Kite Heaven

I've added a new listing of my posts in reverse order so if any readers want to read this blog from the beginning you can go to http://mexicokiter.blogspot.com/
I started this blog in March of 2006.

One Day in a Row

We finally got some wind today, but the next two days look poor. Hopefully Sunday will start a good several day blow. At least the water is still warm, mid 70's.

Hoping for Wind

This last week has been weak. It will blow for a bit, but it doesn't last. Today and tomorrow look like good possibilities - buoyweather is calling for WNW 11 to 15 knots, which is the minimum that we like. Hopefully it will blow more. The next 7 days look similar except for Sunday and Monday, when we should have wind over 20 knots.

Daily Sessions Possible

There hasn't been a lot of wind but almost every day it blows for a while, usually early afternoon. Lately it seems to be best from noon until 3:00. It will peak at over 20 knots but it doesn't last. Yesterday just Tyler and I made it out to the beach at about 2:00 and we had a nice session but it was over by 3 o'clock. I hope to get out there earlier today, but at 11:30 there is no wind in town. Forecast doesn't predict much until late next week.

Roberto is back in town but doesn't expect to do much kiting this year - too many aches and pains from years of running marathons.

Well, just when I think I've got the weather figured out, it throws us a curve ball. A few of us went out to the beach early to get a session in and gave up about 3:00 because the wind never picked up enough. Then, about 4:00 it started to blow. Arghh.

Skim Board

Good day at the beach. I am hoping that the wind will blow enough later this week. Forecast is light, but the right direction. Maybe starting as early as Monday and going all week for late afternoon sessions.

100 kilometers per hour

It is speed trail season at Luderitz is on. So far the fastest was a kiter at over 100 KPH, or 54.1 Knot average. That's over 62 MPH. Luderitz is somewhere in Namibia.

Skimboard and music thus weekend

There is a skimboard event going on this weekend at the beach by Condos Pilar. Besides skimboard competition there will be both live music and Djs. Party. Thirty peso cover. Competition starts at 1:00 (Mexican time?)

Fourth Day

Today was the fourth and last day of our first good blow of the season. Lots of people on the beach and lots of kiters were out all weekend. Weather couldn't be better.

Awesome Start

Day one of the first multiple day session of the season was excellent. A total of five kiters made it out to the beach starting around 12:30 and going until sunset. I really had an enjoyable day. I've been watching a bit of Fuel TV lately and have been inspired by how incredible some of these guys are in different extreme sports. The strong wind and warm water made it ideal to power up and go for it. A couple of times I dug in hard to pop a big one. Unfortunately I lost my orientation on one big jump and as I was rotating I pulled with the wrong hand (I hate it when I do that.) I looked up and saw the kite half way through a loop and tried to bale but I was so high that I came in flat and hard on my back. Suffered a concussion with momentary loss of consciousness and a moment of confusion. Symptoms remained mild so I am not too worried. Still, I'll take it easy for a bit. Good thing I had a helmet and an impact vest on. At 60 years I need all the protection I can get.

Looking Better

I'm expecting wind for Saturday and then maybe the start of a multiple day blow on Wednesday. Keep checking Windguru and Buoyweather.

Real Time Weather Report

Wind Today!

Buoyweather is calling for decent wind today so let's all get out there. The forecast for the next week doesn't look so good.

Start of Season in San Carlos

Friday brought some nice northwest breezes. Jeff, Scott and myself showed up for a very good session with winds gusting at times up to 25 knots. Hoping for more of the same today.

Post Hurricane Post

Hurricane Earl blew through here last night but was week enough and stayed far enough away that it was no big deal. I got in a nice session early yesterday and again today. I thought the beach would be packed with kiters but I was almost alone. Wind at Chapin was side onshore 15 to 22. I guess that wasn't good enough for most kiters. I assume the majority went to the south side. I checked the wind report when I got back to the cottage and it was blowing up to 40 mph down there. Too much for my 10 meter kite in crowded conditions. Tomorrow should be another good day.

Calm Before the Storm?

I've been on Cape Cod for a dozen days but have only had a few sessions of medium winds.
Lately the weather has been great for just about anything that doesn't require wind. Here are a few shots of the beach today.

Tomorrow Hurricane Earl should be off the coast of coast of North Carolina and bringing big waves and wind to that area.
In two days the hurricane is supposed to start passing by here.

Boosting Huge

I am in Tucson, getting ready for my annual trip to Cape Cod. This means, among other things, that I got to pick up the latest edition of Kiteboard Magazine. This edition has an article exploring the possibility of boosting 100 feet in the air. The highest jump recorded so far is almost 75 feet, measured by a GPS devise strapped to the board of a kiter. This devise is called the ShadowBox ($500) and can record speed, height, distance, acceleration, hang time, spin rate, and G-forces and put it all together on a computer so you can see a 3-D rendition of your performance.

