Saturday, January 31, 2009

Almost Perfect

Thursday and Friday were wonderful. It was nuking on Thursday but unlike most nuking days, this one had steady wind. Great for launching big air. Friday was a little more mellow but the wind was just as stable. Great for trying out all kinds of moves. We were hoping for a repeat today, but the wind backed off even more. There was very little at the kiddie pool but enough to get out at La Manga. Tomorrow should be the same and Monday and Tuesday are supposed to be better. Today was the last day for Glen and Sue. They'll be heading back to Canada in the morning. Most of the time Sue was the only female on the water. Glen has added a bunch of new moves and is always fun to watch whether he lands the move or not. He is hoping to get a group together to spend a couple of weeks in Hatteras this Spring.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

As Expected

As expected, we didn't have much wind the past week. Just a day here and there of 12 to 15 knots, gusting up to 20, but only for short periods of time. Today, Tuesday, it is supposed to start blowing again and blow for the next several days. The crowd of kiters that were here over the holidays are but a memory. Even on weekends we don't get more than four of five kiters on the water at the same time.

The weather has stayed warmer than usual and the water is much warmer than last year. The sea had started to cool off a couple of weeks ago but it is in the mid to upper 60's now. Last year was the coldest I had ever seen it, and this year it is the warmest. Crazy.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Not Much Wind

The nice wind that we had to start the year is over. Expectations of a great month have been dashed. Today will be the fourth day in a row with light winds. We may get something Monday and Tuesday and then it looks like light wind for the rest of the week.
On the bright side, the weather has been great for doing anything else. Hermosillo has been setting records for warm temperatures.
The water is still cool, in the low 60's.

Parts of northern Sea of Cortez are having wind. Christian was heading to San Felipe where the wind looks great this weekend but that is a long slow drive to get there. Closer to Arizona is El Golfo, which also is having decent wind.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Good Start to a New Year

January has been good so far. Most days have been kiteable. With everybody getting in lots of days of good kiting several have made great progress in their kiting skills. Stuart and Dave just ended a two month stay. Dave is getting the hang of the sport, and Stuart successfully executed several new moves. Glen and Luque both continue to throw all kinds of moves - some more successful than others. Ken is another kiter that comes down once in a while and he left after a three day stay with a new skill level. The photo below shows Ken taking advantage of every bit of late afternoon wind.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

We have been having okay wind almost every day. Today the wind was a bit light and I had the bay to myself for quite a while. A nice change from the crowd of a week ago. Tomorrow is questionable but the weekend is supposed to nuke. Get ready for big air. I think this season has been a great one, mostly because so many kiters are making great progress on their kiting skills and that encourages others to push to improve as well. Lots of crashes to watch too. Speaking of crashes, today was not a good day to crash near shore. The tide was really low and the reef rocks were above water as you can see below.

Oh, I keep forgetting that I've been meaning to share a link to another great wind forecast site that Christian turned me on to. Sailflow.com
There is a "play " button in the header that will load the maps for the next 6 days and then you can scroll them to get a good idea of the wind prospects.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

The holidays are about over and the crowd is beginning to thin out a bit. It has been fun having so many kiters show up at the beach although at times it is really crowded out on the water. A lot of the kiters have been learning new moves and have benefited from the presence of Kinsley and Jamie from Xtreme Big Air in California. They do tricks that we have never seen at this beach and have been real helpful to all of us. They also have great deals on equipment at their website. I hope they have enjoyed their stay and that they come back again.


A shot of just part of the group.



Jamie throwing a nice raley.


Kinsley in the middle of a some combination maneuver.