This week-end...

[pocbase 0]

... I finally got to jump again.

Almost a month and a half uncurrent.

My father in law was having his 70th, something we just couldn't miss. Friday mid-afternoon, my wife Cathie and the two girls were in the car and we were off. 4 hours later, I turned off into the parking lot of the first bridge. It was kind of weird having the girls with me. It was way past sunset and getting very dark. I had been hoping to get two in; bummer.
So there I was, all geared up walking along this bridge with trucks full of merchandise and cars full of week-enders roaring past. Checked the bugee bridge but they had long cracked their first beer. There were just a couple of new guys working on something to do with bugee jumping.
Then I crossed the road to the usual exit. This is where you wait for the traffic to pass before climbing up. It tends to freak people out. Besides, screaching tires are not that good for focus when you're uncurrent...
I was jumping the Ace. Karl had a cliff strike with that Ace, Erik fixed it and now I use it on bridges.
Any way, nothing too eventful, just a go and throw at the perfect spot to get current and 20 minutes later I was back on the road. It was nice to feel like a real BASE jumper again. It might seem a little obsessive to have to stop and do a jump while with family, but then again, BASE is what I do.

Saturday, after some preparatory labour work for the party, I started looking for somewhere to pack.

I am way way uncurrent packing and it took me ages. One thing I saw was that the 'shoestring' on the risers is pointing up and doesn't get dragged along the ground like Tom A said. I really need to get my brain thinking parachutes again. Any way, chopped it and cleared the fine sand out from between the rings that I picked up on the last jump. Packed slider up.

sms Tack to ask him if he wanted to jump the 730' 'S' the next morning. He replies telling me to meet at 5:30 am at the Engen garage in Plett. Cool, it's on.

The party was great. I don't really like crowds and usually just take a safe distance and sip on my beer. I did just that but Cathie stuck with me most of the evening and that was nice.

So the next morning I drive the 30 kms to the said garage. I'm a little early and go in to the Wimpy for a take away coffee. I really need that coffee.
A lot of matriculants come to Plett to party at the end of the year. Unfortunately there are two right in front of me at the counter, still drunk. No rudeness though and I suppose I was like them once. The lady behind the counter is pretty slow also. Tak is here and the guy in front of me drops Vodka he had in his pocket. It's all over the floor. I decide to forget the coffee and we go to the bridge in Tak's car.

Now I've done a few jumps off this bridge already but it still scares me. Despite this, there's nothing like walking out onto it with a buddy at 6 am feeling like the world has been deserted.

I am going first.

Climb up on the concrete. In the distance, at the gorge, I see there's a good swell running. "Vic-Bay must be going off!"

"Cheers Tak"

Slightly head down but no kicking like I usually do when uncurrent. Conservative 3.5 sec I think and on-heading. Negotiate the dodgy landing area and decide to go dry. Still convincing myself that my Mojo's better.
Watch Tak go off. I think it was the first time I saw him do a flat and stable. The closest I've seen him come to that before was a floater...

The first time I jumped here, the climb back up was scarier than the jump itself. Mud and flakey rock that crumbles under hand, all on a steep slope. Now I'm used to it but today there were tics everywhere. I don't think any bit me though and I'd hate to get tic bite fever again...

Half way up we chat about BASE jumping and stuff. Tak is probably one of the luckiest guys in the world right now. Tandem master at Skydive Plett, swooper extraordinaire and a 730' bridge all to himself...

Back in Cape Town after 6 1/2 hours driving and it all seems so surreal. Too much internet BASE jumping lately and I suppose it's all about balance. Hopefully I'll get to jump the rock before a month has passed. Internet BASE is ok but there's nothing like the real thing.

The bums will never win Lebowski, the bums will never win!
Enfin j'ai trouvé:
Bieeeen

[rjgill 0]