Weird Day - but a Good Read. Jalama 11m may4

[ChrisPSherwin]

I jumped in the car when the wind hit 20mph. When I got to Jalama it looked goooood. One kite in the air and others ready to launch. When I got to the beach, the mood was not optimistic. "It's too hot inland." A heat bubble was threatening to shut the wind down. Since I was here, what else was I going to do? So I launched 11m and it was GUSTY. Not more than a bad Utah gusty day, but the consequences of said gusts and lulls are just friggin BRUTAL on the Pacific Ocean. If the kite drops, you get dragged through the surf, and at Jalama, that can be bad. So I stayed out for about 15 minutes, another kite launched and bailed, and then I had enough. I hit a notoriously calm spot and barely made it to shore. Barely enough that the locals commented that I had done a nice job getting to shore.

OK, outta here. But as I walked to the parking lot I noticed that the wind had suddenly shifted to offshore. Now I'm REALLY glad I came in. So I have a beer and everyone leaves, but hey, I'll soak up the scenery. So I drive up the road and chill on the edge of a cliff and the wind starts to NUKE offshore. Waves coming in are leaving vapor trails 200-400 feet long in places. Very happy I'm not out there, sure is pretty. Then some dude goes out on his windsurfer. I'm thinking, "this will be interesting." He does pretty well, but I can tell it's low quality wind. A few minutes later though, some other dude launches a KITE and heads out, and I can SEE how gusty it is because the kite is jumping everywhere. So I drive back down to the beach again because I just HAVE to see this $h!t up close. I get there and this dude is on a 6m kite and surfboard absolutely DESTROYING the waves. His board is backwards on the lips at points. The waves are not very big, 5 feet maybe, but I would have paid money to watch this action. Just crushing it! I launch his buddy, who would have been the best kitesurfer I had ever seen, if his friend hadn't been out there. I'm on the beach, legs exfoliating from raging sand going out to sea, and I just can't quit watching. After about 15 minutes they both came in, the windsurfer had come in while I was driving down. The first kiter was saying things like "That was stupid." I didn't know if he meant dangerous, or just stupid gusty. Had I been out there it would have been both for sure. He packed up super fast and bolted while I talked to his friend. How gnarly was it out there? That first kiter who came in... was Ian Alldredge.

[Jason Klein]

nice story. i'm enjoying your CA exploits. try to come back in one piece this year....

[John Dubock]

heh heh the kiting level is dang good at Jalama feast on this http://picasaweb.google.com/hypersailor/Fwddarnkiters#

Having cut my surf teeth there in 1969, it defines "brutal". I still have an ice cream headache from winter surfing there. The spot is powerful beyond what it appears, shifty waves and basically beats you to a pulp. Its above Point Conception so it gets open ocean swells, rogue waves, and telephone poles wash up in winter storms.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hypersailor ... maDec2007#

My brother Glenn will drive 90 miles to shoot anyone crazy enough to go out, he has stories no one believes...