Saturday dawned misty with not a breath of wind which didn’t bode well for racing. Fortunately most of us were staying in the old schoolhouse so had only to cross the road to get to the beach.

Having built up the buggies we spent a good long while standing around chatting waiting for the mist to burn off and the wind to pick up. Eventually the sun came out and warmed things up nicely but we were still missing the wind when we headed down the beach to set up.

I was selected as race master so decided to set out a course by buggy using the gradually freshening wind. With the wind cross-shore the only real option was a 4 point course, more or less rectangular. The buggies would likely be using the full width of the beach both running and beating so including a short reach at each end just separates the traffic at the turning mark ensuring people go more or less the same way rather turning directly into the path of oncoming buggies.

Eventually the wind started to get strong enough to race but a quick look around revealed that the tide was starting to encroach on some of the marks so we had to move them before calling the pilots briefing.

From the start Bob was leading Alan and Mike with Stu starting well back. Around the first mark Bobs problems started with his kite refusing to stay inflated and finding the wet stuff. Towards the end of the first lap Stu had made up plenty of ground and Mike seemed to be closing on Alan. Alan then made mistake by tacking too early to get over the start line, had Mike held his line he would have got past but he covered Alans move leaving himself on an even worse line and letting Stu (who did hold the line) get between them.

By the end of the second lap Stu had got to the front and the top 3 maintained there positions to the end. It’s difficult to remember all the positions, but it was noticeable that Mark was in 4th place by the end of lap 2 and maintained it to the end. There was plenty of place swapping going on between Tom and Tommy and between Ian and Keith.

By the end of the race the tide was threatening the marks again and there was not really enough beach left given the wind direction so we decided to pack up for the day.

The plan this year is to hold the events over weekends providing 2 days of racing at each event. Round 2 was an exception because the annual St Andrews kite festival was scheduled for the Sunday so racing would be Saturday only. Unfortunately a couple of days before the event the cold snap hit and much of the east of Britain was covered in snow which threatened to prevent some people getting through, and by Saturday morning even the west was affected.

In the end most of us made it through to find the beach in good condition although the wind was slightly cross offshore instead of cross on. The wind was light but we set up as usual and got some practice with the big kites. After a couple of hours a bit of wind appeared driven by some CN with snow and we started packing the big kites away.

The decision to race was made, I questioned if we were going to start with the CN still hanging just offshore but didn’t press the issue, after all the wind had risen from nothing to OK.

My problems began immediately as I launched my 4.9 and noticed immediately that it was too small so landed it and setup my 6.1 missing the 5 minute flag (anyone on the wrong side of the start with 5 mins to go has to go to the back of the fleet and has no priority until the race is started). The 6.1 picked up some dried seaweed as I launched it, which hooked up part of the bridle causing the kite to fly awkwardly. This meant that having reached the back of the fleet I had to find a place to land out of the way and extract the seaweed, thus missing the start.

Once I finally got away, I soon discovered that the kite was too small and after a painful almost lap I headed for the pits and set up my 7.7. After launching this I crossed the finish line, completing my lap but the kite was refusing to fly forward. I have had trouble with the bridle in this before and have fitted adjusters, however I didn’t have time to mess about with them so on returning to the pits I had to make a choice about what kite to use next.

The wind had dropped a little and I was running out of patience for setting up new kites. My 12.2 was bagged but the lines were still run out so I hurriedly laid it out with the intention of getting a second lap and hopefully overtaking some of the back markers (results show I wouldn’t have but I didn’t know at the time).

Leaving the pits was fine, reaching out to the seaward mark was fast and became sketchy as I hit the wet and was using some aggressive steering to keep the buggy going (if not pointing) the right way. As I closed on the sea I had a straight choice, gybe and leave myself more work to get to the next mark, or tack for a better line – always a worry with a lot of kite! I slowed down and raised the kite slowly before steering into the tack, but I had been over-cautious and ran out of momentum in the turn stopping half way round.

The classic way out of such a situation is to turn the kite back and reverse the buggy in a 3 point turn. I started this, smoothly sweeping the kite back and then forward, unfortunately I didn’t back up far enough so didn’t turn far enough before the kite swept forwards. With the buggy sideways on and gripping well I didn’t have much chance staying in it so was ready for the lofting. I didn’t go high but must have been gong sideways pretty fast because I landed hard.

I flew the kite into the ground and then started wrapping the lines taking a few extra turns on the brakes first to prevent it from refilling and being able to fly. Richie ran past and stopped my buggy before it got to the sea and eventually got the kite wrapped up and put it in the buggy to walk back to the pits. Apparantly I seemed pretty dazed at this point, and to be honest I did have a bit of a headache and I started packing my kites away when Tom called another briefing.

Fortunately I was the only person not so far drawn to marshal so knew I didn’t need to race for a bit, as it turned out we drew for the next 2 races and my number came up for the second as well. By this time the CN had passed and the wind had dropped right off so I finished packing up before checking my anenometer regularly until it was too late to start another race – the wind just wouldn’t get up to the 4m/s minimum, so we go to Luce next (venue I have always done badly at) with me marshalling the first 2 races – I couldn’t have planned that!

So just one race was run, and as it turned out the weather was so bad the following day that the festival was canned – I hadn’t really planned to go and in the end was glad to spend the day at home wincing as a result of my bruises.

I was sore for a few days, but was fine by the following weekend and ready to get out paddling again (which hopefully I will finf time to write up in the nexy couple of days).

I have a few things to sort out (7.7 and several bearings) but roll on Luce in Feb!

I drove down to Carmarthen for the PKA’s Last Gasp event on the weekend of the 23rd and 24th October. I took the mid Wales route and was really glad of the time off the motorway on the twisty mountain sections.

On the Sarturday we mustered at Pembrey for some 3 lap racing in cross shore winds. First race ended up being timed but didn’t run much over 3 laps anyway. After diving in our tents for another squall to pass we managed another race and I was just settling in (but struggling with kite choice). It was pretty tough going so I made no attempt to stop Aid from lapping me just before the finish. We then sheltered from another squall and by the time had passed it was too late to start a race given that the AGM was shortly after.

It was a funny day, a mix of torrential rain and warm sunshine, ultimately the rain limited the racing but by packing up unused kites carefully I managed to keep all mine dry.

Sunday was due to be at Pendine sands, but with an offshore forecast (off the mountain known as Pendine hill) it was decided to ask the club and rangers for permission to return to Pembrey, which was granted.

The last gasp itself (last race of the PKA year) is a point to point Enduro and Chris didn’t disappoint providing 2 marks about 2 miles apart with a scoring gate near the pit end mark. Unfortunately the wind wasn’t playing and the race started at 11am for 4 hours duration with not a single kite in the sky – no one had managed to even leave the pits. After about half an hour Ryan managed to get a kite up and get going in fits and starts and gradually over the next hour and a half people started making their way out onto the course.

I got going on my 15.4 about an hour and a half in (after some fiddling with the bridle and then unfiddling when I was certain it was lack of wind that was affecting the handling, not a stretched bridle). My first quarter lap was tough, the kite kept running out of wind and sky and eventually found a wet area to fall into. Then the wind picked up slightly and I was able to fly my wet, sandy, heavy 15.4 again which should perhaps have been a warning. After another quarter of a lap I dropped it near the mark (a definite wind hole near the mark) and on checking the kite found it almost dry! I did 1.5 laps more, mostly sideways, before pitting for a smaller kite. I took my time eventually going for my new favourite the 9m Butane. It wasn’t fully powered all the time but is much more responsive when you need to make wind. In the end I did 4 laps, packing up about 25 mins before the end because the laps were taking me 35 mins (PKA stop scoring Enduros at full time rather than allowing competitors to finish their lap). Ryan had somehow pulled out 14 laps but there were a lot of people with less than me!

A tough race but a great finish to the year.

