How to get out in the surf?

Famed Aussie Kitesurfing icon Ben Wilson is writing some articles for all us keen on getting out in the surf ..

Read the first one here
www.seabreeze.com.au/Articles/Kitesurfing/Ben-Wilson-Surf-Tech-Tips-Series-Part-1_1500204.aspx , others should come along soon .. keep an eye on the "Articles" section on the right hand side of the browser ...

Thanks Ben!

I read this article - it's really good. But it touched on something I thought might want to be elaborated - riding unhooked. Heaps of people (maybe most people) ride bow kites in the waves, because it gives them the extra depower when powering up on waves.

But that's not everyone, including i think mr wilson (?).... I like C kites too. So here's a nifty trick that will no doubt get me pilloried. Ben writes that most people don't have their kites set up well enough for riding unhooked so they can't hold the power..but what he doesn't say is that if you do set it up for unhooked they become gutless dogs when you hook back in, and they get pretty stall-prone too. So...here's my recipe for unhooked C kite goodness (I've got a Torch if that makes a difference).

BEGINNERS - Go make a cup of tea HERE (avert eyes).

EVERYONE ELSE;

Recipe:

Depower kite. While hooked in, push bar up against stopper, grab front lines by depower strap or similar. Tight grip is required here - think last sausage on the barbie. Now, with spare finger, hook bar so it is up against stopper as well. Hold it in place. Now, unhook, and wrap trim line around the bar several times. You can now hold the bar/wrapped trim line cluster together with both hands, and ride along sweetly. I am a ten pound weakling and can also do this with one hand - just make sure it's well wrapped. I can't do it for too long, but I am a girl. Just how it is.

I know this sounds sketchy, but it just isn't. And it works.

PART TWO.
What could possibly go wrong?

Remember - **** can go wrong with this - the trim line can unravel leaving you with hell powered kite. You could also tuck a finger under the trim line and potentially get it ripped off, although I think this would require some effort in the 'dumb ideas' department.

So here's the final key point - you can't do this suicide. If it goes to poo, then you let go. So rig up your safety normally (whatever normal is on your kite but obviously it has to connect ABOVE the bar). SO you can't ride suicide with this arrangement but I've never had to let go cos the kite is nicely depowered and sweet to ride.

TUNING
You can decide how far you want to wrap the trim line - your stall point will obviously depend on the way your lines are set up - power attachment-wise. I am always surprised people don't do this more...i was kiting in california recently and often when I did this technique, people looked at me liked I'd just parked on the cat. It might be unfashionable, but it delivers the goods. Let's call it the 'mullet'.

Go try it.

Kiter789,

Can we get some pics, just to help clarify?

D

This is why pics or a video is essential kiter789.

Back on topic, when will Bens Wilsons new tutorial riding in the waves video be out?

I know that most people change the lines over, and that's great. I'm really happy for them. i just like to keep my kite riding one way, and keep the settings the same, so I can ride happily hooked in - which is most of the time. I hardly ever unhook to do freestyle, so it's not like I miss the speedy unhooking thing - the only time I do the trim line wrapped around the bar technique is when I feel like it might be nice to whizz straight downwind on a wave or two - and for that, this arrangement works well for me. I am simply too weak to hang onto the kite with the chicken loop hard up against the bar. Which is why I posted this suggestion.

That said: I will admit to a prejudice against dicking around with your lines - but again that's just preference. If i want to end up standing on the beach looking like a rolled roast then I will happily stand in the howling wind amongst a lashing pile of kite lines for half an hour whilst I change everything around. But for those of us who got summarily ejected from girl guides before the all-important Macrame badge showed up on the agenda, I prefer the wrap chicken loop round the bar technique. It's simple and fast and means I can hold an unhooked kite with one hand, so I can apply mascara whilst on the wave.

If I find the battery for the video camera and a willing camera-person then I will happily post some instructions.

It's not complicated - just unhook and wrap the trim line. Less complicated than changing all your lines around. But I guess it does take a bit of getting used to.

Hi Ben and everyone checking this -
I'm still trying to figure wave riding out....

Wind was cross onshore from right, waves breaking to left and right over reef (typical WA seabreeze scenario).
I couldn't seem to ride to the right easily.
Lefts were ok as more downwind.

1. Please can you advise where to place the kite when on lefts (and rights?) in this situation?
2. Do I have to fly the kite in a certain pattern depending on whether I'm (trying to) bottom turn or cutting back off the lip?
3. Any common mistakes, pitfalls / warnings?

Any other tips gratefully accepted!!!

Found this old post, some good answers. Any advances?

JB
NSW
Australia

426 Posts

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Posted 15/11/2007, 6:58 am
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Kitebored,

I use the same method for riding waves weather I'm on a TT or a Wave board, Because I like to ride very fast and with lots of power, I always keep my kite about half a move ahead of myself. If you can imagine two "S" shaped tracks, I am nearly following my kites exact path the whole time. As I am preparing for a bottom turn, I full lock the bar (for an aggressive turn) and send my kite back to the other side of the window as low as possible, as the kite goes trough the power zone, I should be half way through my bottom turn (this is optimum), as soon as I finish my bottom turn I full lock the bar again and re-direct my kite back to the original side of the window, once again, as my kite goes through the power zone I should be hitting the lip. Now because I am always going towards my kite as it goes through the power zone, I can control how much power I want, a tight,hard turn will have heaps of power, and a more open less aggressive turn will have less power. From here you can add kiteloops to get double hits and more drawn out bottom turns. This style of riding is quite fast, and will take some time to get your timing right, but your pretty quickly find out what your doing wrong, if you slow down or fall off the plane, you turned your board too early, if you get pulled off your board you turned too late. As you get this mastered, looking ahead at a wave you can map out what you want to achieve on the wave, and put the kite moves into your mind and then it's just surfing with maximum power and speed!

This is just my method, and there are many different styles out there, but for a TT this method works really well!

Have fun,

JB