La Ventana - Day 5 (recap) Friday night, post session, dinner potluck

So, as I mentioned ,Friday afternoon the wind starts to blow. This is day two of consecutive wind. I rode my 11m Eclipse Nano yesterday, and since I am feeling optimistic today I end up pumping the 11m again, even though it is a bit light early on and I am holding out hope that the wind will fill in as the afternoon progresses. I had plans to work with Becky for awhile prior to myself taking a session anyways, so the extra wait for better wind is no big deal.

Yesterday after losing her board, Becky got pulled pretty close (actually scared the crap out of me) to the white buoy just upwind from Baja Joe's. If you don't know already, getting your lines tangled on something like a buoy and then having your kite power up in the wind can spell disaster! I actually jumped in a kayak and paddled out to her. She wasn't tangled up in the buoy rope, even though she went over it, thank goodness, but it was a close call and it did frighten me. She was paying so much attention to getting the kite relaunched that she didn't see herself get pulled right into line with and over the buoy.

After this experience, I really felt like Becky should have some supervision while kiting, until she was a bit more comfortable relaunching, body dragging, and had locked down a few more board skills.

Anyways, today while the wind is light we decide to head up to the campgrounds (in the pic above it's the top right between the two rock jetty piles) where Becky can launch and then downwind it to Baja Joe's.

So we get there and Becky had been pretty insistent that I let her do everything herself....as she starts to suit up she realizes that she forgot her impact vest . One of us has to go back and get it. Becky decides that since she forgot it, she will go get it. So I get to sit on the beach and hang out while she walks back to Casa Verde to get it.

Not all that bad of deal really, sitting on a sunny beach and all, but still a bit frustrating, especially because the wind keeps building and building, getting more prime by the minute. I start seeing fellow pskiters on the water.

More and more kites are in the air, more and more kites are in the air, More and More Kites Are In The Air, and I just sit there and stare and wait and wait and wait...for what seems like an eternity....

green Best Waroo is Kynan

OK, so maybe it wasn't that long, but after about 15-20 minutes she is back with her forgotten gear in hand...and more than a little red faced.  She then ever so subtly starts complaining about being too hot and tired from hurrying down the beach and back, in the sun, and wearing her full wetsuit to "hustle and get out there" as I put it.

Obviously if you know me, then you know by now my patience is running a little thin, so I tell her that once she is in the water she will cool off..."So hurry up and launch baby!" A coaching/supervision session with me being slightly frustrated and wanting to get out on the water myself......yeah, not the best idea!!!!

Becky launches and as only Murphy's Law could dictate, at about 100m from shore, she goes over the front of the board. I try to signal to her to lay out horizontal in the water and bodydrag upwind....not happening. After a few moments she ended up another 100m from her board. At this point there is no hope of her getting the board by herself.

She eventually comes into shore pretty beat up emotionally. I am sure that I did not help matters either. I realize at this point that:

1. I should never work with someone who is learning how to kite before I get a session in myself :)
2. Becky should probably go talk to the professionals that run Girl's Kite Camp at Baja Joe's. I am afraid that she is enforcing bad habits and it will be much better for our relationship if someone else offers her instruction.

Regardless of the snafu and Beckly being upset, I can't help myself, I have got to get out there...the wind is really good right now! I figure that since during Becky's last run she didn't hurt anything more than her confidence, that I have only one choice at this moment...and that is to grab my board, hook-in to the 11m, and hit the water.

I have, up to this point in my riding career, what ends up being a epic session. I work on various transitions: stop, slide, toe side, big heel side.....I even jump two or thee times. It was a blast, even though each jump was a failure and ended in a splash. I land near Baja Joe's after a bit, walk up above Casa Verde, launch again, and pretty much repeat the experience.

This time however, I land a jump. Not all that high of a jump mind you. I took it easy, but all the same I had a lot of speed when I did it...yes I did it...a clear "I came off the water" and "I landed this sh*t, whoa yeah baby!"

After coming to shore in front of Baja Joe's for a second time, I decide to call it quits for the day since I had two epic mini-downwinder runs. My feet are still getting pretty tired and achy within 30-40 minutes of consecutive riding.

When I get back to Casa Verde after walking the kite up from Baja Joe's, Becky decides to go out one more time before the wind stops, determined "not to let the horse get the best of her". She has a decent session, practices body dragging upwind, regains some confidence (it always best to end a session on a good note) but still she decides afterwards that she should go set up lessons for tomorrow. So I wait in front of Baja Joe's while she goes in and reserves a timeslot for the following day, aka Saturday.

That night we have a great evening potluck. Everyone brings or prepares something...the Sierra that John bought taste absolutely great. A little bony, but tasty tasty tasty!!! Dinner is awesome regardless of spitting out a few fish bones, if you ask me at least...we also have lots of guacamole, salsa, beer...mm mmm good.

I must have had a bunch of beer and margaritas mixed with a good time, and so must have Becky, because neither of us took video or pictures of the evening.

One of our fellow pskiters took this picture of the moon that night.

                             

picture by Duncan aka Windman