Thread: STORM RIDERS
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Old 07-08-2005, 11:08 PM
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ricki ricki is offline
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So, I went to Delray checked out things. The sky was partially cloudy but lacked any obviously threatening clouds. I asked some of the guys what size they had been riding and was told 10 m kites. Well as it happened I had a new 10 m with me that I wanted to try out. I was a little underpowered at times but eventually the wind filled in a bit and I reasonably powered most of the time. It was a fairly technical session particularly with the waves and uneven wind.

I came in about 8 pm and put my gear away. I had noticed some slightly darker clouds moving in and thought it would be good to call it a day. Driving south about 8.30 pm the wind boosted to about 50 mph, viz dropped with driving rain. I think I caught this squall on radar, see below.


It is that fairly small lump of red, yellow, green passing out from the "95" symbol. I have seen violent, dangerous squalls that show up even smaller than that on the radar. Scale is relative which is worth remembering.

Tomorrow is another day and with luck the storm may not strengthen. As it moves north the squalls in the feeder bands will continue to rake over the peninsula of Florida. Lots of microburst and tornado opportunities in this system. A big part of this part of the state is under a tornado watch for most of the coming night. There may not be anything close to a clear corridor like what developed off of Delray this evening. So, it may not be rideable, at least not in my book.

Do your homework and think carefully about whether to ride or not. I believe some guys were probably out in Miami complete with squalls. Life and kiteboarding can be a numbers game. Make an informed "wager" based upon readily available information and pick your own venue/terms or bet like a fool? Players choice, choose well and as Toby says, live to kite another day.

Good luck to the people impacted by this hurricane.





NOTE: The following images, regional color radar and satellite should update continuously allowing you to watch the movement of the hurricane and feeder bands.



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