Best Summer Wind in a Long Time

We've been having a lot of windy days on Cape Cod lately. I hope the coming hurricane doesn't screw things up.

Ross took some video of me at West Dennis. Lots of people on the water so I didn't attempt too much and the camera was a cheap still camera but it came out okay.

More Wind on the Way

This week has been good for south wind at West Dennis. Tomorrow's forecast is for 17 to 25 knots and then nothing until Saturday when we start to feel the effects of Hurricane Irene. We could get a direct hit by a category 2 storm. Yikes!

Cape Cod!!!!!

The weather has been great so far. High temps close to 80, warm water, good wind, good food, good friends.

 

West Dennis, Cape Cod

Not Even Southerlies

Hot temperatures and light winds. No change in the forecast. I'll be escaping in a week to go to Cape Cod.

Nothing

No wind to talk about. This post is mostly a note to myself so I don't forget a solution to a problem I've had. I've been using an Ocean Rodeo Pyro drysuit with latex rubber seals in the winter and it is extremely comfortable. The trouble is that at the end of the first season the seals got "cancer." This cancer is a strange softening and deterioration of the seals. Ocean Rodeo said it was my fault - that I must have contaminated the seals with suntan lotion or something. I said that was bullcrap and they eventually agreed to send me a new set of seals for free. I replaced the seals myself and was very careful to take care of the suit the next year. It didn't matter - it got cancer again. I've tried all kinds of glues and other products to stop the spread of the cancer and strengthen the seal where it was damaged. Well, I found a product that looks like it is working. It is called Vyna Bond by Performix. The label says it has excellent resistance to softening from plasticizer migration. It seems to do the same for rubber.

I would highly recommend a drysuit for water temperatures below 60 degrees but would look for a suit that uses something other than rubber for the seals. Even though Ocean Rodeo denied that there was a problem with their seals, I noticed that they now advertise that their drysuits come with poly-tex seals. (They also raised the price to almost $700 - ouch!)

Right now the water surface temp is around 90 degrees.

A Week Without

It's been almost a week since we had NW wind. Last Saturday was a great day with wind over 20 knots and water temp in the high 80's. Nothing since then. Not expecting anything until October but who knows? Every year is a bit different. The forecast calls for strong southerly on Saturday and while it will be good up at the north end of the Sea of Cortez, I'm not expecting much here. If it seems at all possible, I'll go out by Pilar to try to get a session in. Usually the southerlies are best early - before noon.

The guys at kitesurfing.com.mx have added a new video of the action down south: http://www.kitesurfing.com.mx/pages/videos/villajulio.html

Nice to see that there is wind somewhere.

Wind in July!

The wind didn't have a lot of power behind it, but it was enough to be thoroughly enjoyable. Several kiters showed up and we will probably all be out there again tomorrow. Prediction is for more wind Saturday than we had today.

Weekend Weather

Friday looks promising and Saturday is looking really good. Forecast is for next to nothing on Sunday.

Thursday Wind

We had NW wind today, Thursday. The remnants of the big dust storm that struck Phoenix seemed to pass through town as well. I hit the beach about 1:30 and it was blowing 12 to 15 and later it picked up to 15 to 20. No one else showed up to kiteboard but there were other people on the beach to keep me company.

Maybe it will blow tomorrow as well.

Back to Normal

Well, we had two days of northwest winds but today it is back to blowing out of the south. Unfortunately my interpretation of the forecast was wrong and Thursday was the good day with 20 knots and Friday was only 12 knots. Consequently I was kiting alone the first day and when several people (Eduardo, Kyle, Ramon, Chip) showed up on Friday the wind was marginal. By the way, it was 120 degrees in Hermosillo yesterday.

Below is a post I put up on my facebook page.

Aquí está un video hecho por la banda de kiteos en el sur en Colima. Pienso que podríamos hacer un mejor video con nuestra banda de kiteos. Tengo una cámara que puedo traer pero yo no tengo el tiempo de hacer la redacción. ¿Cualquier voluntario?

http://www.kitesurfing.com.mx/pages/videos/pascuales.html

Buoyweather

Buoyweather is calling for WNW wind Thursday and Friday.
I have my doubts but I'll be there.

