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setting up foil kite in the water

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setting up foil kite in the water

Postby rienkb » Fri Apr 05, 2019 7:29 am


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jumptheshark
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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby jumptheshark » Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:47 pm

I get that its possible. I generally don't think it's something I would ever want to do, and without any sort of warning or context I think its a little bit irresponsible to just put out there. Would rather do the work to find an appropriate launch, or at worst drift launch an LEI. I've done that many times. It's taught me to be very cautious about what I show as example to the less experienced, often less competent and potentially over stoked novice kiters out there.

There is this phase where people have the very basics figured and their imagination just goes wild. They daydream about kiting and where they could do it. Every cottage, or open bit of water looks like a spot to ride. It's often pretty unrealistic. For the capital K keen seeing video of people making things look easy: launching kites in tight treed in or rocky or crowded or offshore, or like this from deep water drifting with deflated foil kites on the water, is simply a bad example. We have enough trouble keeping wide open launch spots safe let alone encouraging people to swim out, by themselves in back waters without the experience to pull it off.

Again, I have drift launched dozens of times, have launched from many "non traditional" launches, but didn't start any of that madness until I had over a decade of kiting experience. I tend to want to keep these activities on the down low. Certainly don't film em and post em up.

Kitting is a fantastic sport, but like many other sports the dark arts should generally be kept that way. It's not like I'm angry about this video or anything quite so dramatic, its just that without any kind of warning or context, I think its bad leadership to simply put it out there as example to the impressionably underqualified.
Last edited by jumptheshark on Fri Apr 05, 2019 1:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby irwe » Fri Apr 05, 2019 1:40 pm

Glenn L at our local lake is the water Foil kite launch Master. He has been using Foil kites for the past 20 years. We have terrible launch areas at most of our kite spots. Glenn safely water launches and lands in 6 - 30 kt's. He rides mostly Foilboards and surfboards. I will try and film him in the up coming seasons He has great strategies for pre and post pack down of the kite and lines :D

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby Tomlutz » Fri Apr 05, 2019 3:46 pm

jumptheshark wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:47 pm
It's not like I'm angry about this video or anything quite so dramatic, its just that without any kind of warning or context, I think its bad leadership to simply put it out there as example to the impressionably underqualified.
Harsh words you are using. I don't agree. I am one of these impressionably underqualified, and can't find anything dangerous with this technique. If you fail, you swim back home (you should practice kite packing in water before and be able to do it in deep water). If a gust hit, it is safer in the water than on land. In particular where I live in Switzerland, most spots are very difficult to launch, some are impossible at all to launch on land. Where it is impossible to launch, it is either starting the kite from water or not kiting (if starting from boat is no option). And drift launch with LEI is also virtually impossible (some do it though but legal wise it is a grey zone).

Have you ever done that with a foil kite to be able to judge?

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby jumptheshark » Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:30 pm

There really aren't any harsh words there. It's not a beginner technique and the video makes it all look quick and easy. The reality is that in any decent wind, things can and will often go wrong. Packing up is the least of the issues. Being dragged by a kite in open water is no picnic. Getting lines wrapped around your foil, your feet, bridles tangles, kites full of water. These are all likely if you are not pretty advanced before attempting it.

I've been drift launching for well over 6 years and can tell you that when it goes south it can do so quickly and put you in harms way. I only drift launch foiling now and keep it to the light end of the wind spectrum. Even if done without any mistakes, problems arise a significant percentage of the time. Half the kiters I know are simply not competent enough swimmers to handle it without assistance. Add cold conditions and it gets much more serious in a hurry.

There is an active thread on the forum right now about how to make launching a kite safer...……. and then there is this one. They are at odds. We need to be clear with these advanced techniques. It's not like a clip of a mega loop at 40 feet. Beginners cant get to 40 feet let alone ride in those winds, but they can paddle out in 15 knot with a foil under their arm with very little clue to what they are getting into, because hey, others do it, and it looked pretty safe and easy on the internet!

