We've enjoyed Gavin Butler's excellent images for years in kitesurfing magazines and online.
I asked if he had some snow kiting images to post in "Photo Of The Day." The weather lately
has had me thinking about snow at times, wonder why?

Here's what he sent along ...


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/jake_moonrise.jpg
Jake Buzianis adds new meaning to "Big Sky" out in Montana with some help from Gavin


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/jim_bisson.jpg
Jim Bisson rips along


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/jake_buzianis.jpg
Jake goes to it again closeup


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/...ianis_rail.jpg
Nice slider sequence involving Jake


Thanks Gavin! You can see many more superb images at his website: www.sailfishimages.com.
He also shoots for www.bestkiteboarding.com worldwide

A late season trip to the Abacos in the Bahamas with WIND at the end of May 2008! Thought it would be calm as anything but it was not.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/EC_1.jpg
Having a blast off Hope Town in a very late season strong cold front.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/GGC_1.jpg
Playing in the waves off Nippers on Great Guana Cay. If you ever ride here be sure to save the nipping until AFTER the riding session. Otherwise use a gun, it's faster and cleaner. There are areas of very shallow coral and expose beach rock formations on the beach ripe for bashing into if you aren't particularly careful. They are often exposed at low tide to less than a foot deep at high tide. Great way to mess up a leg or redo your back?! A downside of the Abacos at least on the Atlantic side of the coasts is the need to prespot clear jump landing areas free of shallow coral stands. Some areas say like off the Hope Town Harbour Lodge, an outstanding hotel and place for dinner btw, has way too many tight coral stands for much jumping. Great free diving though with lots of caves to checkout.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/TH_1.jpg
Heading back on a lunch roundwinder to Turtle Hill, Hope Town in dying wind conditions, (after several days of great wind).


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Tahiti Beach at the south end of Elbow Cay boardering Tiloo Cut. (click photo for full sized image) People go off about this launch but as near as I can tell, it might be better suited to windsurfers. Windsurfers can glide through the lulls easier than kiterboarders with stalling kites. The viable wind cone for sea breezes seems to be ESE to SE. Outside that, particularly to the north you get a LOT of wind shadow resulting in gusts and LULLS. It may be less clocking to the S and SW than from north of ESE. Went here with E winds, side offshore technical conditions near Elbow Cay. At least navigating south and around into the open ocean into some steep short wavelength swells through Tiloo Cut was technical, real fun though.


Photos by Laura and Rick Iossi

ALERT!

Unseasonably strong, non-tropical system winds are on in parts of Florida this weekend. Go out and grab some while you can. Here are some shots in 20 down south from tonight. The same is forecast for Saturday and 15 to 20 for Sunday. May need to dodge some storms tomorrow though.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/ri_1.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/ri_3.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Keys_0.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Keys_2.jpg


Photos by Laura and Rick Iossi



N.B. - Sorry JP! I wanted to put the word out, your's are going up. Thanks!

JP sent in some great shots including this first tandem image from Matheson:


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/PIGGY_BACK_s.jpg
If anyone can identify the riders please let us know. If you have a great tandem shot, please send it in so that I can add it to this post. I think I have a nice one of Jessie and his lady, where is that ...?


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/...3_2_08_1_s.jpg
JP caught Latino out of the SW Florida riding grounds popping a jump off Curry Hammock in the Keys.


Photos by JP Robinson

Hope everyone has been able to get some wind time in this weekend!

Looking in on Cayo Huesto from this weekend ...


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/...tion.sized.jpg
Paul Menta throws one at Smathers Beach in Key West. He will toss a wide variety of tricks most of the day like this.
Photo supplied by Paul


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Landing.jpg
Paul lands one, notice the "normal operation" sign



http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Smathers.jpg
The rigging and launch area


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Paul_Launch.jpg
Paul launches one of the 2009 IDS equipped Crossbows. He has been working on T & E with a quiver of four or five of the new kites for a while. You can see Greg Meintjes running out on one of his brand new Eclipse "Full Throttle" kites, lucky guy.


Photos by Rick Iossi except as noted

Paul Menta of The Kitehouse and Jessie headed down to Cabarete to continue testing and evaluation of Cabrinha's Crossbow IV with IDS. While they were down there they decided to try some tow-in surfing ala kite. Paul rigged up a Panasonic Optio camera in a Camrig kite mount http://www.camrig.com/ . Some of the shots appear below.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Approach_001.jpg
Approaching the pickup


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Wave.jpg
If you look carefully you can see the wave peaks and troughs passing by


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Riding_2.jpg
Towing in, lots of potential. It would be great to try this in Jupiter when some big swells come in next season. Better still at a clear water venue like Hole In The Wall near Abaco. Clean swells in blue water, would be amazing.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Jump_2.jpg
Seagulls see this all day long, waves from a unique perspective


Photo credit to Paul Menta's Kite, a Crossbow IV? Pretty good stuff, maybe it will write a "How To" guide.

What sort of clouds to watch out for? Whichever ones spike the wind into dangerous gusts, change wind directions blowing you offshore or stalling your kite, kill the wind entirely leaving you offshore and more. Some from the area of Florida follow. There are other varieties of clouds of differing appearance worth watching as well. There is a lot more to know and do than to simply watch for threatening clouds in kitesurfing, see below for more ...


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/...ros_2_7_07.jpg
A summer squall skids across the Tongue of the Ocean, east of Andros in the Bahamas


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/...ndros_7_07.jpg
Getting a closer look at one of those summer squalls or cumulonimbus clouds


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Incoming.jpg
Something evil this way comes?


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/...mbus.sized.jpg
A supercell storm cloud near dusk
(Click photo for full sized image)


I just updated a post dealing with Weather Planning and Monitoring for kitesurfing. Based upon analysis of hundreds of accidents and incidents over the last eight years, I believe ALL kiters should undertake similar steps to the following for each kiteboarding session. More at: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?p=33852


Photos by Rick Iossi

Clew In is at the U.S. National Kiteboarding Championship in San Francisco, http://www.stfyc.com/. He has graciously shared some images from the event for us folks way down southeast.


http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgser...27108SbMnDVu3U
The rigging area is looking pretty busy. Wonder how the winds have been?


http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgser...27108SbMnDVu3U


http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgser...27108SbMnDVu3U
Lots O Sand, is that Crissy Field? Never been there but it seems like this might be the place.


http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgser...27108SbMnDVu3U

More at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/p...=8SbMnDVu3USmg

Thanks for sharing, have a blast out there!

Hey Rick,

Yes, that is Chrissy Field. The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz in the background.

Yesterday the winds started off light in the morning and kicked in in the late afternoon with gusty winds. I think it was around 15-18mph early afternoon and gust hitting 26 later. Throw in a flood tide, the currents and an occasional tour boat or ship and it makes for a great challenge.

I will try to get some more pictures today.


Clew In

More from yesterday at the National's thanks to Clew in.


http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgser...27108SbMnDVu3U


http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgser...27108SbMnDVu3U
Racing TO Alcatraz? Well, could be for a new movie.


http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgser...27108SbMnDVu3U
My kite is going to eat your kite?


http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgser...27108SbMnDVu3U
Clarissa scopes out the field


http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgser...27108SbMnDVu3U


Lots more great images at:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/p...=8SbMnDVu3USqQ