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For beginners: How to relaunch your kite.
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D-Krep It Kiter

Since 18 Jul 2011
417 Posts

Obsessed



PostSun Aug 10, 14 8:16 pm    For beginners: How to relaunch your kite. Reply with quote

Noticed some discussion about relaunching in the Sauvie Beginners thread, and came across this simple demonstration video that gives a nice, clear demonstration:


Link



Couple of points to clarify:
-red is the universal color for port (left). Not all manufacturers follow this color scheme (there are colors like orange, pink, blue, black for the left side of the bar) but hopefully there is a red mark some where on the left side. The important thing is for YOU to know which is which, and be clear about it in both rigging your kite and riding on the water.

"the red (or white) side of the bar should ALWAYS be on the LEFT hand..." -This kind of advice can be really confusing, especially for beginners, as some bars, such as the one in the second half of the above video, are red on one side and white on the other.

Technique: there is a saying straight from the Progression Beginners Kiteboarding DVD "as the kite is upside down, so is the bar" The video shows this really clearly. Because the kite is upside down, the bar is also upside down. As the kite rolls into the relaunch position, the bar also rotates into the correct orientation. The kiter in the video simplified this by reaching across the bar, so that whatever hand he relaunched with would be correct when the kite launched and the bar flipped around.

"I have seen over and over people struggling to relaunch with their kite leading edge down and having flipped the bar because it "untwists" the lines... " -Not sure why there are "quotes" around untwists... flipping the bar does untwist your lines (provided your flipping it the right way... if you've been flipping for 10 minutes and your lines are still twisted, you might want to try the other way! Wink )

Clearing your lines before relaunching is a really good idea. It allows the kiter to see that their lines are not twisted or tangled, and the bar is not wrapped or caught in the trim line before they put the kite in the air. Yes, you can relaunch with your lines twisted, (people do it all the time), but it does make the kite a bit more difficult to control. It also means that you'll need to spin the bar while riding to untwist the lines... again, no biggie for an experienced kiter in quiet conditions. But for a beginner on a busy day, there is the risk that while trying to spin the bar they may start to lose control of the kite, and then grab the bar on the wrong side causing havoc. Both techniques have pros & cons, do what works best for you in the given circumstances.

"I actually have seen people who can actually ride do that as well and wonder why they can't relaunch..." Its holding the bar in that makes relaunching difficult, not the orientation of the bar. Sheeting in on the bar prevents the kite from rolling over and moving towards the edge of the wind window. I've helped quite a few people who were struggling with relaunching at both Jones Beach and the Event Site, and what I tell them is the same as the video demonstrates... keep your hands off the bar until the kite is relaunched. So instead of worrying about what color is in your hand, clear your lines and then don't touch the bar at all. Relaunch using just the steering lines... if your bar has the nice foamies, that's what they're for.

"Conclusion: if you are in the water in the main landing/launching areas holding the bar the wrong way, just be prepared to have somebody (like me) jump on you and turn your bar for you."

The "Sauvie Island Crew" that I met (Hudson, Stacy, Dan, & John) seemed some of the nicest, mellowest kiters ever. I don't have a dog in the hunt so to speak (I don't kite at Sauvies) but I think the above quote serves as a good reminder that just because you don't agree with someone's technique, you're not some how empowered to be the self-appointed beach sherif and "jump on" some and start interfering with their relaunch. That would probably be far more dangerous than whatever they were doing.

I'll also add that all the help I've ever offered anyone, be it helping them learn to relaunch, getting their first rides on the board, shadowing someone as they head to the ponds for the first time, or what I thought was a friendly discussion about relaunching technique has been and always will be offered with the best intentions and a strong desire to share the stoke of this great sport of kiteboarding. Hope to see the Sauvie Crew at Three Mile again, or Jones, or at least know you guys are still keeping the mellow vibe going and getting some good rides.

Cal

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Anthony

Since 07 Oct 2008
362 Posts
Salem
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PostSun Aug 10, 14 8:51 pm     Reply with quote

nice instructional. Great meeting you at South Beach.

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Johnb

Since 02 Aug 2010
494 Posts

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PostSun Aug 10, 14 9:00 pm     Reply with quote

Yeah great video. I learned a few cool tricks.


Hey Anthony I didn't get to talk with you much at South beach but but I did give you a launch. Nice to kind of meet you.

John

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Anthony

Since 07 Oct 2008
362 Posts
Salem
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PostMon Aug 11, 14 6:53 am     Reply with quote

John

Great to meet you. Thanks for the launch! It was my first time successfully on the ocean. I tried it last year and split the kite in half. Ouch! "If the kite is in surf just release the kite." Even with 20+ years of Oregon Coast windsurfing, it is a little intimidating at first. It feels great to get over that step. I have been practicing on Siletz Bay this summer, getting the tide and wind to match is not easy. It was really gusty out there, even though the the South Beach wind gauge showed it as smooth. Thank Again! It was a great day.

