There hasn't been much on the day to day at JIBE so thought I'd catch up a little and feel free to add any comments. A number of us arrived over the
weekend and it was an extremely busy weekend for events on Jekyll which meant the beach was crowded but a few got in some shorter runs.
Monday the winds were more SE (angle onshore) for most of the day and then got lighter by late afternoon. The majority has packed up for the day and
the tide was coming in and the Angus made a little day adjustment to the flux capacitor on the Jekyll wind generator and a fantastic late day wind
came straight onshore that gave us wonderful long runs for that last couple of hours of the day.
Tuesday started off looking cloudy and windy and the forecast for rain showed it slightly inland which looked promising. The wind continued to build
as the tide eased back and everyone headed to the beach - again very SE wind. The first few riders were zig zagging their way south and coming back up
the beach at great speeds. As it got into the afternoon the sand was still blowing on the beach but the wind eased off just a little allowing for the
intimidating conditions on wind strength so just about everyone got out to fly, many with smaller kites and it still meant zig zagging south and
working the angles to do faster runs Back downwind heading north. Again by later afternoon the winds started to swing slightly more ESE and pick up so
the sand was blowing down the beach and a number of enjoyed many great runs in the high 40 mph range. My personal best was 48.9 and I'm sure Bobby,
Errol and Phillip were all within that area as well. I'm guessing approximately 15 riders here now plus spouses, family, girlfriends, boyfriends etc -
today was stellar, got a lot of good fast and fun riding in, had a blast seeing everyone and riding with friends.acampbell - 5-16-2018 at 03:20 AM
JIBE riders Mark Groshens and local rider Jim Weldy made the front page of the Brunswick News on Tueseday. Local reporter Bobby Haven snapped this
photo of Mark...
acampbell - 5-16-2018 at 03:23 AM
and then this photo of Jim Weldy...
acampbell - 5-16-2018 at 03:40 AM
Nice job guys. Just goes to show how accurate weather reporting is...
We have had a few spits of rain - enough to rinse the salt off - but that kept the Muggles off the beach and allowed some safe riding at good clips.
Somebody over-reported when they told the newspaper "speeds upward of 50 mph..." but I think we'll be OK. As long as someone doesn't report the
running down of plovers and small children.
I also watched some novice riders have their first buggy runs and safe tacks/ jibes. That's the whole game right there.3shot - 5-16-2018 at 04:23 AM
Thanks for the update Mark and Angus! Man I miss you guys. BeamerBob - 5-16-2018 at 04:38 AM
Phillip Chase was another fast one. He was running beside me on a run over 45. It was amazing how there was an extra push of wind in the half mile in
front of kite beach. It's like the wind just knows!
Earlier in the afternoon I flew my 12 m Phantom. It loved the downwind runs and pulled even after lturning a few degrees more downwind past kite
beach. After going to pick up my wife for some beach time, I switched to my new Montana X 8m. It was better upwind than the arcs by just a bit but
didn't have the pull downwind of the arcs. Saying that, the Montana gave me my fastest run of the day and a beach PB over 46. I wish I had been flying
the Phantom when flying with Mark to compare to his Phantom II 12m. We'll see what the winds offer up today.
At the end of the day I was wondering how an 11-13m LEI would have liked the wind angle we had.
The best part is hanging out with and riding with the new friends and old. So many times I referred to people as longtime friends I just met. Lots of
people that started coming to JIBE after I moved out west I've finally gotten to meet face to face for the first time. soliver - 5-16-2018 at 05:09 AM
I got to meet BeamerBob y'all!!!
Yesterday was pretty nuclear... the kinda day where you tell wifey to keep the kids at the pool so their poor little legs don't get sandblasted.
I tried a little with my 4 line Symphony conversion but it just wasn't enough to do anything but carry me down wind... it died down enough that I felt
ok putting up the 6m P1 and had a great time (cautiously)... I lost my GPS so I couldn't tell how fast my tastes tuns were, but I was trying hard to
keep up with Mark, Bob and Wexler... and falling short. Plus that 6m was SUPER flappy on the upwind leg.
Many thanks to Randy (KAZEDOKA) and Ted for helping me put the Peak down and pack it up.
Great time yesterday guys... good on y'all for making the paper!!!BeamerBob - 5-16-2018 at 05:27 AM
Thanks Soliver!
