{"id":1728,"date":"2014-08-22T02:35:11","date_gmt":"2014-08-22T09:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannonrocks.com\/blog\/?p=1728"},"modified":"2014-08-22T03:12:44","modified_gmt":"2014-08-22T10:12:44","slug":"cape-town-winter-kiting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannonrocks.com\/blog\/cape-town-winter-kiting\/","title":{"rendered":"Cape town Winter Kiting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"G0010936E\"<\/a>I will admit, it wasn’t by choice that I ended up in Cape Town for 3 months slap bang in the middle of winter! June, July, August.
\nBut sometimes, work has to take the driving seat.<\/p>\n

I remember spending a winter trying to kite in Cape Town about 10 years ago. It was wet, and cold\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 And I also remembered being disgusted with the kiting conditions. Then again i thought, How bad could it really have been?<\/p>\n

There are some radical differences with kiting Cape Town in winter as opposed to summer: The wind mostly comes from the opposite direction, it brings rain, squalls, frontal systems passing through, cold and there are also lots of no wind days<\/p>\n

Yeah well it seems that I remembered right.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_20140704_132536\"<\/a>Cape Town Winter kiting ain’t for the faint hearted. When there is wind, it is gusty, often cross off, the temperatures are cold and the swell is generally big.<\/p>\n

With the equipment having evolved a fair amount in 10 years, conditions where more manageable. I mostly rode waves with my Peter Lynn Swell<\/a> handling all the conditions it encountered. My Underground<\/a> Mazu prototype got ridden as a thruster fin set up. I will go back to a quad and make some notes.<\/p>\n

There were a few positive things\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Every so often you get a good session, and with wind from the right, for wave riding it favors my strong side.
\nThe kiting crowds of the summer days were non existent. I actually had a few solo sessions. At most you had 10 kiters in the water.<\/p>\n

The waves can be really nice.
\nAnd on the odd occasion you score a really good day, with sunshine and all<\/p>\n

\"KiteSurfing<\/a>
photo by Denwin Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"KiteSurfing<\/a>
Photo by Denwin Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"G0010957\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Photo by Denwin Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"G0013324E\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As August hit, the Whales showed up lying in really shallow. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many encounters in one session!<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9292<\/a><\/p>\n

I got to spend some time with some friends including Anthony Berzack (featured in some of the pics). He’s been flying the demo Swells<\/a> and really enjoying them.<\/p>\n

I wouldn’t do another winter here out of choice\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 but there’s still some good sessions to be had. Enjoy the pics, next stop\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Cannon Rocks<\/a>!! Thanks to Denwin Lewis for sharing his photos.<\/p>\n