Summer riding ... How's it going?

[ricki]

It seems like we have had more rideable days than usual in S. Florida so far this month. There have been squalls but fortunately there have been some pretty large holes free of them on the radar at times. I have talked to quite a few guys that are sore from several days of riding in the last week.

How is it going where you are?

[kiterfreak]

Before las friday we have two complete great weeks of 15mph constant wind with gust to 24mph. Since last friday with a low pressure in the area, tropicval waves passing by and moisture, the wind has shifted to s se and is dead calm now in ocean park.

[boost]

It has pretty much sucked this summer around the Cocoa Beach area. I think I have kited twice in the last month. Good thing for the cable park in Orlando to keep me riding or I would be going nuts. Thinking about a trip up to the Outerbanks in a week or two to get some good wind.

Later,
boost

[ricki]

Originally Posted by boost

It has pretty much sucked this summer around the Cocoa Beach area. I think I have kited twice in the last month. Good thing for the cable park in Orlando to keep me riding or I would be going nuts. Thinking about a trip up to the Outerbanks in a week or two to get some good wind.

Later,
boost

Shortly after this post we fell into our normal summer wind pattern here in the SE. That is to say not much to none! Have a great time in OBX, that is the way to handle summer winds here. That is by planning a trip to somewhere else.

There may be some wind this weekend along with the anticipated hurricane. Be careful folks about those violent squalls and feeder bands. Not everyone will heed this and of that number not everyone will come out that well when they get blasted by some of the strong to mega gusts that may come through.

Summer in Florida!

[boost]

The following is a repost from http://fksa.org/:

Going to be a wild weekend in Florida! See you all out there!

boost


SATURDAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS. SEAS 7 TO 8 FEET.
INTRACOASTAL WATERS ROUGH. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

SATURDAY NIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS. SEAS 6 TO
9 FEET. INTRACOASTAL WATERS ROUGH. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

SUNDAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS. SEAS 6 TO 8 FEET.
INTRACOASTAL WATERS ROUGH. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

SUNDAY NIGHT
SOUTH WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FEET.
INTRACOASTAL WATERS CHOPPY. SCATTERED SHOWERS.

IF, folks decide to kiteboard be sure to checkout color radar, real time wind and hazard forecast carefully. More ideas about this at: http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=130 Last year some guys even had laptops by the beach on aircards to monitor incoming squalls. They picked launches with large gaps between squalls and feeder bands. If it looked like something was coming in, they came in and secured a long time before any change in wind, temperature happened. Having airhorns to warn riders would be a good idea for those that choose to risk it. Even with color radar and visual observation your risk of serious injury goes up in such weather, obviously.

This is SERIOUS stuff guys. There was a rider killed in Utah and another killed in Okinawa by violent weather both quite recently. The fatality in Okinawa may have been related to a nearby Typhoon (hurricane in this hemisphere). This sort of weather is full of downbursts. Lots more about this hazard at: http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=801


A sad record from last summer.

See those feeder bands, the ones with the bright colors? Those can toss out violent gust spikes, 20, 30 to 50 + knots ABOVE background windspeed. THESE ARE COMMON IN TROPICAL SYSTEMS. An example appears below: l



Guys have already died and come close to it establishing the hazards of riding in unstable and tropical weather systems. Try to learn from the past or be fated to repeat it. More about an EARLY case of storm related lofting and injury at: http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=210

Experienced kiters/windsurfers in Europe go out on windsurfers when excessively gusty wind comes along. It is harder to get lofted 100 ft. plus on a windsurfer.

Be careful out there better still, live to kite another day.

FKA, Inc.

transcribed by:
Rick Iossi

[ricki]

Originally Posted by toyletbowl

no offense intended, but hope that puppy makes it all the way north with some real nice 20-30mph winds. sunday would be good.

Absolutely, real nice winds for some folks would be good. Some of us will likely take a bad hit from this and other storms and some guys will have useable riding conditions. You might get hit by derecho's* that miss the south. That is the way of the world.

Just take the time to scope things out first to verify that squalls aren't imbeded in things. You will recall the number of squalls, tornados produced by tropical cyclones as they eased inland in the past northward throught the USA.

There is an interesting article about "Great Lakes Hurricanes" from the NWS, a quote from which appears below:

"Windstorm: An intense tropical cyclone moving up from the Gulf thru eastern Texas (causing great damage in Texas), along the Missip. Valley and thence Newd across Ill & Mich, passing W & NW of Detroit with gale force winds and gusts to 65 mph from 10:18 AM - 2:30 PM & gusts to 75 mph 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM (see envelope back of book for newspaper clippings). "

The complete article appears at: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/?page=stories/dtxcane

Also, be on the lookout for derecho's*. " (pronounced similar to "deh-RAY-cho" in English or pronounced phonetically as "") is a widespread and long lived windstorm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms." These are NOT THAT UNCOMMON in inland areas.

"How strong are derecho winds?

By definition winds in a derecho must meet the National Weather Service criterion for severe wind gusts (greater than 57 mph) at most points along the derecho path. In the stronger derecho events winds can exceed 100 mph. For example, as a derecho roared through northern Wisconsin on July 4, 1977, winds of 115 mph were measured. More recently, the derecho which swept across Wisconsin and Lower Michigan during the early morning hours of May 31, 1998 produced a measured wind gust of 128 mph in eastern Wisconsin and estimated gusts up to 130 mph in Lower Michigan."

The complete article appears at:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/AbtDerechos/derechofacts

FKA, Inc.

transcribed by:
Rick Iossi

[ricki]

This isn't about building fear, although a healthy respect can create significant survival value. These articles are about building hazard awareness, appreciation and ideas for avoiding them.

Would you go ice kiteboarding in a spring thaw on thin ice close to a wide fissure of surface water?

Would an experienced pilot voluntarily fly into a violent storm cloud?

Would an informed person hold a softball game for kids in an obviously threatening powerful lightning storm?

These could go on for hours. You get the idea.

We need to know weather to kiteboard, both for what to look for and what to avoid.

[ricki]

It seems like we have had more rideable days than usual in S. Florida so far this month. There have been squalls but fortunately there have been some pretty large holes free of them on the radar at times. I have talked to quite a few guys that are sore from several days of riding in the last week.

How is it going where you are?

[kiterfreak]

Before las friday we have two complete great weeks of 15mph constant wind with gust to 24mph. Since last friday with a low pressure in the area, tropicval waves passing by and moisture, the wind has shifted to s se and is dead calm now in ocean park.

[boost]

It has pretty much sucked this summer around the Cocoa Beach area. I think I have kited twice in the last month. Good thing for the cable park in Orlando to keep me riding or I would be going nuts. Thinking about a trip up to the Outerbanks in a week or two to get some good wind.

Later,
boost