Kiteboarding Report  for the Disaster Coast:

7/28/10: I hope you got to ride Sunday, the coming week looks light. Check out the new MDOT webcam on the Bay St Louis Bridge.

Ask Dave about fishing while kiting in Mississippi. Cat 5 Forum 

Check out the video of Robbie getting lofted by an incoming storm at Dan's house on Lake Pontchartrain. This first loft carried him about 150 feet downwind over some nasty rocks. Unfortunately for the video (fortunately for Robbie), Dan dropped the camera to go help Robbie since the second loft slammed Robbie into the second floor of Dan's house. Robbie was lucky to have stopped there on the second floor after leaving a dent in Dan's second floor ceiling. Moral: Don't push your luck. If a storm is coming in, quit before the downdraft hits. If you get lofted, don't freak out, keep control of the bar and kite; at least that way you can control where you will land.

Bonnabel and UNO/Pontchartrain Beach are closed due to levee work until Spring 2011. The East Jefferson Levee District will begin dumping a new 6 ft high broken concrete barrier along the shore. We will work something out to launch at Bonnabel!

• BWYC           Waveland and Henderson
• Gulfport Pier   Gulfport
• Waveland Pier Waveland on the Sound
  
• WEST END     Bonnabel, West End, and UNO.
• LUMCON         Fountainbleu.
• MID LAKE       Causeway (check time and date)
• SYC               Check the new Cupola-Cam at West End 
• MDOT             Webcam on the Bay St Louis Bridge

Support LPBF. They are helping us with water access at Bonnabel  http://www.saveourlake.org.

Support the Friendsofwestend. Hopefully we can get better access at West End.

Gulfport Board Sports has expanded their inventory. Give them a call and pick up your new gear on the same day! Tell them you ride with Cat 5. Check it out:  www.gulfportboardsports.com

Summer is here.

If you want to ride during the summer you need to develop a Summer Strategy:

1. Buy some GOO GONE  This summer looks like a tar ball event.
   
2. If it blows...go. If the forecast looks good, do not wait for the weekend. While there may be a good number of ridable days, rarely will they be on the weekends.
3. Get a big board. You need a full size Spleen Door, a 179cm Litewave, Slingshot Glide, or a skim board. Typical Summer winds are in the 12kt range. A big board makes a big difference.
4. Get a big kite. The Slingshot T2 17m, or the Cabrinha Contra 17m (new version) will get you riding in steady 10mph. You'll be planing while everyone else is complaining.
5. Plan a Kite trip. The number of ridable days decreases from June into August. If you plan a kite trip, it will almost certainly be windy exactly when you plan to travel. At least those of us staying behind will get to ride.
6. Watch the Gulf. Low pressure systems bring big (sometimes too big) wind. 
7. Find someone with a boat and buy a wake board.

CAT ISLAND INVASION IS HISTORY    Anyone ready for another Cat Island trip?

Kiting at West End... Check the wind, drink a beer, check the wind, drink a beer...repeat. If you wait long enough you either get drunk or get to ride, Robbie's video at West End

 Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

 Henderson Point Jan 5, 2008

Silver Slipper Beach (good on any wind without any West in it)

• Lots of new guys, and gals, have been showing up. At present, there are about 30 riders in the New Orleans area and maybe 15 around Lafayette. We would like to add everyone to the Riders page. Please get a picture to us.
• Get on our email blast list for the latest info on where the group is setting up to ride:EMAIL BLAST   
  
• Disclaimer:  This report is only an opinion of C5K based on the observations of multiple weather forecasting websites.  This is only to give you an idea of what the weather might be around the area.  If you want truly accurate weather...talk to the wind gods or go out and see if you can kite it yourself (then call everyone else)!
  

  The Weather

It's not Maui here. Forget trying to ride your 12m every day. You need to plan to RIG-BIG. The most important thing to understand about the weather on the Northern Gulf Coast is the wind is best between late September and May. Early Fall and into Winter you get either SE or N depending on cold fronts. Spring brings more flow from the S and SE. June through mid-September it's light. There is some possibility to ride during the summer, but the flow is less. Sometimes low pressure systems bring spectacular winds in Summer.

 Weather map: This wind meter only gives you an idea of the wind direction and it is completely wrong for the speed

 Trick Tips  

• Boardgrabs
• Kitefilm.com: Tricks with Shinn
  

 "It is gonna take something a little stronger than a little oil to keep us from kiting here!"