Instead of driving to Montrose, I decided to take my ARC 1510 to the park to dry off, whilst getting some runs in on the mountainboard at Busse Woods in Schaumburg, IL.
I pulled out the 1510, inflated it, and let it sit to dry - getting excited about putting my feet in the mountainboard after 6-8 weeks hiatus.
I launched the Slingshot B4 bridled foil. Its a two line ram air foil for kiteskiing, kiteboarding, or snowboarding...we use them for training people on the sand before hitting the water.
The winds were 6-18 mph (unfortunately very gusty). The stock lines on the B4 are probably only 20-25 meter lines so the kite was getting pulled, then sitting or falling, then pulling again.
Anyway, to get to the point...the two line setup in gusty conditions created a major crutch to overcome. I could have been out on my ARC 630 getting rides in those winds (4.3 projected area), but the B4 would fly to the edge of the window and I would lose all control. Pumping the kite by violently pulling on the bar, to increase apparent wind, did little to help. The observances made flying the two-line Torques in Chicago gusty weather certainly apply to the B4 foil, as I'm sure any 2-line kite. 2-lines just don't work as good as 4 line setups. There is far less control, far less depower/power. After a couple runs, which were quite a challenge to stay on my feet, riding on two wheels, etc....I decided to pack it up and wait for the 1510 to dry.
Anyway, chalk up the day to getting a little more experience in crappy wind conditions.
V
http://www.chicagokitesurfing.com