![]() ![]() ![]() Down in Pismo the winds are often onshore, and while that’s a challenge for the rider to make sure they don’t get driven up on shore, Engel says it is doable. “The best wind is coming from either the northwest or the north,” Engel said. Naturally wind is the most important component. In the beginning wakeboards were used with kites where the person was towed behind a boat. Type of kites and kite sizes make a difference in the ride as well as types of boards. Engel said there are local guys who can do all of these things, but she doesn’t take the sport to those extremes. Things to learn are how to turn, how to fly, and the very advanced maneuver of grabbing the board. “In the early days there was no way to release yourself from the kite if things got bad,” Engel said, “but in the last five years manufacturers have built in safety release mechanisms.” Engel always carries a knife with her just in case. ![]() Kiteboarding schools teach students how to launch the kite, how to fly and land, usage of the bar, and what procedures to follow if they get in trouble. “The good thing about this sport,” Engel said, “is that you don’t necessarily have to be a good surfer.” But there are special techniques and safety tactics that need to be employed. In the late 90s kiteboarding was popular in Hawaii and by 1998 the first kiteboarding competition was held on Maui. During the 1980s kayaking became the second most popular water sport and it wasn’t long before someone thought about attaching a kite to use as a sail.īut real kiteboarding came to life both in the USA, when Corey Roeseler made the Kite Ski, using a kite with water skis, and in France with the Legaignoux brothers Wipika style kite design. Kites have been attached to carts and to ships. Even as far back as the 13th century the Chinese were employing ways to use kites to propel themselves across land. Kiteboarding relies on wind power to pull the surfer through the water. “It was something new and different from windsurfing,” she said, “and the equipment is smaller and lighter than windsurfing equipment.” Kitesurfing, or kiteboarding, as its often called, is an extreme sport.īarbara Engel, an athlete from Morro Bay, says “a person should definitely take lessons before taking up the challenge.” Engel started kiteboarding after years of regular surfing and windsurfing. In the last three decades surfing has grown from skipping across the waves on boards both long and short, to riding them hanging on huge sails, to flying over them with kites. “That was the spark.When the wind is up on the Central Coast, a dedicated group of individuals break out an interesting combination of equipment, go down to the ocean, and take flight. “I thought, ‘What the hell was that?’” he said later. Twenty years ago, the multi-sport athlete who skied, played soccer, surfed, and is an avid outdoorsman, was at a beach in San Francisco and witnessed someone out in the middle of the water launch 30 feet into the air. “This has been an outstanding season,” he says. It’s Franklin’s 11th consecutive day out on the water, which broke his previous record. When the conditions are right, you can find Franklin, Lee, and other members of the local crew of kiters here or out in the water-mostly in the afternoon between 1 and 4 p.m. Kitesurfing season in Pismo Beach runs from March through June with April and May being the most dominant. When the wind is steady and blowing hard (but not too hard), Franklin says you don’t want to miss it. “You’ve got to be ready to harness the wind.” “You’ve got be firefighter ready,” Franklin says. He decides on the 7 and unfurls his setup toward the dunes, waiting for the wind to hit its stride. Scott Franklin clips his kite strings to the rack on his jeep, debating whether he should fly with a 7-foot kite or a 9-foot one. ![]()
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