Self landing...drift launch video
Posted:
Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:32 pmby Marty Lowe
Re: Self landing...drift launch video
Posted:
Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:05 pmby john l
Have to say drift launching SuckS. Had to do it a few times in MN because the accesses are tight with trees to the water's edge, so you can only launch on the water, and everyone else was already riding by time I made it out. Even though I was being extra careful letting my lines out, a couple times the lines got tangled while the kite was floating away. Not fun when the kite catches the wind. This guy sure made it look easy though.
john
Re: Self landing...drift launch video
Posted:
Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:55 pmby Kenny
I have a drift launch method that works well for me, but I lay out all of my lines on the shore. I have tried doling them out and I think that is plain crazy. It is too easy to get a line wrapped around your body or board.
My method works well if you have enough shoreline. I have found it useful where the shoreline is rocky or launching alone or launching in a wind shadow or launching off of a crowded beach. The drift launch method allowed me to launch in areas where I would not have bothered to kite otherwise on Maui because the launch area was too small with gusty, side-off wind. I used it every day in North Kihei and at Kaanapali.
Re: Self landing...drift launch video
Posted:
Sun Mar 23, 2008 7:46 amby john l
Yeah, that was the problem in MN. You couldn't lay your lines out before launching.
The process there was 1)getting everything set up away from the water, 2)figure 8 your lines back up on the bar, 3)walk down into the lake, 4)while wading away from shore and upwind, still holding the kite, unwind the lines back off the bar, 5)once the lines where off the bar and everything seemed good, you'd let the kite go having it drift down wind of you.
Most of the time this works and many of the guys there use this process a lot. There's just some potential for the lines getting tangled on themselves or around the kite tip that made me nervous
john
