I have been watching kite surfers at Golden Gardens for years now and have always wanted to try it myself. I looked into lessons this fall at Urban Surf, near Fisheries (the marine supply store near us that we now surely partially own). They suggested taking a ground school first to learn how to fly a trainer kite before taking a water lesson. So I paid my $95 and took a ridiculously simple class that basically told you how to set up a trainer kite and how the wind works. On the one hand, they did lend the trainer kite to each class participant for 1 week, on the other hand, the trainer kites are so much fun that I am going to buy one myself. If I had known this, I think I would have just bought a trainer kite and taught myself.
The trainer kite is only 2.5 meters compared to an average kite for boarding that is about 13 meters. Anywho, the trainer kite teaches you how to fly the kite so you got that skill under control before going out onto the water where you are worried about being dragged down the beach by a huge kite mixed with learning how to body drag or “efficiently” drowned yourself on purpose.
So this past weekend I was doing a lot of trainer kite flying. CB tried it out too and is now addicted as well. He has hatched an idea of launching the kite from the dinghy and using it to pull the dinghy through the water. I’m sure nothing can go wrong there :-) I have attached a video of me flying the trainer kite. Hopefully I can take a water lesson soon and will post hysterical videos of my intentional drowning/body dragging and then (cross my fingers) successfully kite boarding.