The sport of kiteboarding
Kiteboarding is an individual recreational sport that is conducted on open areas of water, preferably in constant winds ranging between 16 – 30 knots. It can be performed on flat or bumpy water conditions. The ‘kiter’ aims to fly the kite in a pattern to produce power to pull him/herself along the surface of the water across the wind, following the same basic principles as sailing. There is no motor power involved.
Below are more details of the equipment and skills required for kiteboarding.
There are many disciplines to the sport, which have different aims from performing freestyle tricks, wave-riding or course racing or free riding. A large part of the sport involves performing jumps, which are initiated by the kiter flying the kite in a certain way. The directions of possible travel are similar to the basic principles of sailing.
The kitesurfer is the link between the board and the kite, as the two pieces of equipment are not connected.
The kiter wears a harness to balance his/her weight against the kite. There is no connection between the kite and the board apart from via the rider.
Skills Required
The primary skill to kitesurfing is to be able to control and fly the kite competently. Once the kite is mastered, the board is then introduced and the kiter must initiate power in the kite at the appropriate time to pull them up and along the surface of the water. This power must be prolonged by the constant flying of the kite in the correct zone in order to continue moving.
Once the basics are mastered, the skills of riding, jumping, tricks, waves can then by practiced. Due to the nature and freedom of the sport, there is no end to the skills base, as it is evolving and growing continuously.
Equipment
The essential pieces of equipment for kiteboarding include a kite, control bar and lines, a safety leash connecting the chicken loop to the harness, a harness and a board.
The Kite
This is the means of propulsion. It is wind powered, by flying within a ‘Wind Window’ where there are different zones of power/pull and neutral stability.
Kites used for kitesurfing in the majority are supported by a series of inflatable tubes, which provide a framework between which material is stretched to grab wind in the same principle as a sail. Not all kites have inflatable tubes. These can be substituted for solid battens, or a double layer of cloth, providing a cell type structure with a series of ‘Bridle/ supporting lines’ to help maintain a stable shape.
Inflatable kites tend to relaunch from the water better when crashed hence their popularity. There are three type of inflatable kite SLE, Hybrid, and C shape. These refer to the kite’s design and flying characteristics.
Control Bar and Lines
The majority of kitesurfing kites fly on Bars. These will involve a ‘depower’ system to help control the kite. Some kites can be flown on handles. The bar option is more popular as it allows easy single-handed flying.
Lines made from non-stretch spectra type material connect the kite to the bar. Depending on the type and complexity of the kite, there can be, 2, 4 or 5 lines used to fly the kite. The majority of kites are flown on 4 or 5 line depowerable bars. Line length can vary between 10m and 40m. Typical line length is from 20 – 25 metres.
All bars/ kites will have some form of safety system allowing complete ejection of the kite’s power without releasing the kite completely. The basic principle of a safety system is to release the wind from the kite’s canopy by releasing tension of all but a single line, or prevent the kite’s canopy from collecting wind effectively letting it ‘flag’.
Good modern safety systems allow quick relaunch capabilities as well as instant depower.
Harnesses
Kiters wear a harness in order to connect themselves to the lines attached to the kite. The harness spreads the load of the kite’s pull. Harnesses come in two styles, seat or waist harnesses.
Seat harnesses have a lower hook position, and fit around the kitesurfers bottom with leg straps coming around and under the legs from front to back. Seat harnesses provide good support while learning and are sometimes preferred by people with pre-existing back injuries. The lower hook position can also make the bar easier to reach for riders with shorter arms.
Waist harnesses have a higher hook position and fit around the rider’s lower abdomen/stomach like a weightlifters belt. They provide more flexibility and freedom of movement for tricks and manoeuvres.
Boards
Twin Tip Boards
Kiteboards can come in a wide variety of types/shapes and sizes. The majority of the market is occupied by ‘Twin Tip’ boards, which can be ridden in either direction and are symmetrical in shape. These range in size between 1.1m and 1.6m in length, and .3m and .5m in width at the widest point. Twin tips tend to be made from snowboard type materials such as volcanic basalt, wood or carbon fibre with hardened rails.
Directional Boards / Kite Surfboards
The second type of board is comparable to a surfboard and is often referred to as a ‘directional’ board, with typical sizes ranging between 5′ and 6’2″ in length. These directional boards can only be ridden in one direction and can either be ridden with foostraps or ‘strapless’. Directional boards are for riding waves or the open ocean.
Both boards will have fins on the bottom to provide grip through the water, although some riders will remove the fins from their Twin Tips when using ramps or park obstacles.
Hydrofoils / Foil boards
A third type of board is one which has a hydrofoil connected via a lightweight underwater mast. This is a rapidly developing area of kiteboarding with new breakthroughs in technology, design and materials driving change in the sport.
A hydrofoil raises the board out of the water, reducing drag and allows riders to kite in much lighter winds than when using twin-tips or directional boards.
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Now we just need some wind... 🙂INDIAN OCEAN ROADBLOCK TO FINISH
WA's Premier Mark McGowan has just announced that Lancelin will be open to Perth people (and vice versa) from Monday, May 18. This is great news! The roadblock on Indian Ocean Drive will be dismantled next Sunday night and travel between Perth and the wheatbelt will be permitted. There are still restrictions on travel between 4 regions not affecting Lancelin/Perth. Click here for the government's statement - www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/covid-19-coronavirus-regional-tr...
Lancelin restaurants, pubs and cafes will also be able to re-open on Monday May 18. This means you'll be able to dine in at Lancelin's eateries (max 20 people at 4sq/m per person) from tomorrow week.
