This was our 3rd trip to Baja peninsula over the past 4 years but this years packing list included a few new things. It was all or nothing so the whole family came along for the trip + the new foil board & quiver of kites.
The entourage included 1 oversized stroller & toddler car seat (which apparently airlines have no problem taking both for free!), 48 diapers, an energetic toddler, assorted beach and swim toys, wife & 4 kites and foil & board (which airlines have no problem still charging for.)
Still it was easier than traveling with windsurfing gear.
I came to La Ventana for the 1st time in 2012 competing on my slalom windsurfer.
In 2013- I took the slalom gear for the races but stayed and learned to kite.
Finally in 2015 after 2 years of kiting under my belt, I went down with only the kite foil board-determined to get out of my comfort zone and into a new stage of discovery.
We were lucky for wind as it's almost the end of the season in baja. Out 9 days, I got 6 days on the water- uping my total to 15 days on the foil board so far. The 1 day without wind was a blessing in disguise as without it, any recovery would have been impossible. Getting to La Ventana from SFO couldnt be easier. A 2-1/2 hour direct flight with Virgin Atlantic and a set $50 fee for the 'surfboard.'
Our days with a 20 month old began early. 6am to be precise. Wide awake and ready to go. I tried to take the morning duty with SUP, kayak,yoga and sand castle building excursions on the beach with a very enthusiastic water baby. I can't say enough about La Ventana Windsports resort right on the beach. It's a family and kite friendly venue that had everything we could ask for- 3 meals a day of great food, a beautiful setting of 12 different units perched right on the beach and in a vegetated interior yard, sup and kayaks, perfectly maintained mountain bikes and beach cruisers, and a hot tub at the end if the day to soak them sore bones and muscles.
Needless to say, the late morning nap was a must for baby and me.
By 11-12 the wind was nearly always in.
The 1st 2 days here were basically an extension of the steep learning curve with many falls, tumbles launches and crashes. I had sore ribs, bruises on my thighs, butt and waist, cuts on my feet, swollen ankles, nicked brow and brim and a stiff neck from the whiplash of hitting the water at full speed with a helmet on. I'm still considering the impact vest. The kook helmet is mandatory. Even in warm water a wetsuit softens the blow.
Something began to happen by the 3rd day- I got more comfortable and began to know what to expect. Bar pressure plays a big part. I rode both the 11m & 7m kites in 14-22k.
My rides were getting longer and I could easily lift off and begin to foil at will and touchdown when needed. By the last 2 days I began to get into the rhythm of keeping the foil up and steadily riding without getting launched every 10 seconds but sometimes I still got randomly launched over the front of the board.
By the end if the week I was able to get going upwind on both tacks more efficiently. The foil really wants to track and is almost effortless once you find the sweet spot.
Downwind. It's a different story.
Somehow the mental block or muscle memory has not triggered yet on starboard tack. Perhaps it's the side shore conditions or the steep northerly chop but for the life of me- I can't go deep at all on starboard tack just yet.
In all good time, I remind myself as I didn't get to this point by making it easy for myself.
Foiling is attune to an epic powder day in the mountains. Oh my, that floating feeling of riding 2-3' above the water is like flying. There's no sound except for the occasional touchdown and splash of the hull against the water- reminding oneself of that other reality. Then with a slight pull if the bar, the board jumps up again. It's absolutely the most efficient and fun kind if sailing I've ever done. I'm having a blast putting myself through the paces and paying my dues.
The best day I had was Thursday in flat water and 12-14k with the ASV 13.5m2 race kite. The foil is in its prime in flat water and light to medium wind. I found it was all about keeping the proper line tension as I glided up and downwind with relative ease.
Granted, I'm still a kook when it comes to making any type of transitions from tacks or gybes but I tried a few - all ending in disaster. Things can go wrong quickly if you're not careful. My last gybe of the trip ended up with the foil upside down between my lines and finally becoming separated from the board while I got dragged downwind to relaunch the kite. A kite-mare narrowly averted with only the board washing up on the rocks and a few scratches on the front foil.
What I can say after 6 more days of riding here is that I've rediscovered the joy, surprises and excitement that captured me for the past 25 years on the windsurfer.
Reinvented
Kiting and windsurfing are unique in the sense that they never stop evolving and reinventing themselves. Now even more so with kiting than windsurfing but compared to any static one design class- there's always something that come along new each season with the latest developments that makes last years setup almost obsolete. It's the reason we aren't racing the original windsurfer with teak booms and a dagger board any longer. There's no stopping progress. Besides the development of the foils, there been a huge push to foil kites. The high aspect ratio platform is just more efficient than a standard tube kite- almost like the how the camber inducer changed how we raced windsurfing sails. As with life,constant development and reinvention are necessary to stay relevant.
Sometimes you can throw money at a problem to find a solution but this was not one of those times. All that matters now is time on the water for me. The temptation to get the latest gear will have to wait as last years foil and kites will have to hold out till I can outgrow their performance and even get around the racecourse.
Redefined
As a foreshadow to what's coming next in my kite foiling progression - the 1st stop of the Kite Foil Gold Cup was going on just down the beach at Playa Central- the 2nd best little secret in La Ventana behind La Ventana Windsports. The Withington family had built a kite pro shop with lessons, restaurant and bar and is place to be in La Ventana- especially if you are a racer. They imported the best kite race director- Robbie Dean and Jessica Barhydt from San Francisco along with 45 of the best kite foilers in the world. I took part as part of the jury as there's no way I was ready to even get around a course just yet.
The kite rules are a work in progress- something that still needs to be redefined - especially with the foil class as a boards are now moving 12m a second and that makes keeping clear a rather challenging proposition- especially in close quarters like the start or mark roundings. There were several request for redress as kites got tangled but for the most part, the jury found racers failed to keep clear even if they had the right if way. Note to self- always look for an exit strategy. As they are written, the rules want you to avoid collisions and tangles at all cost and protest later. Not the opposite- as usually happens in most racing classes.
Like windsurfers, the kiting race community struggles with how seriously to take the rules. It's a beach culture after all and we've come here for the most part to avoid the restrains that society already puts on us. With that said, the racing rules are a necessary part of the game and without them,the game could not be played fairly at the level it's evolved to be.
Anyway you look at it, tangling is slow and will most likely end up with 1 or 2 lost races.
Giving way may only take a few extra seconds but goes a long way at the end if the day.
Huge thanks to Michael Petrikov for the photos
