Hi I had my first winter kite session at Safety bay on Sunday and it was fantastic! Great to be out on the the water again since my last session was the 1st week of May.

I only started the sport mid way through last summer so I'm still trying to learn the best methods for dealing with gusts. I know winter winds aren't as predictable as the summer sea breezes so I have looked on the internet and asked people what to do in the big gusts but I have been given advice which seems to be conflicting. Some people say to bear off downwind when a gust hits to depower the kite a bit but you lose ground downwind doing that naturally which isn't something I want to keep doing. Whereas other people say to engage the edge hard and to just ride it out. When I try edging hard though it powers up the lines and I sometimes find the board skipping across the top of the chop and it can be hard to engage the rail in a controlled way.

If anyone has a moment to give me their views or a comparision of both methods I would be very grateful!

Cheers

NickT said...
if you are skipping downwind it could be your board or your posture. when riding do you look like a C or a 7? ensure your chest is back as this will get your edge locked in.

Keep your kite low too, this will help you keep your edge.

-Sheet Out
-Kite low
-Edge like a b@stard

If you're still overpowered, a quick "bum dip" or hand drag will slow you down.

^^^ What they said

I have never been a fan of bearing off downwind, as that can result in things going faster instead of slower!

And if all that fails just dont go out in gusty cond's

I find it easier in a big prolonged gust (say 30 seconds to 2 minutes) to whack the kite up high at say 11 or so. Seems to hold less power there then I just hang on for the ride.

Sometimes I put it to 12 and pull the bar in. That is the best fun ever