Hey guys so im getting out on the water and have just starting to hold my line. Only problem is I just keep picking up speed and getting faster and faster until I crash. What do you guys do to slow down?

Do i just have to park my kite at 12 until I loose speed?

cheers meerkat for the advice, I do keep looking at the kite.

Mate I love the speed its the crashing into the water that I am not fond of

On the contrary put the kite lower. It will help you edge better. A lot peope still struggle with this even intermediate riders. Keep it low, first but will feel dangerous at once you get it you will understand. Putting the kite high is a natural instinct in lots of wind however it will lift you off your edge and cause you to loose control.

To get the stance Meerkat suggests try placing your forward hand in the water (opposite side of the kite of course ) that helps to twist your body and at getting a better edge, one reason you keep going faster and faster is because the apparent wind kicks in and then you probably poo stance to depower which doesn’t help at all in actually slowing down and results in a faceplant or nose dive crash.

thanks guys I have a better idea how to try it tomorrow. Problem was once I get up thats as far as my knowledge went i didn't know how to turn slow down edge or anything basically I am just holding on and trying to stay on the board.

Now i have a bit of idea what im going to try to do. the rest I will surely pick up as I go, gotta say though I am loving it such a buz out there

if its too outa control go downwind a couple of metres before making your big cut upwind to stop.

Argh, the spelling police. Run!

Well I get to the office at 6am, and now that we've got daylight savings here...

I'm not usually this bad, but Saffer deserves it. I occasionally get on the soapbox about spelling, but about a year ago hurt some fifteen year old kid's feelings (poor baby) when I criticised his spelling, so I try and keep it to myself as much as I can.

As for slowing down, what everyone says is right. You certainly can send the kite to 12 and bear off downwind, that is how the guys trying to break speed records do it at the end of their run, but for normal riding that loses too much ground and you are much better off to put your kite as low as possible and dig in your edge (primarily back foot), pointing yourself as upwind as possible. On C-kites letting the bar out will help, even though your kite flies faster it flies closer to the edge of the window, thereby helping you to point further upwind. I don't know what bow kites do, but from the limited time I've spend flying them I expect it works pretty much the same, and with the less power sheeted out it probably helps you check your speed.

Hi there!

Here is a concentrate of experience!!!

Three parameters to control the power of the kite:
1-the position of the kite in the window: you act on this parameter by:
o Replacing the kite where you want by ‘flying’ the kite, for instance using small sinus waves;
o Changing more incidence of the kite: more incidence (‘more powered’) and the kite will slow down, less incidence (‘less powered’) and the kite of the kite will fly faster.
o Changing the board speed: slowing the board and the kite will fly forward towards the edge of the window, accelerating the board and the kite will move closer to the power zone;
2- the incidence of the kite: using the bar, by ‘powering’ and ‘depowering’
3- the speed of the kite, which create apparent wind:
o flying the kite (i.e. not locking the kite somewhere in the wind window) will create more power;
o riding your board faster: the kite will follow you and create more power than if you ride slowly.

Slowing down starts by slowing down the board, which is done by:
1- pointing more upwind the board by:
o twisting the hips. Trying to touch the water behind your back with your front hand will help to twist your body;
o look further upwind;
o push hard on the back foot;
2- edging hard by applying a maximum of pressure on both heels, with more pressure on the back foot. To withstand the pull of the kite:
o avoid the poo stance and feel the pull of the kite traversing your body in a straight line from your upper body to your feet: in summary, lean your upper body backwards
o Keep the kite low in the sky.

When the board slows down, the kite will fly faster than you and thus will fly to the edge of the wind window. The kite will pull less there and you will get back control of the situation.

The kite pulls too much when you have to lean so much backwards over the water that your board loose edges: you can slide on the water on your back or bum (which slows you down) until your can dig your board again into the water and pursue your course.

I am not an instructor. This is only my experience. I might have forgotten things as I ‘d better go back to work now to be able to buy some new gear!!!

Have fun over there!

Fred