SoutherlyBuster Posted December 20, 2011 Report Posted December 20, 2011 Now with the warmer weather and the seabreazes coming in, my son Zachary has been waiting for the wind strength to be just right for another kite surfing lesson from me. Well the other weekend was perfect, a nice 12 kntos there abouts wind and not too cold. So we took out his FlySurfer Speed 1.5 and headed out to Altona. Not too late in the afternoon so we had plenty of room and not crowded. Zachary already knows how to kite as he has been doing this for a number years with his landboard, so now to get some water action. His Splinter 2011 is a home made board, whereas the Cardboard is my mainstay board that he can borrow. We ended up using both. For any one wanting to give their children, Zachary is 11 years old, kite surfing lessons, you have to be patient. It doesn't all happen in one year. Well he managed to kite surf under his own steam for a good stretch this time. At the end of his lesson the wind picked up a tad, and I managed to ride on the same board and kite with my 70 kg compared to his 37 kg, so this kite and his smaller board should be perfect. Stay tuned for Zachary's next go at kitesurfing, with Christmas Holidays just around the corner there will be plenty of oppertunity and he is all fired up for the next lesson. You might even recognise some of the mistakes and troubles we all had when we started out to learn -- we all go through the process. In the mean time I have updated his Splinter 2011 board to add a handle. His Impact vest was giving him some trouble, just too bulky for his size (was the smallest I could buy). Hope you enjoy show. Regards, Norman and Zachary. Quote
westfire Posted December 20, 2011 Report Posted December 20, 2011 Good go at it Zack, keep it up & you will be cruising along with your dad in no time flat. Nice bit of camera work there Southerlybuster, hmm handle good idea makes it a bit easier to get your board onto your feet Will keep an eye out for progress movies over summer & that water looks so flat to boot, make learning go alot faster . Quote
jhn.holgate Posted December 20, 2011 Report Posted December 20, 2011 Looks like a lot of fun.....except maybe for the huge slimy green shoes Zack had on!! Quote
.Joel Posted December 20, 2011 Report Posted December 20, 2011 AWSOME! Thanks for sharing Norm, that was brilliant. Zach is doing incredibly well, absolutely impressed. Hope to see him cruising at Kingston! Regards, .Joel Quote
JKS Posted December 20, 2011 Report Posted December 20, 2011 Yeah cheers Norm n Zach That was quality time Quote
SoutherlyBuster Posted December 20, 2011 Author Report Posted December 20, 2011 Thanks guys. Zach is already talking about KiteSurfing at Kingston, so spot on Joel. Twice the boards, twice the kites, twice the wetties to clean up but its all worth it. Green shoes, ya John, they soon come off when you build up some speed. The trick is when you come back and finish off for the day, some times I pull a wee boost and throw off the board and then land the kite. Zach wants to wear the cam next time. Regards, Norman. Quote
SoutherlyBuster Posted December 20, 2011 Author Report Posted December 20, 2011 Here are Zachary's comments: I felt like I was in a turtle shell when I had that impact vest on. But once I got it off and used the handle it was easier and I had a great session. I can't wait until Kingston, yeaaaaa Quote
.Joel Posted December 20, 2011 Report Posted December 20, 2011 Just cut a V in to the top of the impact vest for his chin, sew it back up and he will be fine Quote
markey Posted December 20, 2011 Report Posted December 20, 2011 brilliant to see zach up and riding they could be a new group of youngsters onthe water in altona soon , i am teachig my two daughters age 7 and 9 , we have been kiting dog beach or the coastal park to keep out of everyones way , on the lookout for a board of there own my liquid force dlx is a shocking lerners board lol Quote
Oooo Posted December 20, 2011 Report Posted December 20, 2011 go prozac an't it great learning and that first up an go on the board where everything just happens such a rush well done mate keep the vids coming soon y'll be jumping rings round the ole man heh heh !!!! Quote
koma Posted December 21, 2011 Report Posted December 21, 2011 Top effort there Zac! You'll be up and ripping in no time with all your sweet landboarding skills. I can't wait for when Zac's got a few more sessions under his belt and asks for your Speed 3 12m when the winds too light for you to get going Norm! Ah, seeing Zac struggle with getting the board on his feet reminds me of all the fun and games we had when we were learning. It's amazing how something like a handle on a board made it so much easier to learn with, when these days we don't even think twice about getting the board on our feet and getting up and riding. Progression is fun! Quote
