It was about 1995/1996 when I discovered The Kite Shop at the V & A Waterfront, Cape Town. I used to visit every opportunity I could, and eventually my dad bought me a Wild Thang Pro Carbon by High Flyers.  [I don't have any photos of the kites, but will add these in the future] The Pro Carbon version cost a little extra than the regular fibreglass version without standoffs.

I remember the first time we took the kite out. It was overcast and threatening to drizzle, the "field" was an open plot of land covered in waist high (for a 10-12 year old) bushes, and the wind was probably a little stronger than the ideal conditions for a novice. The roar of the trailing edge as it lifted from my dad's hands was exhilarating. The kite didn't stay airborne for very long, and after some arm gestures--no doubt resembling flag semaphore--the kite went hurtling towards the ground. Fortunately, the bushes provided a softer landing than the dirt.

This happened several times, until my dad asked if I'd fully unwound the lines like the instructions said to do. I hadn't, so we unwound the remainder of the line on the red and black handles/winders. My dad had a few goes, and I remember him performing a few loops and figure-eights before also crashing spectacularly in the ground cover. 

That day we probably spent more time putting spreaders back into place and untwisting the lines before relaunching than we did doing any actual flying, but it's a day I haven't forgotten.

Eventually my dad had had enough of retrieving the kite from the bushes, and it had begun to drizzle (or the moisture from the air was condensing on our jackets). We packed up and made the short drive back home.

During the next few months we bought and read David Gomberg's books, visited The Kite Shop (somewhat) frequently to admire the bigger kites and watch the promotional videos, and we started flying at a beach rather than the bushy expanse. Eventually, my dad and I learnt to tame the little Wild Thang. Crashes became less frequent, and we learned to manoeuvre the kite to relaunch from most positions. 

>>Fast Forward ~30 years>>

My daughter joined me on a trip home to Cape Town for the first time since 2019 [Thanks global pandemic]! We visited Noordhoek beach--one of the beaches my dad and I spent many hours flying kites at--and I got to share my favourite childhood pastime with her. She wasn't terribly interested, but I had an absolute blast! I flew my second kite [info coming soon™] and the Wild Thang for about 2 hours. It was cathartic.

My daughter returned from playing in the waves and excitedly told me about seeing a sunfish and some crabs that had washed up. I handed the controls over to my brother, and left for a walk to see the sunfish. We returned about 20 minutes later to find my brother hunched over a proper bird's nest and muttering something about the lines being too long. Needless to say, that was the end of flying kites for the day, and we started making our way to the designated lunch stop [if you're ever in the vicinity, give Aegir Project a visit].

It took me a good couple of hours to undo the entangled lines, but it gave me further opportunities to reminisce on how much I enjoyed the hobby. Which brings us to the present. I want to get back into the hobby, and have been looking for local spots to fly, as well as getting up to date on the innovations and capabilities of modern dual-line stunt/sport kites. Google and YouTube make this so much easier than 20-25 years ago!

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For anyone interested, here is a review of the Wild Thang Pro Carbon from another forum (there is also a photo of the kite a few posts down):

"Wild Thang. I don't like this one. It's small, flimsy, cheap (even with optional carbon frame). Needs a gale to fly in and very fast. I wish that dealers wouldn't sell them to newbies"

--Sounds about right. The use of the word dealer is also appropriate, as after that first afternoon I was hooked on trying to get out and fly as often as possible.