So this weekend was my first water ride with my new Flysurfer 19m and 156cm Slingshot. I learned soooo much but here are the highlights.

The first thing I did was violate rule number 1. Don't fly in offshore winds. I was on a lake and had my wife on a jet ski so I figured it would be ok when I got blown out into the middle of the lake. I had this vision of just jumping on the ski and her riding us back to shore. Not so much...but I'll get back to that.

Wind was like 12-14 dying to 5-6. I was there though and I was not going home without trying. I got suited up, kite inflated, and got an easy launch. I quickly learned as I eased into water over my head that you REALLY need the board on your feet to keep you sitting upright in the water.

So board on and kite at twelve I let it fly and I am up almost immediately. My wakeboarding skills take over and I am riding along comfortably. My kite bar/trimming/board edging skills still need some work though b/c as much as I tried I soon (10-20 sec.) later ran out of steam and sank back in the water. I tried to keep the kite away from the edge of the window but was unsuccessful.

Getting to the good part......I go through the same drill one or two more times before I look back and realize..........the shore is gone....whoops. No problem...Wife can pull me in right?

Wrong. I try to body drag upwind. While I was able to successfully move upwind slightly....nothing was getting me the 400 yards back to shore.

Try to sit on the ski....nope....the kite is dragging me and the ski sideways and trying to sink all of us. (I KNEW I should have taken that lesson!!!!)

Hold onto the ski while I am in the water and get towed back....not happening. There is danger of my manhood getting blown off by the jet ski and sinking to the bottom of the lake!

Now I make the king daddy of all mistakes....I decide to land the kite and wrap it up. This should work...it is what I have seen them do on all the self rescue videos.

What they don't tell you is the kite fills up with water (twinskin...now I know why people use LEI's) and the bi#ch is heavier than Rosie O'Donell after the buffet at Waffle House.

Have you ever scene two people on a jet ski trying to hold a 19m kite?? My wife said she felt like she was being eaten by a marsh-mellow. (Actually quote)

We did make make it back to shore safely to the applause of all the drunkards at the park.

So I have a tangled flysurfer that needs my attention....I guess I should stop typing!!!


20 seconds of fun....TOTALLY worth it!!

That 20 seconds is all you need

Make the trip to the coast for your first few times. The TxCity levee is a great place to learn, and there are some other spots depending on what part of Tx you are in. The winds are usually steadier. Inland lakes are great, but usually more gusty and harder to learn on. Looks like later in the week winds will turn back onshore here for me... love those days when you can buggy for a while.. then cool off in the water... then dry off in the buggy... then cool off in the water... then dry off in the buggy...

uh, well you cashed a mountain of lucky chips in on that one.



kite boarding is a wind dependent SAILING sport.

wind is good, you go.

wind ain't good , you don't go.

light wind riding is not for beginner and nor suitable for off shore.

conditions selection WITH A FLOAT PLAN (wife on a jet ski is not the plan you want)

FS can be tedious on the water in light, rescue swim FS in water first time out be glad you are alive. involving someone else may have been the pinnacle.
please dude , LESSON !

'eaten by a marshmallow' lol nice :D

Which lake were you at?

My friends and I have used a jetski in the past, and it worked out great.

There are two ways to do it, one requires an LEI, and the other should work with any kite..

1. (any kite) Kite in the air technique
a. Hold the kite at Zenith
b. Have the jetski driver get next to you and point the jetski upwind
c. Hop on the jetski quickly and sit facing back
d. Have your jetski driver **slowly** start heading back upwind (if they go too fast, you might end up in the air :o )
e. Manage your kite as they drive you back to shore

2. (LEI only) Kite upside down technique
a. Bring your kite towards the edge of the window
b. Have your jetski driver (hopefully versed in kite-handling) drive to the edge of the window, catch your kite, and hold it upside down so that it floats in the air
c. Wind your lines as you make your way towards the kite
d. Hop on the back of jetski facing back
c. Driver hands you your kite
e. Hold your kite (upside down and floating) while your driver heads back to shore.

