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  #21  
Old 03-19-2009, 08:18 AM
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The forecast is holding 20 to 25 kts. for Saturday, even improved a bit switching back to NE. With the wind starting on Friday, should have some waves on Saturday too, 7 to 10 ft. by current estimates. More wx info at: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=6738



AJ mentioned stopping at Sebastian Inlet Bridge to watch and photograph the kiters as they blow past. Here's a video looking towards the ocean from the bridge. Looks even better in real life.




The view from the north jetty is pretty good too as you can see in the following clip. If you're lucky, you might even see someone on Fred Flintstone's surfboard.






For folks that can't make it but want to see some of the action as it happens, be sure to monitor images at the following link, I would guess from 11:30 am on. The inlet is about 40 miles down the coast from the start. http://www.sebastianinletcam.com/



There are far better views on the site than the one shown above so be sure to monitor those as well.

Be sure to save some of the images and put them up here. Not everything shows up in the image archives. You can have a front row seat to part of the race from anywhere in the world!
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  #22  
Old 03-19-2009, 12:24 PM
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Default time?

what time @ Cheries for Meeting & start?
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  #23  
Old 03-19-2009, 12:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikerooka View Post
what time @ Cheries for Meeting & start?
AJ had this on the page before this one:


Quote:
Originally Posted by kitebdr1962 View Post
Hey Everyone...

We are a go for Saturday morning...Forecast is looking like NE winds, 15 to 25...We will start the race at 10:00 a.m. Sharp....Skippers meeting at 9:00, and you must be there to hear it..Fee for the race will be done at 8:30 til 9:00...25.00 check or cash, NO CARDS..There will be a pre-race party Friday night at Liar's Pub, 3800 US1, Grant, Fl. 32950, and a Skippers Meeting there too, around 8:00. You can pre-pay there also before the race Saturday..Just to let everyone know, I have been working with PAFB, and all that info will be told at the Skippers Meeting, Friday and Saturday..The Race is "ON"...There will be a 36 hour notice coming soon..Get ready Riders, it is going to be a blast, and tons of fun, that is what this is all about..Be sure to check out the FKA forum, there is stuff there to read, and I will try and update info there also...Rick has put up a aerial view on this forum, thanks Rick..The start line will be at Cherie Downs Park, at the corner of Washington Ave and Ridgewood Ave, which is just south of Ron jon resort..Be sure to look it up, and be there for the meeting and start, not at the resort..The finish line will be marked well, so that should not be a problem..btw if anyone has people following them down, for a support team, be sure to have them take pictures at the Cocoa Beach Pier, and at the Sebastian Inlet Bridge on top of it, should make for some awesome shots..fyi, this race does not have a name, and I am just trying to keep a flame going here for neil, because we know that his Race/event will be back next year. I know about the local knowledge very well, and I know that there are some new shops that just opened up there. I will back sure that We do not cause any problems up that way for their future business. If anyone has family memebers that want to help in anyway, have them see me Friday night or Saturday morning around 8:30..Thanks Again for all the help Rick and Kent. Hope to see everyone soon..A.J...
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  #24  
Old 03-19-2009, 02:02 PM
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This just in from AJ:

"2009 Downwinder Race
Friday Night Discussion Items:

1. Driver License: Everyone will need to bring their driver's license. A.J. will collect these BEFORE you leave the beach and will be put in a safe place.

a. WHY: It is ALL about Safety. If we have your driver's license, you will have to check in with us once the race is over so we ensure that you have not been "lost at sea". Most people will not think about calling me and letting me know that they made it back to shore Safely. This just covers my butt, when your family comes looking for you. Everyone will have a number put on the top of each arm, and then my cell number on the inside of your right arm.

b. Be sure to have money and a cell phone in a water proof bag.