Anthony

Last edited by Anthony on Mon Aug 11, 14 8:10 am; edited 1 time in total

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Occupied Columbia

Since 12 Nov 2011
376 Posts
Columbia City
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PostMon Aug 11, 14 7:25 am    Re: For beginners: How to relaunch your kite. Reply with quote

D-Krep It Kiter wrote:


Clearing your lines before relaunching is a really good idea. It allows the kiter to see that their lines are not twisted or tangled, and the bar is not wrapped or caught in the trim line before they put the kite in the air. Yes, you can relaunch with your lines twisted, (people do it all the time), but it does make the kite a bit more difficult to control.


I've had two lines snap just above the bar. Two different brands same spot on the line. I think the reason is because of launching and also riding with twisted lines. so, anytime I can I untwist my bar as soon as possible, unless chaos is around me and I need to get the kite in the air ASAP.

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sromano1995

Since 22 May 2013
240 Posts
Portland
Stoked



PostMon Aug 11, 14 12:19 pm     Reply with quote

Hi Cal, for somebody who doesn't have a "dog in this hunt", you clearly went through a lot of efforts to dissect my comments line by line and propose informed counterpoints...

This is actually great! It's called freedom of speech and hearing differences of opinions is always constructive. I always learn a lot from you and your comments even though we clearly have different communication styles and often opinions.
Once again, I will apologize to you and all those who may have got offended by the tone of my comment and had you compelled to respond and refer to me as a "self-appointed beach sheriff".

However, I will admit that I am little bit baffled that you chose to respond on something as trivial as my "red (or white) to the left" comment...

So in effort to help clarify, I will humbly and not so humbly propose the following comments:

1) Great video on how to learn how to launch a kite in 3 inches of water, where you can clearly see your lines and bars and how the bar can nicely rotate as the kite rolls...Probably great for Jones, Hood River sandbar, the Coast, and many other spots where you can learn in shallow waters... I am hopeful that you, and other "real kiters", will agree that it's quite a different experience for a beginner to relaunch in deep water when the bar is floating in front of him/her horizontally (and not vertically). Great if he/she is pulling the right rear line (of the kite) with the right hand (like this guy in the video by crossing his arm over the left side) , not so great when you pull on a line with the "wrong" hand. The kite will roll nicely either way but as he/she grabs the bar the wrong way (because of holding the wrong line with a given hand), it will immediately loop as he/she will all the sudden be "compensating" the wrong way...

Unless you are performing handle passes and/or riding blind, which is not applicable to beginners and I don't believe is your point, there IS a correct way to hold the bar and incorrect way to hold the bar when flying a kite... Hold it the wrong way and the kite will loop, crash and the riders will be propelled downwind. This is NOT an issue of difference in "technique":
- right hand on the right rear line and/or right side of the bar
- left hand on the left rear line and/or left side of the bar which, to your point, could be other colors than red or white. Pink is one of my favorites. However, I believe, (but I may be wrong) that the left rear lines always have red extremities (at the bar connection and at the kite connection)...

I think, and I welcome counter-opinions, that the easiest for a beginner not to get confused (and grab the wrong line with a given hand) when he/she is floating with his/her bar in front of him/her is to position the bar with the "RED/WHITE/YELLOW/PINK/..." side to the LEFT (because bars float horizontally again. Yes, there will be, at a minimum, a 1/2 twist in the lines (when the kite has the leading edge down) but it's no big deal! And when the kite starts rolling, the person will be holding the bar the correct way and not be surprised to see his/her kite loop and not understanding why, which is the precise situation I was eluding to in my comment.

2) At Sauvie, if you are 5 or 10 yards away from shore, you are probably no longer standing and your harness and chicken loops and lines are most certainly under water, hence my "simple" suggestion: "Red on the left" - simple, universal and much less risk of pulling on a given line with the wrong hand.

3) If I see somebody struggling to relaunch with a kite looping immediately upon relaunch with the risk of a kite landing on kids and/or non-kiters standing downwind from the kite (risk which is CONSTANT at Sauvie in the summer), my first reaction is to check how the kiter is holding his bar. And if I see he is holding his bar the wrong way, call me a "self-appointed beach sheriff" or whatever name you want, but I will go towards him/her to ensure that he/she immediately switch hands (rotate the bar) because, by that time, that person has not yet realized and is unlikely to realize soon that they are holding the bar the wrong way... Alternatively, I could choose to run towards the kite and grab it but, as you know full well, I also learned the hard way that this is NOT a good idea as the kite relaunching abruptly can do some permanent skin damage. Much safer to come to the rider and be prepared to assist him / her from a proximity position, including activating his/her release if things are going really south...

