police may not agree but if your experienced enough its fool proof.

Sounds more complex than it is and has helped me land my kite in the biggest of squalls when there's other kiters getting in all sorts of trouble.

this may sound silly but make sure kite is fully de-powered when attempting

I doubt if there would be enough beach there ATM to do the fence post launch.

yeah, the beach was gone, even landing assisted needs kiter to be in the breakers on a NW. Good technique although my leash is an Ozone stretchy so hooking it up on post would just stretch it and would be done for. Anyhow, looking at using a strap with clip around a post. Would see a fair lot of use me thinks so might be worth going to Bunnings and make it happen... it's strange in my 5 years of kitting I never had to self launch as I was always lucky to find people around me but in WA, really need to get to grip with those techniques... Part of the experience!

I could see you from mullaloo! I was out on a 5m BWS and surfboard and had no dramas with the squalls (80kgs). Must admit self landing was a little difficult but as long as your in the water (almost straight north wind) you stand a chance if you get jackpotted!!

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dafrog said...

yeah, the beach was gone, even landing assisted needs kiter to be in the breakers on a NW. Good technique although my leash is an Ozone stretchy so hooking it up on post would just stretch it and would be done for. Anyhow, looking at using a strap with clip around a post. Would see a fair lot of use me thinks so might be worth going to Bunnings and make it happen... it's strange in my 5 years of kitting I never had to self launch as I was always lucky to find people around me but in WA, really need to get to grip with those techniques... Part of the experience!

always carry a launch rope , a piece of rope with a loop at each end one with a largish caribinah, wrap around post and feed one end through loop, just attatch your loop to the carabinah, walk depowered kite to windows edge and she will sit waiting for you to get back to the bar, 1st clip in safety then chicken loop and donkey dick, i usually bring my kite to 12 before i unclip from carabinah, if its silly winds like yesterday 40knts i have a small bag filled with sand which ozone supply in your kit ,put that on the tip to aid it from launching in the gusts, then when you lift the kite to 12 it just falls off, imo its the safest way to launch and land, best to master this as the more you head north the quieter the beaches become,forgot to mention dont make the rope too long so if it did launch itself when walking back you can still reach your bar

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Jonopark said...

I could see you from mullaloo! I was out on a 5m BWS and surfboard and had no dramas with the squalls (80kgs). Must admit self landing was a little difficult but as long as your in the water (almost straight north wind) you stand a chance if you get jackpotted!!

Yeah I saw you wrapping up by your car on my way back to Ocean Reef so you must not have been too long out then? got lucky might have been the only window of opportunity to go kite OK in the last 2 days but still was not very great kiting big chop and strong gusts... but hey tomorrow later in the afternoon will be out on the 11 if the thunder stays away...

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cauncy said...

dafrog said...

yeah, the beach was gone, even landing assisted needs kiter to be in the breakers on a NW. Good technique although my leash is an Ozone stretchy so hooking it up on post would just stretch it and would be done for. Anyhow, looking at using a strap with clip around a post. Would see a fair lot of use me thinks so might be worth going to Bunnings and make it happen... it's strange in my 5 years of kitting I never had to self launch as I was always lucky to find people around me but in WA, really need to get to grip with those techniques... Part of the experience!

always carry a launch rope , a piece of rope with a loop at each end one with a largish caribinah, wrap around post and feed one end through loop, just attatch your loop to the carabinah, walk depowered kite to windows edge and she will sit waiting for you to get back to the bar, 1st clip in safety then chicken loop and donkey dick, i usually bring my kite to 12 before i unclip from carabinah, if its silly winds like yesterday 40knts i have a small bag filled with sand which ozone supply in your kit ,put that on the tip to aid it from launching in the gusts, then when you lift the kite to 12 it just falls off, imo its the safest way to launch and land, best to master this as the more you head north the quieter the beaches become,forgot to mention dont make the rope too long so if it did launch itself when walking back you can still reach your bar

Thanks for the tip,

Exactly what I was thinking of, can use the tow bar on the car if no pole, has come to my mind a few times driving to Cervantes last year... Need to find a short snatch strap like rope and a heavy duty clip, would work ace. Wonder where my sand bag is from the ozone now...

If you get up to dongara, I've put a launch post in next to the surf club, feel free to use it

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cauncy said...

If you get up to dongara, I've put a launch post in next to the surf club, feel free to use it

cheers for that might be heading around there start of october on my way to northampton...

If you are going to Northampton, see if you can head down to horrocks for a kite. Nice lagoon with surf on the outside. I'm normally out on my own at weekends, so some company would be good! Cheers

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Dave Whettingsteel said...

If you are going to Northampton, see if you can head down to horrocks for a kite. Nice lagoon with surf on the outside. I'm normally out on my own at weekends, so some company would be good! Cheers

Whereabouts do you land/launch? Had a google map view and perhaps north of horrocks following the dirt road??? is there a place better for launch? is there a post to self launch?

I normally launch just north of the boat ramp which is in the centre of horrocks. I drive down the beach and launch of my bull bar, but if you don't have a 4wd I think there are a couple of fence posts and a sign at the boat ramp that you could launch off. There are no cray boats in the lagoon at the moment, which means you can really launch anywhere. When the boats are anchored I launch just north of them to try and avoid getting tangled up in them! I've windsurfed in the waves here for probably 25 years but have only got into kiting this year so have to be a bit careful!

Cheers

yeah no bull bar and prefer staying away from any downwind risks. will try getting a beach anchor before i leave here...

You probably won't need it, but not a bad idea anyway as then you always something to launch off. Magic day at horrocks today. Nice clean 1m swell breaking down the reef and a pod of whales cruising past. Have tried to post you a photo off my balcony, but it doesn't seem to be possible to upload from an iPad.

If you havnt already organised a place to stay, horrocks is pretty good. Wake up to the surf and it's only 10 minutes drive into Northampton. if you need some contacts let me know.

Ha Thanks man but free accom working for the grain company (might be a bit rough but enough!) will be on demand work being a casual and all but might get time some weekends maybe... unsure really. Thanks for the tips will let you now when getting up there.

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dafrog said...

brand new fence posts down there too, installed lately. May sound stupid but how do you do it? have a special hook you attach? Never tried that way.

Thats how I do it sometimes

great if you can access the beach with a 4WD and open spaces, I would add a rope to connect to your leash... if kite starts going up towards 12 will fly away! but yeah been looking at some plastic sand anchors from BCF: pack of 2 for 10$, + some carabiner clips: 1 for leash and one for chicken loop if one fails...

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FFS, dont do that

Thats how I do it sometimes

^^^^ something like this

any type of strap similar to this, these sand spikes work well also.

yep no worries, leash will be attached to the car's tow slot, not crazy, love my kites! Just got a grunt heavy stretch double clip from bunnings best 7$ ever spent.