May be more entertaining than the game and the commercials. Well at least the Pre-Game Show. I'll be there if it blows. Spectators and rescuers welcome.
Gene, David, Drew, Jim and I had a swell time trying out this kite thing... until one of us got bloodied :shock: (a full recovery is anticipated). Randy got in some planing on his new/old Formula board w/ 7.4.
Yes - it was a day that brought back memories of when we were all rookies. Like showing up, expecting wind, and not really finding it. And esp. the rookie mistakes like getting launched into the deck of my new/old board :oops: and the kiter rooks doing a body drag.....on the ground instead of the water. Well, if everything always went right, what fun would that be?
—
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
Gene, David, Drew, Jim and I had a swell time trying out this kite thing... until one of us got bloodied :shock: (a full recovery is anticipated). Randy got in some planing on his new/old Formula board w/ 7.4.
Well, this sounds like a story. Tell us more, tell us more.
Not much to tell. Chris sucessfully flew his 14 meter GKSonic kite (got it form David D who got it from Emilio) while everybody watched and helped and had a good old time. Then I flew it some and THEN.....Drew Wade flew it and did really well UNTIL......he was landing it AND.......the kite ended up low in then power zone and jerked him off his feet, and as I was holding on to him at the time, jerked me off my feet. No real damage done, Drew scaped his hand (I guess that counts as bloodied) and we both were covered in red clay. And no damage done to the kite either. So it was a sucessful day, which in kiting means no broken bones, end up where you started and no gear destroyed or lost.
I guess next time we should be alittle more careful though.
Gene paints a pretty rosy picture. The truth was far more horrifying.
I arrived at Old Feral a little after noon. The day was sunny and pleasant enough, but the wind was light. I rigged my 9.5 and set up the mighty Equipe II XR (fully carbonated) for what I reckoned would be a mellow jaunt. Randy was already out on his new Formula stick with a 7.4– he looked woefully under-powered. Before I could suit up, the wind suddenly came up with frightening ferocity. Through the savage spray I could see Randy was on the edge of control... then, in a gut-wrenching instant I saw him get launched, slamming the boom on his new board with a sickening "THWACK". A few tense moments passed and finally, Randy's familiar white helmet emerged from the maelstrom that the surface of the lake had become. Whew– he was okay and I could see him working his way back to shore.
About that time Gene rolled up, jumped out of his Magnum and bellowed with his usual bluster: "It looks righteous dudes– Let's KITE!". Being new and all, I said okay. So with his help I pumped the crazy thing up and untangled the lines that seemed like a jumbled box of coathangers. It's all pretty daunting, this kiting business... weird pulleys and strings with confusing color-coding, rings and releases and stuff with offensive names like "donkey d*ck". I was starting to get concerned, but Gene kept insisting, "This is great, this is awesome, you won't need the safety strap thingy, that missing last-chance safety release is no problem". Being new and all, I said okay. (I really trust Gene).
By now the lake seemed angry, my friends... like an old man returning soup at a deli. Gene said it was "just right". I had my doubts, being new and all... but luckily David & Drew Wade and Jim Crooks had appeared and were willing to help. (In retrospect, they sort of had that expectant look like NASCAR fans who are sure they are about to witness a twenty car pile-up).
I suggested that maybe Gene should try flying it first (me being new and all). He said "No way– get your ass over there". So I did. David got a death-grip on the back of my harness and I think Jim mighta been holding on to him. Drew was standing by, just in case all three of us were carried skyward. Gene insisted that only someone of his experience should launch the kite, as he quickly distanced himself from what seemed like an increasingly dangerous spot (where I was). A family stopped their volleyball game and sauntered over a little closer to us. They had that "NASCAR" look in their eyes too. Gene suggested to them "You might not want to stand there". This did not help my confidence. In the wind, the kite now looked big enough to be a Bedouin doublewide and the "controls" seemed like a useless stick with a bunch of limp spaghetti hanging from it. Gene said "Ready?". Being new and all, I said "Uh...". He let go of the kite and I flew it up, pretty much uneventfully. Gene came over and took full credit for me not dying (rightfully so). I wiggled it around for a while, then Gene took a turn showing off his superior skill. I noticed Drew had paid careful attention to all these proceedings so I asked him if he wanted to try it. Being new and all (and blissfully youthful), he said, "Sure". Man, he was all over it, a natural it seemed... but, in what seemed like an instant, the kite drifted back into the power band and launched both him and Gene into the dirt and rocks. My only concern was of course for their well being, as I yelled "Are you okay?" and ran to save the kite... I mean depower the mighty beast.
It was not a pretty sight, bodies strewn across the beach, blood gushing from Drew's hand, the family recoiling in horror from the hideous scene... and red clay stains that may never come out. Fortunately, our survival instincts kicked in and we all came to the aid of Drew and Gene. In time, I think they might both function normally. :shock:
May be more entertaining than the game and the commercials. Well at least the Pre-Game Show. I'll be there if it blows. Spectators and rescuers welcome.