4) Last I checked it was still good community practice to go check on somebody in difficulty whether or not there are using their "technique of choice" to handle the situation they are in... You are free to keep the "mellow vibe" by offering your post-mortem advice after somebody's kite has landed on a kid on the beach by holding the bar the incorrect way. I will remain free to be a "self-appointed beach sheriff" and offer unsolicited assistance / interference...and I will undoubtedly if it's my kid in the path of the kite.


Keep on the constructive debates (on and off the water)

Last edited by sromano1995 on Mon Aug 11, 14 4:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

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Kerpella

Since 01 Aug 2014
58 Posts

 



PostMon Aug 11, 14 3:40 pm     Reply with quote

Is it weird that I read Cal's part in his Canadian accent and Serge's in his French accent, in my head?
Now I have the song 'why can't we be friends' stuck in my head.


Cool

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sromano1995

Since 22 May 2013
240 Posts
Portland
Stoked



PostMon Aug 11, 14 4:09 pm     Reply with quote

LOL... I think I will go for the "self appointed beach sheriff in speedo" title! Sounds a lot more intimidating and uncomfortable
to deal with !

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user124

Since 02 Aug 2012
390 Posts
Portland
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PostMon Aug 11, 14 4:18 pm     Reply with quote

I think you two just have different ways of accomplishing the same goal, which is to make sure you are pulling on the correct side to relaunch. But if you go with "red always on the left" then when the kite is upside down with leading edge in the water, pulling on the left side will cause the kite to go in the opposite direction, which seems like it could be confusing.

Cal probably doesn't remember, but when I was learning a couple of years ago he helped me out with relaunch techniques when I was flailing around at Jones beach. For what it's worth he does not seem like the kind of guy that would stand by and let a beginner's kite take out some kids. I think he was just pointing out that he (and others, including those in the video) know what they are doing but do things differently than sromano suggests, and may not appreciate someone flipping their bar for them.

That's a great video by the way. The technique of keeping the bar upside down to match the kite, but reaching accross with the opposite arm makes a lot of sense. I am going to make use of that light wind relaunch technique too.

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Kerpella

Since 01 Aug 2014
58 Posts

 



PostMon Aug 11, 14 5:44 pm     Reply with quote

Only if you dance to 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua in that speedo. That would be uber entertaining. This forum will just turn into create one big dance party! Wink

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D-Krep It Kiter

Since 18 Jul 2011
417 Posts

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PostMon Aug 11, 14 6:51 pm    Re: For beginners: How to relaunch your kite. Reply with quote

user124 wrote:
I think you two just have different ways of accomplishing the same goal, which is to make sure you are pulling on the correct side to relaunch.



D-Krep It Kiter wrote:
Yes, you can relaunch with your lines twisted, (people do it all the time), ... Both techniques have pros & cons, do what works best for you in the given circumstances.


Exactly. I made it clear, both methods will work.

user124 wrote:

Cal probably doesn't remember, but when I was learning a couple of years ago he helped me out with relaunch techniques when I was flailing around at Jones beach. For what it's worth he does not seem like the kind of guy that would stand by and let a beginner's kite take out some kids. I think he was just pointing out that he (and others, including those in the video) know what they are doing but do things differently than sromano suggests, and may not appreciate someone flipping their bar for them.

That's a great video by the way. The technique of keeping the bar upside down to match the kite, but reaching accross with the opposite arm makes a lot of sense. I am going to make use of that light wind relaunch technique too.


I'm really glad I was able to help you out! Great that the video made sense and you got something out of this post. For what its worth, its the relaunch technique that I use and works great for me. Really the key to it is to just use the side lines and not grab the bar at all until the kite is airborne.

As far as the beginner kite taking out kids thing, Serge knows I'm not someone that would let that happen. Funny thing is, I've been in that exact scenario... a beginner was hovering just in front of the Event Site grass when his kite hindenburged... I took off like a shot and bear-hugged a little kid playing on the shoreline just as the kite came down on both of us. I had a few people remark on how fast I reacted; it was just some old lifeguarding reflexes that kicked in... when it starts going wrong, don't hesitate.