Just catching up on a couple of weeks that have gone past so quickly. The SPKA first round was held at Sands of Luce over the 16th & 17th October.

The Saturday saw virtually no wind and after a bit of waiting about it was decided to hold the committee meeting (scheduled for that evening) on the beach since everyone was present. The evening entertainment saw us descend on the Tigh na Mara as usual for a meal, and beer.

Sunday turned out nice in the end, less than perfect direction (cross shore) so 3 moderately hard races. I was in 4th for most of the first race but was underpowered and Alan inevitably hunted me down upwind. Race 2 was looking promising until I got caught up with some luffing kites just before the start, only the massive speed differential over the guys in the 16″ class got me back into the top half of the fleet. Race 3 started a bit better but with Mike and Stu pulling steadily away from me until Mike broke a line leaving me clear for second place.

Not a hugely promising start for me, but considering I never do well at Luce it was a reasonable exercise in damage limitation. Roll on St Andrews!

I’ve had a hectic day or 2 since the event finished – sorry if you have been waiting for this!

The final result for Team Tornado was 496.2 km – just short of our 500km target, just short of last years winning total of 515km and well short of this years winning total of 548.3km, in fact we only made it home in 4th place thanks to cracking efforts from all the teams.

As I alluded to in my previous update, the pace at the start was good, easily enough to take the British record – probably 5 out of the 6 teams could have passed it! Unfortunately the wind didn’t hold up for the full 24 hours, there were some dead times around dusk and dawn, the dawn came with fog (traditional no wind fog) which cleared briefly and then returned, finally clearing with only about 45 minutes to go.

As a racer I need to make technical racing driver excuses for my own performance – I was out-gunned in the early stages both by my team mates and the opposition, and the excuse is this:
Chris’ buggy is probably set up fine for him (although he did point out that he needs some new tyres), unfortunately for the way I fly my tow point was too far back so the back end was sliding out much of the time. Of course I was able to control it, but continuously counter-steering and fishtailing affects your speed. Also I could do with a bigger tank so I don’t need to stop and empty so often.

Anyway, enough excuses – all the teams did really well, the event was too close to call all the way through which was great. Much better than one team going well clear early on, where’s the suspense in that?

Now for some photos, I’m assuming the ones of me at jaunty angles are a deliberate arty approach from Lewis:

Under Starters Orders

Jim ready for the 'Le-Mans' style start

Jim launching the 15.4m nitro

Jim under way

I think this is a Pansh?

Yakuza

Kites (Hilbre Island in background)

K629 with a Yakuza

Lewis practising between sessions

Lewis with Vapour

Chris Wilson with his 10m Pansh (Lifeboat station in background)

Kites and lifeboat station

Chris Wilson

You can find larger versions by clicking on each photo but anyone wants a full size copy of any photo drop me a line (jim-at-domain), I have them all at full size (3872×2592).

Photos copyright of Lewis Reeves and Jim Wallis

Just realised that although the app can’t access the server I can still get on by browser!

The event started with plenty of promise, I went first on my 15.4 followed by the 12.2, followed by the 9.7. Managed nearly 59 km in 2 hours. Lewis and Chis each managed sessions of around 65 – 70 km (2 hour). After that – I was back on the 15.4 and the wind has been up and down ever since. Lewis and Chris have managed with 10 or 12m kites most of the time (except the evening) but Chris has been becalmed twice and myself once. The average speed has dropped considerably, some teams may beat last years distance of 515km but the British record looks to be safe for another year.

Just over an hour left and only one spot has any wind, down by the Dee estuary at the limit of ‘bounds’.

Conditions have been quite overcast so not many photos, will probably post a few of the better ones up later or tomorrow.

Ok, I’ve beaten the train system again!

Managed to change to earlier trains at Hyndland and Glasgow Central, picked up the intended train from Preston (instead of Wigan) and then got the to platform for the wirral line just as a West Kirby train pulled up so arrived 20 minutes early – Hooray!

Everything is looking good here, a few people about already, jsut having a beer with Sandrash before working out the plan for the evening.

