Steven S. Ross

Lesson 2 == tired, sore, and in love. We’ll I can’t say I didn’t see this one coming, I mean what is not to love about combining practically all the things I love and do on the water into one sport. Surfing: check, Wakeboarding: check, Skimboarding: check, Harnessing the power of nature: check. The first thing to note about this lesson was that it was a bit intimidating. You have a 14 meter kite attached to your body and after a few minutes taxiing out to the surf you hang on to your instructor who does “body drags” (no board just let the kite pull you through the water) with you hanging onto their harness. Lots of waves in the face and ongoing instruction while He flies the kite and you try to pay attention in the surf.

Next its my turn, few minutes flying the kite on land (making sure I am comfortable with a kite that is twice the surface area of the previous lesson). You feel it pull, and man does it, the impression it leaves is that this kite will take you wherever it wants to go. That is while on land, in the water its a whole different feeling. So I wade into the water, lie down and begin my own body drags, getting used to steering the kite with one hand while holding your opposite hand in the water to create some resistance. Kite stays up, I learn how to “upwind” or move myself and the kite back toward the beach while hopefully gaining some ground toward the opposite direction that the wind is blowing. This skill is essential for picking up your board when it comes off your foot or not getting a mile down the beach and having to huff it back with all your gear.

So 30-45 mins later after a bunch of body drags and feeling comfortable flying the kite one handed its time to take the board on a body drag. Now this doesn’t sound too difficult but, to my surprise you add one more thing into the mix (trying to keep the board on a plane while flying the kite) and suddenly your brain practically has a conniption fit trying to handle the two tasks at the same time and both become very difficult. I got the hang of this and it was an important lesson. At first I thought “body dragging is easy, this will be too”. I think my instructor knew that and this is where your first test of truly managing all the gear comes into play and first pass (heading downwind was easy) coming back upwind I just couldn’t get my left arm to hold the board right.

So back on land again, took a small break, trying to catch my breath (arms and chest getting a major workout). Instructor took the kite out and showed off (doing airs, ripping it, etc). Comes back in and asks me if I am ready to give it a go with trying to get up and actually riding the board. We go over the launch position how to power up the kite for the launch etc. He asks me if I’m ready, I’m not, but I lie and say why not! So I get out there and strap in, try to power up the kite and didn’t give it enough juice, try two more times and I get the feeling of getting out of the water but, didn’t pay attention to where the kite was and fly the kite “out of the wind window”.

Fourth time: surreal bliss. I’m up, tracking along keeping the kite in the air and heading out to sea, I’m clipping along for about 100 yards and I start thinking about trying to turn the kite and head back to the beach. I go over one small swell and then a larger one, boom, lose my balance and eat it head first into the waves. Board is behind me about 30 feet and I’m trying to get back to it, proving very difficult and I didn’t body drag far enough to upwind back to the board. Instructor makes the swim out and rescues the board while I body drag back to the beach. Tide was ripping in hard and we head back past the sand bar (which is now covered up) and onto the beach for another break. Success, feels good, time to order some gear!

Last night won an auction on eBay for some last year model gear (one kite) need to win a board and a buy a harness, and I am set. Its going to be a fun rest of the summer and fall.