Coastal Wind Sports, Inc. of Brunswick Georgia will be hosting HQ Kites for an afternoon demo event on Jekyll Island on Saturday , September 8 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm . The event will be located on "Kite Beach", the stretch of beach directly in front of Blackbeard's Seafood Restaurant, 1/2 mile north of the Convention Center on Jeckyll Island, GA.

New models making their debut include the Crossfire II, Montana III and the new Scout (replacing the Beamer TSR). They will have all their other models too.

Hope to see you on Kite Beach!! I have attached a Google Earth KMZ file for those not familiar with the location. Or go here for written directions... http://www.coastalwindsports.com/JoinUsOnJekyllFAQ.html

Please forward info to anyone you might think is interested

Fair Winds

Angus

Attachment: Kite Beach-Jekyll Island.kmz (625B)
This file has been downloaded 506 times

The HQ event is shaping up nicely. PKF members TriDude and BeamerBob are making the trip down with family on tow. A handful of local kiteboarders will be around, too.

A photographer from the Georgia Times Union caught me on the beach yesterday making a run in the bug. Couldn't launch the Scorpion but it was plenty o' breeze for the Reactor 4.9 and the wide axle flexi...

http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?userpho...

http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?userpho...

With the kids back in school, the beach was wide open and I had a nice almost 4 mile trip to the south end of the island for a nearly 8 mile round trip. (I put the harness on for the long trip after the photo shoot ).

What an awesome looking beach! Im really looking foward to the 8th. Great bug vid Angus!

Good PR Angus. I can't wait. I'm licking my chops at getting to try lots of different kites and to be around others with the same passion I've found for power kites. Thanks for putting this on Angus! I assume you already have some 12-15 mph winds set up with NOAA? See you next weekend

12 to 15 works with a couple 18 to 20 mph surges!

If there is sun, there will be wind and it will be from the east, regardless of what the general area forecasts say. It's the good ol' see breeze effect. It tends to build more after the tide reverses and starts to come in, and I have shceduled low tide for 1 pm that day, so it should be all dialed in by 2 pm. Then it's perfect for a nice beam reach.

The catch is, it also sucks the water off the ocean and the moist air feeds the boomers moving in from the west. Take a look at the kite buggy photo above and note thet big one building behind me. It did not let loose until I got home, but every once in a while I get chased off the beach and the bug gets a good power wash on the top of the car going home.

Sometimes they roll through fast and I can throw tarp over everything, spike it down, and retreat to Blackbeards (restaurant in the background in the photo) and have a beer while we wait. Nice thing about the GA low country is that you can see the boomers coming from miles away.

Now if it is cloudy, everything is a crap shoot and we go with the local predictions. But low tide still gives us room to play.

Luv those afternoon sea breezes. Low tide today at 1525 (3:25 pm for you civilians). Hope to be at washout (Folly Beach) by 1230! Ive noticed the winds have started in from the NNE again so lets hope the breezes continue. NO BERMUDA HIGHS please! They mess up the wind and waves!
Fly hard, Fly safe, and Fly it like you stole it!

2-3 Sep

SAT
NE WINDS 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS
AND TSTMS.

SAT NIGHT
NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS AND TSTMS.

SUN
NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO
5 FT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS.

Lets hope for the same next weekend! Angus this forecast isnt far from what you should see this weekend. Having said that you better fly that Blade like you stole it, and intel afterwards of course!

For all attending the Angus/HQ demo at Kite Beach, Ga! The winds are forecasted for Saturday here in Chaz at 15 easterly. Angus, you should be getting similar winds as well! 4 days and a wake up!

Yeah the heat and humidity have fiinally broken and temps for the weeknd are expected to by in the low 80's with low chance of precipitation. If we get rain it wiil be the kind to pass quickly.

All we need is just a little sun and the wind will take care of itself.

So many kites and just one day! How many people are expected on Saturday?

Hard to say. A few of you guys travelling from points SouthEast, a handfull of local kiteboarders, maybe some from Tybee Island, and the local public. The Jekyll Island Authority put it on the cable TV channel that serves hotels on the Island, so hopefully some curious tourists.

Hamburgers, veggie-burgers, snacks and beverages at my place after for anyone interested. We are 1 mile from I-95 for an easy getaway for those with a long drive home.

Weather looks good. 10% chance of precip. and winds 15kts from the NW, but looks like enough sun to pull it around from the east on the shore.

SAT
N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
SHOWERS AND TSTMS IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON

This is the Folly Beach/IOP forecast but Jekyll should see about the same winds! Woohoo........ bring on the 6.5, CF 2's, and one of those big Montana 3's. The Psycho 3 will be available and with that big depower range-- you gotta try it! Angus, break out one of those twin skin Lynns! Looks like air-o-plenty! OBTW, Ive got the dessert, Angus has the details!

1 day and a wake up!

