The Choice is Clear
Moderator: MK
The Choice is Clear
I am toying with the idea of heading to clear to sail. Anyone interested. Exptl. shows 2 flags at midday. Tempting......
How sweet it was! Sunny, 70 degrees, south winds in the 15-25mph range....
I arrived in Clear at 11:30 to meet Rob(?), who was looking for Jay Corbett and another guy Brad(?) who sails at Calhoun. We made our way around to a sandy beach just to the south of the lakecam where the camera is mounted. We were surprised to see that 60-70% of the lake was still frozen, including the shoreline straight downwind. The flag pictured in the cam was flapping pretty hard, so I decided to venture out on my kite. I thought about rigged the 8.4 Airblast (12m) but I was concerned about spending too much time in the water if the wind was light, so I rigged the 11.8 (16m). Jay took out his wind meter which showed gusts up to about 22mph. After a couple of runs, it became very clear that I was overpowered. Plus, I had just strung some new line and left my center/flying lines a bit long, which did not enable me to go in full depower mode. I was having trouble holding an edge and staying upwind. The power of the kite was ripping me downwind on some wild speed rides when I was suddenly yanked violently upward. The yank snapped my retractable board leash. Great, now I was out in freezing cold water with no board. As I worked my way upwind toward the board, I began to realize how close I was getting to the ice. I made the decision to ditch the board and to drag in. Some locals helped me get the kite down. After walking back to the beach, I paddled out on my windsurfing board, scooted across the iceberg on my stomach, and safely retrieved my board.
One of the guys who helped with my kite was a personal friend of the inventor the windsurfer-- Hoyle ??. We had a nice talk about that.
I was ready to call it quits, but a lady walked by with a cell phone. Her husband, Steve, was out on the ice kiting on skis. He wanted to talk to me. He encouraged me via cell phone to rig smaller. He said he was coming over.
Steve is an ARC flyer, who was very eager to get me back out. He helped me set up the 8.4. After a tricky launch that nearly put my kite in a tree, I was off once again. Aaahhhh.... Now I was dialed in. Why didn't I rig this size first? I spent about 1 1/2 hours rippning back and forth with the energy I had left. By mid-session I was jumping to try to impress the locals who were lined up along the shore.
The 3 windsurfers from Calhones were ripping it up on sails in the 6m range. Jay Corbett was on a brand new Hypersonic, which was looking sweet. He said it is the fastest board he has ever sailed, but not very turny. He ripped by me a few times. The only calamity of the day was when Brad(?) hit a remote contolled sail boat with his sailboard. I think the boat was ok though.
I suppose there are many lessons to be drawn from this experience. One is to dress for the conditions. I was never cold in my Bare Polar. I spent a fair amount of time in the water. I wore a life jacket too. I think this was a smart move. Another lesson is to follow Eric's formula if in doubt: big board, small kite. My directional board with the 12m kite was plently for these conditions. Always have an exit plan. Had I kited to my board, I would have definitely ended up on the ice, which could have gotten ugly in those wind conditions. Noticably absent from this list of lessons is: never kite around ice bergs. With the right amount of experience, the proper gear, and some foresight about the worst case scenario, I think kiting in these conditions can be done successfully.
This session will stick with me forever. I am still buzzed from it. Definitely worth 4 hours in the car.
I arrived in Clear at 11:30 to meet Rob(?), who was looking for Jay Corbett and another guy Brad(?) who sails at Calhoun. We made our way around to a sandy beach just to the south of the lakecam where the camera is mounted. We were surprised to see that 60-70% of the lake was still frozen, including the shoreline straight downwind. The flag pictured in the cam was flapping pretty hard, so I decided to venture out on my kite. I thought about rigged the 8.4 Airblast (12m) but I was concerned about spending too much time in the water if the wind was light, so I rigged the 11.8 (16m). Jay took out his wind meter which showed gusts up to about 22mph. After a couple of runs, it became very clear that I was overpowered. Plus, I had just strung some new line and left my center/flying lines a bit long, which did not enable me to go in full depower mode. I was having trouble holding an edge and staying upwind. The power of the kite was ripping me downwind on some wild speed rides when I was suddenly yanked violently upward. The yank snapped my retractable board leash. Great, now I was out in freezing cold water with no board. As I worked my way upwind toward the board, I began to realize how close I was getting to the ice. I made the decision to ditch the board and to drag in. Some locals helped me get the kite down. After walking back to the beach, I paddled out on my windsurfing board, scooted across the iceberg on my stomach, and safely retrieved my board.
One of the guys who helped with my kite was a personal friend of the inventor the windsurfer-- Hoyle ??. We had a nice talk about that.
I was ready to call it quits, but a lady walked by with a cell phone. Her husband, Steve, was out on the ice kiting on skis. He wanted to talk to me. He encouraged me via cell phone to rig smaller. He said he was coming over.
Steve is an ARC flyer, who was very eager to get me back out. He helped me set up the 8.4. After a tricky launch that nearly put my kite in a tree, I was off once again. Aaahhhh.... Now I was dialed in. Why didn't I rig this size first? I spent about 1 1/2 hours rippning back and forth with the energy I had left. By mid-session I was jumping to try to impress the locals who were lined up along the shore.
The 3 windsurfers from Calhones were ripping it up on sails in the 6m range. Jay Corbett was on a brand new Hypersonic, which was looking sweet. He said it is the fastest board he has ever sailed, but not very turny. He ripped by me a few times. The only calamity of the day was when Brad(?) hit a remote contolled sail boat with his sailboard. I think the boat was ok though.
I suppose there are many lessons to be drawn from this experience. One is to dress for the conditions. I was never cold in my Bare Polar. I spent a fair amount of time in the water. I wore a life jacket too. I think this was a smart move. Another lesson is to follow Eric's formula if in doubt: big board, small kite. My directional board with the 12m kite was plently for these conditions. Always have an exit plan. Had I kited to my board, I would have definitely ended up on the ice, which could have gotten ugly in those wind conditions. Noticably absent from this list of lessons is: never kite around ice bergs. With the right amount of experience, the proper gear, and some foresight about the worst case scenario, I think kiting in these conditions can be done successfully.
This session will stick with me forever. I am still buzzed from it. Definitely worth 4 hours in the car.