2. START OF THE RACE: You will already be in the water, kiting back and forth, upwind. There will a person standing on the shore with flags. That person is the Start Line, and you must stay upwind of that person, before the start of the Race.

a. There will be ONLY Two Flags to deal with. One Red and One Green.

b. Red flag will be held up at 5 minutes before 10:00, one minute before 10:00, it will go away, then at 10:00, the Green Flag raises, and the Race is ON. If anyone goes before the Green Flag comes up, you will be DNF. PERIOD. This will not be hard to do, if you just stay upwind and wait for the Green Flag.

c. If you want to start on the beach, not in the water, just stay upwind of the start line, launch your kite 5 minutes before start, and then take off the shore when the Green flag shows.

d. We would really like to have everyone start out in the water, which makes it Safer for those on the beach. If you think that you would have problems staying upwind in the Ocean, then launch from the shore.

e. Try and stay as far away from each other (kiteboarders) as possible.


3. END OF THE RACE (Finish Line): There will be two flags in the ground, about knee high. You must go thru them to have your time recorded. There will be NO "the first one to land" wins. You have to walk thru the flags. They will be right on the shore about 10 to 15 feet away, so you do not get hit in the back with a Wave/Shore pound, per say.

4. The distance off shore will be discussed in the Meetings, Friday and Saturday.

5. The Race is still a Go, and ALL is a "GO AHEAD" From PAFB, ONLY just for this Event/Race/Fun Run, etc."
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  #25  
Old 03-19-2009, 07:41 PM
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Hey what is the water temp like over there right now???
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  #26  
Old 03-19-2009, 09:12 PM
kitebdr1962 kitebdr1962 is offline
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Hey Everyone..I am glad to hear that a lot of people are coming to the Race, Thank-You very much...I did make a call to Yellow Cab today, and they told me, if you got a Cab from Cherie Downs and went to Vero Beach, one way, then it would cost 150.00..So that means that you should care at least that much money with you, to be on the safe side..The water temp will be in the mid 70's, but Me personally, I am going to wear a full suit, since I am going to be in the ocean for over 3 to 4 hours..Yes I will be doing this Race also, but I will not start til after everyone passes PAFB. That also means that I will be the last Guy coming in, so I am going to put a "Stop Time" on the Race. Rumor has it, that the Big Guns are coming to the Race, and they are trying to finish it in under 2 hours, Whow..With that being said, then I need to push the rest of Us to catch up..The window for the Race, time wise, will be two hours after the Pro's. If anyone can do it that Fast, then they are Pro's in My world..So the offical time for the race will end at 2:00, but wait, that does not been that you stop Kiting to the finish, that is just the Offical Stop Time. If I do not make that time, o well, I am in it for the long run. Remember everyone, this is the First Ever Downwinder on the Central East Coast, this far, and the first since 911 that anyone has had the offical "Go ahead" to cross in front of PAFB...Who cares all long it takes, its the point of beginning in this kind of Race..We will do the trophy event after 2:00, but not before I get there...lol..So to those who are waiting for Me to show up, be sure to have fun, drink a few beers for Me, I promise I will catch up, and be sure to show off your stuff in front of the Beach resorts..Freestyle Riding...
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  #27  
Old 03-19-2009, 11:22 PM
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Just a heads up on swell conditions, here's a shot from today from around Melbourne Beach:


(clearly a bigger set wave but indicative of the size of the swell, the winds this afternoon were only around 8-10mph)

Currently the buoy 20 miles off of Cape Canaveral is reporting 6' @ 11 second swell. The swell size is forcast to increase with the winds over the next 2 days. So plan on large swells running during the race. The starting area will be sheltered a bit from the swell by the Cape since it's from the NE, the Cape shadow goes away around Patrick AFB so plan on seeing increased swells south of that area all the way to Vero.

I went surfing today and the water temp. was 70. Come to your own conclusions on how much rubber to wear to stay comfortable. It's not cold, but it's not warm either.

Just heard about the race this morning but sounds like a lot of fun.
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  #28  
Old 03-20-2009, 08:09 AM
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Nice swell photo! For folks that spend lots of time in South Florida, take away the Bahamas, add a few thousand miles of fetch and you can get some large nicely formed waves. Cocoa Beach is famous for them. In the race from Jupiter to Ft. Lauderdale the waves usually shrink as you move south. It sounds like the reverse may apply in this case.

