Sarasota Crew
 

Hi my name is Phil. i like kiteboarding. Wish there was wind. You?

cant upload my avitar, RickI help!

You have mail Phil!

I live in Tampa, and would like to meet up with you guys some time.

Snobs
 

Sandelli, anytime you want to kite down here pmail me, tho theres been no wind for a month. BTW most kiters here are snobs, just take this innocent topic for instance, it has a total of 206 views and only 3 replies! Obviously they are Sarasota Lurkers who either wish to keep Kiting in Sarasota "a secret spot".....or at least it seems so.....

The kiting here rocks! we have flatwater AND surf to kite in, come on down.

awsome Rodan I appreciate your hospiality! Im still learning my water starts but Ill meet up with you guys and fly my kite around.

thanks again!

chris

Philthy,

Zack Kaplan stopped by the shop yesterday (one of the ORIGINAL Sarasota crew, a great guy, and as addicting to kiting his first two seasons as you can get). Just thought you Sarasotans might want to know.

He FLEW here... got his pilot's license and is doing great in real estate and other stuff. He and I use to dawn patrol at least 4 days a week in the winter at the Skyway prior to sunrise and then hustle off to work. Brought back alot of great memories seeing him (it had been awhile)

The funniest memory... him telling ALL his snap on customers he was SICK and couldn't deliver that day (a Monday) so that he could ride East beach all day in 20 plus with a bunch of us.

Ends up a pro-tographer got a great shot of him and yep... it made FRONT page of the sports section...


Caption : ZACK KAPLAN skies high over the Skyway Bridge on Monday.
(Forced perspective: he looked like he was 100 feet up and the bottom of his board said "kite animal")

He only worked at snap on a little longer after that one :? :o :(

It was classic.

Hi Scott, thats a classic story, one for a book on local kite stories/history. Zack is a real nice fella. See you soon....i hope :D

Hey Im New
 

Hey guys, Im new here, this forum is sweet tho, all kiteboarding stuff.... whats better...

I live in NY and i have a condo down in longboat key, thats right near sarasota. I just bought a kite and was gonna try it out for a while without any lessons. I go down to my condo every winter and will plan a lesson somewhere nearby. If anyone can help me with what place to go to for the best results please help me!

Thanks, hope to get to know some of you!

8)

Hi Danny,
Welcome to the great sport of kiteboarding!
Before you even think of rigging your kite PLEASE, PLEASE take a lesson or two :!:
Safety is paramount!!
You might have better luck with this forum if you check out the Tampa Bay site. There are alot of good people in the area with lots of experience. If you read some of the latest entries you`ll find things happen quickly when kiting even to experienced riders.
Have you tried a trainer kite? Definetly the best place to start.
Anyway welcome. good luck and be SAFE :wink:

Yeah, ive flown my trainer with extreme ease, i did the body drag with it also.
I talked to the Airush rep and he said that i should just get some instructional DVDs and try it out. Maybe just keep practicing with the big kite and wait till i fly to FL to take a lesson. Thanks for your time in replying. I have a lot of questions that i need help on.

Glad to hear you are seeking others opinions. I`m not sure what you mean. To my knowledge I have not yet seen anybody body drag on a trainer kite in light to moderate winds. As a new rider practicing with a big kite 5 meters or above on LAND :shock: Is an ACCIDENT waiting to happen. Man good luck! I can assure you, it is not IF it will happen it is a question of WHEN.
Any person worth their merit tells you to by a DVD and then launch a kite on your OWN? WOW I can tell you, I`d never buy or associate with a MORON like that. I don`t mean to be a wet blanket.
but think about it.
To test your theory- I invite you to place your last post with FKA on the St. Petersburg site and watch the worm turn :roll: Those guys are experienced and have opinions 8)
We all are in this together and I`m not trying to set myself up as the authority.
I just hate to see anyone hurt trying to have fun. When you blow up a real kite it is not only your ass on the line but anyone around you. I personally do not know you but from what I get- imagine this- you blow up your kite in 12 kts and you get lofted, can`t control the kite and you wipe out a family with young children out building sand castles :!: :!:
Do you think kiting would be cool then?
Please check your self :idea:
I can only send my best intentions.
Please seek more input before you try this RISKY move :roll:

Ditto what Venice says in spades. It is the way it is, you DON'T want to try to figure out kiting on your own, particularly on Florida's crowded beaches. You might want to look over:

http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=1218
http://fksa.org/viewforum.php?f=81

Wow, thank you so much for all that information on the safety issue, its just im only 17 and i have a part time job, i want to get into this sport so bad, im obsessive compulsive... There is a kite package I am looking at, its an Airush Halo 14 & Exile Lightwind, it is the perfect kite and board for my weather conditions.,... Although im not sure if they have enough in stock before i go down to florida in the winter to take lessons. I just dont want to miss out on this money saving deal. I was thinking of buying the kite and waiting to take lessons in the summer. I dont know, i just want to be able to learn this sport and be good at it so i can just go out one day and have some fun, you know.... get back at me with some more info..


Danny

Oh and I live in NY, near a uncrowded beach...

Danny,

The last thing you need to worry about is gear at this point. Once you have taken some lessons you will have your own idea about will work. Until then it is quite likely that you will buy the wrong kite size for the conditions you are going after. Finally, there is a ton of good quality used gear out there IF you know what to look for.

Empty beaches are great, then again if you are dumb enough to go solo, if something goes wrong there you are. I did this myself in 2000 and wandered around for 5 hours off my head after being lofted 80 ft. into the side of a house in a 60 mph gust. I needed to be in the ER with a serious brain hemorrhage but was delayed for a dangerously long time because I was alone. I had been kiting for two years at that point by the way. A helmet saved my life, barely.

Get the best lessons you can find. They cost but even at 17 you should see the worth of it. Read over this site, you will find many reasons. You can better manage the hazards with knowledge, going in without training is a very bad idea.

Think about it.

Hi Danny,
It sounds like this irresponsible MORON is more interested in selling you a kite than in your safety and the safety of others.
If you haven`t had a lesson yet, how do you know this is the perfect set up for you :?: :roll:
When you take a lesson your instructor will provide you with all the gear you need. Most instructors usually have 2 or 3 kites to use. They also probably will have a waist harness and a seat harness. Tell me which one is better for you :?: :? Do you want a C kite ? Bow kite? or a hybrid??
If that money is burning a hole in your pocket put it in the bank! :idea: :wink:
Be Safe Be SMART :!: :!:

Danny, Laurel gives lessons at IslandStyle kiteboarding in Sarasota
i got lessons when i was a beginner and THANK GOD I DID, ive had a couple of close calls and without training i probably would have some injurys or worse. Keep practicing w/your trainer kite in the mean time, and the instructer will jump you staight to a real kite saving you $$$.....you will have to show your abilitys on trainerkite 1st, which will prolly take 10 minutes.

Got wind?
 

Yo, my name is Seth and I'm a local Sarasotian. I've lived here for 9 years or so and have done off and on wakeboarding. But alas, i dont have a boat...so in comes kiteboarding. I'm new to the sport and am currently taking lessons with Laurel Kaiser at Island Style Watersports. I'm lookin for some locals who know the area and love to kite. I may have only started but i caught the bug hard and now cant think of anyhting else except kiting!! So I humbly ask to become a member of the "sarasota crew". If anyone has any tips for me or wants to go kiting sometime let me know. I'm itchin to go!