Defecting Kiters

[windoggi]

While hanging with the usual suspects down at our condom strewn, dusty, parking lot, I was sharing my recent suspicions that windsurfing is going to become cool with the younger set again. As soon as I had finished my comments, a strapping young man appeared asking about the wind. He said he was a kiter of about 6 years, and was becoming bored with it and wanted to get into sailing. Is this a trend, or is it we are just so behind the times here in Berkeley that its gone unnoticed ? Its mostly just a bunch of old fucks sailing here these days. Comments class?

[swchandler]

To be honest windoggie, it frankly depends on the amount of waves in the mix. In waves, the better kiters absolutely rip, and they'll never come back, and those wanting that kind of experience in the future will undoubtedly follow that path. Windsurfing in the waves will never be as cool in the game, except by those esoteric few that choose windsurfing instead.

On the other hand, if real sailing and moving around is the focus, like in the SF Bay area, the kite folks are far more limited. How much spinning and boosting makes your dream? I can easy bypass that kind of excess energy, as I'm more interested in cutting an interesting path and moving around, and windsurfing stuff does it the best in my mind. Yet honestly, I'm an older character (like you) that might have different ideas.

I've spent a lot time sailing with the kiters, and they have their limits too. If it's quite windy, I can do circles around kiters because their game isn't so easy and fun in challenging conditions.

[letwink]

For the past 5 years I have primarily kited. I only windsurfed when I had a hard time hanging on to my kite in strong winds, or on trips to Maui. I noticed my hands would get tired very quickly. This year I started windsurfing again and am having a great time. One thing I have noticed is windsurfing is a much better workout than kiting, especially when you fall in a lot hand have to waterstart a 6.0 (like me).

It helps that my kids have started windsurfing. I can sail close to them and give them coaching, hop into the water if they need some help, etc. I would not feel comfortable getting kite strings close to them.

I have not quit kiting, just dating the other girl for a while. Change is good.

I don't really wave sail because I live in So Cal and the wave sailing around here is frankly pretty lame. I could go up to Leo but the scene is too aggro for me.

I agree with SW statement that the kites really seem well suited to the waves though. Maybe someday I'll move up north and give that a try.

[Epenrose]

swchandler - Couldn't disagree with you more.

If you love the waves then kiting doesn't really have the answer. If you watch kiting on the waves they have a really hard time actually riding a wave and it looks like wake-boarding. You can never really de-power the kite the same way you can de-power a sail and actually surf the wave. Th e upside is that as the athletic ability level and skill in the waves so much lower you can probably be out in the waves in a month versus 3 years, how many people have that patience to wait and learn.

The sad part (for windsurfing) is that for most people windsurfing to get in the waves poses a lot of problems. When you start you bust a lot of gear. At $1000 for a carbon boom and mast + $550 for a wave sail that's an expensive day and lesson. The athletic skill necessary to learn to punch out and ride larger waves is considerably more challenging that using a kite, hence why so many switched to kiting and why about 80% have no clue what they are doing, Waddell on an average day proves that point.

Especially in Northern California there aren't exactly any learning spots that couldn't be described as somewhat treacherous. Intimidating, cold, sharky and unforgiving. Many of the wave sailors on here have many stories to tell that pretty quickly let you know it will never be for the average ability sailor. Mast high days swimming in after losing all you gear, two hour swims back in no USCG unless they are looking for your body, swims around cliffs with no gear and rock climbing friends retrieving your gear doesn't appeal to most. But to some of us the challenge is the best and doesn't get better.

If I sailed in the bay and didn't stand up paddle or surf I'd probably kite, the bay just doesn't do it for me anymore. If you go to the level of wave sailing in windsurfing I don't think it gets much better.

Regarding ripping, three of us ripped around the kites last sat (Waddell) in lighter winds without any problem, nobody snaked a wave from any of us windsurfing.

Pretty hard to beat a day surfing of wave sailing on the coast, the ultimate drug.

[boggsman1]

Hey Epinrose....are too good to sail Crissy anymore?

