Beg. ?- Depowering a bridled kite, water relaunch, low wind

[Aloha]

I see Alameda in the summer mainly as a spot for either advanced kiters to do lightwind kiting in a beautiful backdrop or for newbies to learn the basic mechanics of safety pertaining to kiteboarding in a very FORGIVING backdrop. Their goal should be to become an independent kiteboarder that is not endangering other kiters and bystanders and then move on to 3rd ave's wind to learn to have significant ride/runs and maybe even start going upwind.

Remember the 3rd "runway for learning" is very short... it's not like Alameda where it goes on forever. You are trading runway for wind conditions and should be in a position to capitalize on that before you go do it--If you are still fumbling just keeping the kite in the air while you put your board on your feet then 3rd is not for you... You need a place with runway like Alameda to work on those basics. But if you've got consistent kite control and you can quickly get your board on and get attempts in and now just need the wind to get up and really ride.. then maybe you're ready to sacrifice the runway for more wind.

3rd is all about a few core things as a newb and I'm sure the guys on here can add to whatever I'm forgetting:

1) Being able to safely launch your kite at the upper launch (so know how to launch a kite very proficiently and know how to immediately punch out if you sense things are going wrong).

2) Being able to control yourself to the point of moving yourself left AND right via boardstart attempts and/or body dragging. If you can only go LEFT you are going to head out into the abyss pretty quickly. You need to be able to manage coming back RIGHT so you can eventually be ready to come in at the lower beach and then pack up.. walk back up and put in another attempt. You should be confident in going out at Alameda and coming back to the beach (kite in the air and board in hand lol) before you move on to 3rd

3) Self-Rescue ... and I am talking ninja master self-rescue skills. Not coming in wrapped up in lines dragging a bar somewhere behind you self-rescue. You need to be confident that if you miss the lower beach at 3rd b/c you drifted too far out... that you'll be able to body drag enough of the way then use the kite as a sail with the lines safely wrapped up to come in at one of the way lower beaches. I also recommend a lifejacket b/c if things go wrong you can at least float it out (most days you can't stand up at 3rd)

One thing you generally WON'T have to worry about is your kite being downwind of you dragging you forever not being able to relaunch.. not in typical 3rd conditions. I'd say wear a helmet and bring a board leash so it doesn't turn into a shitshow if you separate from your board. 1st run down the 3rd newb channel (staying close to the rocks) JUST BODY DRAG so you can feel out the mechanics of safely coming in at the lower beach without getting in anybody's way and build your confidence around what you will be doing once you're out of runway practicing on your board.

Once you go to 3rd and get really comfortable in the process of safely launching.. doing a short practice run--safely coming in to lower beach(es) walking and repeating.. I think you'll find you'll progress pretty quickly

BTW I personally think there shouldn't be anything holding you back from learning on that kite... I know they have the HiFi which is even more aggressively C-shaped so I can't imagine the Envy is too aggressive to learn on. My gut says it's similar to a delta kite in the way that it flies just looking at it and I bet if they didn't square the wing tips but rather pointed it would look a lot like any other delta kite.

[jjm]

If you want to get some more low end, don't bother with a >12m kite or more powerful 12, look into adding a surf board to your quiver. This will get you more low end, and still fun when the wind picks up or you head to the coast in the future.

Might be a bit tricky at first, but so is your current board at this point, right?

[earthbound]

Great posts Aloha. I haven't been having any trouble at Alameda controlling the kite while getting my board on and I move better right than I do left on the board. I feel totally comfortable body dragging to get my board so the next time the wind is up and my family are busy, I think 3rd sounds like a great place to progress. Thanks.

jjm, do you mean a surfboard for kiteboarding with foot straps, or just a plain old surfboard? Is a kiteboard surfboard any different than a normal surfboard, except that someone has bolted foot straps to it?

[MehYam]

My board is a 140, so it also sounds on the small side for a newby like me in light wind, so I will look for something larger to help me learn.

I've got a 148 TT sitting in my garage that I never use, feel free to borrow it for a while if you want. I live pretty close to 3rd too.

[jwest21]

My board is a 140, so it also sounds on the small side for a newby like me in light wind, so I will look for something larger to help me learn.

I've got a 148 TT sitting in my garage that I never use, feel free to borrow it for a while if you want. I live pretty close to 3rd too.

I've got some body dragging, launching and self rescue practice for awhile but when I'm ready to start strapping in could I borrow this board? I'm keeping my eye on super cheap beginner boards but haven't snagged anything yet. That is if earthbound doesn't take you up on it.