Post by rider1200 on Aug 21, 2009 21:59:25 GMT -5
Where you under a yellow kite Pat? I think I got there as you were leaving. The wind picked back up and I got to ride from 3-dark...minus the hour or so it took me to walk back after I crashed the kite & the wind died. I learned to climb the wall also...I also learned that thankfully you can touch about 10-15 yards further out than your lines are long all along the North end.
When I couldn't get my kite back up and found I could touch I pulled one backline through the bar handover hand until the kite was completely flagged (until it was turned 90 degrees). Then I held the line with one hand while I unhooked and wound the excess around the bar with the other hand. I then wrapped the lines around the bar until I could touch the kite, grabbed the leading edge & threw the lines in the middle of the kite. I got to the middle and let most of the air out of the leading edge. Then I manuevered around so I could wrap the kite from both ends (1 end at a time) with the lines still inside. Eventually I was able to throw the kite over my shoulder & climb the wall. The park guy said he couldn't give me a ride in his million dollar golf cart but I got to meet two new guys on the way back who convinced me to go back out even though it was 7pm.
Convinced the wind would die I tied my backlines on the 2nd to last knot so I thought I had the most power even though I had the least amount of depower. This turned out to be a bad idea. Not only did the kite not fly well but I spent most of the time on my face and ended up climbing the wall again. This time a nice guy in a PT Cruiser gave me a lift back and called me and kiteboarding 'interesting.' I will never tie the backlines more than 3 knots up again. Even with the kite overhead it was pulling me out of the water, then it'd fly past over my head and drop out of the sky.
Before I made that move I was staying upwind and even trying a few small jumps. I say Seneca's the best place to learn. Shallow water you can wade in and when you get better you can ride the whole width of the bay without ever being more than 1/2 mile from shore. So if you crash your kite and it gets twisted in the bridle because your face was being dragged underwater for 20 feet you can float into the wall and walk back instead of being screwed in the middle of Lake Ontario.
When I couldn't get my kite back up and found I could touch I pulled one backline through the bar handover hand until the kite was completely flagged (until it was turned 90 degrees). Then I held the line with one hand while I unhooked and wound the excess around the bar with the other hand. I then wrapped the lines around the bar until I could touch the kite, grabbed the leading edge & threw the lines in the middle of the kite. I got to the middle and let most of the air out of the leading edge. Then I manuevered around so I could wrap the kite from both ends (1 end at a time) with the lines still inside. Eventually I was able to throw the kite over my shoulder & climb the wall. The park guy said he couldn't give me a ride in his million dollar golf cart but I got to meet two new guys on the way back who convinced me to go back out even though it was 7pm.
Convinced the wind would die I tied my backlines on the 2nd to last knot so I thought I had the most power even though I had the least amount of depower. This turned out to be a bad idea. Not only did the kite not fly well but I spent most of the time on my face and ended up climbing the wall again. This time a nice guy in a PT Cruiser gave me a lift back and called me and kiteboarding 'interesting.' I will never tie the backlines more than 3 knots up again. Even with the kite overhead it was pulling me out of the water, then it'd fly past over my head and drop out of the sky.
Before I made that move I was staying upwind and even trying a few small jumps. I say Seneca's the best place to learn. Shallow water you can wade in and when you get better you can ride the whole width of the bay without ever being more than 1/2 mile from shore. So if you crash your kite and it gets twisted in the bridle because your face was being dragged underwater for 20 feet you can float into the wall and walk back instead of being screwed in the middle of Lake Ontario.