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skent

Since 08 Aug 2011
170 Posts
North Bend, WA & Lyle, WA
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PostMon Aug 11, 14 8:36 pm     Reply with quote

Nice video clip. I always untwist my bar/lines because this way I know if there are any issues before relaunching. By untwisting first it also allows me to easily pull on what ever line I am using to relaunch my kite. Personally I always forget which color should be on which side (Cabrinha keeps changing it) so I like to see that the line I am holding is going to the side of the kite I want to be pulling on. I like the sequence on pulling the center lines to help relaunch your kite in low wind. I sometimes do this in light wind but I don't think I have been pulling in enough line to help partially roll the kite over.
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Last edited by skent on Tue Aug 12, 14 9:05 am; edited 3 times in total

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KCM

Since 30 Jun 2013
53 Posts
Woodland WA.
 



PostTue Aug 12, 14 6:38 am     Reply with quote

Serge

As someone who's recently experienced the relaunch-loop phenomena, I certainly would have been happy to have someone jump in and correct my mistake. As it was, I lost my board because I did not re-launch in a timely manner.
Serge, please do not take offense to the "Beach Sherriff" comment.....you are a fantastic ambassador for the SI crew and the sport of Kiteboarding and I/we would hate to see you change your caring and helpful ways because of one crass comment.
I am certainly glad to see all the comments but also (like you) hope they can be constructively communicated without being offensive.

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D-Krep It Kiter

Since 18 Jul 2011
417 Posts

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PostTue Aug 12, 14 7:24 am     Reply with quote

KCM wrote:
I/we would hate to see you change your caring and helpful ways because of one crass comment.


KCM, I'm sorry you feel that my comment was crass. I've helped tons of people through my time kiting, both in just learning a new skill or a full on emergency situation. Earlier this season at Three Mile, I was the first to recognize that Stacy from the "Sauvie Crew" was not going to be able to land back at the normal boat launch/landing area. I reacted immediately and guided her to a landing spot she couldn't see because of the elevated shoreline, and caught her kite as it came down just missing a camper. While I received thanks from Hudson and the other SI crew kiters, I think its sad now that people like you and Serge clearly perceive yourselves as some sort of special elevated status. I gave Serge a lot of helpful advice when he joined us for his first day at the coast. Amazing to think its gone from that, to this.

My point is simply this: the relaunch method that has the bar upside down as the kite is also upside down as shown in the video is a sound method of water-relaunching, and is taught by many instructors. Serge does not agree. That's fine. But that disagreement does not entitle him to physically interfere with someone relaunching as he suggests.

I'll remind you that not long ago, there was an incident where someone could have got really seriously hurt when a kiter relaunched another's kite on the beach at Sauvies with one hand, not waiting to position the kite properly, nor waiting for any kind of signal from the kiter in the water. And guess who the launcher was? Serge.

If you want to keep comments "constructive" as you say, maybe take a look at what is being posted at face value, rather than just basing your negative opinions on who is your buddy.

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KCM

Since 30 Jun 2013
53 Posts
Woodland WA.
 



PostTue Aug 12, 14 8:01 am     Reply with quote

Good point, my apologies. I mistook the words "Beach Sheriff" as having a negative connotation. My word "crass" should be deleted and I hope you continue your good ways in support of all kite boarders.
Again, my apologies.

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D-Krep It Kiter

Since 18 Jul 2011
417 Posts

Obsessed



PostTue Aug 12, 14 9:04 am     Reply with quote

KCM wrote:

Again, my apologies.
No worries, its all good!

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sromano1995

Since 22 May 2013
240 Posts
Portland
Stoked



PostTue Aug 12, 14 9:17 am     Reply with quote

Cal,

You have a big problem with me... That's ok...I have no issue with that and I can't change it at this point.

I don't have a problem with you. You are one of the most helpful persons that I know in the kiting community.

My initial comments (in a different thread) that you chose to dissect was not about relaunch technique...It was plain and simply about holding the bar the wrong way:
"red" side in the right hand in critical launch situation (crowded beach).

If you wanted to create an "instructional" thread about relaunch technique (including on how not to hold the bar during relaunch), this is great but please don't bring in your personal issue towards me in the mix by choosing to dissect my words, accusing me, and dropping a bunch of names of people in the community to make your point and validate your credentials.

You have nothing to prove: everybody that knows you, knows that you are very knowledgeable and helpful...

Contrary to what you think, and how I may come across sometimes (or maybe often), I don't consider myself at an "elevated status": I crash, I make mistakes, I talk about them, I share them, I learn from them and then seem to find new ways to make new mistakes... I made one bad mistake last week-end which thankfully did not result in any accident but could have.

I understand that my posts will probably continue create a immune system response in you. I can't do anything anything about it. It's for you to deal with.

All I can offer is to shake your hand (or give you a "bear-hug") in attempt to reconcile our differences once and for all and spare everybody reading thread from this kind of divisive nonsense.

Serge

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