Optimal conditions for jumping big seems to be an 8 meter kite in wind gusting in the 35 to 45 knot range and with small chop or swell (2 feet) for a ramp.

Kinsley Wong Updates

Kinsley is doing better all the time, although he has a long way to go. Here is a link to a new info page on him and his progress.

PARTY !!!!!!

This weekend was the annual AESMAC Conference. It was huge this year. It started Thursday night and still hasn't stopped. Lots of people, lots of music.

Kinsley Wong

I haven't written in this blog for a while because there hasn't been anything going on with kiteboarding here. Unfortunately the reason for this report is something very sad. Kinsley Wong, possibly the most likeable guy I've ever met and one hell of a kiteboarder, had a bad accident Thursday afternoon. A report of the accident can be read here - KINSLEY - and on a kite forum here. He's been here to San Carlos a couple of times, here are some photos from the first time.

Reports indicate that he hit his head on rocks at the edge of the water. Head trauma is serious, and I hope he has a speedy and full recovery.

I started wearing a helmet a year ago. Maybe you should consider it as well. Be safe.

A Little Wind

We've been getting a little bit of wind out of the northwest the last week or so. Yesterday was a nice steady 12 to 15 knots until about 4 o'clock. Today doesn't look too good but the prediction for tomorrow calls for 13 to 18. There were four of us out there on Sunday, enjoying kiting in warm water (83°) and no jellyfish.

Mucho Tiempo Sin Viento

We haven't had much wind for a few weeks. Some days the southerly wind looks promising and we'll go to the beach with high expectations but it is never enough. Some days it looks real tempting to get out and play in the waves kicked up by the wind but experience tells us that we need really strong winds or the waves will tumble us. In the winter we are in flat water and we can stay on a plane even when the wind drops but the summer surf knocks us down and we have to slog back through the waves. Plus the warm moist air of summer doesn't have the density or the force of our winter winds.

We have probably reached the point of desperation where we will go out kiting anyways. A day on the water is still a day on the water.

The other day I went to a beach south of here called Cochorit because it always blows a little stronger there. The beach stunk of fish oil from the packing plant and there were balls of fish oil sludge on the beach. It was worse than horrible. Not worth considering at all. What a shame.

Flying High in May

The last couple of weeks have turned out to be pretty good. May is usually pretty quiet for wind but the other day it was blowing over 30 knots. Temperatures have stayed unseasonably cool, with the water still in the low 70's.

Still Some

We are still getting a couple of days of wind each week, although some days are a bit light. Temperatures have been perfect. Too bad the season ends when the water gets warm.

On many days the beach is empty although it is perfect beach weather. Hard to figure.

Still Some Wind

We have been having some days with wind the past couple of weeks. Usually only part of the day but enough to get some good sessions in. Today looks promising although it may be a bit light, and then the forecast doesn't show much at all.

Once in a While

The winds have shifted and we are getting very few kitable days. Even when it does blow, it is only for a few hours and at different times of the day. I did get out on the water yesterday but at its best it was only blowing 10 to 16 knots.

Nearing the End ?

The season seems to be nearing it's end. It hasn't been a good year for wind. Some of the good days were amongst the best we've ever had, but they were few and far between.

The past week had a few days of very strong wind. Strong enough make launching and landing a bit dangerous. Gusts over 35 knots. Donald, from Oregon, was out there on his 7M kite and getting some great jumps but he also got slammed pretty good a few times. He got pretty scraped up when he misjudged jumping the rock spit at the point. Ouch. Luckily, there were no serious injuries.

Good Weekend

We have had wind the last few days. At times it has been strong, at times week, and almost always gusty, but there has been wind. Today, Sunday was very good and surprisingly few kiters showed up. I was kiting by myself for over an hour during my first session.

Nice Weekend

Weather has been great for both kiting and for hanging out at the beach and watching kiting. Today, Sunday, should be another excellent day. Sure, the wind has been up and down and the water can get crowded with kiters wanting to stay in the area in front of where their friends are sitting, but it is still all good.

A Few Windy Days

Last week was pretty good; wind and warm temperatures. Lots of kiters showed up for the weekend. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera all week so I don't have any photos to post.
Jeff has finally gotten his kiteboarding school going after years of delays.
A lot more Mexicans, especially from Hermosillo, are getting into the sport. They show up mostly on weekends and add a lot of action and entertainment (and sometimes mayhem) to the beach. Sometimes it gets kind of lonely during the week.
Not much going on right now but this coming weekend's forecast looks good. With Spring Break happening, it will be a good time at the beach no matter what.
The new restaurant, Bonifacios, has turned out to be a great place to hang out, eat and drink.

