Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing is becoming a very popular water sport, yet it has a surprisingly long history. Not without its dangers, the sport utilizes deceptively simple equipment, and can be combined with a love of travel to provide an exhilarating, high-speed, and fun experience.
At its most basic level, you need a special kind of kite that resembles a parachute, and a small surfboard in order to kitesurf. Equipment varies in complexity though, from the small surfboard, to the directional board complete with bindings. Other gear often includes a control bar, a wetsuit, harnesses, helmets, knives for emergencies should the lines need to be cut, signaling devices, impact vests, and other minor – but useful – gadgetry.
Surprisingly, the idea of using a kite to propel land and water crafts is rather old. British inventor George Pocock was responsible for the first truly successful kite-powered vessels, patenting his kite-drawn buggy, the Charvolant, in 1826. Nearly eighty years later, Samuel Cody, aviation pioneer, successfully crossed the English Channel in a small boat powered by a kite. The 1970s saw the invention of new materials like Kevlar and Spectra, which made kites more efficient and easier to control. From that point, kitesurfing sports really started coming into their own.
In 1978, Ian Day built a kite powered catamaran that went faster than 40 miles per hour. After that, attempts were made by many others to combine kites with ice skates, canoes, roller skates, and skis – both for water and snow. German enthusiast, Dieter Strasilla, successfully combined the kite with skis and, later, surfboards, patenting his kitesurfing device in 1979. The sport as we know it, however, owes a large part of its refinement to Bill Roeseler, and his son Corey. Bill, who worked as an aerodynamicist for Boeing, and Corey patented their system consisting of a two-line delta-style kite and a pair of water skis as the “KiteSki.” The device was controlled by a mounted bar and a combined winch and brake, and became commercially available in 1994.
Four years later, kitesurfing had become a mainstream sport. Several schools were teaching it, and the first competition was held in Hawaii, on the island of Maui. In 2008, the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) recognized the record-setting speed of French kitesurfer Alex Caizergues at 50.57 knots (approximately 58 miles per hour) as the fastest sailing speed record of any craft on the water.
The requirements for the sport of kitesurfing are steady winds, a large body of water, and a good launching site. Locations around the world have become renowned for the conditions amenable to the sport. Some of the best places include Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Germany, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan, Bahrain, Vietnam, Indonesia, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Chile, the Caribbean, Canada, and dozens of locations all over the United States. Frequently, bans have been placed on the sport for various reasons, but many times small groups of kitesurfers have been able to get the bans overturned with a little organization and prepared riding guidelines for safety.
Navigating potential dangers like jellyfish and varying winds can be a difficult, yet thrilling experience for the kitesurfer. When combined with high-speeds and exotic locations around the world, it’s easy to understand how kitesurfing is becoming more and more popular.