St. Pete/Tampa/Sarasota boat-based kiting

The good news is, even after we get kicked off all of the beaches because of kookz crashing kitez onto tourists, we will still be able to kite with a boat. Just find some flats, drop anchor, rig in three feet of water, and rip it up.

I spent yesterday riding in a local bay with several relatively new local kiters who are riding great for the amount of time they have been kiting because they are charging by boat most sessions. Each rider is independent and having a great time compared to other kiters with the same amount of time invested.

No crowded launch spots, no getting dragged into fixed objects, no getting pushed around by adverse currents, no bystanders, no driving 45+ minutes to the closest launch spot on land. Instead of dealing with all of those distractions, these new local riders are simply progressing their skillz every session. I saw Woody from Bradenton yesterday and he is kicking ass. He is riding 100 times better than when I last saw him at the Skyway. Dieter was there, as well, and he was charging all over the place, holding down a 15m Ion while I was cruising on my 12m Ion. Who cares if you are a little overpowered if you have miles of open water downwind of you?

Mad propz to my new friend Jim, who invited me to charge in his boat and check out their scene, and to Doug from Rhode Island, who hooked me up with Jim in the first place.

The funny thing is that where we were riding, 5 kites hardly even scratched the surface. It's strange how small a 14m kite lookz when someone is riding it in vast, open water. We could have had 35 kites up and it would not have been crowded. Also, there were numerous other spots nearby where we could have ridden. We just went to the shallows that were closest to the dock where Jim picked me up.

There is so much water around here, there is no reason not to explore it further, especially with the depower capabilities of the new kites. There is so much kiting potential in this area that we have not unlocked yet.

In 2003, when I first charged the flats off of Key West with Paul Menta, launching a kite was still a two person operation. Now, however, after rigging your kite with the assistance of a few buoys to which you attach your kite and your bar, you just launch a bow or SLE with the kite flying by the chicken loop off of the boat, just like a self-launch on land using a piece of PVC or a trailer hitch, etc. Once we got to the spot yesterday, Jim was already rigged and Doug, Dieter and Woody were already riding. I rigged and launched alone and it did not take much longer than doing so on land, if at all.

We were out of some nice boatz yesterday, but it seems that you could do this with a boat as small as a kayak, certainly with a jet ski, definitely with an inflatable with a 15hp. Besides getting you there, the boat's main function is holding extra gear (a second kite, a smaller board, food and water, whatever), so the bigger the boat, the more you will be able to bring along. Also, a bigger boat will allow you to get out of the wind and chill whenever you want a break.

We are probably going to try this soon in a sailboat with little draw. If that works, it will be a great solution, too, because you could take a break during a session, dry off, and take a nap below (or even make love to your woman) before arising to kick ass on the water again.

The main issue with boat selection is inflating the kite. You can not stand in the water and use a regular pump because the pump will be under water, so a stage (scuba) tank may be the solution to easy inflation for sailboats. Also, with a jetski, you can inflate a kite on any nearby land then ride holding the kite behind you to where you want to lauch. We had a skiff yesterday, so it was easy to stand in the boat and inflate a kite with a traditional pump.

The crowds this last year have been tough to handle for some of us who have been around for a while. Most of the new kiters strike me as being really cool people, but crowded launch and riding spots can make that harder to see. Yesterday, I was extremely stoked to be around each kiter at the session and it was easy to appreciate each of them as unique and worthwhile individuals. That is how this sport is supposed to be. I am looking forward to my next kite session that starts on a dock.

Sorry, I only read the first sentence, too long a post for me.

We won't likely get kicked off of the beaches. Why?
No kooks (hardly anyone really) rides out there at the moment, most go to BS.
I don't know why, but that's fine with me.
I haven't seen kooky behavior or kites landing on tourists on SPB in three years.

[bigairal]

excellent post eric. i have had my 30 foot sailing catamaran in the keys for 3 months now kiting off the key west flats. its been great. launching the kite off the back of the cat works great and i can tie the kite off to the quarter of the boat no problem as i take a rest. good place to get out of sun, rehydrate. AS far as beach banning i disagree with scott completely. it is certainly a possibility. remember clearwater beach actually banned t-backs for woman 10 years ago....who knows what is next.

[jim]

Glad you had fun. It was a great day! We need to work on that sound system so we can shatter some windows on longboat key.

Well, anything is possible. I never meant to imply that we have free reign over the beach or that they can't kick us out, obviously the City can.
I just hope the day never comes that I need a boat to kite. My days riding will be cut by about 75 days a year (weekdays... toast) due to time constraints. It takes me 5 minutes to get to the 'tow and a lot longer to trailer a boat, rig, get to a spot... you get the picture.
I had an awesome boat for kiting for three years (22 foot Dauntless Whaler). I could easily fit five kiters and all their gear on it.
But, given time issues, it really wasn't an option on weekdays.
I agree with a lot of what you said Eric.
I also understand that it was just an opening line to a positive post. And it was a great post.
But it would be sad to actually be limited to truly needing a boat to kite. I see both sides of it, and the reality is (for me) that pulling up to the beach and "just ripping it" is the ultimate since of freedom for me, and I would hate to lose it. I did it both ways (in boat, arrive at beach) and the beach deal was what I liked best.

You know, when it is really blowing, the boat ride (in chop) is a bitch.

Originally Posted by bigairal

remember clearwater beach actually banned t-backs for woman 10 years ago....who knows what is next.

WTF? What red-blooded male would have voted for such a thing? Must have been a bunch of toolz on the city commission at the time. Thongs should mandatory for all hot chickz on our beaches. To show moral support to the babez with the gutz to put their bunz on display, I am going to start wearing a thong to all sessions.

[jim]

Sorry E but I have a strict no male thong policy on my boat. Youll need at least a speedo to ride with me.No pastel colors either.