Thursday Forecast

Wind forecast for Thursday is worth watching. I'm not counting on it but I'll be ready just in case.

Two Weeks

It's been two weeks since I posted anything on this blog. As you can probably guess, it is because we haven't had any good wind. Lots of heat though. I spent a few days up in Tucson and it was pretty hot up there as well. This will be my 18th summer in San Carlos and they get worse every year. I used to do a lot of free diving and spear fishing in the summer but it doesn't have the appeal that it used to. Been there and done that and there aren't the fish out there that we used to have. This weekend I'll  head out to the beach and at least take a few bikini photos.

We normally get very few opportunities to kite here in San Carlos during the summer. Sites up north like Puerto Peñasco can be good as well as in the south on this coast (Vallarta) and the east coast (Puerto Progresso.) I've got several sites that you can scroll through the forecasts at Wind Guru.

Heavenly

These days have been so nice out on the water. We put up with cold nasty conditions all winter and normally by the time the weather changes the wind has shifted and is not much good for kiting. Not this year. With air temps over 100 in town, the beach is the only place to be - and this year we have wind.

Great Weekend

Saturday was a great day and today should be even better. Lots of kiters from Hermosillo and a real party atmosphere on the beach. We had to put up with lots of boats both anchored and cruising through and several jet skis coming and going but with air temps in the 90's, water in high 70's, and nice steady wind - who's complaining?
Here are some photos from Friday. I didn't remember to take any yesterday - having too much fun!

Not Much

We were expecting some wind today but we didn't get much. A couple of hours of 12 to 15 knots was the best of the day. Fireman John and young Fernando both got out on the water. Saturday is looking better and Sunday and Monday still look very promising.

Mexican Kiteboard Supplies

If you need kite supplies delivered to you here in Mexico, check out this site.

http://www.kitesurfing.com.mx/



Weather Update

The Buoyweather forecast has changed and it is not looking good for today, Tuesday. Tomorrow's forecast is a bit lower as well. Thursday still looks good.

What the Heck is Going On?

Today was great! Good 15 to 20 knot wind, warm water and a hot day. The next two days will probably be less wind, but may be enough. Buoy Weather was pretty close for today's forecast and they are calling for 9 to 12 knots, so if we can get a couple more knots we should be fine. If it is a sunny day the thermal effect should be enough to do it.

Then Thursday looks like another great day. The really crazy thing is that Sunday and Monday are shaping up to be excellent! That is June 5th and 6th. 

June!

Kiteboarding in June!

eBay Board

If anybody is looking for a great board there is one on eBay with no bids so far. It is the same board that I've been using for the past few years. Extremely light and strong. Excellent in light wind because it has very little rocker. I also use it in high winds with no problem.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260790702708

By the way, Buoy Weather is calling for 14 to 19 knots tomorrow, Monday. Thursday looks good as well. Not sure about Tuesday and Wednesday but it is possible.

Nice!

Nice wind today!

I went out around 2:00pm and it was just starting to pick up. It was soon blowing 15 to 20 and later gusts to 24. I've been using this site to check current conditions. It is up on the caracol at an elevation of 230 ft. so I look for winds of 25 mph or so before I'll head to the beach. Today that site had gusts up to 40 mph. Tomorrow's forecast is for more of the same. I was the only kiter out there today and almost no one on the beach or at Soggy Peso. It would be nice to have some company. Wednesday should be great. Bring your wetsuit - the water is still chilly.

The End

The season is ending. We may get some wind Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday but it will probably be light and not last long.
I might try to see if the southerly that is predicted for Saturday is any good. Pilar seems to be best for south wind although the beach in front of the Fiesta Hotel parking lot looks interesting. Usually it is best early, say 9:30am until 1:00.

I added a few more kite spots to the Wind Guru forecast in case anyone is looking other areas to go to.

* Wind update: the forecast for the week has once again changed and looks a lot less promising. *

Can We Hope for Another Day?

Tuesday was good with a big crew from Hermosillo showing up. Tomorrow looks promising, but the best wind will probably be early. I plan to go out at 11.

