Amazing Dolly :) ;)

So I took afternoon off yesterday. I was singing to myself all in smiles driving on M50 watching trees and any other light objects moving :) Then I got a phone call from Gav...
- Are you on your way?
- yahhh, on M50
- oh... well, I suppose you may as well keep on going then
- what's wrong?
- no wind, just completely died off!

Oh, no!!! Arrived to the empty beach, no single kite in the air, not a breath of wind. Colly was optimistic - "It will pick up!". And it did!!! Within half an hour it was blowing, I was so powered up on 9m I couldn't quite believe it. It didn't feel strong as it was warm and constant, nice SSE wind.
Another absolutely amazing session on Dolly! Started on Gavin's 9m Rebel, then switched to my 7m Rebel.
Finally getting all my frontloops, but not all landings are good - sometimes the mix of popping hard and swinging the kite too aggressively give me almost a heart attack. It's a great buzz but also bit scary to rotate so high up, I don't think I can jump as high as I do when rolling to the front ;) Next time need to work on lighter version, slow my rotation and try to grab the board:)
Got few nice jumps with grabs and was practising my newly learnt downloop transitions and waterstarts . First time tried jump backloops, quite different feeling to just launching off the wave, they are definitely higher and slower. Also very happy to finally attempt jumping to my bad side - first few were awful but then it got bit better, well at least I'm trying...
Still can't get jump transitions and pop transitions, sometimes it works most often it doesn't - popping problems, need to work on it next time!
Was off the water at 7pm, just on time as somebody pull the plug off and wind completely died off for good. So it was a good day and I got lots of it. Moving forward :)

2009 North Rebels

I'm waiting for 2009 North gear to arrive to Graham in E&D Marine, Tralee.
Had already some sneaky preview - online only.... :) ;)
It looks like there has been huge improvement in the quality and durability of new kites.
Colour scheme and graphics are wicked!
Thank you Graham for putting me on the top of that waiting list! :)
Can't wait to get my hands on new rebels :)

First Downloops

It was great weekend on the west coast in Co. Mayo! Another 2 days in my short wetsuit, 5 sessions all together this year :)
The wind wasn't at it's strongest - enough to try few frontrolls on Saturday, but hardly enough to do a jump on Sunday...
Since my 12m Vegas 07 is gone I had to be super nice to Gavin to be able to use his 08 gear... landed with his 12 Vegas, while he was on 14m.
Light conditions gave me a chance to try my first loops on Sunday! I "nailed" downloop waterstarts and then downloop slide turns and downloop turns from the toeside. Had lots of fun and couldn't stop smiling! It's good to try new stuff in light winds, now I know how it feels like to fishpole the bar and how the kites goes around, I just couldn't imagine it before! it should be easier to go out and try in real winds :)
The superstar of the weekend was Dee, she did absolutely amazing - from wobbly waterstarts to confidently riding both sides, starting going upwind and trying first turns! She got over the fear of a big kite and was able to relaunch each time. Big snaps for Dee!!!
Amanda was getting her first toeside rides and Caroline was doing heelside to toeside turns!
Girls rulez!!! :)

First Frontloop

Finally started rolling to the front :)
Got out in Dolly in a lovely sea breeze yesterday afternoon. Nicely powered up on my 12m for over 2 hours! My third session this year in a short wetsuit :)
After a while builded up the courage to try to do a frontroll... Chickened out half way through my few first attempts, but then rolled all the way and landed! With all excitement lost my balance and did a faceplant!!! hahahaha...
Couldn't stop smiling! Unfortunately wind died off and couldn't try anymore. Next time!

Camping in Murvagh, kitesurfing in Mullaghmore

Another great weekend! The weatherman got it wrong once again :))) Weekend before last, we drove on Sunday to Rossnowlagh and had a wicked session on small kites. Sun was shining and wind blowing constantly high through the whole day, big swell so sweet waves with large flat sections in the front. And the forecast was for lashing rain and no wind, except for 2h of max 15 knots! 3 of us (Nailer, Gavin and I) couldn't fly anything bigger than 7m kites and we stayed on the water till 6pm...
Forecast for last weekend was rain, rain and more rain...and no wind! We went camping with friends for Derek's bday weekend. Enjoyed campfires on both nights - no rain! Went out for the whole day on Saturday in Mullaghmore - great wind and lots of it at the beginning so was able to play with my 7m. Later Gavin let me have his 9m - got few nice jump transitions and backrolls of the waves in both ways :) Sunday wasn't as good, but as we all had a very lazy morning - stayed in bed till 12 and then went shopping we missed most of wind, still got out for a while on 12m...Star of the weekend was Dee - she got great runs and on Sunday she went almost the whole length of the beach!!! Girls rock!

Weekly evening sessions

TG for Dolly!!!
I had best session ever on that beach last evening, still can't stop smiling. As always I was one of the last off the water - it's so hard to stop when you know it's the last windy evening in the week.
It was truly beautiful to kitesurf looking straight at the sun set... Finally landing most of my backloops and my jumps are getting bigger with smooth landings. Tried to do "big air" transitions -not very succesfull, even thou I send my kite in a new direction and try to land with board downwind I'm loosing all the speed and simply sinking... I know I must be doing something wrong - have to figure it out! Next time need to try frontloops... :)))
I think everyone had great session last night - Dee was practising on her own and getting few runs, Amanda was a total upwind machine - on her own far out in the sea leaning back in her new waist harness and Aleks... she was unhooking and was doing sweet raileys!!! Girls are improving BIG TIME!