Yeh it's looking good man. I'll be heading out to Leighton depending on my hangover

Just practice self rescues and you'll be more than capable of open water. As long as the wind doesn't completely turn on you, you can make your kite into a boat and let the wind push you in!

Cheers Dave...yeah that info may have helped..I actually only have a 10m Rebel (kites are bloody expensive):-) ...Yeah I do have my doubts whether the long drive will actually be worth it today..May just do it anyway and consider it a leisurely short drive down south if the wind isn't favorable...Anything decent doesn't look good until at least 3:30pm..wish the wind did its thing in the morning..

Certainly won't be worth an hour drive. Wind direction looks a bit suss for the pond and all the kooks will be stuck up in the corner tacking crossways somewhat, trying to avoid each other. Ie a circus. Do yourself a favour and learn to kite at your local. Just do shorter tacks. Or stop at Woodies and kite on the south side.

Btw. All learners or grass mowers should really stay outside of the inner pond for the most part. Kite outside/South of the sand bar or out on the weed bank. Just do the odd tack inside. Free it up a bit in there. Etiquette goes a long way

Mate if you are choosing the pond as you are afraid of being stuck in the deep you probably fall into the beginners category (yes attempted backrolls are included in this). What default is trying to say is that the inner pond is a freestyle spot where advanced riders practise their tricks. A common sense circuit exists which newbies seem to overlook and short tacking or hammering upwind though the trick section is not considered adequate etiquette. So perhaps get your skills up in nearby sections which are still flat enough. Of course the pond is per se for everyone but again, common sense and respect for the locals always helps and avoids tangles. Enjoy.

xyze said...
I prefer to be close to land if wind should die or I get into trouble whilst attempting a back roll etc

I prefer to execute unhooked tricks inside the pond, upwind near the bank but rarely get to because of barney's on Rebels hogging this line, never venturing outside. Only intention is to stay upwind in the butter at all cost then body dragging through the zone for 5 mins at a time. Gopro-ing their poo stance backrolls and ability to stay upwind ;-) All ignorant to the traffic jam angst they're creating.

Do this sh1t waay downwind or even better, outside the pond or at pengoes.

Kiting in the pond is all about having appropriate skill along with a "give and take" attitude. Always has been. End of story.

It's not all about you..

You asked for some advice. Probably best to listen to some

Factor 5 said..

Gopro-ing their poo stance backrolls and ability stay upwind.

Cheers Factor...Don't own a Go-pro bro and have no trouble whatsoever staying upwind Plus, I never asked any advice about the Pond, I just think there are some locals out there who are venting their frustrations about some of the folk who do legitimately cause issues in there (fair play).. I was trying to get a better idea about the wind today if you had read the title of my post..

BTW, I've seen the so called advance riders get in the way of others there because they arrogantly believe they own the Pond and don't actually look to where they might be landing their unhooked tricks...Seen that before - Was hilarious, but also tragic!

If you are one of the few who actually have a bit of a brain, use common sense, have solid kite flying and board skills, then this is good for you and everyone. I see a lot of kooks hardly in control, at the stage where they are so happy that they can finally go upwind (mostly a result of choosing 2 kites sizes bigger than necessary and a huge board) that they cross everyone else who is not trying to get to Mauritius but simply going back to the edge of the pond so that they can come back in and try the next trick. These folks are also incapable of reading other people's kites, avoid collision and tangles as they can't stop or change direction swiftly, and worse don't even know that lowering or bringing their kite up may help staying out of trouble. With regards to needing a lot of space downwind when you do unhooked tricks, you will understand this once you are there ;-). That is the whole point of having an appropriate spot understood and respected by everyone. Yes we were all beginners and most of us would have stayed away from the crowd knowing that we are not fully in control, and actually enjoy having sufficient space for mucking around. A bit of chop actually helps your backrolls as opposed to flat water . Try it. Respecting locals should actually be an easy and logical one wherever you kite . Again, if you are one of the rare smarter newbies you will know what I am suggesting and you are very welcome to kite here. Unfortunately there are many who just don't get it, don't seem to have learned to kite properly (I am not talking about tricks, just proper kite and board control in all conditions) and do not understand how to avoid trouble. I suggest those should not complain when they get run in, jumped on top, run over, or yelled at. Enjoy.