Pushing It

Although I will never get tired of looking at Mad Dog's boots over Le Parmelan, someone has to post a new story. We have had four days of flying at Kahana since our last Hawaii story, and today's flying seems worth the effort to put a few words together. How else are we going to enjoy our coffee in the morning?

Sunday was all about tandems. Then on Tuesday, Maui Doug and Five-0 Mike flew during a nice lull at the end of a strong day. On Wednesday, visitor Thane, Doug and I flew in blistering wind conditions. Today, a dozen pilots came out to Kahana on a day that was forecast to blow 15-25 mph, and thankfully it turned out to be a tiny bit lighter than that. Ten of us flew, in very strong conditions.

It was incredibly strong. We were getting lift way out over the bay. I managed a touch and go at low east launch in front of Thane, and then I toplanded at low launch on the north ridge, dropping my wing into the bushes. I relaunched and shot straight up. Above 1,500 feet, there were times that I was parked, even in my very fast wing. But I flew in that strong stuff for four hours.

Around halfway through my flight, the wind backed a bit to the north, and I got excited about the prospect of a bay crossing. I know that it's extremely hard to cross on a strong day, but I was really determined to figure out how to make it work. I must have tried five or six different lines. On my final attempt, I got sucked up hard by a cloud before I left, to 2,200 feet over north launch, and I knew it would be my best chance.

I arrived over the Crouching Lion pretty high, but I found that I needed to ride full bar, pulley to pulley, bucking and pitching in the strong cross flow, all the way around until I got to Hidden Valley. It was a truly sphincter-clenching experience. I have never crossed on a stronger day.

From there, I flew to Kualoa, but the whole time I stayed way out in front of the ridges, working the front of the strong lift band, out over the water. It felt like a crazy day to be over there across the bay, but I was happy to have made it. By the time I was climbing up at Kualoa, the wind had veered more to the east, and I rode a fierce tailwind back to Kahana.

Roll call: Five-0 Mike, Harvey, Thom, Thane, Jim, Bonnie, Doug (2x), Jayson, Larry, me, Larry Mac, Duck.

Thanks to Harvey for the tasty refreshments, and to Ces for the ride back to my car.