slowboat wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:36 am
My abilities so far are good straight line pitch control, pretty consistent heel to toeside carving turns and comfortable riding toeside but no clue on how to go downwind without stalling due to loss of line tension. It seems that one answer is downlooping and would appreciate a very basic explanation on how to do this. Am I keeping the kite on one side of the window or crossing the window when I downloop going downwind? Should kite be high in general going downwind? Is all this easier heelside or toeside? Any other techniques besides downlooping? Just drifting kite is fun but always ends in an uncontrolled stall for me. Thanks
Will give my cents...
You go too slow, thats the only problem
For one, keep the kite quite high 45 degree or a bit more also ok, and bearing off so much that you dont go rocket speed, but not too much so you stall - is by far the easiest and safest way to ride downwind, heelside
Keeping the kite low is even better if good speed, but there is a huge risk it ends up in the drink, and rolls over, and a lot of cluttering - otherwise keeping it lower when at speed is just fine and how racers do.
But you also ask for what to do "next" when you got that one nailed I assume ?
Down and uplooping when going downwind, is fun, and usually you do one or two downloops first, and then uploops (or what you call it) the other way so you dont have to spin the bar. Or reverse.
Doing this you will often have to change path during the loop - and it will take you some time to learn the timing, as the kite reacts VERY differently during the loop, no matter which way around.
A bit more difficult actually, than riding straight.
You might be able, when you get really good, to go deeper this way (but not higher VMG).
Finally you can do carving fluid S turns without jibing, with downloops deep downwind, really fun.
Ride with kite at your preferred height when going downwind quite deep and not too slow, and fly it up really high just before the carve/loop, and then carve to the new tack and downloop just a tad after your carve - this way you avoid stalling the kite during the turn and lines stay tight.
You ride toeside on the new tack now, deep downwind, fly the kite slowly up high, and now you can carve back again, letting the kite downloop af "follow" you.
This deep S turning is awesome, and the fastest way to get downwind as close to a straight line as possible, I think.
Important NOT to downloop before you turn, or try to do it simultaneously, at first, as then you WILL get a stalled kite midway and it will go directly down in the water - aaaargh
The secret is the timing, that you keep linetension by means of delaying the downloop a bit, relative to your carve/turn.
Good luck
PF