Kiting #6 (12 Jan): So the next session was a touch calmer
Kiting #6 (12 Jan): So the next session was a touch calmer. Pofty and Linda - friends from the UK were in town so we met up for drinking Sunday night, where over some stunning pool victories I persuaded Pofty to have a go on the kite the following morning. So yesterday afternoon we made it out to FRANKTON again (see prior day's blog below). Definitely no chance of any accidents. The wind must have blown itself out the day before. But we go for a launch. Me in the water, Pofty in only his trunks attempting launches. Fairly unsuccessfully. But we get it up once and I mange a good minute or so flying before the wind stops dead, the strings lose all tension and the kite crashes into the water. Many more attempts, Pofty's feet now numb (I'd rather cleverly worn socks! - Oh, and had my wetsuit on!) - but no luck. So we swap round. I give him some in depth instruction, covering all the theory, scenarios and technique I've learnt so far. So a good ten seconds later he's in the water with the harness on and I'm launching. The wind is crap. We just about feel the occasional gnats breath. I struggle to launch. He struggles to launch. But then......we're up. Pofty's flying the bloody thing. For a good 20 secs before he's attached by the same deadness and the strings slacken to give way for a splendid emergency landing/shot at my head.
We swap and try the other way round but after valiantly trying for about one a half hours, give up to sit on the bank and sun ourselves.
Our only rejoicing coming from the inability of a couple of paragliders to launch their (even larger) kites a few moments later! So maybe we're weren't just crap.
