Kitesurfing - 13th Oct 2020 - Benone

Back to Benone tonight after work, NE wind, which is my un-favourite direction, but huge flats, mushy waves, and a great time! I actually really enjoyed the challenge of working on my 'bad' direction, and I'm constantly surprised how much more difficult it is to go in one direction than the other!

My first run out, I had one of those little double waves, and normally I'd jump from one to the other, but this time the second one put me in!

Anyway, it was great to be on the water for an hour between work and tea - working from home really works for this, I can be on the beach for 4:15pm, and home for tea, and the whole evening is still available. 

Kitesurfing - 12th Oct 2020 - Benone

 Crazy wind all day, really nice direction, but I only had a short session, as the wind dropped about an hour after I arrived. Should have went earlier :)

Photos don't do justice at all - the views were epic, as rain blew through to the south - such gnarly skies!

Kitesurfing - Benone - 19th August 2020

 Great wee session, there has been no wind at all for weeks (which is quite nice) but tonight we were getting the start of a storm. The forecast was for E or SE, but I thought I'd chance Benone, to see if the wind was strong enough, and had come round far enough - and it had.

It was cross, sometimes very slightly cross off, but at Benone that's ok, as with the curve towards Magilligan you'd always blow back to shore.

It was 9m weather, on the meter blowing between 15mph and 21mph, although on the water I never felt underpowered, if anything a bit overpowered sometimes.

It was my bad direction, I dont like it, but I used it as practice. The wave frequency was high, it was one after another, relentless on the way out, but on the way in it was great. I did some toeside riding, which is the first time I tried it to that side, and it seemed ok, better than I thought, I also tried some jumps on the way in (my good direction) and I also *almost* pulled off some jump transitions. I say 'almost' because it wasnt that beautiful.

Short but super session.

Kitesurfing - Downhill - Sunday 19th July 2020

Short session today at Downhill, perfect wind on the 9, big to huge waves, at least 10 ft at the outside. Short session as the tide was coming in. No problem staying upwind today. Huge flats between the waves, but very deep very quickly today.

Kitesurfing - Ball's Point - Thursday 16th July 2020

I drive past Lough Foyle every day, and every day I wonder if there isn't some really nice flat water spot on it. Well, it turns out there is.

A couple of the local guys invited me for a session out here today, and it turned out to be pretty epic. This is a high tide spot, and when I arrived there was still some sand exposed, although the tide was coming in quickly.

I got set up, it was a bit marginal for the 12, but after a while it picked up. The amazing thing about this spot is how far out the water is shallow, you could go out for ages and fall, and still only be waist deep.

There are a few post stumps very close to the launch spot, and you need a sand anchor to launch, which was exposed when I got there, and submerged when we left.

Did an accidental kiteloop jump today. Oops.

Kitesurfing - Downhill - Monday 13th July 2020

What a lovely evening - with the bank holiday the beach was crowded at the entrances, I had trouble finding a quiet area on the beach today!

The wind was cross, blowing nicely, sometimes too much for the 12 sometimes too little, but I was going fine for around 2 hours on the water with some trim.

Didn't get to try much today, the chop was unreal, it actually reminded me of Fuerteventura (without the razor sharp rocks :) ) but it was very difficult sometimes just to ride. There was also a weird wave pattern, where waves all came in twos, and it was the second one that was the good ramp, but it wasn't possible to get to it because of the first one.

Very little flat water today, even in the shallows, although the flats came and went a bit. Upwind was fine today, even with big jumps I was staying in the same spot - maybe something to do with the currents?

I had one incident today, the kite went down (a few times today!) and as I was steering to get it back up, it suddenly powered up, but the centre lines were wrapped around the bar, or more accurately wrapped around my hand. It powered up, trapping my hand on the bar; couldn't pull it out at all, very painful. I got it freed, got the lines round the side, and was able to sail on. I was a bit concerned that I'd done something, but the pain quickly subsided, and I kept going. When I got home, I see a little swelling and a couple of small bruises - not too bad!

Anyway, it was a great session out on the water, and I came in just before it looked like it was going to rain (although I'm not sure it ever came)

Kitesurfing - Downhill - Friday 10th July 2020

Another after work session today, I was determined to try to improve some skills today, so I spent a lot of time standing and falling. I decided to work on a non-sitting waterstart, but that turned out to be a disaster in the fast moving shallow water. The board is moving too much, the sea is travelling too fast. If you stand on it, it sticks to the sand etc etc. It didn't work. Or more accurately, I couldn't make it work.

The second thing was backrolls. It is quite some time since I tried this stuff, and I haven't tried it since I got my new kites last year. This was a lot more successful, nice flats, nice ramps, and I was able to land a couple sometimes plopping into the water, sometimes riding on. 

It was really enjoyable, the next time the conditions are right, I'll be doing that again!

Kitesurfing - Downhill - 6th July 2020

A little bit of North Coast gold :)

Quick session today after work, wind was blowing well, had a driver with me to make it easier with a couple of short downwinders. Great.

Kitesurfing - Downhill - 29 June 2020

Nice surprise today, it seemed the forecast was a bit strong and also a bit too much south, but it came through! The direction of the windmills looked good, so I took a look, and it was perfect cross (normally that forecast would be cross off)

It was messy, I have never seen as much chop in the shallow water, or the wind rise and drop so much. There were also huge waves further out, and lovely flats in between. A complete mixed bag.

It was good to get out, I didn't ride well at all, I dont know what it was but I didnt land many jumps etc. 

Anyway, it was still great :)

Kitesurfing - Benone - Thursday 11th June

Bit of a rollercoaster of a day/evening today. This was the only forecast day for this week, and so I wanted to make the best, hitting the beach at 6am I spent an hour on the water before work. By the end I was completely juiced on the 9, it was actually a bit too strong.

I was expecting the wind to drop completely by the time I finished work, but it turned into a beautiful sunshine day, and the wind seemed to stay, so I headed back to the beach after work. However it did seem a lot lighter, I tried a couple of places on the 12m from Downhill to Benone, but it didn't work well at all.

A nice surprise, I was chatting to one of the guys I used to kite with, and he said he was going to try. I watched him struggling to get going in a light direct onshore wind, and it wasn't going too well.

Just as I was about to pack up, I thought since it was so nice with sunshine, warm sand, and gentle wind, and since I had the kite ready, I thought I'd have a quick fly on the beach before I went home. When I launched, it seemed to pick up, and I ended up out on the water for about 45 minutes. Direct onshore meant no deep water, and no real opportunity to jump, but it did mean you could cruise as far as you wanted, and it ended up being a lot of fun (and good exercise!)

Kitesurfing - Downhill - 7th June 2020

A real quick one today, with a driver. Started off at the main river, and got picked up at the next wee river. There seems to be a choppy spot between the two, and a quiet flat spot at the wee river.

Kitesurfing - Downhill - Friday 5th June 2020

Third day in a row, wind great again. Brought a driver for some downwind action today.

Also made a video.

Kitesurfing - Downhill - 4th June 2020

Bit more grey today, a little mist, but still epic conditions. Wind a bit further around to the west, so better for waves, and nice ramps.

Kitesurfing - Downhill - 3 June 2020

What great weather! Twice to the beach today, morning and evening, very straight onshore wind, but great. Out on both kites today. In the morning it was so straight you could have sailed from Benone the whole way to Downhill!