Blogs We have lift off!
This is mission control. We have lift off of the kiteboarder known as Mobettah last seen at Sauble beach doing jumps for the first time
Friday September 8th - We have lift off!
What better way to spend a Friday than to take a day off work and get 7 hours of kiteboarding in!
Last Friday looked like it was going to be a great day at Sauble beach with a SW wind blowing up to 20 mph. I decided to take the day off work if the forecast was accurate. Woke up at 0500 hrs and looked at the current wind speed. Bingo! It was already blowing 13-17 mph. Decided to get going so I could get there earlier in the morning. A cold front was coming and in Ontario that means thunderstorms and squalls. It was forecasted to be okay until mid afternoon.
Sauble beach is 2 hrs 45 minutes from my house. When I got to the location (Flags for you in the know), at about 0900 hrs, there was no one else there! Wind was blowing a consistant 14 mph so I rigged my 12m kite as the wind was going to pick up later in the day. I self launched and had my first session. For the first hour and bit I was the only one on the water! The beach at this location is very sandy and shallow. During the first session, I worked on transitions and rode for the first time toeside. It was weird feeling going toeside. I was surprised because I’ve waterskied a lot and thought I would be used to the feeling. It was great session and I built up my confidence doing slide and carving transitions. For most of the remainder of the session, I tried edging really hard and hopping off of the small waves there were. It was really the first time the board had left the water intentionally! It ended up that later in the session there were only 2 other kiters out on the water.
I came in after 2.5 hours on the water and had some lunch and then headed back out. Initially there were about 6 kiters on the water but then most folks headed in except for another guy and me. I thought this is it. I’m going to try a jump! Everything was just right. I was on my favourite size kite, I wasn’t overpowered, waves weren’t too big and there was lots of room to try a jump. I was suprised that I was just a little hesitant to try it. It was a bit of the fear of the unknown. I went over in my mind what to do. Edge hard, send the kite from 10 to 1 until lift off, then kite back to 12, and as you come down, pull on the front hand. The night before I had watched an instructional video over and over on jumping to get ready. So right in the middle of the run across the bay, I sent the kite as I was edging as hard as I could and it happened! Big air! I went up, up and up! It felt like 50 ft! I forgot to steer the kite forward as I was coming down so I splashed down stopped. The kite almost crashed but I had done it! My first jump! Fifty feet you say? Well it felt like 50 ft. In reality it was maybe 7-8 feet max. It seemed like forever I was up there! Well now that I tried one, I then next spent the next hour and half trying jumps both ways. No fear now! I managed to land 3-4 of about 20 jumps. It was really special when I went up and then came down and landed on the board and kept going the same way.
The whole day was a stupendous day. Sunny not too cold, I got to wear my shorty wetsuit. The showers and thunderstorms held off till 1830 hrs. By that time I was on my way home. Boy was I tired! But very happy. Robby, Aaron and Toby shouldn’t start worrying yet, but Mobettah has entered the airforce today!