I will be going to Myrtle Beach for the week on June 23 and was wondering if there was any areas in Myrtle beach "south" to go for a newbie to Kite
boarding. i need to work on my skills so I want a place where I can be safe (more shallow then deep).
Any suggestions, Any one want to meet up and share pointers?tridude - 16-6-2011 at 06:37 AM
ping forum member Mgatc for MB spots.....................Nate and I might be able to make it up for a session or you can come south for the day and
we'll set you up at Sullivans Island...................Chad - 16-6-2011 at 07:58 AM
tridude, it looks like you would be about 80 miles south? if i came down on 17 how long would that take me. I have never been on 17 so just trying to
judge it. would Sullivans Island be a better bet for me then Myrtle beach IYO?
thxtridude - 16-6-2011 at 01:25 PM
Chad,
90 minutes from MB to Sullivans Island...................coming from the north your first stop inChaz is Mt Pleasant/Sullivans Island.................shehatesmyhobbies - 16-6-2011 at 01:43 PM
I am jealous! It would be great to hook up with all of you guys! Good luck down there Chad!
Get him up and going Don!Chad - 16-6-2011 at 05:11 PM
Don, if you could keep me posted on good wind I am sure i could make it for a day on the beach with you guys. I will have the family in tow but they
are always up for an adventure. I will be heading down on Wed night so Fri/Sat we could plan if the wind looks right to you. I will u2u you my phone
number and you can keep me posted via txt. Keep in mind I dont want to impose so if you are not feeling it just tell me NO! I will understand.
Thank you very much
(Rich) thx bro I wish I had room in the suitcase for you I would def take you along.. :roll:tridude - 16-6-2011 at 05:48 PM
Chad,
I shot you Nathans and my cell numbers. Look forward to getting you on the bar and in the water at Sullis. Im sure once you get home and talk with
Rich and Todd, they will be here sooner than later. Truly an amazing spot (nice beach and water for your family too). For MB, make sure you U2U Mgatc
for local info up there. There beaches are wide so you may want to bring your landboard. Daily winds are mostly S, SSW, SW which are awesome for land
and water............see you next week!!Chad - 16-6-2011 at 06:52 PM
Thx Don I sent him a U2U and hopefully we can work something.
Can't wait to see you guys again, I totally rebuilt that Ozone bar so I should be ok now but you will get to see it up close and personal. What is the
best size kite for your area and wind range?tridude - 16-6-2011 at 07:25 PM
your 13m Ozone and 11m SS should be fine...............................13m V and 15m Phanny for your landboard......................winds are usually
13 to 20 kts from the S or SSW....................MB seems to be a couple kts higher for some reason...........................mgatc - 16-6-2011 at 08:21 PM
Hi Chad!
Just got on board with this post.
I know very little about the kite scene in Myrtle beach. I know that a lot people ride and learn at Murrells Inlet which is about 10 miles south of
the Myrtle but I don't know exactly where. There is a kite shop at "Sail and Ski Connection" ( http://www.sailandskiconnection.com)(843-626-7245) that conducts lessons at Murrells inlet and I'm sure would give you directions.
The area that I use is not that great, particularly for learning. Thin beach, crowded, and deep water with current.
I can certainly vouch for Sully's if you care to make the drive. They have a great kite thing going on there and the best part is Don and Nate are
there! (Shameless plug for my friends. :smilegrin
I'll shoot you my cell via U2U. Give me a call when you know what your schedule looks like and i'll try and join you where ever. I live about an hour
and a half inland.
MelChad - 17-6-2011 at 04:04 AM
Thx Mel that sound great!
Just winging it for now (until we get a better wind report) but I think it sounds like my best bet is to go see Dan and Nate for the best riding or
driniking alot of that SC water
:wee:tridude - 17-6-2011 at 04:49 AM
ikitesurf extended forecast has SW at 12kts early in the am on the 23rd and will only get better......................the wind will be here so get
ready to ride!!Chad - 21-6-2011 at 05:16 AM
Ok guys it looks like Saturday - Monday is going to be my window. My wife had to make plans with her mother on Friday so that day is no longer viable
to fly for me :-(
I am not opposed to flying Monday and finding a small hotel to stay in and leaving Tuesday. Just a thought.
please keep me up on your plans and weather on your end. Can't wait to fly with you!
