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

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.

far canal!

Wind is good to play in but it is useless for making energy

dancing with god you say....

Or foxtrotting with the devil if your local is Pinnaroo.

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.

Mark _australia said...

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......

These days they are computer controlled and it IS being done.
They are flowen 200m above the ship where the winds are stronger and more steady which is more efficient than the old sails of yesterday.
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1956825/posts




Seems the old school sails are becoming more and more redundant.

Below info was taken from the artical.

Instead of support from a mast, boom and rope, the SkySail is tied to the bow by a single line that also contains a cable linking it to a computer, which controls it. It acts like a child's kite, carving figure-of-eight patterns in the air, reaching speeds four times higher than the prevailing wind, which dramatically increases its pulling power.


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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

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

yep,i will never dance with someone who never shows up, pointless

lotofwind said...
[brSeems the old school sails are becoming more and more redundant.

Below info was taken from the artical.

Instead of support from a mast, boom and rope, the SkySail is tied to the bow by a single line that also contains a cable linking it to a computer, which controls it. It acts like a child's kite, carving figure-of-eight patterns in the air, reaching speeds four times higher than the prevailing wind, which dramatically increases its pulling power.


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Seems rather efficient.
Wonder how efficient they are sailing into a head wind?

Stuthepirate said...

lotofwind said...
[brSeems the old school sails are becoming more and more redundant.

Below info was taken from the artical.

Instead of support from a mast, boom and rope, the SkySail is tied to the bow by a single line that also contains a cable linking it to a computer, which controls it. It acts like a child's kite, carving figure-of-eight patterns in the air, reaching speeds four times higher than the prevailing wind, which dramatically increases its pulling power.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seems rather efficient.
Wonder how efficient they are sailing into a head wind?

Ship still needs a conventional power plant to drive it. The kite cannot provide 100% of the power needed. So during light air, headwinds etc the ship would not use the kite.

But kiters on racing boards are getting pretty good upwind efficiency, so maybe they can run them quite close to the wind.

Also, the prospect of kites in space is not that outlandish. I believe NASA intend to launch a craft that uses massive mylar sails to harness the power of solar particles. The sails have an insane surface area. Although they look a lot more like kites to me.

In fact, Japan has already done it:

"IKAROS" - Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun (gotta love Japanese Engrish Acronyms) project in 2010.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail

eppo said...

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...

Funny story Eppo and im Im ready to experiment. Do you think going on benders will create that floating motion for me. Sounds Sick.

husa said...

replying to Dave

Check this out
www.kitepower.eu/

Interesting projects this one, and the other kite powered ship talked about. It s important to note that both are research projects figuring out whether it Is practical or not. Fantastic they are doing it, but by their own admission these are concepts, not production technologies. My view is that sail technology is going to happen before kite on commercial ships.

Good stuff!

Dave

boat will end up in the warfies car park with the kite tangled and caught on trees.

Kite surfing is like dancing with God


Having a jig with the imaginary sky fairies? I fail to see the resemblance!