white noise

it is on a 5th element bar, good point on the line lengths will give them a check, when you say 'sheeted in' do you mean right into the stopper at the chicken loop (fully powered?) tom, as you say i'm not very experanced and likely not getting the best out of my kites and don't know the charateristics between them that well, trying to learn though. its interesting you say that newer kites help progression, what i was finding last night was that when i needed more power and dived the kite there wasn't the same turning lag as i get with my rhino, it was more instianious, when i asked i got the power then and there rather to wait for a bit, though this could be down to the line lengths being wrong/setup error or me being an inexperanced rider. been thinking of upgrading to a newer bow shape, even more so after last night, should hold of i think till i have a look at my line lengths and maybe ask a shop to check the setup. Cheers WN

went out in the water with someone of a similar standard to me last night, sharing their kite, it was a new flexifoil 9m bow, don't know the model bloody hell was it responsive in comparision to my 2005 10m rhino! loved it! the question is, is my 10m set up making it sluggish or are bow kites generally more responsive than C shapes? do any of you get kite envy, not from just the look of a kite but the way it feels? WN

it was, defo a day for a 7m, luckily it died of and got a bit of a session in WN

Cheers the last hour average is about 23/24 knots down here, wanting to kite but was unsure if its too much, i'm not hugely experenced and only riding in both directions, not upwind. guess it 'could' be a goer but depends how it actually is when i get to the spot, speak to an instructor/other kiters and do my own RA. i need a 7m! , sorry paulie not going to be yours though! WN

mainly interested in the max wind speed you should really take it out in, i'm 80kg and its an old C shape design WN

i was out at marazion on tuesday, there was a fair amount of wind and loads of other kiters were up and riding, but i couldn't get up well either to the left or the right, maybe i was digging my back foot in too hard for the wind conditions and the speed that i was going. WN

hey there, i am at the same stage as you, though i am pretty o.k at getting upto my left but to my right its a nightmare, sounds about right what you are doing though i think that the main thing that takes the time is getting the board and kite control right on your weak/wrong side, as it feels so abnormal! kind of hoping that it clicks soon for me as its getting a good distance in one direction then can't get back the other way good luck and sorry i can't help more WN

i've got this http://www.bargainboards.co.uk/P/Cling-On-Impact-Waterski-Wakeboard-Impact-Vest-Jacket-Black(6899).aspx cheap (£40), light and seems o.k for what i have used it for, 10 sessions or so. WN

any kite flown by me. WN

went out last night down at the duckpond in exmouth for a session after work, still at the learning stage of just getting up and riding for a small distance. the wind was gusty but fairly good and was out on a 10m rhino, had a poor start to the session with a floundering run over the small channel to the shallows of a sandbank and spent ages in the middle of the duckpond trying to go right (my worse direction), with the tide dragging me down wind and i was really struggling, at this point i really was thinking if kitesurfing was for me as i was getting really frustrated at not bring able to go right, and getting pi$$ed off with having to work so hard just to no where! some how i had a up/fall back/up/fall back/up run with the kite and got over the channel and was able to walk up wind and back to shore a bit so i could try going left again. had a couple of half decent runs to the left but not great but then i had the best run of the night and it felt absoluting fantastic, i was up and felt smooth, fast and constant power from the kite from me doing the right movements. Its a great feeling just skimming across the water. i got carried away enjoying myself and went quite far out and by the time that i realised where i was it was too late, though instead of usually happens that i have to stop because i stacked it, i stopped being in control. slight bummer to the end of the evening that in trying to get back to the grass of the duckpond, going right. i ended up dumping my kite and couldn't get it relaunched so had to drift to the duckpond far shore and had to spend 10 mins sorting out tangled lines. obviously you guys are doing this all the time, every single session but for the first time last night i felt i was actually riding properly, next i need to do is be able to ride properly to my right and get up wind. its taken me ages to get this far (i.e being crap) but feel that i really made a big step last night! don't know what i am doing wrong going to my right but has anyone got any tips on how to ride on your difficult side? WN (stoked!)

