Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I have posted anything here. I have been consumed by work & life over the last few months, without much if any time to get the kites out. Not a huge deal, as this is the off-season for kite flying where I live (at least in my book.).
I have had a few brief moments to get out and fly on the way home from work. Quick, half hour sessions do a stressed mind a world of good. Recently, a friend of ours in the kiting community passed away (BobbyB) a
This is the Second Annual Long Beach Island festival. Last year was such a fun festival, that it was really tugging at me to go to this year's fest. Traffic wasn't too bad for a Friday before a holiday weekend. I got into town about an hour before dark, and ran down to the beach with my bag, eager to take advantage of the smooth onshore 10mph breeze.
There were a surprising number of kites in the air, I guess I missed the first full day. I guess I'll have to take off the whole day nex
Yup, it's happened. My boy is officially a Duallie pilot ! I am so happy, so proud. Words can not express how happy I am to have someone to fly with. This empty beach with such wonderful wind, and after years of flying alone... I've got someone to fly with who is truly enthusiastic about the kites, and is eager to learn more...
I started out today's lesson with a kite that I didn't care if it got trashed, the Prism I2K. Not exactly a beginner's kite, but it was the least of the kites i
I've been waiting for this since the end of May... the beginning of Kite Season ! I haven't flown much of anything since Memorial Day. If you count flying the SLKs that I keep in the car, OK, a few times...
Yes, that's where my profile pic came from.
People around here are programmed to go to the beach between Memorial Day & Labor Day. An Island with millions of people, and only ~100 miles long and 15 miles wide at it's widest. Yes, we have ~600 miles of coastline, but most of
Crazy thing, March is known for being pretty windy, and has been, except for when I get a chance to fly. The last two Sundays have been just about dead calm. Nice & warm, almost getting too hot all ready.
Oh well, I take what I can get, and light wind flying is one of my favorite flying disciplines. Everything is nice & slow, there's almost too much time to think about what you're doing. It's important to have a 'true SUL' kite for this type of flying. A
February in New York can bring a huge variety of weather conditions... Of course, in the dead of winter, we get the expected freezing temperatures and snow, sometimes it's just grey, wet & generally nasty. And then there are the days like today, the calm before the next storm... 40*, bright sunshine, and a gentle onshore breeze, not enough to make you cold.
I started out with the Skyburner XL, as the wind was over 5mph when I first got the
Yeah, how often does this happen ? A crazy nice sunny day, right in the middle of Winter ? Only on a weekday ! Turns out, I had an early morning appointment that finished up early, and I didn't have anything to do for the next 2.5 hours... Except drive to the nearest beach and see what I had in that bag that's always in the back of my car. Winds were around 5mph, onshore, so it was perfect for the Widow Maker standard. It was in the 40s, but the bright sun was there, keeping me warm. Any
Winter isn't so bad here... I just wish the sun would come out more. 34* F and a 8mph breeze keeps most people away from the beach. I think I saw 5 people in the 3 hours I was there this morning. 3 hours of peace & quiet, enjoying the solid on-shore winds... I could've stayed longer but the urge to eat & find a bathroom won out in the end.
The Ultrafoil 15 got tied off to a memorial bench. I flew it nice & low
Happy belated New Year, Kiteheads !
Yup... not the best day to get out & fly, but it left a smile on my face for the rest of the day, anyway. It was a dreary day, about 40*. Not terribly cold, but... you know, that cold damp kinda day. The wind seemed to be blowing... well, it was, from 3 different directions and ranging in speed from 0 to 15 mph. I didn't realize this until I had set everything up and tried to get off the ground. Within minutes, there was a l
I got a surprise in the mail early this Fall, a demo kite from a new builder, the Enigma. Sadly, I had very little time to fly this Fall, and when I did sneak out for a fly, the wind didn't cooperate. Well, that was until recently... I got out in some low wind and almost pulled out one of my favorite SULs, but figured I would see how the Enigma would perform in winds around 2mph. I was happily surprised to find myself flying pretty easily in those low winds, the Enigma just hung in there,
Hey Everyone...
Just starting this up, checking out this new feature on Kitelife.
I haven't flown anywhere near as much as I would've liked this Fall, but had a few memorable outings. I caught up with one of our new members last weekend, Frank, who seems to have the Kite Bug really bad ! There wasn't really much wind to fly in, but we got a little air time. It was really good to see another enthusiast on my normally kite-free beaches !