Today Looks Good

We've been having some nice wind but it has only been for a few hours and for different hours on different days. Some days the wind comes and goes without anybody getting out there. Today should be good all afternoon. I hope.
The next two days look a lot lighter but possible. These may be our last good northwesterly winds of the season.

Wow Look at What These Kids Can Do

I've been kiting longer than some of these kids have been alive.

Last Hurrah?

Yesterday it blew over 20 knots most of the day and the forecast looks good for the whole week. Not a lot of folks showed up at the beach. Only a handful of people were at the Soggy Peso and besides myself out on the water we just had Tyler helping a couple of newbies and Alex who used to train and care for the dolphins in Guaymas put in a great session. Very late in the day Rodrigo showed up. That was it!

My camera is ill, so here are some more great pics from Poulette of past days.

It is 9:00AM and the wind is already blowing. Are there any other kiters in town going out to the beach? It is supposed to blow well over 30 knots so I prefer to not go out alone.

Sunday brought the predicted 30+ knots of wind. It peaked out early but still blew over 20 most of the day. Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same.

Beautiful Day

Weather was great. Lots of kiters and lots of people on the beach, although not as many as I expected.

How Many?

This weekend looks to be great and may be one of the last good weekends of this season. I wonder how many kiters will show up. Several days this week had okay wind but very few people bothered to come out. The beach may be crowded with weekend tourists so we should get out there early to lay claim to some space.

Below is another photo from Poulette.

Jimeh

Wind This Week?

The forecasts keep changing and each one says something different. We've been having nothing but light southerlies for the last week and today is starting out the same. Here are a few pics from sessions past from Poulette.

Snapshot View

Check out this alternative way of viewing the blog:

http://kiteboard-mexico.blogspot.com/view/snapshot

Best Wind of the Season

It only blew for two days but it was strong and reasonably steady. Lots of people came out and it seemed like everyone enjoyed getting out in very powered up conditions. I was catching some big air but having to work my way back up wind with my 10M kite was a workout. There was only one other kite on the water when I was out there but is was still tough to keep a safe distance from him. My biggest jumps had a hang time of 7 seconds and that was plenty of time for the other kiter to change directions and get in my way. Luckily the one time that I was sure I was going to land on top of him he heard me and looked up and got out of my path.

Dane losing his board but not his cool.

Good Turnout

We had strong wind today and it should continue tomorrow. A lot of kiters showed up. The surprising thing was that the water was cold. The chart is showing about 67 degrees. In town it was hot out, mid 80's, but out at the beach it was ten degrees colder. Brrr.

The wind has been pretty disappointing lately but the forecast looks very good for all of this coming week. Unfortunately for me, I've been putting off a needed trip to Tucson until I'm at the point that I have to go. I'm going to try to be back on the beach on Thursday. The end of the season is fast approaching. Good luck to all of the kiters in my absence.

Two Good Days

Poulette  and Luque came down from Tucson for the second day of a two day blow. Luque brought his new kite - an 11 meter Cabrinha Nomad. Very similar to my Crossbow; great boost and hang time. Poulette took lots of photos including a couple of me in the process of throwing a back-roll kite loop.

More Than Expected

We continue to get more wind than the forecasts call for. All last week was windy. Some days were great, some not so great, but all were kiteable. Buoy is calling for less than 10 knots today and tomorrow, but who knows? Wednesday and Thursday look better. More party photos below.

Party on the Beach

It is party time on the beach for a fraternity and guests from the University of Arizona. They come every year and have a good drunken time. The wind was good too.

Three Days and Counting

 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday have all been 25 knots or more. Forecasts kept predicting relatively light winds but the sand has been blowing pretty steady. Hoping for another couple of days like this but it is supposed to ease off.

Dan and Jimeh

Big Tides = Cooler Water?

The forecast is calling for light winds but it appears that the thermals have been giving our wind a good boost out at the kiddie pool. I had blogged earlier that I wasn't counting on the thermals much because the water temp had risen lately, but that has been reversed. I am guessing that the big tides that were the result of the "Big Moon" that we just had stirred up the sea a bit and brought up some colder water from down deep. Both of the charts that I refer to for water temperatures show surface temperature of about 65. That's 5 degrees colder than a week ago.