South Padre

Christian, Britt, and I arrived in South Padre on Thursday and went out to the North Flats right away for a nice session. Just happened to park next to a van that turned out to be Stuart and Dave and next to them was a friend of theirs, Sean. Later that afternoon Lou showed up. Over the next couple of days we also kited with Glenn's brother and his wife and yesterday a truck pulled up next to us and it was Victor, from Tampico. Hopefully everyone will be out there for a good session today. The wind has been marginal most of the time, but enough to get out every day.

A Few Good Days

We had a few good days of wind last week but nothing since Sunday and this week looks dismal. The report really doesn't bother me too much since I am arriving in South Padre tomorrow for a week of kiting. I am not sure who all else will be there except for Christian and Britt, Lou, Stuart, Dave, and myself. Weather and wind predictions look very good. We are all staying at the Holiday Inn, right on the water.

I am going to try to make do with just two boards and one kite. I've gotten used to my 10M Nemesis enough that I can use it from 10 knots to 30. That should cover almost any wind that I would try to kite in.

To view the blog and photos from last year, go to http://kiteboard-mexico.blogspot.com/2007/04/south-padre.html and to http://kiteboard-mexico.blogspot.com/2007/04/back-from-great-trip.html

The wind has been spotty the last ten days or so. Some afternoons it would pick up around 2:30 and blow just enough to get out and a couple of afternoons it has blown hard and gusty. We even had rain and hail one day.
Today is the beginning of the crowds for Semana Santa. They have cut back every year on the number of permits for events and food and beer stands and this year they have also really stepped up the police presence and law enforcement. They are even keeping the quad-runners off the beaches. It will still be busy and lots of people and traffic, but it should be mellower than previous years.
Roberto got back from Brazil and is down here for a month or more. It was starting to get pretty lonely out on the water as people have been leaving. Gerald left last week as did Helmut, and Jimmy will be packing up soon. Helmut and his wife, Peggy, were out every day there was wind. Peggy was our favorite cheerleader, always there to boost our enthusiasm and to help out whenever needed. I hope they come back next year.






Here is Helmut on the beach.

And here is Helmut floating in the sky.

Flying High

Well, the wind never came in yesterday and today doesn't look any better which means that the whole week looks like a wash out. Normally we don't get more than a couple of days in a row without wind but this year hasn't been normal. Next week is both Spring Break for the University of Arizona and Semana Santa so it should be quite the party. The forecast says we should also have wind that week. Below is a video that Helmut took of me showing off how great my Best Nemesis Kite is for high floaty jumps.

Friday and Saturday were nice days out at the beach and we had several kiters show up for the Saturday session. More and more local Mexicans are getting into the sport and since they don't get out to the beach very often, they bring a lot of enthusiasm to the session. Sometimes it is as much fun to watch the other kiters as it is to get out on the water. Sunday was on off day but we are hoping to get a couple of days in today and tomorrow. Today started off with the the sea completely covered with fog.

Nothing to Report

I know that it has been over a week since my last post but I've been in Arizona and haven't had anything to write about. My kiteboarding buddy, Christian, and I are starting a floor care business in San Carlos and this trip was mostly about that business. Today I will be driving back down to Mexico but won't make it in time to get a session in today. The wind hasn't been great lately and the forecast doesn't look much better. After some strong wind today and tomorrow they say it is going to shut off again for several days. South Padre is looking better all the time. Puerto Progreso in the Yucatan is very consistent this time of year as well. You can see reports for these places if you scroll down at my wind guru page.