Postby Mr Jo Macdonald » Wed Sep 25, 2002 5:44 am
Hi Huncie,
Thanks for the story, hope you sprang immediately to your feet and went howzat! to the crowd like you meant to do it.
Next time you're overpowered try keeping the kite higher, above 45°, it'll pull you more upwards and downwind but the ride will be a lot slower and when you want to stop just move it SLOWLY further up towards zenith. When you're well powered up any sudden movement of the bar will make the kite turn really fast and can pull you out of the water fast.
Also if you watch the kite a lot, especially when going fast, you can loose track of how fast you're actually getting somewhere, so the beach or anything else can sort of spring up on you all of a sudden.
If you're coming in really maxed out, slow down well in advance, that way you'll loose all the apparent wind and the kite will be much tamer, body drag slow towards the beach and if the beach is crowded and even downwind there's still no space, my advice is to ditch the bugger to the leash while still in the water well away from everyone and try to wind at least one line in before you reach the beach, gloves will help.
Keep practicing the beach landing, sounds like a real cool move, especially with the added attraction of the blondes.
Stay safe and have fun.
Jo
Catch the breeze
Body dragging upwind to retreive your board is really easy.
Try without the board first, all you do is lie in the water with your body and arm outstretched like superman, pointing in the direction you want to go, hooked in with the other hand controlling the kite which should be near the edge of the window and not too high, just a little powered up, you can even sine it slightly if it's too underpowered.
Go one way then the next, powering the kite as little as possible past zenith when changing direction. keep your eye on something on shore to use as a reference point and when you get the hang of it you'll find you can go upwind.
Then try with the board, first fall let the kite pull you out of the water at zenith to look for the board (especially in waves), it will almost certainly be somewhere upwind of you. Once you've spotted it, body drag upwind back and forth until your board floats downwind to you.
You can start doing this once you're past the stage where your kite pulls you downwind a lot every time you fall because if you're still doing this without a leash the board will be miles away, before you start jumping seriously is the best time to loose the board leash.
Hang time.
Jo