Mind and Body

In addition to daily meditation, I also make it a daily habit to hit the gym. I suppose I should since I'm a Personal Trainer - hopefully getting my NCSF certification by next month.

I've done some research and created a series of exercises that I feel will help keep me conditioned for kiting during the off season. These exercises focus more on core strength, balance and body weight resistance as opposed to conventional weight training. I found the TRX suspension training system quite useful since most motions in kiting are bar/body weight oriented.

Below are 4 exercises, some more advance, that target balance and core.

Milestone Day: In the water and on the board

We took a last minute trip out to Cape Cod this weekend so I decided to try to get some kite time in. I was able to get a hold of a school in West Dennis called Air Support and arranged a tentative lesson for either Saturday or Sunday.

The weather forecast was unfavorable as of Friday, with a Nor-Easter on the its way and winds estimated at 20-40 mph gusts. Chances were low that Saturday would be a day for the lesson. Sunday on the other hand was a perfect day, mild winds but the water was cold.

Air Support is a great shop. I would recommend it to anyone visiting the Cape Cod area. Jay was there to greet me at 9:00. I had Steve as an instructor. I was outfitted with a 6/5 full body wet suit - XL but it was still quite tight on me.

After squeezing my ass into this sausage casing, I signed the necessary forms, paid the fee and off with Steve in the Air Support mini-van. Mat-black spray painted, in dire need of attention to its breaking system needs, the van had great character and is unfit to carry a small family, but the true spirit of the beach adventurer.

The lesson location was just north of us on the shore of Chapin Beach. Excellent tide and wind conditions, but the water was chilly.
The equipment we used in this session was a 10M Slingshot RPM and board.


We rigged up, launched and walked out into the water. The wet suit, as uncomfortable and restricting as it felt, was a life saver.

Some techniques we cover are:
1) Water relaunching
2) Standard kite control
3) Body dragging downwind
4) Body dragging upwind
5) Stepping into the board
6) Popping out of the water
7) Attempted planing

Although for a brief moment, it was an incredible feeling to get on top of the board and plane... before eating it.

Now it's just a matter of putting my time in. I have most of the basics. Once I'm up and planing, I can focus on moving up and down wind.
Success!

The Zen Of It All

Why do I call this "The Zen of Kitesurfing." From the advice of my Executive Coach, I began taking up meditation. Not only as a way to counter stress, a constant battle especially with a hereditary elevated blood pressure condition, but as a way to get centered.

Part of the exercise in meditation is to not necessarily just quiet the mind, but to acknowledge the noise but give it little to no attention. Allow it to become gray noise. My early attempts at quieting the mind through meditation has been somewhat strenuous. Let's face it, we're constantly on the move in our mind. Living in New York City, mid-town no less, and working in the Finance industry, you can't help but form a habit of constant multi-tasking in our head. Being aware of this is the first step.

From the advice of a friend, I took a course in meditation provided by The Art Of Living Foundation. I learned how to just "allow" the noise, how to breath, and center myself among the turbulent thoughts. It's an amazing moment when realize how you constantly clinch your jaw or tense your shoulders until you focus and relax those muscles. Your body just gets used to the tense feeling.

The same goes for the mind. You don't realize the kind of turbulence in your mind until you focus on your breathing and ignore all of the to-do's, all of the planning, all of the worrying. Just breathing in the moment, which brings to mind a great quote:

"I do not worry about the past
and I am not fearful of the future
because my life is supremely concentrated in the present
and the right response comes to me as it occurs."

Effective meditation for me is really about being in the moment.

So what does this have to do with kitesurfing?

On eof the visual techniques I use in meditation are analogous to flying and controlling a power kite. Turbulent winds can quickly take your kite out of control - consider this your multi-tasking mind. Parking the kite at the edge of the wind window at 12 o'clock brings it back. This is finding your center - bringing your thoughts to 12 o'clock and your breathing are the lines of the kite.

This visualization has served me well in starting off my meditations both in the morning, which is easier to start, as well as the evening - where the "winds" are fierce.

Not So Breezy Point

We took a day trip out to Breezy Point just south of Rockaway beach.
The beginning of the day was nice, but with a crowded beach, we were quickly asked to drop the kites not long after we launched.

Vlod showed with his 16M kite so we decided to walk over to the unrestricted area. Popped a couple of beers and launched both my training kite and the 16M. After strapping on the harness and Vlod assisted the launch, and Alan walked it into the water. Well, it actually dragged him into the water.