That was less than 10 knots of wind. Well below what most beginners are going to be able to ride in. Go ahead and give it a go and report back. Like I said, this does not anger me at all, I just feel it deserves fair warning to those who are going to try and copy it. If no one kites at a certain spot, there is a reason. Novice kiters should stick to obviously accessible spots until such time as they are they themselves advanced and have the skills to pull something like this off reliably. Simple as that.

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby Tomlutz » Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:58 pm

jumptheshark wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:30 pm
There really aren't any harsh words there. It's not a beginner technique and the video makes it all look quick and easy.
Okay, I see your point. I remember that in the written description of the technique, maybe only in German, it is clearly said that you have to practice it before, at first on land, then in knee deep water. Also different mentality: in the US people are constantly warned against risks that are obvious, and lots of interdictions to protect people from themselves. In Europe, we are tired of all these warnings and disclaimers. Yes, Kitesport is dangerous, I don't think there is anybody out there who doesn't know that.

But you are right, to avoid more interdictions and for the acceptance of the sport it is essential that Kiters avoid situations in which they have to be rescued or get killed.

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby Kitemanmuc » Fri Apr 05, 2019 5:10 pm

I water launch every single day with my foil kite. It’s that or a parking lot. After a week it’s just as routine as launching on a beach. Only pain is landing and having wet kite.

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby jumptheshark » Fri Apr 05, 2019 6:32 pm

Kitemanmuc wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 5:10 pm
I water launch every single day with my foil kite. It’s that or a parking lot. After a week it’s just as routine as launching on a beach. Only pain is landing and having wet kite.
deep water ?

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby Kitemanmuc » Fri Apr 05, 2019 8:06 pm

jumptheshark wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 6:32 pm
Kitemanmuc wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 5:10 pm
I water launch every single day with my foil kite. It’s that or a parking lot. After a week it’s just as routine as launching on a beach. Only pain is landing and having wet kite.
deep water ?
Heck yeah. Jump off the boat. 🔥🔥

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Re: setting up foil kite in the water

Postby Horst Sergio » Fri Apr 05, 2019 9:05 pm

jumptheshark wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:30 pm
There really aren't any harsh words there. It's not a beginner technique and the video makes it all look quick and easy. The reality is that in any decent wind, things can and will often go wrong. Packing up is the least of the issues.
No in deed, packing is the base of everything.

To be a bit more detailed this time:
"Warning: everything what you see and read from this account may guide you into danger and or death, especially if you are pretty stupid!"

If I would just take my information from youtube and I would see for example russians parachuting themself out of an airplane with some unknown cyrillics writen in the subtext ... and I would just try to do the same on the base of the video without trying to understand subtext or to find further information... than I realy would be happy for all mankind if the fate takes me out of the game, preventing my style and DNA will find its way into next generation. As I am a big fan of the darwin awards.

My work brought me to differn't countries also those with american way of safety instructions you have to listen for a whole day waisting with warnings like:
- don't pet the poisonous snakes...
- don't leak on the electric power station ...

On the end of these days you fill a fake test to show you have understood, whose only purpose is to take the directors out of reponsibility ... but people will go on dieing every month due to stupid accidents and no warning sign will help.

The only way to solve this is to not just take your information form youtube or other fakes, but to seriously teach people to behave self reflecting, which is the way we do where I come from and which in fact makes very few people have to die due to stupid accidents.
In short and our case this means read the information in the sub text, where you see in our example:

"Siehe Bericht in der Videobeschreibung" which means:
"READ THE FUCKING MANUAL"

And I don't feel responsible when a newbe thinks it is cool to just take part of two year old information/video and just spam video links opening new topics without any comments. Here are the old comments and manuals missing:

https://kitejunkie.com/slides/slide/was ... ejunkie-25
viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2392752
viewtopic.php?f=197&t=2394369

But yes, I know just looking videos and spaming comments below is so much easier than reading and reflecting first or even creating something yourself.

Sorry being emotional about that, but I am as big part responsible for safety issues, but having stupid people dieing is not part of my responsability, good luck. :roll:
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