TESTING THE SURF 5M
Thanks for organising such a fab-u-lous event.
My first Frozen Blast was something to cherish. Sun shone, plenty of kites flew and double overhead waves were waiting at the back, calling loud.... it couldn't have been a better invite.
I am still stoked to be riding in mid feb, all winter in fact, thanks to Tim Nunn at Lunasurf wetsuits. Every sesh, i feel like a hound out of the blocks on a warm summers evening. On his JANGA suit, every winter's day has been tropical. Only Artic, hardcore, icebergs surfers know what i mean, check his site at www.lunasurf.com and get in touch with him. No more excuses, keep pushing and ride more winter waves.
After a rocking start on my 6m RRD Religion, wind gusting 35-25knts for a solid hour, with proper Welsh (intimidating) waves at the back i was just getting dialled to this unfamiliar terrain. Having observed the Wavemaster champion tackle his own local spot, i got the gist quick in how to confront his heavy soldiers. Alone at the back, one wave after the other, I was starting to enjoy my strapless dares on his brown water, heavy munchers. Ride after ride, i begun to unlock the spot and as im warming up, scoring some heavy drops, one bottom turn and charge to the lip, again and again. But soon, the wind begun to recede and I found myself underpowered on a still growing swell. Shitoooo, i do not like the feeling of being chased by breaking mountains without power on my kite. Anyone who rides big lumps knows that timing is everything and under-powered riding is like trying to extinguish a forest fire with a toy water gun....
Time to come out and pump my 9m Religion, wind now dropped to 25-15knts, waves at the back still pumping, head and a half to double overhead and fierce.
As i came to land my kite, Champ Mark screams to me: 'Ed take this out, the range is huge' and hand me over a new 2014- 5.5m Surf Epic kite, pretty little thing but a 5.5mts? You must be joking? i need a 9m. But if the Wavemaster insist, who am i to refuse the local hospitality?
First tack, Boom, out quick, charged thru the white water with speed and found myself at the back fairly prompt. Wow... Kite was noble, fast, alert, reactive and very forgiving as im crossing bigger and bigger froth, strapless i do not want a demanding kite, i have enough on my plate trying to ollie the incoming waves.... sweet, i maid it out without thinking about the kite, a good start.
As I rode back towards the beach, i begun to give some thought to the cute looking thing in the sky, not bad. Last November, courtesy or Rou Chatter (editor iKsurf mag) i rode a 2014 Best Cabo 7m, on 25knts, head high waves and found it grunty, demanding, ever so present. A kind of egotistical, high maintenance girlfriend, very unlike the Epic Surf.
The kite pivoted beautifully on its wingtip, tick, ironed the gust like a good wave kite should, bouncing off the bar, not yanking, double tick. Bar had plenty of feel and feedback. You could fly this kite with your eyes shut, fun to fly and generated plenty of speed when i pushed it. Should be good in higher wind, i though but im still going fast on a decreasing wind and heavy swell. Wind was light and i was still riding, on a 5.5.... mmm....mental.
I dropped on a long wave, pushed the bar up and rode it all the way to shore, few face turns, roundhouses, just having fun, Tom Cruise mode.
Second tack out was a different affair, the white water bigger, harder to cross. Waves leaving no room for strapless water rats, getting out an impossible ask. Closing out in long sections, i found myself drifting downwind for a long time looking for the smallest of openings. Wind dropping, i was very far from where we started without my passport. On a couple of gust, i managed to pump up enough courage and speed to jump a few incoming waves and found myself at the back again, thank god...waves still big but again, not much power in the kite and speed to charge. Slowly, in one endless long tack, i made back to the Blast Camp, phew...
Still hunting at the back, mmm.... not much wind and this cute kite still taking me upwind.... mmmm... how the f***k is this possible? Now, i was still at the back and i had plenty of waves to choose from, time to charge. Dropped on a beauty head high, bottom turned but as i pulled in the bar back, to iniciate my toeside climb to the lip, the cute 5.5 begun to stall, no juice, a lull, wind must have been gone to early teens, perhaps too low to demand soooo much, still I rode the wave and lined up myself for another one.
Same move, choose a lump, drop, bottom turn, start the charge up, pull the bar down.... oh noooo, no wind to take me up, grabbed centre lines and recover a falling kite. I had ridden all the wind out of the kite, well i do not think there was more than 18 to 14knts to work with and perhaps too much to ask from this cute 5.5m surf kite.
So, id like to think that i was kissed by a pretty girl that gave me all she had, but promises much, much more. I had a date on her lowest range on heavy swell and happily survived. My beloved 6m RRd couldn't give me another hour and i doubt any other high wind, small wave kite could have given me more.
Like a good snog on a first date, the promise of more to come entices the dreams.
Thanks for letting me taste sweet lips,
I want more!
