robmueck

yeah. So how did you do it?

I should have known that you would have seen it Joel. Dear Joel (or anybody) Do you know if it is possible to capture this (or any YouTube video) locally? I tried right clicking it and when I use the "save target as" command Windows Media Player comes up with an error message saying can't do.

I haven't seen any good videos of buggies at speed. I know that a buggy is faster than a board. But check this out. These guys are going seriously fast on the water.

That is a lot of bridle. What is it like upwind Gary?

Has anybody seen this video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RuE5t1-H9k&mode=related&search= Erik Eck's 39-second kitemare in the air. Eric Eck, getting launched (against his will) some 50 metres in the air over Mokuleia Beach Park, Hawaii. Eric was caught in a freak thermal, and was extremely lucky to survive. I have seen and been involved in some glass elevator incidents but nothing like this.

Tell me about the wheels and tyres. I've never seen the Peter Lynn big foot in real life(they are quite expensive). I have once fitted some over size tyres to the standard plastic wheels but wasn't particularly happy with the tyre, its construction was too heavy, 4ply I think, made for industry, not play. I noticed in the video that there were a few buggies sporting the type of tyres you had on yours. I am interested in the tyre size, are they 8", what is the rim width of the wheel, what do you think of their performance, etc.

You are providing a valuable service Joel. No need to trawl the net when someone else does it for you.

Can you make it any earlier on Saturday. I am only available late morning early arvo. Maybe be open to the venue too. If there is no south in the wind it might be best to go across the river to the park at the back of Silverwater Gaol.

Go for it and good luck.

I don't know Joel. I am in awe of these snow kiters who ski up the mountain and fly back down. Imagine what would happen if a wing tip folds over. I've always thought, nah not for me. On Sunday I was buggying on the Stockton sand dunes both at Birubi and Williamtown. Late in the afternoon the wind was really howling and I had a 4m cQuad up. I was using the valley between parrallel dunes a bit like a half pipe. On one run I raced up a dune a bit quick and while I went through the motions of doing the turn, I just kept going and buggy and pilot parted. Now the other other side of this dune was a decent drop off, 8m high probably. One of those moments when you think Oh No! The kite stayed high, things were nice and floaty and I came down gentle and amazed. The buggy kindly turned up next to me. I tacked back upwind to a spot where the face of the dune wasn't a drop off and went back into the valley where the rest of the group was. The point of the storey is I don't think it matters what sort of kite it is. If it can lift you, it can hold you. Some of the video I have seen has been of kiters that are very high in the air. Paragliding is not my sport. I am an absent minded daydreamer who makes lots of mistakes every day. I'll make my mistakes close to the ground. Wearing protection. I don't think the kite is critical. I think it has more to do with putting yourself in the right conditions. Safely. Joel's video link he provided of kiting mishaps shows that you can have the right gear in the wrong hands.

Was at Birubi today and had a blast. The wind was only just onshore so i tacked upwind through the dunes. Preety cool carving through over the dunes. The sand was still pretty wet so no so loose and was able to hold a line better than I thought. Managed to work my way south enough to take one mad run north on the hard low tide sand. Went to the Lavis Lane section for the afternoon and it was also a blast. The max at Nobbys and Williamtown was 30knots but it seemed stronger out on the dunes. Going to try to do a downwind run from Stockton to Birubi with three buggys and a support vehicle early tomorrow morning. Anyone interested?

thanks joel

I've just looked at the current canberra weather. Current wind 10knots, forecast 15knots, rain yesterday 24mm. Not enticing. It's a 600km round trip.

My trip south got cancelled. I'm sitting at home not wanting to travel all the way to Lake George to find out that the surface got wet yesterday. I wonder if anybody knows if it's dry.

What's the date?

Steve McCormack once told me I don't need bigger wheels on my buggy I just need a bigger kite. I can imagine though the tiny wheels on a normal ATB just bog in soft sand. I can travel at pretty fast speeds over soft sand in my buggy, unfortunately not upwind though. I still would like to try larger tyres on my buggy and the larger ones on that web site Don look like they are just the thing. They are in the states and they are not cheap. Back in my early buggy days I fitted oversize tyres to my plastic wheelbarrow rims. This slowed the buggy down and fitted the wheelbarrow tyres back on again. I am a lot more aggresive with the buggy now a days and would love to have a set I could use across soft sand. One application would be here at long reef. This time of year the wind runs more parrallel to the shore than across it. At the lagoon entrance, during low tide, there is enough hard sand to recoup whatever down wind slip I lose on the soft sand. Don, I would love to roam the dunes with you some time. I have got a spare buggy, ever thought of giving the buggy a go?

This Saturday's forecast is shaping up to be alright. I have to head south on Saturday and I am interested in doing some time on the Lake. Not keen to be out there by myself. Anyone else interested?

How much?

Hi guys. My brother is coming down from Newcastle to join us. We're leaving Sydney 11:30am. Should be at the lake between 2&3pm. Hope to see you there. Btw my phone no. is 0419160361

I'll be there lunchtime ish You may be a bit optimistic Pete. You have just had a front pass through. The isobars seem to be getting further apart on the forecast map.

Ahhhh!!!! This is what is so frustrating about this sport. Bloody weather. Remember Gary, it was about a year ago we were discusing organising some structure to events. The rest of our lives are structured around the clock and the calendar, and we go and choose a sport that is dependant on the weather. I had banked on the southerly arriving Friday, doing the inlaws thing on Saturday on the central coast and myside of the family in Newcastle on Sunday. I am already getting reminded how the inlaws have rerarranged their schedule already, when I mentioned that the Southerly was running a little late. At the moment the plan is to get there late on Friday afternoon for orientation and getting like a 2-3am start on Saturday, (Southerly hopefully arrived) splitting about lunchtime to make the central coast before dark. Oh, I don't know.

I have plenty of spares, front forks, down tube, side rails etc if that helps Ben. Looks like a high extending over the south of the continent might retard the southerly on Friday. My experience of night flying is its better without the lights. Lights tend to rob you of your night vision and restrict the distance you can see. There will be plenty of light to see the kite by. Maybe we could set up a base and light that up like a beacon so that we can find our way to our cars when we need to.

Its also a full moon. There looks like there is a southerly coming through.

I like the cable tie idea. I recently bought a seat that came with a belt and have been using it. I use a backstrap harness and I felt pretty safe. If things get too hairy I can just let the backstrap slide over my head and the kite is gone. until one day... I rolled the buggy, the rear wheel came over my arm and the harness. If the wind had of been stronger and I no longer had control of the kite it would have been tricky. Letting go of the kite would not help. The harness would wrap around the axle and away we would go. I felt quite anxious as I awkardly tried to get myself in a position where I could loosen the belt enough, while keeping the kite under control, so I could move enough to get the rear axle & wheel out of the crook of my arm. It isn't easy to use the buckle one handed and it has miles too much strapping. I like the idea of cable ties breaking and ditching the buggy as soon as I am acting like an anchor being pulled across the terrain.

Sorry, Eater Sunday is a chocolate, kids, family kind of day up Newcastle way. Friday?