This may sound absurd, but since I've been kite surfing and remembering the challenges of learning and appreciating the power of the wind, it has really given me insights into nature that I didn't knew existed.
I have been a lover of nature especially the power and beauty of the ocean, waves and stand up surfing. I've been surfing for over 25 years. It changed my life and gave me strong insights into how nature, the wind and the days influence emotions, feelings, beliefs and understanding of life in general. However, kite surfing gave me a whole new level of appreciation, especially the power of the wind and how wind and motion of nature is so vital for the survival of us, and the planet.
It's a shame in many ways that our leaders and business people that don't experience this power don't take nature and wind power more seriously. I trully believe that if we had minds using nature more effectively and with the aim of all people to benefit from their engineering and creations we would not be in the situation we are now - dependance on chemicals that pollute the air and water, coal that chokes and greed.
To see kites being used by major shipping companies for example, 100mtr kites pulling thousands of tonnes of container ships, to see kites in space, to see wind turbines in every major town or a system that utilises both sun and wind in ways to minimise the visual impact of turbines, etc... The possibilities are endless!
Kite surfing is just the beginning and being a relatively new sport, it would not surprise me seeing kites being used in commercial applications more and more. What about kites and solar working together for cars? Space and objects are an obvious issue, but what if small kites numbered in dozens, hundreds, arrayed and such a way to control and navigate without the need for lines, but wires, short and long enough to catch some wind?
Fanciful, whimsical, lunacy, ignorant? Lol
My point being that the possibilities are endless and I feel we have only, perhaps not even started, to appreciate the possibilities.
Thanks for reading
Nice post, but as a 30 year windsurfer, apprentice kitesurfer, and engineer, I think harnessing wind power can be achieved more controllably and successfully through sails than kites!
This might reflect my recent experiences, but from an systems control perspective I am not sure why you would go for kite rather than sail ( or windmill / whatever ) technology.
Interested to hear your reasons
Dave
Hi Kazan, I also felt this way the first year I started back in 2005.
The feeling of freedom was spiritual and I loved people back then and life was beautiful.
Then the crowds appeared, the agro in the water and finally seabreeze forum.
Get out before it's to late Kazan.
nice houghts and insights .my worry is that kitesurfing in the hands of fools has a limited future
Kites in space was where I got lost..... 
"being a relatively new sport, it would not surprise me seeing kites being used in commercial applications more and more"
Yes kitesurfing is relatively new but you do realise kites existed a thousand years ago? I think if they had any use pulling ships for example, it would have been done back in the day - but they didn't they used sail as it produced power without the obvious problems of flying something and controlling it
Like Dave said......
dancing with god you say....
Or foxtrotting with the devil if your local is Pinnaroo.
Sometime in 2000 I remember getting home in the early hours of the morning on a discrete bender...
and seeing this guy getting pulled by a kite on a board near some ice 'glaciers'...not sure where, but I thought I was hallucinating and considered the night had been too big of a bender.
Went to bed thinking I was just 'off my nut' and what I saw was just a dream.
Month or so later saw an add for learning how to kitesurf (Ian Young) so thought might check it out if anything to ensure my mind hadn't finnally lost the plot.
Needless to say a combination of less than suitable technology then, my own kookness and learning a new skill at 28, it was not the most pleasant experience leanring...exciting but scared the living crap out of me.
When I finnally had some ability, I experienced what you are talking about. Just floating over the ocean and all that jazz...
Sometimes I have to remind myself this is what we are doing as you can start to take it for granted, it becomes second nature.
hence from time to time I put the aggressive moves back in the box, and just sail, sometimes crankin upwind a km or so. Just to get a 'feel' again of what we do.
Hope this adds something to the post...
Dave Whettingsteel has a good point.
Why would large boats use kites which can crash into the ocean and are a nightmare to control, when they could use a proven, safer, easier to control technology such a sail.
Sails don't tangle into your multimillion dollar prop when the wind dies, they just luff on the mast and you can reel them back in.
Not only that, but that God is one s*itty, two left-footed, honky dancer. That bugger trips me up all the time.
They are also useing kites over sails to try and produce electricity.
They are flying large kites kilometers up where the winds are strong and can be raised or lowered to where ever the air flow is the best.
With sails or wind mills ect, if there is no wind at ground level your screwed.
Imagine the mega loops on a kite with 5km long lines in 60knot winds up above the clouds
I had always seen kitesurfing more along the lines of bashing the bishop, rather than dancing with God.
What astounds me is
The Chinese have had kites for 2000 years
and sailing has been around for yonks
why no one ever thought to give kitesurfing ago before
2000's baffles me
Legend
About the same as a poledancer in 15 knots
If kites compared to sail going upwind is anything to go by,Id say better than the old mast and sail boats.
I would guess it would be something they use to save fuel when the wind is favourable. Dont know if tacking a ship upwind is an option???
Interesting though.
Maybe we could get 2 big ships, one with a sail, and one with a kite and see whos faster
When sailing off the Sunshine Coast across a long swell with a fullish moon and a gentle easterly last year my buddy noted that gently rising with the swell was like being in synch with God breathing. Hard to beat.
There really is some serious work going into Tethered Airborne Wind Turbines - converting wind power to electicity with kites. Makani Power (www.makanipower.com) is a good example - might not look a lot like a kite, but the power source and primary means of capturing it are the same. I think they expect capacity factors closer to 60% than the 30% typically achieved by turbines on pylons. And materials to produce them are vastly less. As to deep water off shore implementations - no need for a rigid structure all the way to the ocean floor. Just a boat/barge and bloody good anchor.
boat will end up in the warfies car park with the kite tangled and caught on trees.
ever here about the dyslexic athiest insomniac?
stayed awake all night wondering if there really is a dog!.
Kite surfing is like dancing with God
Having a jig with the imaginary sky fairies? I fail to see the resemblance!