Wexler hates changing kites and stuck with the 3.2 Vapor. His fastest run was over 42. I told him Monday how lucky I feel that we get to share this
together. soliver - 5-16-2018 at 05:39 AM
I don't think I got into the 30 mph range... if I did it was short lived and a little too much for me... I know I'm a ninny. No way I was anywhere
near you guys in the 40's.
Not that I could've gone to the 12m, but I'm like Wexler, I don't like to change kites if I can avoid it.abkayak - 5-16-2018 at 06:12 AM
im worried about Howard...
keep an eye on him for usRandy - 5-16-2018 at 07:10 AM
I too made a splash yesterday. But not intentionally......
Caption: "I did not see that coming."
hiaguy - 5-16-2018 at 07:28 AM
no worries abkayak, i have it on good authority that he's doin' ok.
no personal bests here - small kites and comfortable cruising in the mid-30's.
making new friends here that feel like old friends; everyone here has been warmly welcoming to this newbie (and ines, whose pics will be posted as
usual).
Loving the comments and pics- makes missing you guys and Jekyll even more- keep them coming
Scott3shot - 5-16-2018 at 11:55 AM
Sounds like some epic runs on the beach!!!soliver - 5-16-2018 at 05:14 PM
Hectic end to a great day!
I had a good time rolling the kids to the south water tower and back in the Tandem with the 12m Peak! Then after wifey brought the kids home and I was
able to get a run or so in rolling solo before the weather rolled in. Everyone got to packing up to get off the beach and I was caught with 2 buggies
full of Kiting gear, beach toys, boogie boards and misc family beach gear when the buckets of rain, hail and gale force winds hit the beach... many
many many thanks to Mr Angus Campbell for his help getting all my cr@p to the top of the ramp!!!
It was fun to see the Pavilion full of buggies and liters soaking wet and shivering.markite - 5-16-2018 at 09:28 PM
Yup, today (Wednesday) was another great day overall. As others described a storm south of Jekyll slowly moved toward Cumberland just before noon and
everyone waited to see if it would go inland or hit us before getting onto the beach. We caught a corner of light rain and then it cleared up and SE,
maybe a bit more ESE kicked in. Everyone making their way to the beach and nice that the dull stRt to the day kept the beach overall empty (of other
beach goers) for quite a while. Started with a fixed bridle 6.5 Libre Spirit and threw down a number of fast deadmans - great when the kite whips
right around fast. Soon buggies and kites of all description running to the south tower and north to the holiday inn.i found it easy to run north but
depending on kite choice there was a lot more zig zagging north for some. There was a little more east in it today so running north was downwind but
you didn't need to work the kite and angles to keep from over running the kite, it just built speed and again as we closed in on the bend by base
camp/kite beach it was the max speed zone. Absolutely fantastic to see a cluster of kites and a close group of riders making long runs.
Later afternoon the ominous dark sky to the south gave warning to clear the beach. A dozen of us got a little wet hauling our bugs and gear up to the
big pavilion and then the crazy tropical storm let loose- great social time waiting for it to pass and load cars to call it a day - another super day
followed by a delicious dinner out at one the local restaurants with a number of couples.....mmmm blackened Georgia shrimp and beerJimSSI - 5-17-2018 at 04:10 AM
If you can't access the images on the Brunswicknews.com, here are the thumbnails
Thanks so much for the detailed updates. I can feel the water in my face now. Next year. Hell or high water!!! TEDWESLEY - 5-17-2018 at 06:02 AM
Hell or permanent high tide kinda the same.
Y'all come back nowKAZEDOKA - 5-17-2018 at 06:20 AM
Enjoying this wonderful venue and hospitality 😎soliver - 5-17-2018 at 10:11 AM
I'm pretty wiped out... gonna sit out today and go to the pool with the fam-jam!!mystainedskin - 5-17-2018 at 12:00 PM
Although I have been several years in the past...still never rode.
Had an awesome time Monday and Tuesday with Rebecca up there...both as first time riders.May venture back up tomorrow. Thanks for all the help and
hospitalityfrom everyone. Looking forward to next year with gear and more skills
Any shirts available still?Randy - 5-17-2018 at 01:53 PM
I'm hoping to get a t-shirt too - medium. shehatesmyhobbies - 5-17-2018 at 05:49 PM
Thanks for all the updates everyone, it's almost like being there. Still wishing I was. markite - 5-18-2018 at 05:55 AM
I'd do an update from Thursday but I left my buggy and 6.5 Libre Spirit sitting on the beach and some barefoot bearded buggy pirate took off with it
and spectacularly blew out the lines. If I catch him, he's a deadman!Demoknight - 5-18-2018 at 07:02 AM
Mark you think you are so funny!soliver - 5-18-2018 at 09:02 AM
I had a nice day off the beach yesterday ... the wind didn't look favorable, I needed a rest and the kids needed some daddy attention... Ended up
walking the dog down the beach yesterday and could tell from the buggy tracks in front of Tortuga Bar place that PKF won't let me post their name for
some reason that y'all had a killer day!!!
