OP'd Kiting Session

My 12 msq kite is supposed to work from about 11-20 knots, but I try to switch to windsurfing around 15 knots because kiting in more than 15 scares me. Wednesday I underestimated the breeze and ended up kiting in the upper end of the 11-20 range.



To a point, excess wind is easier to handle with a kite than a windsurf sail. The crazy power is available if you swoop the kite into the power zone or sheet-in for a jump, but as long as you fly the kite conservatively you can ride slowly and in control without having to muscle it around like you would with a sail. I was ok like that until near the end of the session, when I started having to baby the kite at the edge of wind window with the bar sheeted almost all the way out (below).



Leading up to that, though, I got some good (by my standards) jumps. My dad was filming.



The song in this video is by Elastica.

Windy Kiteboarding at Edisto Island, SC from James Douglass on Vimeo.

I think I'll stick with my 15-knot switching-to-windsurfing threshold, but at least now I know that I can handle up to around 20 on the kite if I have to.