The adventurers kite
Any where any time adventurers kite - the problem with travelling with kiteboarding in mind is that to be guaranteed a blast across the ocean, sea or
lake that you have headed to, you need to take a quiver of kites that will adhere to the unpredictable and ever changing wind conditions. Driving from
London to Sierra Leone in 2003 I had the privilege of strapping two boards and three kites to the roof-rack of my defender 90. However, backpacking
around Thailand and Malaysia did not warrant that privilege, and left me land tied.
My last trip took me across the north of Africa from Morocco to Tunisia with my 16.5 Cabrina LEI and my 128 custom board. The problem was, not only
could I take just one kite, but the kite took up all the space in my pack. With wind varying between 5 and 25 knots, but generally staying at about
10, the kiting suffered, and I came home early.
I am now due to head out to the Solomon Islands for research for two months, and again would like to take a kite. However, once again, the wind will
be variable and I can’t take a second bag for my cloths. But I have found the solution – closed cell foil kites – the leader of which is
Flysurfer.
All their kitesurfing models are easily water re-launched, fold into a manageable size and cover the wind range of up to three LEIs. As a travelling
companion, this makes them the perfect kite.
I’m looking forward to my trip and will keep you posted on the Psycho 4 15m performance.
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