We will be headed down to the beach after lunch for more tandem rides and buggy fun!
Right now, in an effort to use up the food in the rental and not have to transport it back to Marietta, its Bacon, Eggs and Grits for lunch... BEST...
WIFE.... EVER.
We are departing tomorrow around noon!markite - 5-18-2018 at 09:09 AM
sometimes.....and sometime I just want to move tables together and be a pain
in the a$$
Okay Thursday we came to the parking lot and the wind indicator was straight south with swings SSE to SSW so for a number of us it was social time,
line, kite, buggy maintenance time. As the wind showed steadier SSE some got onto the beach for early runs and the rest joined over the next hour. A
lot of tacking to get upwind but a bigger kite cut down the tacks needed and could hold more coming back downwind. The usual suspects having fun in
kite beach area and working south for long runs back. Beach has been fairly good people wise all week and not too busy at all Monday to Thursday. I'll
probably miss a few names but here goes: Davis, Michael G, Ted, Albuquerque Randy, Chris, Frank, Scott, Howard, Peter, Phillip, Errol, Angus, Alex,
Bobby, Wexler, SSI Jim, Canada Jim, Mark, Spencer (I think he had a family day yesterday), and probably another 4-5 I'm forgetting
Late afternoon most had packed and gone but Jim, Bobby, Wexler and myself were still there on the buggies having a blast playing around each other zig
zagging on the beach and trying to run as a pack back for Scott to get some photos in, not as easy as it sounded when trying to plan it out in my
head. Peter was still ther too and Alex arrived later to rip around on the blocart. We came off the beach sometime closer to 8:00 and then met up at
Tortuga Jacks for dinner, drinks, music and attempted to move tables around.hiaguy - 5-18-2018 at 09:15 AM
Sadly, by then we'll also be on the road.
But first, there's lots of beer and food in the fridge to enjoy, and another afternoon of buggy seat time to get to today.
This has been a great week! Thanks y'all
PS: Ines has managed to capture some great images... stay tuned - we'll try to have them posted to flickr next weekend.soliver - 5-18-2018 at 06:47 PM
This afternoon the wind was almost directly onshore so we hit the beach and I gave the girls a few tandem runs to the south tower an back until the
deep dark thunderstorm looming in the south brought rain and thunder and lightning. We packed up and said our goodbyes to the crew that I saw on th
beach and in the lot. A few guys said they planned to come back after the storm around 5:30.
Got back to the house and wifey said she could handle the girls for the night so after a dinner with the family, I went back to the beach to the
surprise of all the guys I had said goodbyes to. We rode until sunset. The winds were light and from the SSE so there was a lot of tacking to get
south and then fighting with the kite to get back downwind.. that was solved with a 12m Peak.
Great times y'all!!!
Many thanks to Angus for another great JIBE!!!Randy - 5-18-2018 at 06:58 PM
Yes, thanks to Angus for making JIBE possible, and this one was really great. I enjoyed every minute of the time in Jekyll and enjoyed saying hello
to everyone. Lots of fun in the buggy, made it a long ways down to the water tower Monday and back, made my personal best speed with a mere 2.5 m
kite on Tuesday, and got a lot of great riding in all the rest of the time. Thanks to NAPKA for helping make this event possible as well. BeamerBob - 5-20-2018 at 12:16 PM
Made it home yesterday with only one flat tire on the car. New tires installed tomorrow! It was so good to get back to Jekyll Island and to see old
friends and meet so many new ones since we were at the first two JIBES. I had forgotten how confidence inspiring that sand is. Run out of room? Need
to stop NOW? Just point the buggy sideways and slide to a stop. No matter the speed. This is great for every skill level.
