Why J Heineken is so fast downwind ?

[Europ2]

Is Johnny pumping the kite downwind?
I see he has a extra log depower rope

I've seen photos of Adam Koch doing the same thing.
My guess is that it allows them to depower/trim the kite without having to lean in, so they can hold more power with their weight outboard.
They steer with their back hand and trim the kite with the front hand from what I have seen.

The front hand pumping technique at 2;54 on the vid.
Many brands (Takoon, North, ...) used to propose a small handle attached to the depower strap of their C-shape kites circa 2003 to achieve the same result and was then abandonned.

It is strange that this is back. Is it that effective ?
What are really the benefits compared to a bar sheet-out ? Does it virtually increase your arm length ?
Where is this 5th line attached to the kite ?
By "pumping the kite downwind" are we inducing a jelly-fish type oscilating movement (the parasite effect that has been fought for years by kite designers ) ??

Xtra_rope.JPG (19.23 KiB) Viewed 2402 times

PS: Pouch, is it this kind of picture that was removed last year upon Bruno SROKA's request ?

[pouch]

well done ! I did not noticed the technique

is the rope attached to the main line or to the depower strap ?
Johnny is not the only one using the "pumping" technique



can it simply be a depower line extension , which make the kite easy to trim if you are outward of you board ?




the pictures which was censored was about an under development 6 lines bar

[pouch]

check out the vid
http://www.teamfluid.com/TEAM_FLUID/Pho ... ideos.html

they are all the time grabbing the rope and "pump" the kite

i am very currious about the technique : any guesses ?

[edt]

check out the vid
http://www.teamfluid.com/TEAM_FLUID/Pho ... ideos.html

they are all the time grabbing the rope and "pump" the kite

i am very currious about the technique : any guesses ?

doesnt look to me like he's "pumping" anything, he's just making adjustments to sail straight. I'm no expert, but I know in racing it's really important to aim straight for the tack mark.

[ronnie]

John seems to have a new board with black painted cutouts at each of the rear corners on the underside. The windsurf course race boards have had them for many years. Maybe the new 70cm wide tri-fin kite raceboards can benefit from them? Its a MikeLab board, and this photo shows another MikesLab board with the recesses, which look like they can be filled with blanks.
http://www.mikeslab.com/kb/images/pages/PA310026.htm

In the first photo here with John in the air, sheeting with one hand and steering with the other , it looks like the recesses have been filled with black coloured blanks.
http://prokitetour.com/event-photos.php?id=118&Day=2


You can see the recesses in the two PKRA wrapup videos from Mexico, where John won. They are visible in this 1080HD video near the start as he turns his kite over his board is lying upside down on the beach, and in the other video he semi-crashes at the finish line and you can see the underside of the board. At 45seconds you can see the board from the side and see that he has thin straps on the outside at the rear, which I assume makes it easy for him to step on them when using the centre strap.

[Al-Kite-A]

He's so fast cause he trains in Playa Copal, Costa Rica.....
so does Rob Douglass and Damien LeRoy!!!

He Races in SF Bay.
Here is a shot of his board

[Al-Kite-A]

Old board new board.

[ronnie]

Old board new board.

The centre strap looks quite a bit higher - is the pad raised in the centre below it?

[Al-Kite-A]

Just the strap.

[stefaans]

Ronnie, the center strap just looks higher because the straps back screw is not in. the back screw for the center strap is the screw that holds the rear fin so with the fins out it just looks this way.