NNE 15 to 17 knots today at Folly! The Psycho was off the charts. Thats about max winds for me on hard packed sand landboarding. I had to deflate my tires to about 20 PSI to maintain grip! Forecast calls for same winds here tomorrow so Jekyll should see about the same! Waves were chest high with a few sets to head high so I broke out the longboard as well. One day, I may grow up!:D

NOAA forecast for SC costal waters:

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING

REST OF TODAY
NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E 15 TO 20 KT IN
THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT.

TONIGHT
E WINDS 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT...SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 5 FT.

SAT NE winds 15 to 20 kts seas 4 to 6 feet

Its 8am and the winds are NNE 10 to 12 at the beach On the road at 9:30--see you around 1230!:duh:

please post pictures and any reviews of demo kites =]
Especially how's crossfire 2 and montana 3?

The 7m M3 is sweet! Ill give Angus first go since it was his event!

What kites/sizes did you get to fly Tridude:?:

We had a great day with 12-15 knots of steady wind from the Northeast. I have a few photos here... (Bobby, if you have some good shots, I will add to the album)

http://www.coastalwindsports.com/HQDemoDayJekyll07.html

HQ wants us to lay low on some details of the new kites until they make their own official anoouncements, but I can expand a bit on what's already been mentioned.

As Don Says, the Montana 3 is sweet! As big an improvement or more over the M2 as the M2 was over the M1. Look for availability announcements in a month or two.

The Crossfire II has an adjustable bridle: Low lift, higher speed for the buggy, and higher lift lower speed for the 'Board (like the current Crossfire). Several other nice designe refinments too. We flew the 4.0 meter and I think the new model will be much more versatile. Great kite and a blast in the buggy. Get this: they are adding an 8m and 10m size to the line. Beasts!

The Beamer III has a new baby brother, the 1.4 meter. Fun and fast.

Ths Scout, the new successor to the Beamer TSR, will be available in whole number sizes, with the smallest being a 3m. It's a whole new design from the ground up. We flew the 5 meter.

The Rush line of two line trainers will get a third line running from a brake bridle through the bar to a safety leash. Allows for reverse launches and easier landing.

Tim Baxmeyer of HQ Kites USA brought along Jan Junker, product manager from HQ Kites in Germany. Jan explained that they are really stepping up their R & D and it was evidenced by some of the major refinments we saw in the new models. Jan promises that 2008 will be an exciting year for them with some major new announcements. Stay tuned!

I like the looks of the new Montana! Looks like HQ's graphics are steppin up.

Same here - that Montana III looks great

The Montana 3 was awesome. If your thinking high wind depower kite, you should demo one! If I had a land site to fly depower, I would have lobbied hard to take it home Saturday! I flew a 7m M2 for about two months and it was nice, had probs at first with tips folding and occassional sail collapsing but that was me having to learn the kite. Thats why I reviewed the kite here on PK as "not" a beginners depower sail. Cant say that about the M3. After I flew the kite for about 10 mins static (popped a few BIG jumps) I took straight off upwind on the board, narrow tack angle, and had no issues. Stable and powerful without a hint of tip tuck or sail collapsing (depressurizing). The graphics are nice too! Im no kite guru but I know enough to say this kite is a PTPer (prime time player)! Fly hard Fly safe!

Something else worth elaborating on about the Montana 3 without giving away too much is the stability. When parked at the zenith, you can let go of the bar and have it sit overhead with very little attention. While it 's not quite the let-go-of-the-bar-and-go-have-lunch auto zenith of the Peter Lynn Twinskins, its' noticably more care free than the M2. I'll be offering a sweet deal on my 7m M2 and will be first in line for the M3 when they announce.

M III looks great and sounds like you guys had a ball and are giving it the thumbs up.

I'll be waiting for release date and "in-stock" news.

Keep us posted.

Wow, the M3 graphics look great! Almost looks like an ozone though, eh?
How is teh lift on the M3? compared to other years?

HQ claims the 7m M3 has about the same lift as the 9.5m M2. We couldn't do a side-by-side but I bet it's close. TriDude got some good air.

I flew the M2 9.5 but was still learning the depower style so I cant compare and at my age my memory.........well you know! I can tell you the 7m M3 is "very" lifty. Static flying and popped 8 footers plus all afternoon (winds were 12 to 15 knots). Double digits jumps a couple of times! The M3 is very fast with excellent pop, and float!

@ Baluk--actually the M3 looks more like the Air Evo minus the trailing edge mylar flaps! Sweet kite!

Hi Angus,
We just finished Surf Expo yesterday. Thanks again for making the demo at Jekyll Island happen. Jan-Hendrik and I both enjoyed that day. And we certainly enjoyed the burgers and other goodies at your house too. Great to have met your family.

Talk later

Tim

P.S. You are on the list to receive one of the very first Montana III's

Tim,

Thanx again for the fellowship and the sails. Youve got a sweet line up coming out in 2008! Send Angus a 9.5 M3, Id def like to fly that one!

Don