Hey guys,
Just getting in to racing and was curious how dramatic a 3-4 degree upwind angle improvement is from one kite to another. Is that a lot?
Kitemanmuc wrote: ↑Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:43 pmHey guys,
Just getting in to racing and was curious how dramatic a 3-4 degree upwind angle improvement is from one kite to another. Is that a lot?
That paints a perfect picture! Thanks!cglazier wrote: ↑Sat Jun 09, 2018 11:00 pmPeter is correct of course. VMG is all that matters.
When I am out having fun I sometimes chase other kiters, windsurfers or sailboats and have a mini race for a while. It is nice to be faster than almost anything on the water except other hydrofoilers.
If my speed is the same as another kiter, but I point 1 degree higher, and we race upwind for a kilometer (which takes about 3 minutes) I will progress 17 meters more upwind. This is a very noticeable advantage even when just playing around. If we both tacked and continued upwind I would be 17 meters ahead. So an upwind angle of even 1 degree is very significant.
Another example: Where I kite some of us go downwind to one end of the bay for fun. The return trip is about 5 km upwind. If my kite can point 4 degrees higher than yours then I will be 350 meters ahead of you after the upwind trip even when we have the same board speed.
CG
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