Kite Cabana Kite surf school
This is the last entry in the kite surfing saga, not because I can surf, just because there is nothing left to do but practice, practice and more practice.
Today started out good. I got to use a "C" kite. The "C" kite is a bit different than the bow kites I had been using previously. The main difference is that is has a much more limited wind range than the bow kites. The reason for this is that the "C" kite uses no rollers on its lines, it has just 4 straight lines from the bar to the kite two on each edge, where the bow kites has also 4 lines but these connect do not connect directly to the kite, but rather to other lines which use rollers to adjust the form of the kite based on how much wind it is getting. This makes the bow kites much more flexible and also it doesn't steer as directly (quickly). So the first impression of the "C" kite was that is that is very "nervous".
The cabanas at the Kite Cabana
Once I got the kite set up and in the air it was off to practice standing up and surfing. Unfortunately the wind was dying down as the morning progressed. So I actually managed to crash the kite a couple of times because I "lost" the wind. Another thing with the "C" kite, it seems a bit more difficult to get back in the air and it likes to flip around on itself, making it necessary to get back on land and untangle the lines. To be honest, this might (just might) also be due to my lack of experience.
As far as surfing is concerned, I can get going fairly well, but I am not moving the kite around quickly enough (or there isn't enough wind / kite too small?) to really surf. So my surf sessions are limited to getting up, moving along until the momentum stops sinking back down and then repeating the procedure. Sometimes is goes pretty good, sometimes less so, but the end result, is that I can't quite get going. My session ended today by breaking the strap on the board. At least it came of in mid launch. Once I got back to shore, it turned out that the screw holding the left foot strap had come loose, so it turned to not be me a major issue (unlike the ripped kite, yesterday!!)
The bar at the kite cabana
Regardless, I am having a blast, and looking forward to more practice. This might be the time to mention that even though my training sessions are only a couple of hours at the most, by the end I am pretty dead. This is a lot of work, and even if you aren't holding the kite back with your arms, you still have to work quite a bit, not to mention the sun, sand, and waves. Yeah, I know it is a pretty tough life.
Katheryna back at the hotel enjoying our "apre" coke next to the pool..
From now on Alex is just giving me the kite and board and I am on my own. Welcome to kite surfing....
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