I've personally used and seen both methods on lakes at at the coast. The first method is actually how XLKites gives their watercraft-assisted lessons. The student drives the jetski out on the water while the instructor manages the kite. In normal lessons, the instructor kiteboards out away from shore and the students walks through the water.

Letting a Speed go to the edge of the window shouldn't be a problem - let them fly and they'll haul ass. If you're losing board speed, either sine the kite slowly (letting it fly, don't stall it by sheeting in or being heavy handed on the turns) or sheet in and hold it till the kite drifts back in the window, you feel the pull and let your board pick up speed as it angles downwind a bit, then sheet out and let it go to the edge and head upwind a little.

From my experience, the biggest mistake I made was trying to ride in too little wind.

Getting there

Yes LEI would have changed the "rescue" dramatically. IT would have been much more manageable. As it was I never really felt in any danger. I was always prepared to cut the whole thing loose if I needed to. Expensive but my life is worth more.

I will NOT go again unless I have a downwind beach and exit plan. I learned SO much and I know now why you should not fly when you don't have a downwind exit strategy.

I did not mention that I managed the kite pretty good....one bowtie style crash and one reverse relaunch had me feeling pretty comfortable with my kite handling. It was the uneducated decision making that was detrimental.

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamikuza From my experience, the biggest mistake I made was trying to ride in too little wind. Getting there

I think that was a part of the problem. I was trying to be cautious by going in light wind and it was counter productive.

Quote:

Originally posted by burritobandit 'eaten by a marshmallow' lol nice :D Which lake were you at?

Canyon Lake

Ahh yeah, did you launch from Jacob's <something> park?
On north wind days, you can do a little downwinder from that northern park down to Jacob's, but you CAN'T miss Jacob's

I started kiting at Canyon Lake in 1999! Its like a piece of swiss cheese with wind! Gotta connect alot dots to stay upwind there!..........aj

Quote:

Originally posted by Txshooter38 What they don't tell you is the kite fills up with water (twinskin...now I know why people use LEI's) and the bi#ch is heavier than Rosie O'Donell after the buffet at Waffle House.

Yes I learned that last year when I had my synergy tear in shallow water. I forgot about it, but was reminded when I wrapped up my 12m sp2 in the water yesterday to avoid laying it out in a green scummy part of beach. I then had to carry this 40lb water filled kite wearing my harness and wetsuit in 20c temps for 400 yards back to the truck. Think that extra attention on self rescue with a closed cell foil might be a necessary precaution.

Quote:

Originally posted by burritobandit Ahh yeah, did you launch from Jacob's <something> park? On north wind days, you can do a little downwinder from that northern park down to Jacob's, but you CAN'T miss Jacob's

Yep....I left from Jacob's Creek when I should have gone to Canyon park to the north and back downwind to Jacobs. I wish I had known that 72hrs ago!

15-25 winds for thursday at the coast or TxCity. Now if that's not a good reason to miss work... I don't know what is :evil:

Quote:

Originally posted by PHREERIDER please dude , LESSON !

While I agree that a lesson might be a good idea for most I have had such bad experiences with "lessons". I am going to steer clear of dumping 300 bucks to the nearest 18 yoa that is going to stand there and say, "that looks goods....just move the kite a little faster"

I have been VERY disappointed with lessons. (Did I say that already) They did not tell me anything I did not already know. I dumped a lot of money for a little punk half my age to stand around and tell me, "just go a little faster and you will clear that jump" Well duh. It was almost like going to the doctor..."well you may have a torn ligament" I KNEW THAT WALKING IN HERE!!!! You are killing me!!!!

I think the most beneficial thing for me would be to meet up with some other kiteboarders that could give me some guidance vs. lessons. I am going to try to make this happen as I feel like I can learn alot without the hassle of a lesson.

