Food Feature: Go fly a kite

The gen-x-treme sports world has embraced a new toy — the traction kite. On Maui’s north shore, Oregon’s Columbia River gorge, the lakes of Texas, the coast of Florida ... in the U.S. and around the world, the cathedrals of windsurfing have given way to this newest craze. The sport is kiteboarding (or kitesurfing, if you prefer) and it is dazzling athletes and spectators alike. Imagine your feet under soft straps on a surfboard. You’re holding a control bar, like the handlebars of a bicycle. Thirty meters above your head flies an enormous, colorful kite. It pulls you, delighted and laughing, through the water. Of course, if you’re prone to daredevil maneuvers, you can dip the kite for a power move and launch up to 30 feet off the water for the length of a football field.

I had heard of guys in Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Cape Hatteras doing those crazy tricks on the water with kites. But when I visited Maui, I was surprised to discover a kiteboard park. The sky was a candyland of colors, where the nylon C-shaped toys harnessed the Trade Winds. Riders performed stunts off seemingly dead-flat water. It’s the wind, I learned, not the waves, that powers their tricks.

Headed down to the edge of the water, I expected to see a sport dominated by male, teenage rebels. But there were also plenty of women, kids and oldtimers. Enthusiasts ranged from locals in their beater 4x4s, to the BMW, fur set tourists vacationing in Hawaii. In short, the sport was attracting everyone, from ages 12 to 65, from many different sports backgrounds.

On the beach in Maui, I watched flyers make their 20-foot twisting leaps look simple; I had to give it a try. So I convinced a very nice lady to let me borrow her kite. It was already flying, hovering straight above her head. She called this the “neutral position.” She had other terms and words of caution like, “Be careful of the powerzone” and, “this kite has a high aspect ratio.” I just smiled and nodded, watching the kite flap lightly above her head in the blue sky.

She unleashed the control bar from its harness and handed me the bar. I took hold and accidentally let the kite fade toward the water. I was immediately surprised by the power, as I face planted in the hard wet sand, got dragged across the beach, knocked over some innocent bystanders, tore across lava rock promontories until finally her kite exploded against a palm tree. It was what kiteboarders refer to as a “kitemare.” I had a few.

It wasn’t difficult to find the Kiteboarding School of Maui. The owner, Martin Kirk, chuckled at my confession. “You have to have some lessons,” he said, matter-of-factly. Training began with kite equipment overview, 101. There are different kinds of traction kites. Some float. Others don’t. There are different sizes for different wind conditions. So, too, there are a plethora of safety device options and control bars.

My teacher made me watch a video and then we headed out to play. The first real lesson was flying skills, on the land. If you’ve ever seen a two or four-line stunt kite, then you have the right idea.

Once on-land flight school was mastered, I took to the water for my first monitored body drag, sort of like human trolling. I stood in chest high water with the kite in its neutral position, flying straight overhead. As I yanked on my control bar to dip the kite to 45-degrees off the horizon “into the powerzone,” I was on my way. Unlike my failed early attempts at windsurfing, this was easy and amazingly fun. Even without a board, it was still a blast. Only three hours into my lessons, water was splashing into my face for a lengthy downwind run. Subsequent lessons would include getting on the board, traveling upwind, launching off the water and learning advanced tricks.

Without proper education, I can only imagine what I might have done. Kitemares are the bane of the industry. Concerned parents and a few irate windsurfers have tried to shut the sport down, mostly because the lines — often stretching as long as 40 meters — whip through the air with uncommon slicing power. For instance, at the Tackle Shack in Pinellas Park, Fla., “Lessons are mandatory,” said sales manager Doug Sherwood. “We let our customers borrow the equipment for an hour or two and if they demonstrate the proper flying abilities, then we will sell them the equipment.”

Steve Gottlieb from Sandy Point Progressive Sports in South Daytona, Fla., had similar reservations. “Kiteboarding has a huge fun factor,” he said, “but there are a lot of safety drawbacks. Unlike sailing, the kite takes up a huge area because of the lines. A crowded launch just isn’t safe. You really need a secluded area.”

After my lessons, I was feeling a little bolder with my abilities. Back in Atlanta, I couldn’t wait to show off for would-be spectators, and what better place to whip up tourist’s attention than Lake Lanier? But Steve was right. There were just too many people, too many boaters and too many accidents with power lines waiting to happen (not to mention my apprehension of sludge). Lake Allatoona might have been better, but alas, I needed wind. There just wasn’t enough of it, not to power my 5-square-meter kite.

“In Georgia, St. Simons Island is perfect,” said Ted Joames, owner of Fox Water Sports in Buxton, Fla. “There are wide flat beaches with gradual drop-offs and ideal wind conditions for downwind runs.” James wasn’t kidding. Imagine my surprise, when I paid a visit, to discover other fellow kiteboarders already in the water. People were watching the riders slice through the water and fly through the air. Spectators gawked, trying to figure out exactly what they were seeing. They had questions like: “Where’s the boat?” and “Is that a parachute?”

Safety issues aside, from Hilton Head down to Jacksonville, kiteboarders assuredly will start dotting the Georgia coastline. If you’re hesitant to believe, visit any windsurfing haven. Better yet, do a search on the Web for “kiteboarding” or “kitesurfing.” There are more sites than you might imagine covering manufacturers, magazines, local competitions, chat groups and schools. I recommend not letting another weekend pass you by. For myself, I can’t wait to get back in the water.

The Kiteboarding School of Maui is located at 111 Hana Highway, #108, Kahaului. 808-873-0015.