Very good!

That is a cool picture! How fast are those kite boarders. I have never thougth of them in high speed stuff but considering they weight almost nothing and their kites can get up 40 feet into some clean air with no disturbances I bet they can haul. Has anyone ever sailed beside one?

Almost every bloomin' weekend! Yes, they are fast ..... and spectacular! and they're an absolute f<£#ing nuisance! Luckily they only seem to go out when it's 18+ mph so I guess we do actually get a lot of weekends when they're not out, but it just seems like they're always sailing just where we NEED to be. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

I'd love to have a go mind you! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Our next door neighbour used to do it a lot until he had a particularly bad landing and broke his leg, ankle, collar bone, 3 ribs and an arm!!!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

You say they only go out in 18+, and that keeps them from sailing with you. What are you a light wind sailor, 18+ is when it starts to get fun!!! I know alot of people do this up on lake Hefner in OKC, I might have to give one of them a go.

Is he the guy that was drug across a parking lot into a stone wall?

Ask around! - one thing I CAN'T be accused of is being a 'light wind sailor'! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

He says he somehow dragged himself about a half mile across mud, sand and gravel until he reached the sea wall as it was getting dark. He thinks he may have been there a couple of hours before someone walking their dog found him and called the emergency services..... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

The moral is (if there is one) don't sail in isolated areas on your own without some way of summoning help or at least tell someone where you'll be and an ETA.

"Drug" Now that's "American" <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Must be related to the guy who "Dove" off a pier into the water <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

Edited again: Sorry Pete <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Oops! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Drugged? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I believe he was "Dragged", in women's clothing no less... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I was all set to give it a try, I used to windsurf and the kite thing looked to be about the same, until I witnessed a new guy trying to get started off the beach with an on shore wind, he flew up in the air about 20 feet, back into the parking lot, landed on the hood of a car, bounced back up in the air, landed on the pavement. I think he was still alive when the ambulance showed up. That cured me of any kite flying desires. I'm too old for that kind of abuse! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Better to watch them from the Pub, with Dermot!

Those things don't have an emergency release?
-Rob V.

All the guys that I use to windsurf with that never got more than a cut foot on a stray oyster shell have been hurt in major ways Kite boarding. Almost all of them have broken their leg at least once.

I am talking guys that have 20-25 years of hard core windsurfing experience in winds up to near 40 mph and approaching hurricane surf before they ever stepped on a Kite Board. They can have it...while they might be setting the world records, out here I haven’t seen anyone of them that I couldn't pass on a windsurfer...they do "out point" a sailboard something serious though. They use those more here in Florida because you can get out in 8 mph of wind instead of waiting till its blowing 18+ like you need to have any kind of fun in the ocean. Bobbing around out there when they are in the water looks like the ultimate life bait scenario to me...LOL

Regards,
Bob

Tim, How did you know that I had been drinking again <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />
One should never post after (more than)a few drinks. It's never as smart as you think at the time <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />. No offence Pete <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I sent Tim an email last month (after a few glasses of red), telling him about my acting debut with Hilary Swank and Lisa Kudrow - He never even acknowledged it - just thought that I was hallucinating <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> And I never even told him that I had Hilary in my arms <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> Well, two of us carried her ashore from the RIB. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Hell, I was sober! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> My English teacher wife is still laughing, I'll never live this down! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I just couldn't resist!


GARY

Hey Gary, that is a cool pic, looks like the sensible one was out of the sun, under the tramp !
In answer to the question "How fast are they " ? Well, over 40knots is what the guys are doing at the speed trials, although I wouldn`t try that in my living room.
On the subject of windstrength your average kiter goes out in, 18-20knots is max, when it gets over 20knots only a few experienced guys keep sailing kites, over 25knots and they are all packed away, here anyway. Then it`s the windsurfers who come out to play. From what I`ve seen the windrange for kiting is around 14-25knots.

At my club the kiters do often sail beyond 20 knots.

Wouter

Dermot, I never got that email, so maybe you were tipsy enough that you sent it to someone else? Please send it again! Not that we all haven't done that though.... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />