Smorgasboard of Gear

Paul's 21 Meter blimp, a really really nice blimp! Smorgasboard of Gear- It's a warm, sunny day, for Dec. Wind is up and down, off and on, here and there. We have a good crew of salty characters plying the beach. It's perfect for passing some gear around. I loan some stuff out, borrow someone else's. We laugh at the crashes that ensue due to footstraps being too loose, gear unfamiliar, etc. Put a bunch of kiters on the beach and they quickly turn into one big happy dysfunctional family. Paul's Speed3 21M Silver Arrow- Sooo fun!!! Wind was 10-14. I was super powered up on this when my 17M Zephyr was struggling to go upwind. I loved the jumps and back rolls on this big boy, (but the line twists from backrolls aren't so good). It's so lofty! I almost needed to pull the depower strap. Cool feeling. Still a scary kite though. RealWind 85 Liter windsurfing board- Not as much fun as I expected as a kiters light wind weapon- not very turny and responsive compared to a kite surfboard, not as floaty in the lulls as it looks. Frank pointed out that the tail width is narrow. I like my 6' Caution surfboard better for kiting. Frank's Door64- goes upwind slightly better than my Mako King but such a different ride, rides on it's edge more, doesn't break loose in transitions, hard to get it to release from the water for jumps and back rolls. Upwind machine. Picture- Kristoff kites with helium balloons for extra style points. It looks like he's spawning. W Dennis, Kitesurfed, 9-19, SSE, 17M Zephyr/Mako King, also RealWind 85, Door64, Flysurfer Speed3 21M Silver Arrow, with Igor, Frank, Sandie, Kristoff, Matt, John, Paul, others.