Lots of buggies and kites about, can’t wait for tomorrow!

Seem to be having trouble uploading from my phone so the updates might not go as well as promised

Well, the bags are packed ready for the 24 hour.

My kite bag is massively heavy, I’ve already redistributed stuff into my big black holdall, but looking at the forecast I think I might gamble on ditching some kites!

The pressure charts are quite complex just now, but the indication is for no significant weather for a few days. That means the wind is going to be light. Some fronts might bring damp spells but I don’t expect anything too bad.

The wind direction is looking like NW or WNW – pretty much directly onshore for Hoylake which means long reaches will be possible (hooray!). It also means that if the wind is light and coming from the sea, then any sea breeze that develops (convective wind due to the land warming up) will be added on to it – perfect conditions!

Tactically wind directly onshore is perfect. Hoylake is so big that we can get reasonable reaches in any wind direction, but to go as far as possible means maximising the time moving at high speed and minimising the time slowed down to turn. With Onshore winds, as long as there isn’t too much moon country (rough terrain is too slow) we should be able to get onto a good reach for a couple of miles at a time – literally find the fastest course and hold it for 5 minutes before turning.

That reminds me of another thing – it is very useful to scout out different areas of the bank in advance to see if the going is fast or slow, wet or dry. We won’t be able to do the whole bank before the start, but we are allowed to practise when we aren’t carrying the GPS’s, so one or other of us should use the time to explore the nether regions where the beach usually turns to big craters – if there is a good route through it’s worth knowing about, likewise if it’s way too slow it’s better not to do the research whilst trying to build up the scoring distance!

On the update front, I’ve worked out how to upload photos from the phone, and I’ve popped a micro SD card in my DSLR so hopefully we can make good updates during the event!

Hoylake 24 Hour Challenge
The Hoylake 24 hour challenge is on the 5th and 6th of June this year. The idea is simple, teams of 3 buggy pilots buggy in relay for 24 hours as continuously as possible (wind and permitting) to see how far they can clock up by GPS. This makes it an excellent opportunity to raise some money for charity – we have chosen to support the RNLI once more

The international federation (FISLY) have a set of rules for the 24 hour distance record which will be followed meaning there are 3 potential goals for participants:

• Beat all the other teams on the day
• Beat any personal bests from previous events
• Try to snatch the world record back from the German Parakart Association

This last goal is the most challenging since the German team managed a whopping 1050km in 2008!

Even my personal best is going to be a fair challenge – the team I was in last year were all experienced racers and won with 515km. My team-mates for this year are both racers although much more recent converts, they will probably be in better shape than me though because I haven’t made it to many events since last years Euros. Last year’s distance was set with very light winds, and an hour or so of dead calm around sunset – I am certain that with more wind we will be able to beat 515km, but since the event has to be scheduled around tides we have to take whatever wind is available.

Preparations are going well so far, unfortunately Scotland and Ireland are battling it out in the second round of the Celtic Challenge on the same weekend so I will be heading to Hoylake on my own, which since I am still a fair way from gaining a driving license means I’ll be on the train with about 50 kilos of baggage. This is OK, my team-mates have the same kind of buggy as me (well sort of – different ages/version) so I don’t need to try and take it (58.5 kilos according to the Euro’s weigh in at Gravelines in 2008 – max is 60kg). Apart from getting to the station at this end it’s not as bad as it sounds – changing at Partick and Wigan NW I don’t even have to change platform, Glasgow Central and Liverpool Lime street are a bit more challenging because I have to change levels between local and main lines but the routes are quite simple. Upon arrival at Hoylake the clubhouse is less than 10 minutes walk from the station – this isn’t the first time I’ve been down there by train!

I should be able to add posts during the event to report progress, so don’t forget to check back at the weekend.

Anyway, for now enjoy some photos from previous events:

Steve & Wind Turbine

Steve on the Bank

Tommy Starting 2009

Tommy 2009

Stu with big Nitro

The hours of darkness

Dawn 2009