Regarding wetsuits, another consideration are Portuguese Man-O-War. If you go into one it is nice to have some neoprene between you and the tentacles. A minor contact and anaphylactic shock threatened a rider in the race to Bimini requiring him to be rushed back to Miami for treatment. Just heard an amazing story from Kent tonight about catching tentacles in his eye yesterday! I was at a loud reggae concert and couldn't catch all the details. I think it just flew up there from some spray. He is ok but was in a lot of pain, what are the odds?! I will get the complete story and post it with photos. Only in Biscayne Bay? Folks get drilled down there by needlefish too. Lots of us have tangled with Portuguese many dozens of times, still it is nice when the tentacles don't reach your skin. Especially when you're trying to go somewhere, 55 miles away!

AJ mentioned waterproofed cell phones, a great idea. Camelpaks, powerbars are also a good to have along too. BE SURE to tighten all your fastenings on your boards, someone always has footstraps or fins fall off. Again bad timing for something like that. I would check your lines to make sure they don't need to be changed out. Inflate your kites and leave them for several hours to make sure there are no leaks, etc.. Broken gear in the middle of something like this frequently happens but is always a pain in the butt. Pays to inspect to try to avoid it.

There will be some large breaking waves as shown above, perhaps a lot of them. Some of the best of us have been thrown off the falls and sushi rolled in line, not a good thing. Hopefully, there will be a few obvious break lines making avoidance easier to do. There's a story about a kiter getting pulling under in big seas at the link below.

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=543

As fun as these distance races are, in the more extreme conditions they aren't for everyone. In the first pre-race from Jupiter to Ft. Lauderdale in similar winds and perhaps slightly larger seas over 25% were taken out of the running one way or the other, see below. I took my time in the run, around five hours, sheez. Hey, I was touring. Spent a good portion trying to avoid getting grabbed and rolled in big breaking waves. So, if you've done similar runs, feel confident and able to have at it, go for it. If not, think it over, its all about fun after all.

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=248...light=pre-race

Hey Craig, you were there and at most of the other distance races that year too. What did you think of the pre-race?
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  #29  
Old 03-20-2009, 09:48 AM
kitebdr1962 kitebdr1962 is offline
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Default The Race Is Offical ON...

Hey Everyone..To does that are coming to the race on Saturday. It is Offical ON...The forecast is still looking awesome, and Yes the Waves do get Bigger as You go South of Cocoa Beach, real BIG..I would wear a full wetsuit, I am, and be sure to put a camalback on if you have one..There will be a half-way stop, if you feel like You can not make it, and it will be marked very well..Hope everyone can make the Pre-Race Party, and we will start the Skippers meeting around 8..3800 US1, Grant, Fl. 32950..(Bill's Discount Marine)
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  #30  
Old 03-20-2009, 09:51 AM
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The forecast is holding, back to the NE, good thing.

Zone Forecast: Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm (AMZ552)

This Afternoon...North winds increasing to 15 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet. A moderate chop on the intracoastal waters.

Tonight...Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 5 to 7 feet. Choppy on the intracoastal waters. Slight chance of showers.

Saturday...Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots increasing to 20 to 25 knots in the afternoon. Seas 6 to 8 feet. Rough on the intracoastal waters.

Saturday Night...Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 6 to 8 feet. Choppy on the intracoastal waters. Slight chance of showers.
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick...y=108&site=mlb


What is causing this wind ...

"Synopsis...A FRESH TO STRONG NORTHEASTERLY BREEZE WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT THE LOCAL ATLANTIC WATERS THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. HAZARDOUS BOATING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND WITH OCCASIONAL WIND GUSTS TO GALE FORCE. WINDS WILL VEER TO THE EAST MONDAY AND THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL DECREASE BUT SEAS WILL BE SLOW TO SUBSIDE...ESPECIALLY OFFSHORE."

They don't say anything about gale force in the current text of the marine forecast and yet there it is. By current expectations things may build in the afternoon, perhaps after the race is concluded. What size are you going to rig?
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