Mel: I will keep you up on any txts that I get so we can all fly, Sorry about Friday
:wee: vacation :wee:tridude - 21-6-2011 at 07:00 AM
Monday will be fine and the tides will be better for a surf and turf sesh.............................mgatc - 21-6-2011 at 06:55 PM
No prob. I still plan to surf Friday so may check out the scene at Murrells Inlet.
If your plans change for Friday, shoot me a text and I will meet you in Georgetown and we'll ride down to Sully's together.
You going to be in Florence on Friday?Chad - 22-6-2011 at 04:47 AM
Friday Sandi's mother will be coming down to Broadway at the beach to spend the day with us and have dinner then hang out at the Landmark. That gives
me Sat,Sun or Mon to kite surf. But Don Said Monday will be a better day so I am working towards that. I am up for any changes but leaving it up to
you guys for the best winds in your area. :bigok:shehatesmyhobbies - 22-6-2011 at 05:55 AM
Still jealous! I'm ready to pack up and stow away. I need a good breaktridude - 22-6-2011 at 01:16 PM
latest long range forecast for Sullys/IOP............................
Saturday looks stellar but what ever is best for you Chad....................Tuesday looking awesome too............
we'll figure it out!!Chad - 23-6-2011 at 03:07 PM
Whoop Whoop in town boys! had a good time at the pool the they kicked us out due to lightning!!!
Ready to vaca with the Fam tomorrow the see what happens on Sat, Sun, Mon with the wind/weathertridude - 23-6-2011 at 04:36 PM
nice..........welcome to South CackyLacky..........................look forward to our session!!tridude - 23-6-2011 at 08:50 PM
Mondays forecast is holding and looking good...............................dont forget your sunscreen and will talk to you this weekend
nice but isnt it a bit pricey.................................in the lower attachment choice C "Courtyard" is close and has rooms available Monday. I
called them last night......let me know what you choose.........................
Got a reservation at the Courtyard Charleston Mt. Pleasant for monday night! go to go boys!!!!! Lets partytridude - 25-6-2011 at 07:51 PM
nice......look forward to meeting your family and the session at Sullys...................like I told you over the phone 52 kites up Friday afternoon
but Monday shouldnt be too bad......................we've got you covered...........................pack the cooler and bring the sunscreen, see you
Monday......................:duh::duh:tridude - 27-6-2011 at 07:31 PM
Lostfox good to go on body dragging, board starts, and was up and riding this afternoon.......Ill let him chime in for specifics and
stoke......................mgatc - 27-6-2011 at 07:35 PM
Congrats Chad!
Sorry I couldn't make it but knew you would be in good hands. Nice finish to a nice vacation
mgflyguy0101 - 28-6-2011 at 05:42 AM
@lostfox- tell us about your day! Tri just got me more interestedChad - 29-6-2011 at 07:41 AM
Sorry guys, had to make that 9 hour trek back to MD and then the normal to-do list when i got home. Back at work now and it feals like Monday where
every thing has gone wrong over the weekend. :-)
WOW where to start? The beach was awesome and the water was like taking a bath. I started by looking at what everyone was flying so i decided to put
up my 13 Ozone. I got everything ready and rolled out my lines , got ready to hook up and started my final safety check and noticed that my kite just
didn't look right? My front bladder was loosing air. I pumped it up again just in case I had a loose plug or something but nope it lost air again!
??WTF?? well I decided to go get the 11M TD2 and see how that would work. Come to find out it flew great! I felt a little under powered but looking
back i am Ok with that. I did some body dragging and a bunch of board starts (only 2 that went any where) but 1 that felt like 100 feet but Tridude
said it was more like 100 yards! Yeah!!!! At the end of that run I think I drank about a gallon of water and lost my board.. but I recovered well and
tried to get my board back but was unable to do so. Another rider retrieved it for me! Thanks bro who ever you were! Props to Don for all the help and
suggestions for lodging and beach! I would defiantly go back if I am down there again. I am well on my way to getting wet! Watch out Michael i will be
ready to hang with you soon! Your kite saved the day by the way! I have pics on face book that I will share http://www.facebook.com/chad.bias
Sorry I miss you MEl maybe next time (soon)?PHREERIDER - 29-6-2011 at 08:20 AM
nice go! that spot is deluxe!
keep at it! tubes can disappoint with the leak thing. glad u had back up!tridude - 29-6-2011 at 10:21 AM
I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon as your kite monkey.........................you have the basics, keep body dragging and relaunching off
water............dragging/board retreval........................... we will get some good water time in at WBB this fall.............................Chad - 29-6-2011 at 11:05 AM
I will be ready! And if i have to i will bring the Jet Ski's LOLragden - 29-6-2011 at 12:09 PM
Wow... glad the TD2 worked well for you. I wasnt sure it would hold air as I've had some flukey session with it. Its not a bad kite, and I used it for
light-wind sessions before, so it certainly CAN do the trick, just wasnt sure it would. Awesome that she worked out for ya.
