K
iteboarding, sometimes called kitesurfing, has matured over the past few years, as extreme sports go. After the initial rapid growth spurt in the early 2000s, barriers to entry like difficulty of learning and cost of equipment have limited participation. One popular quote with kiters is “not for 99% of the population”. Probably more like 99.9%! Kiteboarding in St. Augustine started in the fall of 2001, when Daryl and Kristen Drown started Extreme Kites on Anastasia Island selling the area’s first inflatable kites. Not satisfied with unstable and barely water relaunchable foil kites, the Legaignoux brothers from France created the inflatable kite, which featured a rip-stop nylon canopy supported by a leading edge and vertical struts. The struts have a plastic bladder inside that is inflated to 8-10 psi, creating a rigid structure that holds its shape even when crashed in the water, and floats. For more history on the invention of the inflatable kite, visit http://www.inflatablekite.com. A group of local kiters including Jeremy Green, Jimbo Manning, and Todd Mitchell joined Daryl in exploring the wild wind and water of St. Augustine’s beaches and coastal waterways, and quickly discovered a previously unknown gem. Matanzas Inlet, with its constantly changing maze of sandbars, channels and strong tidal currents, is a kiteboarder’s dream. The beauty of the inlet is that on an outgoing tide, the current sucks out to sea opposing the prevailing NE wind, creating flat water inside the channel, and waves on the outside sandbar. Matanzas is a world class kite spot when the conditions are right. As a beginning kiteboarder, one of the most difficult skills to master is going upwind, and Matanzas makes it almost too easy. With our prevailing northeast frontal winds, the opposing current on the north side of the inlet sucks riders out to sea as the wind is blowing them in, producing epic conditions for staying upwind behind the kite. However the inlet is also a natural rip tide, and if the kite goes down and is unable to be relaunched for some reason, boat support may be necessary to avoid a very long swim! In the beginning days of the sport, most riders were using a C-shaped inflatable kite with 4 nylon spectra lines on a control bar, and a twintip kiteboard similar to a wakeboard. Today this style of riding is called wake-style kiteboarding, and featured tricks performed in the air similar to those performed behind a boat. In the hands of a skilled rider, the kite can be maneuvered through the power zone to create lift, sending the rider 10 to 40 feet or more in the air. The rider then redirects the kite into the direction of travel, (more }) volume 8
old city life
Issue 4
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