are you pointing the board too far up wind, try going slightly down wind to start of. brace your body, especially your core WN

went surfing at gwithian in the arvo, got to mazaion at just after 3, not really any kites on the beach and waited for a couple of hours seeing if anyone turned up but they didn't. so just cut my loses and went back to gwithian for a second surf session, and a great one it was too! major dampener being put on the day by being first on scene of a motorbike RTA, hope rider is o.k! WN

work is mine related. Should be at the beach at half 4 - 5 with 05 north rhino's 14m prob. WN

cheers KW good info WN

Cheers guys especially KW, will check out marazion, though would praa be busy at the east end? is there any particular spot at marazion that kite surfers launch from? could save me having to do a self launch. looks that high tide at penzance is at 3 tommo which fits in well with me as can be in the water some time after that. fingers crossed for wind tommo Cheers WN

trying to create media hype (i.e want to make it elusive)? don't want competitors to copy the designs? WN

i have to go to cornwall on tuesday for work, namely camborne, as i am down there i was thinking that i would partake in a bit of surfing or kite surfing that afternoon/evening, i'd prefer it to be kitesurfing though the forcast doesn't look great, 10-11 knot southerly on tuesday arvo. so it looks like if i want to be kitesurfing its praa sands or porthleven. can anyone give any advice on these spots and which would be better for a improver kite surfer, i guess porthleven as the beach looks as though there is loads of space, any thoughts. also are you allowed landboard at porthleven? if the wind dies i guess its going to be surfing at gwithian, what a shame as its my favourate beach!!! Cheers WN edit: it seems from other thread that portleven is best left for very good kiters, any other advice where to kite in a southerly?

umm what are you talking about, the singer isn't saying that its the best day of his life because he died, he's saying that the day he died was the the best day of his life, i.e he was having the best of his life then he died. WN

i live in exeter so exmouth is my local beach but i am not at a level to be safely kiting off the seafront in a southerly wind, dealing with the business of the channel (i can't ride in both directions yet). i want to get some time in the water this weekend but as its a southerly i am a bit stuck as i don't think that i can get a lift over to the sandbank with edge, which i usually do when its a southerly. So can anyone recommend a southerly beach nearby that is good for improver kitesurfers, i.e shallow, fairly quiet that i can practice on. bantham could be an option but i don't know how busy it gets down there, anyone got any details? Cheers WN

and from the flipside http://forum.kitecrowd.com/showthread.php?t=167381 WN

ehh wat, you fooking young'uns take me home, i'm lost, and my cathater bag is full WN

just hold your hands up and take the fine and the points, i was caught a few years ago on my bike at 97 on a dual carrageway by a cop car that just 'appeared' in my wingmirrors! doh cue a chat with the officers at the next layby, given the excess speed they weren't that condisending and gave me a court summons, which resulted in 5 points and a £200 fine, i didn't have £200 at the time and later arranges to pay by direct debit for the next 4 months. lesson learned and defo slowed down. i recon that it will be a 4 points and around £100 WN

Cheers for the reply, that really surprises me as i have found 3 kitesurfing schools on the island, will give them an e-mail to see what the state of play is and what beaches they recommend i don't want to have the OAP nightmares! WN

in a moment of madness last night me and my gf booked a holiday there leaving on sat night instead of go camping in cornwall. has anyone been there and know what the kiting is like, i have looked and found that there is a kite school there, but i am at a beginner level (able to just get up on the board and ride a bit) and wonder if its worth taking my kite gear, not to take full on lessons but to practice by myself. also what is the water temp like? do i need to take a wettie? WN

if someone has the cash buy the 14m vegas and trade it in http://www.edgewatersports.com/?p=533 so that would be a 2009 14m vegas for ~£550! WN