Boggsman

[jkayes]

I agree with Epinrose except with respect to one issue. This past Saturday at Waddell there was one kiter in particular that twice jibed onto my wave. No question about it, I was already in the pocket of a breaking wave and the kiter came from the beach and jibed into the wave. Forgivable once, but twice...

Makes me want to carry darts.

That being said, there are some kiters at WC that really do rip and they're a pleasure to watch. Some can even depower their kites for a turn or two. I wouldn't give up windsurfing for it, though.

[charlie12]

i have had a couple of young kiters
who are very good at kiteing ask about windsurfing
thay have gotton old wind surfing gear and are giveing it a go.

thay both want to ride waves with a windsurfer..
thay say it's more in tune with wave rideing


i on the other had will take a kite and surfboard over my old wind surf gear
to play on the bay, for open bay sailing..
getting rolled on a wave is not for this old boned windrider.

[SWE106]

I don't think we should answer the original question with a piss matching on who is better than who in what conditions; waves, bay, flatwater etc. That discussion has been going on for a long time, I have my opinions, but let it rest for now. Question is: is kiting becoming less popular?

In my humble opinion it is. The number of kites out, anywhere I sail, have as far as I noticed decreased compared to 3-4 yrs ago. 3rd used to be a zoo of kiters, especially on the inside. Now? Maybe 2, 3 handfuls? Yes, some have certainly moved to the upper launch, probably to avoid to fast amount of kooks on the inside, but even then the number of kites up in the air appears much less. All other launches at the peninsula site of the bay "never" have had kites anyway: Stick, Haskins, PA, Embassy etc. It's 3rd or nothing.

On the coast site of things, where Waddell has been the main focus for kiters, also there I've noticed a decrease. Oh, some days it still is a kite zoo, don't kid yourself, with a ton of weekend warriors, but more and more days you wonder what has happened to the kiters. Many moved to Scots? None to Dport for sure!

I spend 2 weeks on Maui in spring, and only noticed 3 kiters during the whole trip, and only at Kite beach (lower kanaha). None at Ho'o, Lanes, etc. The wind was normal, the waves we normal, nothing too epic by any stretch. The idea was that many kiters went SUP-ing as that was now the latest thing?!

Almost a week in the Gorge in July: kiters vs windsurfs: 1 in a million...

Maybe my eyes tell me what I would like to see, but I think my observations are pretty good.

[coolmtnbiker048]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBP5PdNI8mE This is the only kitesurfing I have ever been impressed with. Watching people boost and do spinny tricks on wakeboards gets old. Also- I am an 18 year old windsurfer and a few of my buddies decided to learn kiting- their reason is that "windsurfing looks too hard." It seems most of the kiters in SoCal ride wakeboards in the surf, getting big air, but I rarely see them do any actually waveriding other than ripping the lip on the way back out.

[swchandler]

Hi Epenrose,

I've never been to Waddell Creek so it's difficult for me to comment about the kiters there, but many of the kiters that ride the waves down here at C Street and Isla Vista (Coal Oil Point) are quite good at it and their ability to control and depower their kites is impressive. Also, many kiters are now using directionals rather than wake style boards, so their moves are more in line with surfing. Given the fact that both C Street and Isla Vista are point breaks with rock bottoms, it gives the kiters the opportunity for quite long rides too. Really though, I'm thinking that the big difference between spots like Waddell and C Street/IV is that the wind down here So Cal is considerably lighter, thereby improving the ease of kite handling.

Yet, when it gets down to it, I'm totally dedicated to windsurfing and will never kite. From my perspective windsurfing is an incredibly rewarding sport in all respects, and kiting's logistics and limitations don't even come close to measuring up in my mind.

As far as the waves are concerned, I surfed for almost 23 years before ever starting to windsurf in the mid 80s, so I'm not so fanatical and focused on wave sailing like some folks are. If there are decent waves though, I'm not going to miss the opportunity take advantage of the situation. But, to be honest, I don't dog the lineup that much and prefer to make long runs out and back between my waves. When it comes to sailing with the kiters, I find that everybody mixes it up quite well, so everyone gets what they need.