The max number of people in groups will be set at 20 people for other social gatherings. WA's border with the eastern states will remain closed and be the last restriction to be lifted.
We’ve just released our roadmap to carefully ease COVID-19 restrictions to start getting Western Australians back to work safely and begin the process of re-starting the State’s economy.
This plan includes specific details on the next phase of easing restrictions in WA – which will take effect on Monday 18 May.
Western Australia has already implemented many of the changes announced by the Prime Minister on Friday.
We have led the way, and other States have looked to us for guidance on the way forward.
Our strong performance in controlling the spread of COVID-19 means we will continue to lead the nation when it comes to easing restrictions.
Our plan has been developed in conjunction with the National Cabinet framework and is based on the best health advice for Western Australia.
Phase 1 is already in place following the cautious relaxing of some restrictions from Monday, 27 April.
Phase 2 will focus on encouraging many Western Australians to return to work, unless they are unwell or vulnerable, so the WA economy can further rebuild in a safe and measured way.
The new phase will come into effect from Monday, 18 May, giving businesses and families time to plan accordingly and includes:
- Indoor and outdoor non-work gatherings lifted to 20 people;
- People are encouraged to return to work, unless they are unwell or vulnerable;
- Cafés and restaurants can reopen with meal service (including within pubs, bars, clubs, hotels and casino), limited to 20 patrons and the 4 square metre per person capacity rule applied;
- Weddings and funerals, limited to up to 20 attendees indoors or 30 outdoors;
- Places of worship, community facilities and libraries to re-open, limited to 20 patrons;
- Community sports (non-contact) limited to 20 people;
- Outdoor or indoor fitness classes (minimal shared equipment) limited to 20 patrons;
- Public swimming pools can open under strict rules (one indoor pool and one outdoor pool), limited to 20 patrons per pool.
If businesses or premises want to reopen in line with these changes, they will be required to complete an official COVID Safety Plan. More details on this will be released shortly, in consultation with industry.
As part of Phase 2, regional travel restrictions will also change, bringing the number of current borders within WA from 13 to only four (not including the Commonwealth Biosecurity zone and remote communities).
The new regional boundaries will allow:
- Travel between the South West, Great Southern, Wheatbelt, Perth and Peel regions;
- Travel between the Mid-West, Gascoyne and Pilbara regions (excluding Biosecurity area);
- Travel within the Goldfields-Esperance region (excluding the Biosecurity area);
- Travel permitted within the Kimberley Local Government areas (the Biosecurity area remains in place).
Following this change, it is expected that Phase 3 will be implemented around four weeks from the commencement of Phase 2. Phase 3 will be finalised in the coming weeks, based on the advice from the Chief Health Officer, and will take into account the infection rates across WA.
Phase 3 will focus on continuing to build stronger links within the community and include further resumption of commercial and recreational activities, and may include:
- Further increases in number of people allowed at indoor and outdoor non-work gatherings;
- Possible further relaxation of regional travel restrictions;
- Restrictions further relaxed for gyms, health clubs and indoor sport centres;
- Contact community sport (indoor and outdoor) permitted, with gathering limits;
- Beauty therapy and personal care services permitted;
- Auction houses and real estate auctions (not just online as it is currently); and
- Public playgrounds, outdoor gym equipment, skate parks, zoos, cinemas, galleries, museums and concert venues permitted to open, with gathering limits.
Phase 4 and further future easing of restrictions will be assessed and finalised in due course.
Western Australia’s hard border with the rest of Australia will remain in place, and is expected to be among the final restrictions lifted.
For more information on this roadmap and the easing of restrictions, please visit www.wa.gov.au
Wow the swell certainly delivered in Perth yesterday! What an awesome shot from Gordon 👏🏼
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If you was lucky enough (or brave enough) to be playing out, you can find all of the photos up on his website 😁 (www.truespiritphotos.com)
📸 @true_spirit_photos
#kiteboardingwa #kitesurf #westernaustralia #surfsup #waveriding #justanotherdayinwa
Timeline PhotosWestern Australia has done an incredible job and we thank the WA community for doing their part and taking COVID-19 seriously.
WA's recent low numbers have been very encouraging. They give us the best chance to minimise community spread of the virus, if everyone continues to act responsibly and follow the advice.
As of tomorrow, health advice is that we can now cautiously relax the number for indoor and outdoor gatherings to a maximum of 10 people, while practising social distancing. The following activities can now recommence, while following the health advice:
• Hiking, camping, boating, recreational fishing and picnics within your region
• Weddings
• Outdoor personal training (no sharing equipment)
• Open houses and display home villages
Playgrounds, skate parks and outdoor gym equipment will remain closed.
Restaurants, cafés, food vans, food courts and road houses remain restricted to takeaway and home delivery.
All other restrictions will remain in place for now, in a bid to manage social distancing and better protect Western Australians.
Today’s announcement does not mean that people can have parties with large numbers or flock to popular outdoor spots. We’re relaxing some restrictions to ensure families and friends can stay connected.
While WA’s current low numbers are pleasing, we need to be aware that transmission of the virus is a very high risk and there is no reason to be complacent.
The best way to keep yourself and others safe remains to practise social distancing and at stay home other than for essential activities and connecting with others to maintain your mental health.
It’s important that people continue to avoid unnecessary touching like hugs and handshakes, try to keep 1.5m away from others, and maintain good hygiene and handwashing.
Police will continue to ensure compliance with all COVID-19 restrictions. If you suspect someone is breaching gathering restrictions, a requirement to self-isolate, or a business is not complying with restrictions, contact WA Police on 131 444.
For more COVID-19 information visit www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/covid-19-coronavirus-community-a...