celly wrote:JGTR wrote:Why drift launch? You should only drift launch if you have no beach to launch on and the water is too deep to walk the kite out - otherwise tethered launch is the way to go
I drift launch because no beach space. Not familiar with tethered launch but will look into it.
for a tethered water launch you need to buy an anchor some floats a rope and a carabiner.
1) attach rope floats and carabiner.
2) Swim at least 1 line length away from shore, swim to the bottom, and screw in the anchor
3) swim back to shore and lay out your lines and kite exactly like a drift launch.
4) swim to the float/carabiner/anchor with your kite and lines
5) attach the kite to the carabiner.
6) Unwrap your lines.
7) Put the chicken loop on the carabiner.
8 )Take the kite off the carabiner.
9) Swim with the kite 1 line length and put it into a normal side launch position.
10) Swim back to the anchor, and move the chicken loop from the carabiner to your harness and launch as usual
I don't use anchors because I have some kites that don't sit peacefully on their sides. Also the one launch where Dewy always tether launches the water level is up and down so that anchor has to be moved all the time. I just end up drift launching even when I see the floats where the tether is out there in the water, it's quicker.
A water tether launch is usually safer than a drift launch because you don't power up until you are sure there are no tangles.