Thanks to Angus for putting in the work for us to have a week we can all aim for to ride and fellowship with each other. Don't forget he does it
solely for the satisfaction of seeing our smiling faces covered in sand and sunscreen. I can relate as well as anyone the joy that brings. soliver - 5-20-2018 at 07:13 PM
We got home late yesterday... one of the best JIBE's to date IMHO... wouldn't you know it, the day after I get back I found my etrex GPS while looking
for something else
Thanks again of course to Angus for putting on a great event!pbc - 5-21-2018 at 07:52 PM
Phillip Chase was another fast one. He was running beside me on a run over 45. It was amazing how there was an extra push of wind in the half mile in
front of kite beach. It's like the wind just knows!
You noticed that too, eh? That was so weird. It was consistently higher at kite beach. Now that you're entering the highest density of kites and
people, let's add a little more juice!pbc - 5-21-2018 at 08:01 PM
...I don't like to change kites if I can avoid it.
And that is why I fly depower. On Thursday I could tell the 12m Phantom II was more than I needed in the first two minutes. Yet I flew it the whole
time. Just adjust that trim for the tack.
I exploited my overpowered situation to do some epic dirt slides at kite beach. 40 mph to zero in a powered slide. I haven't done that in years. It
takes me back to the days when the game was how much sand I could pile into my lap by sliding. Demoknight - 5-22-2018 at 07:00 AM
Bobby it was great to get to meet you and put a face to a name. I had a blast riding this past week. Like several have said, this was probably the
best JIBE I have been to. The winds were up all week, and I definitely did my personal best fastest speeds this week with the favorable side shore
winds. I don't carry a GPS on my buggy, but from the very first downwinder I felt the highest speeds I have ever felt on the buggy because I could
barely keep my line. I think I just about reached the maximum speed of the wheels on my bug because up over about 45mph the ride gets really wobbly.
To everyone there, and especially to Angus for gathering such a group of people, thank you for making it great year after year!TEDWESLEY - 5-22-2018 at 08:09 AM
I had a great time with all of you as usual and hope to see you all soon. Keep those Canadians coming!jrhook - 5-22-2018 at 08:57 AM
Jekyll island is the Holy Grail of locations. If the wife can love her visit as much as me, the fun never stops. Ted, thanks for the Peak demo...new
Peak on the way as of today so hurry Wildwood! Good to see you folks again and Davis, you're one of a kind, sir! Angus, thanks again and keep up the
good work, and as usual, thanks Ines. Howard, that arc is calling me, I hear it!markite - 5-22-2018 at 11:26 AM
One last update from the actual week of riding just so we have every day covered - friday May 18
the weekends are always busy on Jekyll with beach goes and friday is the start of people arriving - friday morning started with groups of school
children on the beach but they always leave by noon. Some people were departing today so i missed saying goodbye to a few of you. It was looking dull,
forecast was a mix of rain and the wind was straight south and a small number of us were socializing up by Davis's RV then we noticed the wind had
swung SE again and was that direction steady. Jim and i headed down to the beach and looking south past kite beach there were small numbers of people
spread quite a distance south and tide was starting to go out but the wind was great. Jim set up a Phanny 12m and headed north. I replaced the lines
on the 6.5 Libre Spirit and launched to test the lines and it was really powered nicely - decided to slowly cruise south but even headed into the wind
the kite really wanted to go so had to keep it parked at 12:00 and found an open stretch from the last hotel to the south tower and turned at the
tower to come back - man it was juicy speed and power, in no time hit 45mph and accelerating and getting into more wind but getting close to the
people zone so just kicked it sideways and did one of the nicest longest side slides fully powered and just kept going sideways - decided this might
look way to fast for the people on the beach so slowed down and got back to switch to an arc.
A few others were now out, saw SSI Jim, Howard and Peter, Chris, Frank and Errol and a couple more and we all squeezed in a few runs as the skies
darkened to the south and the beach started to empty. A couple of more runs then a quick pack and dash for the pavilion for the mid day rain then
moved over to the smaller bbq pavilion after the wedding planners kicked us out - I guess the wedding party wouldn't want to sit in the wet sandy
buggies.
Turned into maybe an hour and a half of socializing and then cleared up but took a while for wind to return. About 6 of us stuck around and rode until
dark and it turned out to be a fun evening with us all zig zagging in and around each other, working our way south and back in the area of kite beach
wringing out the last bit of riding possible out if JIBE 2018 - it was a good day (maybe a little scolding to the two buggy pirates that didn't get
back to the house until almost 10:00 for dinner - but all good in the end)
sometimes.....and sometime I just want to move tables together and be a pain
in the a$$