Sounds like you got a good start, now you just need to keep repeating what you've learned, get your confidence up, and then start figuring out how to
ride upwind... then we can take you into the "super-secret-slicks" of "pony-land"... tridude - 29-6-2011 at 12:19 PM
so the TD is your kite........it worked well.........when he put it in the water it popped up on its tip and was waiting for
relaunch.......................reminded me of my Wainmans. The first genration Delta..........impressive!!tridude - 29-6-2011 at 08:27 PM
I think I saw my old 10m Pulse out that afternoon............forum member Joedy you have my number and if you read and in the area call
me...............if that was you I have to tell you dont go too the far left at the beach. Too close to breach inlet and nasty current if youre
beginning. Go right off the access path towards stations 27/28........walk out to the sand bar, launch and have a blast............make sure to go out
2 hours prior to low..........joedy - 15-7-2011 at 01:13 PM
Don,
That was probably me down there. I only had one day to try to fly in Charleston, but didn't call you for two reasons.
1) I could not maintain an edge on my board at all. I took additional lessons with Sail and Ski Connection (nice Charleston native and college student
at Charleston College by the name of Matt.) Trained with a 9m 2011 North EVO in Murell's Inlet south of Myrtle Beach. The winds were about 20 gusting
to what felt like 30ish mph at times. Tide was running out and the water kept getting shallower and shallower. The sun was going down and my wife was
tired of sitting on the beach getting sand blown in her eyes. I could get up on the board every time, but I would either ride downwind for too long
and stall the kite or turn too far upwind and go for a dunk while leaving the board behind.
I returned to Murrells' Inlet two days later and practiced again by myself with the Pulse. Winds were onshore. I was able to body drag deep into the
inlet and make a few tries before getting too close to the shore. This time, I was able to get planning just fine and just as I would turn to edge,
the Pulse would stall and I would sink back down into the water while standing on the board. I would pull the bar all the way in for all the power I
could get, but she would freeze in the air and cease to pull.
2) I changed the original FS bar out with Flysurfer’s Infinity 1.0 bar. I had John at PowerzoneKites sell me a complete bar with the leader lines. I
installed the bar, but the Pulse didn’t feel right at home on the light-wind days that I tried her out. Since this is my first FS, I wrote this off to
my inexperience with the brand. I didn’t feel comfortable flying the Pulse on land on the windy days while at home. (At 40, I don’t mind a challenge,
but getting hurt intentionally is something that I’ve grown out of over the years.)
I had one day to fly in Charleston. Wind was great. Stopped by Air and Earth and picked up some things and then headed over to Sullivan’s Island. In
retrospect, Don, you are extremely correct in suggesting taking a right instead of a left when you walk onto the beach. The tide was coming in while I
was there and the wind was blowing towards the Isle Of Palms beach direction.
I kept trying to get up on my board, but continued to sink each time. Eventually, I got caught in that famous inlet current with the kite on the
water. I couldn’t launch, my board got away from me and I ended up pulling the eject and putting the Pulse to the 5th line. To make matters even more
embarrassing, I got caught up in three fishing lines while still being carried in the current. Luckily, one of the young boys fishing (one of the
three whose line I was caught in) grabbed my board while I was able to swim to shore. Luckily, I managed to get back on the beach and dragged the FS
back to shore. I carefully extracted myself from the fishing lines and thanked the young fella for saving my board. I was amazed that the kite was OK
and that I wasn’t hurt and that the new board that I had just bought could be saved.
In retrospect, I feel like I was oversheeting the kite. The Pulse had plenty of power to get me out of the water and up planning, but it was
profoundly frustrating to repeatedly sink vertically in the water time and time again while standing on the board.
I did meet a really nice kiter down there named Drew. He a full-time reservist with the Airforce. He was riding a Mako 140 like me and came down to
help me out. If you know how I can contact him to thank him, I would be very appreciative to send him my thanks. I thanked him at the beach, but I
still fell indebted to his help. In retrospect, I should have asked him to fly the Flysurfer and see if the issues are related to me or related to the
FS Infinity bar setup. (I checked out the membership to the Charleston kiteboarding website, but I don’t know Drew’s last name. I think that he might
have been flying a North kite.)
