Great day on the water! Tide was a little low but manageable :)

Going out tomorrow? Goodluck... (check the forecast before you go out...)

markonz said...
Nah didnt make it out but wish I had!! High 20's is where the fun starts!!!

Yesterday was touch and go for altona... wasn't really worth it but if you were desperate for a ride you could of made it (pretty light/gusty and SW)

SaltySinus said...
I would have loved that... 10-12knotts on my 12metre is more power than I can handle ;-)

You must weigh like 25kg

20+ knot smile at my end.
getting called home when trying to sneak off to the beach after work is a frown

random101 said...
Did we ever find out who had the long range lens on the SLR that was taking pic's on sunday on the western side?

Saffer has such gear. Ask him

Kazan said...

suniboy21 said...
You see some crazy **** at altona, a few knobs that think they own the joint.
A few beginners with there kites at 12 oclock, please if your learning and your walking to deeper water, keep that kite low for the people behind you and high for the people going below you.
You need to be aware of other kites around you.
Much better place when its got a bit of easterly in it, you can crack right down the other end with out too much tacking, giving you much more open space.

I have to disagree with your "beginners should give way" comment above.

It's the opposite, last time I looked at IKO rules.

He's not talking about giving way. He's talking kite etiquette 101. Giving way is more about who has right of way while you're riding. Etiquette is basic skills your instructor should teach you that apply to all water users irrespective of skill.

Kazan said...


Rule #1 - avoid all 'obstacles'.....
That alone implies avoid beginners walking out with their kite at 12. Correct me if I am misreading this.
!

Yes, you're wrong.

But if you want rule to cover it:

ww7.extremesportscafe.com

"Identify potential wind obstacles creating lift or down draft and be able to define the wind direction. Understand that practice with onshore wind is dangerous."

I.e. beginners shouldn't be at Altona to start with because its onshore. It's dangerous and it creates exactly this challenge when they don't follow basic kiting etiquette.

If you look after rule 2 on page 10, you'll notice it says "If you are passing upwind, bring your kite UP. If you are passing downwind, bring your kite DOWN." And it even calls it the "golden rule" I.e. don't keep your kite at 12 all the time and if someone needs to pass upwind if you, keep your kite low. There is no exclusion for beginners on this rule. Even if you're stationary, you're being passed and the rules apply!

If I stand with my kite in the air, you could argue that it's another kiters job to avoid me, but with a direct onshore, you should never have you kite at 12 because it makes it extremely difficult for people to get past you which is why you should be taught to keep your kite low by your instructor. If they didn't, they did a crap job. It's common courtesy when kiting and its part of kiteboarding etiquette.

That said, the arrogance in your post is astounding, particularly as a beginner. You always seem to think you know better than anyone else and that's the most dangerous attribute for a beginner to have.

Peterdj said...

suniboy21 said...
Steve im going to hold you to the promise that there is no urchines. Hope you have tweezers and beer in the shop

Umm there is plenty around. Last week at low tide we were out having a look and there were hundreds towards to apex park end. Even got a spine in my heel

Yeah pete them little ****ers will ruin your night, get the missus and a pair of sharp twezzers to dig them out, little fckuers tend to snap off like granduales of sand when you try to pull them out.
That said i only get the ones that hurt when you walk out, the rest will make there own way out.

Are reef shoe/booties a decent protection against the urchins? Plus how do they work with footstraps?

toma said...
Are reef shoe/booties a decent protection against the urchins? Plus how do they work with footstraps?

Yes they stop most urchins and provide warmth in winter. You loose a direct feel with your board but once your feet are in they stay- hard to bail mid-air. IMO Oneal make a good set, would not suggest over ankle boot style, go for short shoes.

Spent 20 minutes with a point of a knife diggin into my foot to get it out

Kazan said...

matto said...

suniboy21 said...

Kazan said...

Infact the rules are in plain English...

kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2298328

Rule #1 - avoid all 'obstacles'.....
That alone implies avoid beginners walking out with their kite at 12. Correct me if I am misreading this.

Ok.. Here is a better list of all the rules with pictures! Check page 10!

www.ikointl.com/docs/download/iko-assistant-instructor-manual-2009.pdf

Kazan what kite do you ride? ill look out for you next time when your kites tangled in the tree with someones elses kite!

Definitely one of the first things you will realize when you really start riding is that there is nothing worse than an ijit with their kite at 12 for extended periods.

Hmmm I have been misled for sure. Even the guys at the beach told me it was ok to simply just walk out to waist deep water at Altona with the kite at 12 all the way. But I understand now the simple ettiquete rule as opposed to the passing rule. And my apologies for the arrogant tone above. I was *sure* I was right! hehe. One thing I will stick by though, Altona is "ok" for beginners. I am assuming of course beginners that have had lessons, not those wanna bes that think they "know it all"! ;-)

See you out there!

There are times when it's okay. For example, if you are walking on one side of the riding area and riders don't have to pass you upwind (or downwind) so you aren't completely wrong, just a misinterpretation. I.e. lets say for argument sake we could ride all the way up to the pier at Altona (we aren't supposed to obviously, but I'm using this as an example) and you were walking upwind into the water near the pier it would make sense to have your kite at 12. I.e. you couldn't put it over the pier and if you put it to the other side, you would take up part of the riding area.

The onshore beginner thing onshore also comes down to a bit of an interpretation and I guess it depends largely on skill level. Bodydragging onshore is pretty dangerous so not ideal for riders of this level, launching and landing on a short beach with onshore winds is not ideal for beginners but it depends on how comfortable they are with launching and landing. i.e. not a complete beginner. All of that comes down to the skill level of the rider when you define a beginners because there are various degrees of beginner and with some I'd say don't bother, with other's the location is fine.

Bah humbug!!

A blast from the past...
Not surprised the place has become more crowded - St K was in overflow when I wanted to learn back in 2002.

Kitepower did lessons at Altona - it was the main place I went to - loved trucking over the bridge and leaving all the city crud behind...
Used to get the occasional slice from mussel shells when walking out.

Would not have thought much has changed - it was simplicity itself to walk out but with the tide in and a strong on-shore wind time consuming.

You still got idiots starting 1/2m from the shore when obviously learning - and the power lines were under threat back then too - plus the council was grumbling about banning & insisting everyone needed a PDF etc etc...

No facilities - well a playground and a loo - had to check for glass in the grass when rigging.
Self landing - behind a bush - easy compared to an open beach - I miss that!! What I do not miss is the winter ball busters - cold as -- I put a wettie on in winter up here we staggered down to 18-19 deg C in August[}:)][}:)]

Sounds as though the only change to the ingredients is the urchin plague

So yes IMHO it is a good beginner spot (after a few lessons) - few spots are totally idiot proof in all conditions...U have to take what is on offer.

Top of the NewYear to U all.

AP