sluggo Posted December 21, 2011 Report Posted December 21, 2011 Fantastic to see that father son bonding time . Norm what a patient teacher you are , just what a young learner needs . Well done Zac , you'll be running rings around your dad in no time . That sound from the gopro2 seems to have improved in the waterproof housing . Still has fogging issues though . Have you tried a small piece of dry chamois tucked in there ? Quote
SoutherlyBuster Posted December 22, 2011 Author Report Posted December 22, 2011 Still has fogging issues though . Have you tried a small piece of dry chamois tucked in there ? Sluggo, On this occation I think it was too much of standing around in the sun and not enough of some occational water splashing over the camera. I suspect a drop or two got on the lens cover then dried there. When I'm not teaching Zach and out on the water, this does not seem to be a problem, the odd splash wipes it clean, no chance for salt crystalls to form. Might also have been me accidentally putting my finger on the lens. On another session I did have some fogging troubles. I put the cam in the housing in the morning when the humidity was high, then cooling down on the water it condensed. I have not tried the dry chamois, will keep it in mind. I also now make sure to tuck the cam in when the humidity is low. As for the sound, well I was hollering like a drill sergent so the sound carried. Don't worry Zach is used to that. You might have noticed in some scenes Zach's lips were moving but no sound or hardly any got through. Having the GoPro on has proved an excellent training tool. Zachary and I can see what is going wrong and can fix or improve during the next session. Regards, Norman. Quote
sir lancelot Posted December 22, 2011 Report Posted December 22, 2011 Go Zac!!! Looks awesome mate!! I'm trying to get the girlfriend into buggying as she won't touch the water Water is better! Quote
sluggo Posted December 22, 2011 Report Posted December 22, 2011 Ah yes the old salt water can be a problem if it dries . I don't have that problem on the buggy as i try to keep it out of the surf . With the fogging i use the aircon ducts in the car when i get to the beach . Open the housing take the camera out and give it a blast of COLD dry air for about a minute and pop the camera back in quickly and close . As long as you don't open it again , it should be fine . Don't be afraid to try the different modes R1 R2 etc . Go you good thing Zac Quote
Jev Posted December 22, 2011 Report Posted December 22, 2011 Awesome!! I'll be doing this in a few years. Hey Norm, there is only one problem with teaching your kids. Give them one to two seasons and they will be doing massive handlepasses and you may have to go for some lessons to your son! Quote
SoutherlyBuster Posted December 22, 2011 Author Report Posted December 22, 2011 Awesome!! I'll be doing this in a few years. Hey Norm, there is only one problem with teaching your kids. Give them one to two seasons and they will be doing massive handlepasses and you may have to go for some lessons to your son! Yes spot on. You should be a fly on the wall when we go a on long kiting road trip like sandy point, all out kite discussion. I'm already learning a few tricks from Zach with the landboard, he's now doing clean 180's and I can only look on with awe compared to my 135's. Zach likes free style and I'm more for big air and speed runs, so in the future I can see he will be showing me how to do the free style tricks. One more work day to go and ya hooooooooo. Bring on the Southerlies. Quote
plummet Posted December 23, 2011 Report Posted December 23, 2011 nice!.. whats with the green slime of death?. it probably flattens the water out i guess. i'm waiting for the moment i can take my kids kiting. it sa few years away yet. for the go pro. use automotive wind screen demist on the inside. and rain repellant on the outside. aparently a few grains of rice help and absorb the moisture created withing the housing. Quote
koma Posted December 23, 2011 Report Posted December 23, 2011 nice!.. whats with the green slime of death?. it probably flattens the water out i guess. That's the Altona plague. The green slimey weed gets on your lines, under the weed its disgusting fecal coloured muddy slime, then dotted around the place are urchins. Where the slime isn't, the ankle breaking sand bars are! The positives are that at med-high tide it's got 2 feet of flat water. Quote
Dave Shepp Posted December 23, 2011 Report Posted December 23, 2011 Very nice Zac N Norm, I'd swear it took me at least 5 sessions to get up and running like that Can't wait to see what come's out of the Kingston trip it'd be great to have a couple of sessions with you boy's again Keep it up up and away Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.