In the past, I’ve skateboarded, in-line skated, snow skied, water skied, and surfed. In addition, I’ve flown stunt kites since Top Of The Line was in
business back in the 80s. I’ve been extremely frustrated in my quest to get up and ride an edge.
That day at Sullivan’s there were 17 kites in the air at one point. I saw guys old enough to be my Dad and girls young enough to be my daughter
ripping up and down the beach effortlessly. Needless to say, that was a bad day and (hopefully) one of these days will become a memory to chuckle at.
After that experience, I was too frustrated to try again and too intimidated by the current to risk another tangle with the fishermen on the shore.
With all of the other kiters riding, I did not want to put myself or them into danger.
I am bound and determined that I will master kiteboarding. I may not aspire to pull massive jumps and XYZ stunts over fishing piers, but if I can
start at point A and return to point A, I will be very pleased with this level of skill attainment. If I can even take a dry kite out and return with
a dry kite, I will be even more ecstatic!
I’m not giving up on Flysurfers, but I did purchase a used Best LEI bow to help me in the process of learning. At this point, until I feel more
confident in my abilities to relaunch the FS in deeper waters, a LEI will make getting back into the air a less strenuous affair. Relaunching FSers in
shallow water is a piece of cake; in deep water with strong currents, it is much more challenging at this stage in my progression.
I have plans to ship the Flysurfer to John so he can verify the setup and adjust it accordingly.
Don, I sincerely hope that when I meet you in person that I will be able to send your old Pulse up, go for a ride and bring her back in for you to
try. I’ll definitely be back next year, but plan to continue practicing as much as I can until then. Living in the mountains, I’ve only got access to
lakes and to winds that tend to be fickle and gusty.
I would be VERY interested to hear of everyone else’s opinion as to what I was doing wrong. I will also state, that I had to trim in the strap almost
all the way in order to keep the kite from backstalling when I pulled down the bar towards the chicken loop.
-joedytridude - 15-7-2011 at 08:25 PM
figured it was you..........I was into a lesson with forum member Chad...............I mentioned to him that the person on the Pulse was very close to
the breach. Next time as you now know, set up at the access entrance or to the right. If you send the Pulse to John have him mod your mixer to stopper
balls frm figure 8 knots. This will make adjusting B and C mixers much easier............look forward to your next visit and sure we'll get you up and
edging in no time. That kite does very well in the waves and will boost to the moon once you get your timing down.....................doneski - 1-8-2011 at 02:06 PM
I'm restarting the thread since I'll be in Myrtle Beach 8/5- 8 and am going try to get to Sullivan's island for a day trip.
Is the sand packed enough for Coyotes at Sullivans?
Any idea where in Murrells' Inlet you can find shallow water to practice kitesurfing/body draging? I've looked and couldn't find it.joedy - 6-9-2011 at 01:58 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by doneski
Any idea where in Murrells' Inlet you can find shallow water to practice kitesurfing/body draging? I've looked and couldn't find it.
Doneski,
Copy and paste these coordinates into Googlemaps.com: 33.541653,-79.023858
This is the public parking area that you will have to use in order to kiteboard in the shallow, protected water inlet area
These coordinates in GoogleMaps.com: 33.538845,-79.025038
show just one of several public beach ramps that you can use to enter into the "private community" beaches. The beaches are public property, but you
can't drive down there. It's about a 15 minute walk to the inlet area here: 33.532452,-79.030528
Be sure to bring you water and necessary beach gear. There's nothing down here and you will hardly ever encounter any swimmers. Sail and Ski
connection also does lessons here. Be mindful of the low tide times; the water gets pretty shallow up near the beach. If you're body dragging, be
prepared for some nasty beach rash and cuts from the many shells. My wife is a big shell hunter and she said that this is one of the best places to
hunt for shells without a boat.
Depending on your skills, you can pretty much go anywhere down there. The water does get deep, so keep that in mind if you're body dragging on
side-off winds.
There are hardly any waves inside of the breaks, so it's a great place to practice and learn.
-joedyjoedy - 6-9-2011 at 02:00 PM
By the way, my avatar photo was taken in Murrell's Inlet in about an 18 knot gust on a 9m North EVO, sans board.
The moral of the story? You've got to go DOWNWIND before you attempt to turn UPWIND or you're going for a dunk and drag!