Gene
Gene Mathis
Gene, David, Drew, Jim and I had a swell time trying out this kite thing... until one of us got bloodied :shock: (a full recovery is anticipated). Randy got in some planing on his new/old Formula board w/ 7.4.
Yes - it was a day that brought back memories of when we were all rookies. Like showing up, expecting wind, and not really finding it. And esp. the rookie mistakes like getting launched into the deck of my new/old board :oops: and the kiter rooks doing a body drag.....on the ground instead of the water. Well, if everything always went right, what fun would that be?
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
Well, this sounds like a story. Tell us more, tell us more.
Not much to tell. Chris sucessfully flew his 14 meter GKSonic kite (got it form David D who got it from Emilio) while everybody watched and helped and had a good old time. Then I flew it some and THEN.....Drew Wade flew it and did really well UNTIL......he was landing it AND.......the kite ended up low in then power zone and jerked him off his feet, and as I was holding on to him at the time, jerked me off my feet. No real damage done, Drew scaped his hand (I guess that counts as bloodied) and we both were covered in red clay. And no damage done to the kite either. So it was a sucessful day, which in kiting means no broken bones, end up where you started and no gear destroyed or lost.
I guess next time we should be alittle more careful though.
Gene
Gene Mathis
dang google, the bane of the easily distract.... squirrel!
went to find this:
and ended up with this:
[flash=420,315]http://www.youtube.com/v/W2Jm4uZTdbs[/flash]
Gene paints a pretty rosy picture. The truth was far more horrifying.
I arrived at Old Feral a little after noon. The day was sunny and pleasant enough, but the wind was light. I rigged my 9.5 and set up the mighty Equipe II XR (fully carbonated) for what I reckoned would be a mellow jaunt. Randy was already out on his new Formula stick with a 7.4– he looked woefully under-powered. Before I could suit up, the wind suddenly came up with frightening ferocity. Through the savage spray I could see Randy was on the edge of control... then, in a gut-wrenching instant I saw him get launched, slamming the boom on his new board with a sickening "THWACK". A few tense moments passed and finally, Randy's familiar white helmet emerged from the maelstrom that the surface of the lake had become. Whew– he was okay and I could see him working his way back to shore.
About that time Gene rolled up, jumped out of his Magnum and bellowed with his usual bluster: "It looks righteous dudes– Let's KITE!". Being new and all, I said okay. So with his help I pumped the crazy thing up and untangled the lines that seemed like a jumbled box of coathangers. It's all pretty daunting, this kiting business... weird pulleys and strings with confusing color-coding, rings and releases and stuff with offensive names like "donkey d*ck". I was starting to get concerned, but Gene kept insisting, "This is great, this is awesome, you won't need the safety strap thingy, that missing last-chance safety release is no problem". Being new and all, I said okay. (I really trust Gene).
By now the lake seemed angry, my friends... like an old man returning soup at a deli. Gene said it was "just right". I had my doubts, being new and all... but luckily David & Drew Wade and Jim Crooks had appeared and were willing to help. (In retrospect, they sort of had that expectant look like NASCAR fans who are sure they are about to witness a twenty car pile-up).
I suggested that maybe Gene should try flying it first (me being new and all). He said "No way– get your ass over there". So I did. David got a death-grip on the back of my harness and I think Jim mighta been holding on to him. Drew was standing by, just in case all three of us were carried skyward. Gene insisted that only someone of his experience should launch the kite, as he quickly distanced himself from what seemed like an increasingly dangerous spot (where I was). A family stopped their volleyball game and sauntered over a little closer to us. They had that "NASCAR" look in their eyes too. Gene suggested to them "You might not want to stand there". This did not help my confidence. In the wind, the kite now looked big enough to be a Bedouin doublewide and the "controls" seemed like a useless stick with a bunch of limp spaghetti hanging from it. Gene said "Ready?". Being new and all, I said "Uh...". He let go of the kite and I flew it up, pretty much uneventfully. Gene came over and took full credit for me not dying (rightfully so). I wiggled it around for a while, then Gene took a turn showing off his superior skill. I noticed Drew had paid careful attention to all these proceedings so I asked him if he wanted to try it. Being new and all (and blissfully youthful), he said, "Sure". Man, he was all over it, a natural it seemed... but, in what seemed like an instant, the kite drifted back into the power band and launched both him and Gene into the dirt and rocks. My only concern was of course for their well being, as I yelled "Are you okay?" and ran to save the kite... I mean depower the mighty beast.
It was not a pretty sight, bodies strewn across the beach, blood gushing from Drew's hand, the family recoiling in horror from the hideous scene... and red clay stains that may never come out. Fortunately, our survival instincts kicked in and we all came to the aid of Drew and Gene. In time, I think they might both function normally. :shock: