BayAreaKiteboarding.com

I'd be glad to help too, but you will have to kite at 3rd ave.

dboardfox wrote:Ok, I'm that guy who had his kite drop in a lull at the alameda launch and then power up and go back into the launch area(3/30). First I apologize I am extremely concerned about safety and feel ashamed that I put people in jeopardy(I packed up an left out of shame) I just want to kiteboard badly, yes I have taken lessons and Yes, I am new to the sport. However, I am not unskilled as during my first ever regular tack I nailed a back roll. So here is my plea, I am a pro level wakeboarder trying to learn the ropes. My mistake was trying to fly my heavy kite 12m kite in light winds. when I saw 10.5m flying I thought I was good to go; I was wrong. This is where I need a mentor friend. I purchased my kite for learning and durability, it's heavy as a 12m and now I know. So bottom line is I need a mentor; and I will trade services with Wakeboarding lessons or time. Email me if you would consider being my mentor. This is not a one way street as I can teach you how to kick ass on a wakeboard. ( tantrums, mobes, scarecrowes, rolls, 180 's to 720's.). Dboardfox@gmail.com.

Thank you for owning up on your mistakes. If you end up downwind the shack, introduce yourself to the crew who launches at ShellGate street. I wish more beginners have the same attitude as you are. There was one dude recently, crashed his kites and nearly injured and took out two kids on the beach in front of their parents. Kept yelling at him to go out, but just some hot shot who thinks he owned the beach.

Introduce yourself and I will try and lend you a hand.

Rey

Man i dont know if its the new logo or maybe the arriving winds that are bringing out the charitable attitudes. Definately Nice to see it. Im recovering from shoulder surgery for another few months so until then ill be the designated kite launcher. At my local spot of course. Good luck and enjoy

Thanks Col.kiteman we need a good launcher.

Thanks all for the advice and understanding it means a lot. I grew up in the surfing scene and if you mess up you are labeled kook and basically kicked out of the water. Glad to see that the kite community has a better vibe. I have got a few pm's and am ready to get back out there.

This definitely isn't surfing. Thank god.

I grew up paddle surfing too. The kite crew is *one* of my favorite parts of this sport...

Kirk out

It's funny that surfers that transition to the sport sometimes get a bad reputation concerning following common sense rules designed to maintain access, especially in crowded areas like Alameda.

If you have a brain in your head and minimum of soul, you are rightfully horrified at the prospect of hurting other people as you go through the learning process. I remember I didn't care so much if I hurt myself, but I was traumatized about putting other people out......and so used maybe undue caution and respect to the power in the kite. Still had some incidents, but everybody does. How you learn from them while maintaining a sense of responsibility is the important thing.

Good for you to own up to it.....and not allow yourself to get too cocky too fast, even if other skills transfer.

The kiting vibe at least in the Bay area has nothing to do with the typical surfing thing. Surfers vibe to impose a pecking order to protect limited resources. When another kiter tells you not to do something, it's more likely that he sees something unsafe and is warning you about it rather than asserting dominance. Bite down on the instinct to react negatively to somebody barking at you.....it's almost always good advice coming your way even if it might not sound like it.

Windsurfers WILL vibe you......as a former windsurfer myself, I find the amount of concern and fear coming from windsurfers against kiters kind of over the top. Many of them (even very seasoned sailors) seem to assume that we're engaging in unsafe conduct at all times, no matter what. Even my dog is viewed as a bad actor because his owner kites. I've grown a little fatalistic that that will ever change much.

Part of the thing about learning at Alameda is that you will surely have days where you're tempted to go out in light winds with a big kite. As mentioned previously, don't park the kite overhead, which is a recipe for Hindenburging. Keep it moving so you can maintain some tension on the lines at all times, and make a habit of minimizing the amount of time you spend on land.....get in and out of the water as quickly as possible.

You think the wakeboarding connection is good, wait til you start connecting the surfing thing....waves....endless bottom turns and carves off the top....oops. The surfer thing does come into play when talking about how much fun any surf spot might be. Don't tell anybody.....

Yeah, if you see the kite back-stalling, even when at 10 or 2 or 11 or 1 it will most likely go towards the center and your chance to re-power is freakin high. Sheet out immediately and completely and if it doest help, just take few steps back to try to put tension back on the lines and stop the backstall. This has to happen VERY quick before the kite rolls towards "inside" of the wind window... which takes 1-2 seconds at most, and, when it's time to decide if you punch out (most likely if you're on land). Also ensure your kite is not "choked" when you launch, it should never backstall unless your angle of attack is way to high when the "stall" starts to happen. (which is the reason for sheeting out to allow the kite to fill up with air and reduce the angle of attack).

12m is not hugely relevant to how light the wind is. I saw 120lbs chicks rocking on 12m when it was 11 kts out whatever.