Kites on the beach

[Hernan]

Onshore, 20+, I just get my kite down (using the leash), put it LE down and to the wind. Walked few meters away to take up my board and WOW! the !@#$% kite relaunched itseft!! (wipi 11.
Luck on my side, nobody gets hurt, the kite is in one piece.
Newer more rigid kites are a problem at the beach.
What I learn: disconnect the lines imidiatly after landing. Take some air pressure out of the LE to "sit" the kite well down.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Hernan on 2002-11-07 11:22 ]</font>

[RickI]

It can be hard to properly anchor a kite in stronger, gusty conditions. When in doubt, use more sand, LOTS! As you saw, once it gets going it can be a bear to stop things from going too far. I am reminded of the kite that self launched in South Africa a while back and flew off cutting a kite and some lines, a teenager and with the kite eventually committing suicide under the tires of a couple of cars. Taking the lines off of one side of the kite is always a good idea if you are going to leave it unattended. Glad things worked out.

Rick Iossi



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: RickI on 2002-11-07 16:13 ]</font>

[Xboy]

Yeah watch them WIPI's they grow legs fast ,especially the 11.8's, only way I keep my kite down is with my board. Some advice for future that I practice when using WIPI's and its useful info for any other kite users. Roll and connect your lines from behind the kite instead of the usually front of leading edge that so many people seem to practice. Reason being if your kite does happen to grow legs like the wipis do, there's less chance of the lines catching other beach users and powering up with the lines downwind of the kite.

[jever98]

It's a good idea to put lots of sand on your kite for another reason, too: the flapping of the trailing edge wears out the material really fast, especially when the wind gets strong.
If that sounds weird, just think of all those flags in high-wind windsurfing areas: after a short while, they tear at the flapping edge.

[www.kite-surf.com]

Dudes! The most convenient and safest thing is to fill a "shoe" bag with sand. If you put this bag then on a kite, there is no way it can relaunch, because the bag is quite heavy. When you go home: empty the bag and refill again when you come back.

The best: you don't look like a dog putting sand on the kite and it's much better for kite treatment, too. Works great for me!

[jever98]

Yeah, but if you want to keep your kite from flapping, you needs lots a sand bags

[gaffer]

how about not leaving your kite on the beach at all.

I use flysurfers and if I'm not using a particular kite it's in the car, and if I am using it its in the air.

If I come in for a rest then its real easy to either keep the kite on its TE via the leash (for a short rest) or to sand one tip, deflate the kite and roll up the lines (if I want to nip to the cafe for a bite to eat) that way I dont leave line strewn all over the beach for others to trip on.

One of my main reasons for not using LEI's is that I dont see the point in pumping up all your kites and leaving them in the wind and sun to degrade while you go out riding.

[Guest]

On 2002-11-07 16:23, jever98 wrote:
It's a good idea to put lots of sand on your kite for another reason, too:

Lot's of sand(bags) won't be too good for your kite either. You are point loading the canopy and strut/LE connections. Secure your stuff while cleaning up and move your kite out of the wind or pack it up. Leaving a kite flapping at the beach or crushed by a ton of sand, while anything exposed is getting sandblasted is probably far worse than the UV damage. (note also that UV protection are coatings that can be abraded rather easily). R!

[Hernan]

This happened 10 seconds after I left the kite in a "safe" position. I was just going to pick up my board 8 meters away!
The kite does not slide gently , it was blowed out!
I think, after this experience, that in moderate / high winds there is no way of leaving the kite unatended and safe.

[RickI]

Thanks for the reminder Hernan. It has been so long since we had higher winds here I had forgotten. In conditions like that, the risks of solo launching go way up. The KSI has several nasty accidents involving riders trying this when things went wrong. You can solo launch but just like riding in onshore winds, the stakes of choosing to approach things that way will go up. In many higher wind launches, assisted launches are the norm and for good reason.

Rick Iossi