Astonishing facts about the kitesurf sport. !!!

[norcom]

Funny "fact" with two kiteboarders this weekend. I'm not making this up.

I was sailing my SUP, conditions weren't perfect but I was catching tons of thigh high waves. See two dudes walking down the beach and one of them has a board. I think it looks like a kiteboard, think nothing of it and keep sailing. Come back to shore to change out the fin. Seems like it's taking the guys a while to rig and notice one guy is sucking on the kite. I'm thinking nah, can't be, he's probably trying to untie his pigtail. Walk to the car, come back and now his buddy is sucking on a strut. Now I'm starting to chuckle as they're obviously trying to blow it up with their mouth. I'm trying to decide if I let it go and enjoy the show or walk up and talk to these dudes. They're in the primo local kite spot but the wind is pretty bad for anything but a SUP with a 7.5 and there's no one else sailing but me.

As I walk up to the guys one of them starts out "you know anything about kitesurfing"? So we start talking and they didn't even know that a pump was required. I told them that Pamela Anderson couldn't blow it up if she tried. Their friend picked up the gear from a "shop" a few hours earlier. I think the friend was their dad as some older dude showed up later and one of the guys asked him about the pump. The shop didn't mention anything about any pump when they requested a "full package". They got a used 16M Slingshot, the bar and the harness. I explained a bit on how to attach the bar and that the kite needs to be DOWNWIND if you're going to launch; it wasn't. Later remembered that I forgot to explain the donkey .... and that they need to practice the emergency release in their sleep. They weren't in the harness yet.

In the end I tried to emphasize their and others safety. Getting the manuals for the kite and knowing how to rig it. As well as watching lots of youtube videos. I figured they would never take lessons. They packed the gear up and left. Would have been funny to see them try to launch a deflated 16M, upwind but I'm glad they at least had some sense not to.

I kept on sailing and had the BEST wave session ever. I finally got to carve some waves and learned how to exit at the end properly. No more falling or riding to shore! Though the board did sustain damage the one time I got pummeled in the chop. The SUP has bent two RDM Chinook extensions and has dings on the rails from the large sails being dumped in the break. Oh well, it was an awesome time!

[JamesHardy]