Here's a video showing the challenges of learning to kite sail. Atlanta doesn't have many good venues for buggies, landboards and the like, and with my windsurfing experience my thoughts turned to trying it on the water. kitesurfing is not all that accessible either - only a few difficult launches. So I thought I'd try kite sailing (for lack of a better term.)

I'm using the Pacific Sky Power winder I got via the Kickstart deal. If it works it will open up a lot of venues for me. Used it some at the river 10 minutes from home, which has a unique advantage - current flow opposite the prevailing westerlies, and it has a lot of shallow spots, which may enable launching from the middle of the river when its down. However, the wind is not very clean, but I had some success there last week - and lots of practice launching. Today was my first try at the lake and it was easy to launch, but keeping the kite in the air was a challenge that I did pull half the time. So nowhere to go from here but up!

Pretty neat Randy!
What kind of board were you on?

Its a windsurfing trainer board. Its fairly short and wide. It has a center fin. Here is a picture of the setup. I made a removable seat for it to make paddling more comfortable. I have 2 other boards I think may be suitable, but I thought this one would be the easiest one to start with.

cool stuff man ...those boards are perfect for that, a little more kite and you'll forget that pole!

That looked like fun! You need to get one of those Hydra trainers or something similar, so you can relaunch from the water. I always wondered, but never tried this, if you were to somehow stitch a short roll of that foam pipe insulation behind the nose darts of a NPW, if it would float the nose enough to make it relaunchable. I know without something, the NPW becomes a good sea anchor on it's own. Once out of the water, though, they relaunch and 'air' dry quite quickly.

Great fun Randy... you on Lanier?... I was thinking the same thing as Bobalooie about an HQ Hydra!... I've seen (youtube) someone use one on a very similar reel with a kayak. Kite-yak I believe they called it.

I have a small 1 man Canoe I've thought about outfitting with a foot-steerable skeg to try the same thing with. But I'm pretty sure I'll never get around to it.

This one:

Interesting!
I might have to try that with my yak.
I'd prolly end up with a 5 mile into the wind paddle back to the car though....:barf:

Quote: Originally posted by soliver

Great fun Randy... you on Lanier?... I was thinking the same thing as Bobalooie about an HQ Hydra!... I've seen (youtube) someone use one on a very similar reel with a kayak. Kite-yak I believe they called it. I have a small 1 man Canoe I've thought about outfitting with a foot-steerable skeg to try the same thing with. But I'm pretty sure I'll never get around to it.

The kite winder is the same thing - I got it from the guy in the youtube - it was a Kickstarter deal. I actually do have a HQ Hyda 350, but I'm afraid its too big (3.5 meter). He's using a 300, which is only 2.6 M. He has stated the bar is 3m or less. Even if the bar could work - its 2 line and I think that would be pretty sketchy with the bigger hydra. So I did post in classified a trade 350 for 300 but no takers yet. In any case, what I've learned so far is that the bigger the kite is the harder the launch and size can be counter-productive - your forward motion reduces the apparent wind the wind and the kite falls out of the sky. I think with practice I can manage that and move up to a bigger kite. I may end up getting the Hydro 300 though.

It was shot at Lake Lanier right from where I do the landboarding. I've also been launching from the Chattahoochee - which is nice for downwinders, since the current goes opposite the wind making it easier to get back up wind.

I had a lot of luck in my boat w/ a two line 3m foil on a bar..no dropping it in the water had to keep it high all time w/ that fig 8 going on lot of flying..switched to a panash atom on handles but the 2line worked better

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

I had a lot of luck in my boat w/ a two line 3m foil on a bar..no dropping it in the water had to keep it high all time w/ that fig 8 going on lot of flying..switched to a panash atom on handles but the 2line worked better

Yeah - got to stay high all the time. (Maybe I should write a song about that.) I can still use the 3.5 HQ when I launch from land, but it limits the numbers of venues I can use (there are a couple that work some of the time for that.) Using quad handles does seem like a bigger challenge than a bar. Anyway - I'm working on progressing my skills.