Dave’s Kites

Ozone have just released another land kite. So if you are in the market for something to pull you in a buggy, on a board or just haul you around a field or beach I suggest you take a look at this. Ozone quality is second to none and I personally think they are one of the most experienced foil designers due to their paragliding roots. If you want to purchase one I suggest you take a look here. Take a look at the blurb from their site:

Although accessible to novices, particularly in the smaller 2 and 3m sizes, the Flow is a unique kite that is more than capable of meeting the demands and capturing the imagination of any seasoned kiter.
2m2 The 2 is about as much fun as you can hope to have with a small kite. Massive top end wind range for high-speed balls out buggy runs and just the right amount of challenge for anyone with ambition. Try flying on a bar as the kite boarding trainer of choice.
3m2 The 3 is the ideal entry point in the range for the land locked kiter generating power early on in the wind range while always being easy to control. Quite possibly the perfect introduction to land boarding.
4m2 The 4 has the bottom end power needed in the lighter winds likely to be encountered by novice snow kiters and is a great mid-range buggy engine or land board motor.
5m2 The 5 is the one to beat in is this category, with light wind performance for effortless traction and an upper limit the pros will just keep pushing.

A French adventurer set sail from San Franciso to Polynesia on Tuesday in a bid to become the first person to make a kite-powered crossing of the Pacific Ocean, her spokeswoman said.

“Anne Quemere left San Francisco at 10:32 am (1732 GMT) under sustained winds,” the spokeswoman said.

Quemere, 42, the only woman to have rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean in both directions without assistance, was steering “Oceankite” a 5.5-meter (18 foot) vessel some 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) to French Polynesia.

The voyage to Tahiti is expected to take around three months.

It was her second attempt to set sail. On October 24, she returned to port shortly after sailing as the winds were too weak to impel her out of San Francisco Bay.

In 2002, Quemere set a new record after traversing the South Atlantic in 56 days in a rowing boat. Two years later she took 87 days to row across the North Atlantic.

Quemere, in her record-setting attempt to cross the Pacific, must be at the control of Oceankite’s sail nearly all day, with only a two-hour break for sleep.

Kite surfing is a sport that uses wind power to pull a rider through the water on a small surfboard. Quemere will be using a canopy to power her, but will be in a small vessel rather than on a surfboard.

Source: AFP

I have followed the development of Peter Lynn power kites since the introduction of the Peel in 1991. I remeber seeing my first large foil of about 10m squared. At the time this size of foil was unknown - it was a monster!! Nowadays a 10m kite is relatively small. It is amazing how people have got used to flying huge kites. I would have never even considered using a 14m - now I need that kind of size to get going in the sea. The development of the the PL foils has seen may itteration from the peel to n-gen to the newer range of bridleless arcs. The Hornet is the latest ‘bridled foil’ from the lynn think tank. These are no-longer the sole development of the master but still seem to show steady improvements year on year. Here is the latest blurb:

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In a similar move to that already seen at a number of sites in the UK - kite buggying has been banned at West Wittering. It seems this kind of accident is happening all too often! Something is needed to help protect the public from the dangers of kiting. There are far too many who get into the sport and are not in control of the massive kites they fly. This type of accident reiterates the need for proper training. Also - greedy retailers need to take responsibility and not sell unsuitable kites to newbies or even experienced kiters who do not have a proven record! The best thing is for kiters to only buggy or surf in quiet areas away from the general public. Most will say this is not possible, but at a lot of locations 5 minutes more walking gets you away from the small areas where the public venture from the car parks! I’ve seen a number of other sites in the NW where a serious kiting accidents will almost definitely occur - Fleetwood. This is a small crowded beach where the local kiters ‘rule’ the beach. We need to be careful - otherwise we will have to emigrate to enjoy our sport!! Below is an extract from the Chichester Observer: Read the rest of this entry »

Kiting has long been a popular Indian pastime, and now Indian kite fans can take to the skies with a range of power kites. Yaka plans to import a range of Peter Lynn power kites. Greg Bourne, director of Yaka, comments: “Yaka will be selling kites suitable for the whole family to learn the basics of powerkiting in the park or at the beach, as well as advanced kites for people who want more speed and lift for jumping, buggying and kiteboarding.” Read the rest of this entry »

Following the success of kitesurfing the new thing is kites on snow! All the major manufacturers are churning the designs out this year. Some of the most impressive are coming from the minds at Ozone. Ozone have taken their paraglider knowledge and put it to good use. It is exactly this that gives them the edge over their competitors with power foils. For 2008 three new kites have been released: The Access XC, the Frenzy FX and the Manta II. Read the rest of this entry »

Flying Empress Kites are relatively new to the kiting scene. But in a relatively short space of time they have begun to pop out a number of interesting designs. The first few kites were based on a novel version of the sled kite, which allowed a number of character kites to be produced relatively easily. Lately they have developed the inflatable Chinese dragon kite which has proved to be a popular design. There are now producing two new ’stunt’ foils. These are not built for performance, but rather as show stoppers at festivals! Read the rest of this entry »