Doldrums

We continue to have a lack of wind. Other than that the weather has been great for the beach. A new restaurant has just opened where we kite. Bonifacio's Cotton Club The place looks great.

I went on opening day in the afternoon and had their hamburger. It was excellent and reasonably priced. The meat patty was nothing special but good enough and came with toppings of cheese, grilled onions, red peppers, green peppers, and lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado. It also came with french fries and grilled cherry tomatoes. All for 70 pesos.

Only a Few

We had a few days of wind but only a few kiters showed up to take advantage of them. Donald is in town from Oregon and Jeff has been making an appearance. Gerald usually comes to the beach but prefers to use his 13M kite so he wisely declines to go out if the wind is too nasty.

Roberto has all but abandoned us as his body is feeling the painful effects of running too many marathons. Adam is out with a bad ankle and Beau is out of town. No one else has been coming out.

Water temperatures have held steady at a warm 68 degrees and air temps often reach 80 degrees.

Gerald's 80th

Monday was Gerald's birthday.

A Month Without Wind

We have had almost no wind for the last month but today makes four days in a row of a decent blow.

A lot of kiters came down from Hermosillo so we had a good crowd at the beach.

Excellent Days

What started out as a disappointing kiteboard season has turned out to be one of the best we've had. The water is still in the mid 60's, air temperatures have been around 80, and the wind has been lighter and steadier than usual. Several days of 15 to 20 knots, which is light enough to result in flat water conditions. These conditions have been perfect for everyone, but especially for the younger kiters, to make some real progress. Everyone is jumping, spinning, and attempting all kinds of new moves. Fernando has been dazzling us with several versions of powered up raleys. I haven't been able to get out as often as I would like due to having to work this year, but Roberto has taken over my role as captain of the beach and can be counted on to be on the beach early with wind reports.

New Year

The wind was great, the weather was great, and all the kiters were great.

Beau

Adam

Happy New Year

Some days the wind has been pretty light but it has been blowing. The end of 2009 is turning out to be okay and the first of 2010 is looking very promising as well.

Making the most of a light day. Even Jeff made a rare appearance.

Erika braved the cold to watch the action.

Christmas

Last year we had lots of kiters in town and up to a dozen on the water at the same time. This year we've had only a few people show up. Wind has been okay. Sometimes a little light, sometimes a little gusty. In other words - pretty normal. Water temperature has cooled off to around 65 but that is still about 5 degrees warmer than usual. The air temperature is about the same as the water today as a cold front has moved in. Wind should start again Wednesday or Thursday.

We have had some changes out at the beach. A good change is that the road has been bladed and is in great shape. Not so great is that the parking lot has been stripped of most of the palm trees that weren't removed the last time they "improved" the parking area. They replanted the trees along the entryway road but they aren't being watered so they will all die shortly. This work was done by the owners of a hotel in El Fuerte, who have taken over the old disco building at the point to make it into a reception/bar/restaurant. They are going to use that and two of the Paradiso room buildings to make a new hotel. It is supposed to open in a few weeks. They have done a lot of work fixing up the building and bringing in new furniture and fixtures and stuff but I don't see much else going on to indicate enough of a commitment to make it work. I hope I'm wrong. It would be great to have a nice bar and restaurant on the beach.

We Have Wind

We had four days of wind last week and it looks like we will have five or six days this week. The air and water temperatures have been unbelievable. The beautiful conditions brought people here from Sinaloa, Hermosillo, and Phoenix for some great kiteboarding sessions.

I haven't had much to report until this week. We finally had a decent four days of wind and this coming week is also supposed to be good. Water temperature is still warm, right around 70 degrees.

Here is Roberto, boosting well on a quiet day.

New Month, Same Lack of Wind

Hardly anything to report here. Roberto keeps track of the kiteable days and he says that we only had 8 days of wind for the month of November. December hasn't started out any better. We did have decent wind on Friday. But just one day! It never blows just one day this time of the year.
A bunch of people showed up to kite Friday and despite the fact that the wind was a bit northerly and thus gusty, we all had a good time. There were as many as 9 kiters on the water at one time. Kenn flew down with a couple of buddies and of course Roberto was there and Beau and Adam and Ricardo and Fernando and Jimé from Canada.
The water temp is way too warm for this time of the year, the chart shows it is still above 70 degrees. I took my dry suit to the beach with me, not realizing how warm the water was. I kept it stored in a vacuum sealed bag but when I took it out the neck gasket was all gooey with little stretch left. Not usable at all. When I had put it away last spring it had a small area with this problem but I never figured out what caused it and it was small enough that I wasn't too concerned. Now I'll have to order a new neck gasket.
I received a report from Glenn and Sue, who went to South Padre this season instead of coming here. He says that he's "not impresses with the wind so far." Many people love South Padre but I've never been too impressed.