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Did anybody tried kitesurfing while raining. What shall we say about the performance of the kites? Any extra winds needed due to heavier weight? Looks to me a challenging experience.

Should we stay away from high AR kites due to gusts? Any experience!!

Ciao,
MO

Hi Mo, been there done that, only for nutters imo. My excuse is I'd just got me wavetray and couldn't wait to try it. Wind was stormy 16 knots, pissing down with rain and the 16m kite was well underpowered and very hevy compared to better conditions.
When the storm clouds started getting lower and blacker I packed it in and stoped being silly.
After the kite is literaly covered with sand/mud and water, was good for a laugh but I was probably very lucky not to have got hit by lightning.
Jo

riding in rain is no problem. But be careful with stronger gusts. You can see them coming and they can hit hard. Make sure you watch the forcast closer, since sometimes they say "hard shower gusts". Then don't go out, also when they forecast lightning and you see any thunderstorms.
Make sure no onshore winds and nothing in your way. Gusts can be hard, but then edge and fly the kite low and to the window. Use a leash.

The only ugly thing about kiting in the rain is: when you packit up, everything is just wet and this will also decolor your kite, when you pack it up wet.

Toby

Except in autumn. Mine is full of coloured spots due to all those autumn leaves packed in with my blue white kite

Toby,

I think my kite is already decolored, so nothing much to lose. Jo looked a bit conservative while you look craziest.

One thing worried me is lightning!! Can a lightning strike hit a kite?! I think that it usually hit a metal strucuture or shall we ask Naish to add a grounding option on their kites!

Ciao, Mo!

lightning can be very serious witha kite.
even when there is no lightening you can have electricity on your bar and lines!

so it will hit you, because I believe it is about the height of the kite above the water. So, better don't try it!

BTW, riding in rain is not great at all, since you won't feel comfortable, the rain hits your face, you don't see that far and it just feels ugly. If it just is a short rain, it doesn't matter, but if it is constantly raining the whole day, don't do it!

Toby

Thanks Toby and Jo.... for the advice.
Maybe this warning shall be written on the kite in case some body don't know. Don;t you think so... as big winds are mainly accompanied by bad rainy weather. Isn't it!!

Mo

Yeah I think Toby is talking about kiting in light rain, drizzle etc with high grey clouds, I was being reckless in a storm basically, with low clouds that can chuck a lightning bolt out of nowhere without warning.
Yes, lightning can hit your kite, Benjamin Franklin almost certainly wasn't struck by lightning.
Check it out if you're interested:
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/3427184.htm
Basically lightning will strike the highest most resistant thing in any given area. The highest thing on the shore is definately a big traction kite on the end of 30m lines. If it's wet it will also have a very high resistance and although (contrary to popular belief) water isn't a good conductor unless there's a lot of it (bath or big puddle, for example, if not rain would short the insulation of high tension lines and make pylons live) the wet lines will transmit a ligtning bolt because it's VERY high tension.
There have been reports of people getting earthing shocks like Franklins after flying kite with kevlar lines after storms, probably because the electromagnetic field of the storm builds up an induced charge in the length of conductor.

Just befor lightning strikes you make a high jump.

Hi Jo,

Are you the encyclopedia of kitesurfing!!

Thanks,
Mo