New Kiter Tips and Info

[ramsey]

Reiterating adam's post. I was helping a friend out yesterday who had taken a series of lessons locally and then bought some gear online. Took him to the upper launch at 3rd to do some downwinders. He setup his gear, and then i realized he had no kite leash. He then informed me that he never used a kite leash in his lesson. He said "oh don't i just use the donkey dick?" That was a shocker to me. Either way i got him set up and he was fine, but I can imagine a bunch of things that could happen without a leash.

Its upsetting that a school could charge hundreds of dollars for lessons and not teach a student the necessity of a kite leash. Whoever taught this lesson should be embarrassed.

[knyfe]

good that you brought it up. As I also helped a beginner on sunday. Actually he told me that he had lessons, which turned out to be just one!!! I told him that he should take more before going out as otherwise he would damage his equipment.

Then he prepared his kite to self launch and additionally placed the kite the wrong way. I helped him out by giving him an assisted launch in the water as the kite size was ok for the wind and a beginner. It took him 2 yanks to come back in with a damaged kite!!

additionally the Yuris summary which I would just repeat here:

Lesson learned on both sides.
- always ask for help in doubt.
- never try self launch if you are not a proficient rider (at least one FULL season) and know how to do it right.
- LEssons are expensive yes, but damaging yourself or even just your equipment will be more expensive. That is the reason why lessons are expensive as you will trash kites for sure. Get more lessons if in doubt. One is certainly not enough!!
- only go out with a buddy to help you, never alone
-never launch anyone if you are in big doubt that he/she will do well. Start arguing until they give up their ignorance.

Stay safe, G

[Greg]

A little known Fact: When sharks sense newbie's, they start circling....
It's not known if it's the thrashing, crying or smell of fear or if it's simply because they spend so much time in the water... But when a Newbie is down (especially if it's a cute girl) the big fish will start schooling. :shock:
L.M.G.

[wjb]

A little known Fact: When sharks sense newbie's, they start circling....
It's not known if it's the thrashing, crying or smell of fear or if it's simply because they spend so much time in the water... But when a Newbie is down (especially if it's a cute girl) the big fish will start schooling. :shock:
L.M.G.

I think it is because when they tomohawk their kite into the water it is like ringing a dinner bell :mrgreen:

[Sonny]

Reiterating adam's post. I was helping a friend out yesterday who had taken a series of lessons locally and then bought some gear online. Took him to the upper launch at 3rd to do some downwinders. He setup his gear, and then i realized he had no kite leash. He then informed me that he never used a kite leash in his lesson. He said "oh don't i just use the donkey dick?" That was a shocker to me. Either way i got him set up and he was fine, but I can imagine a bunch of things that could happen without a leash.

Its upsetting that a school could charge hundreds of dollars for lessons and not teach a student the necessity of a kite leash. Whoever taught this lesson should be embarrassed.

this explains why I have to drag in so many lost kites.

[baypirate]

i think the real issue here is that the majority of students who have taken lessons are still not ready to just go out and launch by themselves.

no offense to the schools, but every friend of mine that has learned to kite (through a school) has needed a lot of help once they get to the beach that first time.

Apparently, you can get kite lessons in the Bay area off Craigslist now, all sorts of fly (that jetski) by night operators... That said, we are blessed with quite a few options for solid kite instruction. Yeah, most people finishing a 2hr water lesson are not ready to ride (I wasn't...), but the main objective of a school should be to have them ready to safely go out, get water time, and come in.

Speaking of "going out", it's awesome to see so many new people coming into the sport at 3rd Ave (a mirror to one own's past, just more popular...) However, the air traffic through the little opening between the rocks at the upper launch is getting a little hairy, even on a weekday. I don't want to pile on, but when people hover around with kites to go out and come in, attempting 20 water starts literally in the mouth of the launch is not ok. With kites in the air backed up both on land and on the water, messing around with attaching board leashes or just a little luff is enough for a bad tangle, and at the launch itself the rocks are AT MOST 20ft away.

If you can't ride comfortably, body dragging 100ft out is best is so many different ways: you get some upwind real-estate, you get away from the rocks (and submerged water obstacles near shore), and you clear the runway corridor as a good FAA-compliant pilot.

[baypirate]

on flagging cabrinhas, in my experience (2008 powerdrive 1:1 bar) it is better to flag it via the main line through the bar (where your leash already is attached), and when it is on the water straight downwind unhook and start winding a steering line until you have a wingtip pointed your way, then start wrapping all four lines....
If any cab riders want to tell me UR Doin it WRONG, please educate me.

Not to confuse a "new kiter tips and info" thread, but this is a great question. My understanding (and experience) is that under normal circumstances (not high winds, tangled bridle etc.), the process Stone describes is quite safe (ie. wrapping few feet of one steering line on the bar, essentially having the wingtips "shut closed" like a mussel). Once the kite is disabled this way all four lines can be wrapped on the way to the kite, with the obvious benefit of no lines floating in the water (which will get around your ankles 100% certain once you start swimming) as well as getting to the kite "fish pole" style instead of hand-pulling on one line.

[stone]

(ie. wrapping few feet of one steering line on the bar, essentially having the wingtips "shut closed" like a mussel)

I'm not sure what this is (shutting closed like a mussell). What I was saying is: flag the 2008 cabrinha via the centerlines as it was designed to do, then once your kite is flagged onto the water, wrap one steering line around the bar until a wingtip is pointed towards you (rest of kite flagged out flat downwind), then wrap all four lines until you're close to the kite. This has worked for me in strong wind and with a bridle tangle. If you can't get a steering line wrapped you can still go to plan B, which is leash to the flagging ring and release all other connections to the kite (hook back in before moving the leash).

One more tip on self-rescuing: when you get close to kite, stop wrapping your lines. You want to leave enough slack in your lines that you can sail the kite across the wind, back to your launch or any other takeout. This means flipping the kite over (leading edge up), lying on the LE of the side of the kite away from the direction you want to go, then pulling on the lines to the other wingtip to lift it from the water so you ride it back like a giant C on the water. It's actually quite a comfortable ride, kind of like a powered air mattress. But if you wrap your lines all the way to the kite and they tangle on the bar like they so often do in a self-rescue, you won't have enough flexibility in the kite to flip it, or enough play in the lines to sail it.

[baypirate]

stone, yeah, bad metaphor the closed mussel. I meant exactly what you described. When you wrapped enough of one steering line, the wingtips should come close together (with one facing you) thus preventing the wind from filling the canopy, so thereafter you can safely wrap all four lines on the way to the kite.

[elli]

Yep Baypirate has a good point. I vented on it before too. People block the narrow entry point causing lines of riders with kites in the air on both directions (coming in and going out).

Last time it happened some guy gave a lesson trying to water start another rider and rig them 20 feet from the water line in the water. 10 minutes riders came back in and went out again. Me and a few others with kites in the air waiting to go out. What I noticed talking to people is the zero awareness of what is going around them. They have no idea that they need to roll the lines when they are done or rig them in a certain direction so everyone can rig, don’t get the idea that the water entry point is the biggest danger point because you are standing next to the rocks and have many kites in the air close to each other, and so on. I think many new riders don’t think of kiteboarding as a dangerous sport or have the idea that we share the same beach.

This is something I don’t think schools teach. They teach you how to ride, but not how to behave on the beach or how to be safe.

Lately in third upper launch I don’t let anyone that I don’t know launch me, even if it takes a while waiting completely rigged and ready to roll. You will be surprised how many people don’t know they need to let go only when you give the thumb up.