The best kiters seem to be ex windsurfers? hmm.
Follow Nebbians link and waste an hour before you see the final truth-
"Air flows downwind and lift comes from bending it"
I wonder if (like Newtons apple falling on his head) Bernouli got his inspiration from vortex creation around his hair when he went for a walk in the wind.

whippingboy said...


Kite boarding cannot be regarded as sailing because:

The vessell has no bow or stern, therefore no port or starboard side.

Pacific islander boats - ie with outriggers make this point interesting. I don't think anyone would claim that they are not sailing. To turn around they take the mast off and put it at the new "bow". They take the tiller off and put it on the new "stern".



Port and starboard are analagous to left and right. ie - relative terms (to the direction of travel, or the direction you are facing or whatever) rather than absolute

On a different note, they also move impressively fast. Had such fun in them I seriously considerd building my own when I got home. But I figured trying to find a club to race one would be a challenge, and the difficulties any protest committee would have if there was an incident made my hair go curly!

brady said...

whippingboy said...


Kite boarding cannot be regarded as sailing because:

The vessell has no bow or stern, therefore no port or starboard side.

Pacific islander boats - ie with outriggers make this point interesting. I don't think anyone would claim that they are not sailing. To turn around they take the mast off and put it at the new "bow". They take the tiller off and put it on the new "stern".



Port and starboard are analagous to left and right. ie - relative terms (to the direction of travel, or the direction you are facing or whatever) rather than absolute

On a different note, they also move impressively fast. Had such fun in them I seriously considerd building my own when I got home. But I figured trying to find a club to race one would be a challenge, and the difficulties any protest committee would have if there was an incident made my hair go curly!

Crossbow, holder of the outright sailing speed record back in the day was a proa.

Question - how come sailing on a dead run (with the sail surface fully exposed to the wind) is a lot slower than sailing, say, sheeted in on a close reach, which offers a lot less sail area to the wind? In simple terms again, please, Nebs.

It's probably best explained using vector analysis and in the age of the internet why type it up when someone has done it for you.



See full article here

www.physclips.unsw.edu.au/jw/sailing.html

thanks for that but the kiters will not under stand they still think the kite works the same as a sail

Oh fer cr@p$ sake!

What is this tomfoolery? If you're sailing you've gotta have a mast, gotta be bouyant, gotta have an identifiable port and starboard etc etc...what's that got to do with anything? You'll be saying the vessel needs to have had a champagne bottle broken across the bows next...and no winged keels, or women aboard!

A kite may be similar to a sail, but basically the difference is that a kite is flown, on one or more lines, and a sail is directly connected to the boat/board/canoe/raft etc, and of course a mast is better than having a dude standing up holding it, so in general, yes, thee is a mast involved.

I'm sure the yachtsmen who refer to their spinnaker as a "kite" are not speaking literally, it's just a word, and it's almost like they're saying it because it's NOT a sail, more like a parachute, eh?


Can I finish this rant when I've sobered up?

I was only kidding with the spinnaker thing........but then again, if i use a kite as a spinnaker attatched to my windsurfer, and do 60 knots, am i cheating ????

a kite is nothing like a sail they work in a u shape what gets draged by the wind they cant beat **** why i talking sailing terms they arnt sailing craft any way they will go away soon just like rollar disco

Richiefish said...

I was only kidding with the spinnaker thing........but then again, if i use a kite as a spinnaker attatched to my windsurfer, and do 60 knots, am i cheating ????

Try it! Please!! My hero!!