*** Hurricane Riding, the Real Deal ***

[ricki]

If you decide to ride, be sure to scope out radar/sat. images, marine forecasts, real time winds, etc.. to see if there is even a large enough hole between squall lines to be worth going out.

It is quite possible that there won't be large enough holes at times, i.e. keep your kite in the bag.

Just because the eye is no where near you doesn't mean the hazards are past. There is a case well worth reading over at the link below. It involves 50 to 60 mph squall winds kicking in about 200 miles south and over 100 miles east of the center of the tropical depression.

The rider never saw the squall cloud that boosted the winds 50 to 60 mph when the wind was 15 to 20 mph. That particular feeder band and many others like it can be many hundreds of miles long and contain ugly powerful squalls.

http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=210

Any other guys want to volunteer to ride in 15 to 60 mph winds with a 10 m kite like that guy did? In choosing to ride in tropical systems that is exactly the sort of thing you are potentially exposing yourself to.

Squalls can come before, during and after hurricanes and other tropical systems. Stay aware and take care of yourselves.