Again...I am not trying to turn off others to lessons, I just don't think they are suited for me.

hang with the guys that fly

when the wind shows up , you show up too!

watch some, do some, a little more everytime.

walk UP with the kite, ride down its much more rewarding

you need MODELS, not teachers. watch the ones always on top

I think ... no sorry I KNOW that a lot of people teach but aren't actually teachers.

I've had lets see, 6 days of lessons, spaced over 7 years

First was a 3 day course in Indonesia - gave me the basics.
The best guy/results used a radio helmet and movies from his camera to point out what I was doing - got me up and riding in less than an hour, from being unable to ride at all.
The worst was a surly bugger who gave mysterious hand signals then yelled at me when I didn't respond.
Those in between supplied encouragement and a ride back up the beach. Oh and rental gear :D which was what I needed at the time ...

Once you can rig a kite without tangling it all up and can fly it fine, you just gotta get into the water and put the hours in. It helps to have a buddy around to say "You're doing this wrong/right" and if you find a great teacher it'd go a little faster ... but it sucks to pay for crap.

Watch the vids, read the articles, think about it, DO IT!

Quote:

Originally posted by PHREERIDER you need MODELS, not teachers. watch the ones always on top

I agree 100%. I am going to go slow and learn from my mistakes. I do not wish to set a bad example or be careless. I was so excited to be up and moving I can't wait to give it another shot!

Kami, you just described me to a tee....I will sit for hours reading, studying, and examining anything I can get my hands on. Then I go out and try ONE thing at a time until I have it down.

That's how I got my first knee drag on the sportbike. It was not overnight but one good building block that I would practice until I was ready for the next.

oh yeah ..time on the kite in the water. 10hours with decent sent drags with real power stroke action and control. got to go up wind . got to relaunch. until then forget the board your just gonna lose it

couple of session dragging around will give good confidence .

Quote:

Originally posted by PHREERIDER oh yeah ..time on the kite in the water. 10hours with decent sent drags with real power stroke action and control. got to go up wind . got to relaunch. until then forget the board your just gonna lose it couple of session dragging around will give good confidence .

I got up once today! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26SCzVVjnys but without the boat following I would have lost my board I think. I also wonder if my seat harness is killing me and waist would be better. I am not really sold on lessons either, I think I just need to get out more and practice. Getting into better shape should help too.

Still using a seat harness here ... limits me a bit in trying to ride toe-side and my stance is not perfect but does the job fine. My back doesn't hurt either

Looks good Gabe!

Upwind bodydrag - about the most vital skill you could have

WEdnesday thru saturday look promising... I'm going wednesday and hoping to camp at the beach to enjoyit for two days. I took one two hour lesson and was going upwind and cruising by the end of the first hour... but had spent six months figuring out how to do it on a land board first. Water does not hurt near as bad....

I have an extra buggy if you want to try the land between water sessions....

Quote:

Originally posted by Taper123but had spent six months figuring out how to do it on a land board first. Water does not hurt near as bad....

That's what I did too

TxShooter, you should head to the coast this weekend to try again. South Padre Island, Corpus Christi, and Texas City/Galveston are going to have *great* winds.

If you head to South Padre, shoot me a U2U and we can meet up! The SPI Kite Roundup will be going on from Wed - Sunday and me & a few other Austin kiters be there from Wed night -Sunday late afternoon.

If you head to CC, you might want to take a full body wetsuit as there are quite a few jellyfish out there right now. The most jellyfish-free spot would probably be Lola, Grassy Point, or mayyyybe Packery. All 3 of those spots have shallow waters, but wear booties to protect from underwater junk.

I don't have the latest jellyfish info on TX City Levee, but it is a great place to practice- just keep way upwind of the other kiters and again, wear booties.

The steady winds at the coast will definitely help you progress because it'll remove the guesswork on whether it's the wind or your technique

I can still remember the first time I got up on plane. It was like, "Dude! I'm doing it!" followed quickly by, "Crap - I won't be able to get back!"

Five seconds of bliss. LOVED every bit of it

Sweet :D Keep at it! And I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as an offshore lank wind.. just go to the other side