As summer draws to a close and the weather starts to get a bit colder I usually find myself trying to escape the winter and make my annual pilgrimage northward, kiting wherever I can along the way. As most of you know, I am currently im currently in Port Douglas. Most of my winters are spent up here, it is one of the few places that is both windy and warm at this time of year. Most of my days here are spent playing with the kitesurfers and just splashing around in the puddles ...
I'm going east at the end of September for the new incarnation of the Kira Kite Festival on the Gold Coast. I have started to try and plan how to get my kites over without the airline 1) losing my bags or 2) breaking anything. With my revs it's not too bad as I've got some spare frames complete and a hole in the sail just needs a bit of tape. It's the dual line kites that are, delicate isn't the right word, a bit harder to fix or replace. I've got a plan. I'll break down the duals fully and put
So during my day (between shifts) I help out a friend who rehabilitates Australian Wildlife back into the wild. Here are just a few since February this year who have made a full recovery and are on the way to be released again. Good Luck Kiddies!
Mez
Charlotte - an Eastern Grey Kangaroo. She has successfully be released and is living a wild life.
Abby - the Wombat. She was born with an undeveloped palette and when she was bottle fed (as her Mum was killed in a r
Introducing my two favourite night-time visitors, Sophie and Joey. Sophie's been visiting since 2008 and had Joey around Christmas 2012. Since then, Joey has had three young of her own. These two in particular, stayed on to be regular visitors, even (and I know some of you will apposed) they will come to their names.
About 5 months ago, the house next door was pulled down and Joey lost her den (Sophie was happy to hang out in the shed) So as soon as we knew when the house was going, Doug a
Was about to get out for a KAP session this arvo when this Border-Leicester Ram appears in my front yard. Coffee will have to wait, so I puts on the gumboots and try and herd him back up the driveway where I assume he came from. He started trotting back up the road - with me encouraging him - no problems, but then he decided, no, he wants to be with my ewes. Turns out this bloody ram must have been a hurdles champion. Over the fence and into the ewes. Poo. I have three main paddocks and on
For the next few months i trundled about in my faithfull buggy
Gaining confidence and enjoying every minute.
even got confident enough to powerslide a few times.
A wide axle would be great but not enough room to transport it..
the alternative was to fly slightly underpowered or get used to the bug stepping out
and learn to control it.
The second option was the one i took.
I am never going to be the best buggier in the uk ,probably not the best in my town but i could now powerslide and con
No not using the R1 as a KAP kite! But some screen shots from the very swinging video that was shot from my KAP kite yesterday...
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The buggy seemed so much easier to get used to than a board.
only had to concentrate on kite and steering not the dreaded balance as well.
it all came together fairly quickly and i was loving it .
making the most of my limited flying time with the bug and static flying the rest of the time.
the more i used the bug the more i realised how cramped i was and how bad the seat was.
i wonder if i could get hold of an extension for the downtube ?
Back to the forums ,yes they were available but ra
When i got the new shiny pl bug home and had chance to give it a look over , i realised it had issues !!
the seat was a mess , the axle was bent , i guess from the bug being jumped and the front wheel was a barrow and by that i mean off a wheelbarrow , no bearings just
a spacer running on an axle bolt.
But not one to be beaten i gave it a once over and decided to give it a go
Thats my Dad in the bug
The dog didnt come with the buggy either.
i will try and find some better pics.
The bu
As you may of realised by reading this blog i dont like/or have buckets of money to spend.
so off to ebay for a buggy search.
needed something small that would be easy to transport/breakdown/buildup , but i also needed something that would support a guy who is partial to the odd pie !!
peter lynn or flexifoil seemed to be the buggy of choice,small light and good for small spaces.
no point in having a cruising buggy when you aint got no were to cruise.
checked out the forums and put a few wa
I had a go with the R1 today, 11m, I would have preferred to start on the 6 or 8m and build up - but what a kite! And what potential, I got nowhere near unleashing it as I felt overpowered and wasn't confident enough to really let it rip. But Andy from http://www.max-vmgracing.com/ is getting an 8 at the end of the week and may get a 6 as well - so hopefully I will get to play some more...
I arrived at Lake Walyungup before sun-rise...
Ozone R1 11m
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Now there's a job I'd like to have. El Presidente of Selleys. If you're not from Aus, you may or may not have heard of Selleys. They make glues, fillers etc...stuff like this:
But they could be so much more!! I am continually inventing products that Selleys should be selling. Ever been to a party or gathering where a particular person just won't SHUT UP?? Easy, a quick spray with Selley's No More Blab, and peace and quiet will return. And when you know the shit is about to hit the fan,
A while ago my shifts changed at work and i was dreading it.
12hr days and nights what a drag.
but then i realised the benefits !
working a 24/7 shift pattern meant days off during the week so i could spend time with my better half ,but then getting
every other weekend off which was when my other half was working
VOILA ,12 hrs kiting
But then it got better ,my wife changed jobs and was working only a short distance from home.
Why dont you drop me at work and then you can use the car she s
Well i had another session with the brooza last week in a constant smooth wind,what a difference!!
the kite behaved perfectly,plenty of power and stable as well.
this goes to show how much difference flying areas can make.
It also proves how good the npws are at dealing with not so good flying conditions.
I am happy the brooza has proved its worth and so my education continues.
A while back I had my Garmin eTrex H stolen out of my car so I have been unable to accurately measure my speed.
The other day I rememberd that we still had a Magellan Explorist GC from when we used to go geocaching so this is now strapped to the buggy...
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iPhones & iPads are some of the most popular items used for interacting with Extreme Kites. This tutorial will focus on how easy it is to upload multiple images at once from your iPad, and very similarly your iPhone.
After pressing "Start New Topic," or "Reply to this Topic" of any page the editor appears.
1) Press/Tap "Click to Choose Files. 2) Select/Tap the Album your files are in. 3) Select/Tap which photos you want to upload, you can choose multiple at once by simply tapping them. 4
I may get to have a go with an Ozone R1 at the weekend, thanks to the guys at Max-VMG Racing...
I'm so excited, they even make them in orange!
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An awesome video from Rob Lukin and the Ikon kite team, if this doesn't inspire you to get out and buggy then you must be dead! I think I (well my Ozone Flow) makes a cameo at the very end!
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