We Keep Trying

Summer winds just don't do it. At least once a week it appears to be blowing and a few of us will head out to the beach, rig up, and hit the water. It usually doesn't take long for us to have had enough. There just is never good enough wind to get a productive session in. Beginners would have a hard time staying up wind. Even if the wind measures up to 20 knots, it just isn't enough. Hot summer wind obviously is less dense than our cold winter air and thus has less push on the kites. Humid air is also less dense. That is because water vapor doesn't add to the air like salt does to water, it displaces air, and water vapor weighs a lot less than the air it displaces. After all, water vapor is two parts hydrogen, the lightest element of all, and one part oxygen. The other thing working against us is the choppiness of the water. Southerlies always produce a lot of chop and that requires more wind to be able to power through it. The other frustrating thing about kiting in the summer is that even when it does blow a little, it usually only lasts about three hours and it could be any time of the day, but usually early. By the time you realize that it is blowing and you get to the beach and get rigged up, the session is already ending.

If any of you are kiting where you are at, please send photos and comments to share with us. My email is kite420(at)gmail.com.