Still getting used to saying "2021". Wow. Anyway, the wind has been good to us the past few days - since moving from the Star reef over to the SE part of the atoll where we've got both good wind exposure AND smokin' fast 2G cell data that actually works sometimes, I've had the opportunity to kite board most days. Isabel gave one day a go with the help of Gavin from SV Slingshot.
As we all know, there are some things spouses shouldn't try to teach one another. Our Airush Lithium Progression 10 meter kite is great for students, and Isabel had a very productive training period with Gavin, as she likes to say "locomoting in both directions". Challenge 1 is launching out of the water and staying up for a few meters, then after that it's about body and kite control. Takes lots of repetition, but getting past the initial hump of launching does reduce frustration and things actually begin getting fun and satisfying.
Fortunately I'm past that and even playing with the Airush Union 12m, a much higher aspect ratio kite. It's harder to water launch, but once airborne it's light on the control pressure and quite responsive. My turns are improving and my recoveries from near spills getting better. I reckon my own kiting style is similar to what they say about helicopters and perhaps bumblebees.
They don't actually fly, they simply beat the air into submission. . .
It's fun to spend time around a couple of families who are all into kiting, well except for the little kids who would blow away in a light breeze. Everyone looks out for and offers encouragement to one another. Kite boarding reminds me of my 15 meter glider flying and racing days - completely pointless, just done for sheer pleasure. Turns out that kite boarding done well isn't even very strenuous so perhaps isn't great exercise. My method is more like that old Leslie Nielsen movie "Bad Golf My Way", and does involve a lot of physical effort. I do look forward to the lazy days ahead . . .
Turns out that the two most common problems on boats involve watermakers and malfunctioning toilets. Both create a lot of stress, toilets are nasty to deal with but water is something we simply can't do without. In the past 2 weeks we've made water for SV Slingshot which has an older Spectra unit, and SV Due South which has an almost new Osmosea energy recovery system. Due to expiring patents Spectra isn't the only game in town anymore and Osmosea has gained market share. Yesterday another boat with an almost new Osmosea unit cried uncle and asked if we could make them some water. That boat, Catherine del Fuego, has the same unit as Due South and their luck with it has been just as bad. Looks like another sunny day so we'll make them a load of water this afternoon.
Energy recovery watermakers employ a bit of fancy engineering to vastly improve efficiency, but generally speaking they do seem to have more problems than simple brute force and awkwardness units like our CruiseRO machine. Some folks with Specta units, the grandaddy of energy recovery watermakers swear by them, others swear at them. So far the Osmosea units don't seem to be faring well out here. Schenker energy recovery watermakers seem to be pretty darn good - the folks we know who have them are delighted. Schenker also isn't fussy about proprietary filter and other silliness like the Specta folks. CruiseRO is pretty much open source - they tell you what everything is and if you want to shop elsewhere, knock yourself out!
So there you have it - reliabilty is everything for remote, economical and stress free cruising. Spend the money up front and save it later. My vote is Schenker for energy recovery watermakers, and CruiseRO for high output equipment. Pop over to our anchorage on a sunny day if you need any water!
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