In the meantime, I was able to launch and fly the trainer kite for a bit. That is, until it dropped into the water, picking up sand in all its chambers. Crissy Field all over again. Needless to say, that was the end of the practice session with the trainer kite.



Back to Alan and Vlod - the 16M flew for a while then came hurdling down on the shoreline. Vlod tried to resurrect it, but discovered a leek. The leading edge could not keep its shape. And down came the second kite. Two kites up - two kites down, all in a span of about 10 minutes, not including rigging time. Alan was thrilled with the experience. We definitely had the attention of the beach.

First Official Lesson

Now in Morro Bay, I made it a point to schedule my first official Kiteboarding lesson. I contacted a shop out of Pismo Beach (a couple of towns south of us) called California Kiteboarding. Scheduled a noon session with Jason.

We met up at Oceano-Pismo State beach, a beach you can actually drive onto. The attendant forewarned us to stay on the packed sand or risk getting stuck.

The beach was beautiful and the wind was more than sufficient for a beginner lesson. Jason drove up in his van. We had our intro and went straight to flying kites.

In this lesson, I flew my 3m foil training kite, a 5m foil training kite with a harness and finally a full blown (literally) 7m Slingshot bow kite, harness and helmet. I quickly learned that I have a lot to learn.
launching, landing , figure 8s, S sign, pulling up from a seated position etc.

           

It was quite a workout. I lasted for only 3 hours.

Unfortunately I did not get a chance to go into the water or try out a board, but I'm looking forward to it on my next lesson.

A Quick Launch In Carmel

We often stop by Morro Bay during our visits to California. Typically we drive 101 down to San Luis Obispo, but on this particular visit we decided to take Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) and enjoy the drive.

Our first stop was Carmel By The Sea. We've visited the beach there before and I remember there was a nice wind. So We made it a point to stop and see if I can get some kite time.

Unfortunately the wind was not that strong and the beach was crowded. I set up and launched getting some air for a brief moment. As I packed it up, seagulls swarmed my back pack as well as a local chihuahua. I don't remember packing any food in it, but I'm sure there was something they sensed.

Well, I can at least say that I've launched a kite in Carmel.

We packed it up and headed to Cannery Row in Monterey for a little wine tasting at Baywood Cellars. Great place, friendly proprietor - highly recommended.

Finding Wind In The City By The Bay

On our trip to California, which we do every couple of months, I wanted to make it a point to fly the kite in as many beaches as possible. First stop - Crissy Field, San Francisco - the same place where I first witnessed the sport.

The fog was low, the air was cool and yes the wind was strong. I noticed another guy rigging up to ride out into the bay. I ran over and learned he came from Colorado and made it one of his goals to kite surf under the Golden Gate bridge. He went on to tell me how someone reported to him that the wind gets questionable out past the first marker and that the undercurrent shifts in several directions. All of which was over my head - I confessed of my "newbiness" and closed by wishing him luck and looked forward to see him launch. See video.

A couple of lessons from this session:

1. Foil kites + Water + Sand = a whole lot of sadness.
2. Always check and re-check your lines, especially the pulleys. Make sure their not twisted - or your kite will continue to steer to the side.

Some day, I'll post my session of riding under the Golden Gate.

Taking It Up A Notch (small notch)

Excited about the prospect of learning this new sport, I eagerly placed an order in for my first training kite. I did a lot of homework and wanted to invest in a kite that not only use to practice, but that is large enough to possibly use in the winter with my snowboard. See The Zen of Snowkiting.

After reading a few reviews and user comments, I decided on the HQ Scout II 3M kite. Larger than the Rush, this trainer kite included a 3rd safety line that can also be used for reverse launching. The bar also includes a harness hook.

I placed the order in through a company called Kitemare, a misnomer, because I had a great experience with them. They notified me of my order and delivered promptly.

I received the kite in time to take it for its maiden flight on our trip to Asbury Park.
After about and hour of trying to figure out how to connect the lines to the bridles (did I mention that I left the field manual at home) I was able to properly connect and launch it for the first time.

As you can see, I need a lot of work in controlling and properly landing the kite. I don't recommend using the side of a building to bring down your kite.

All in all, it was a great experience.

Getting To Know The Kite

I met a friend, Alan, at a cigar lounge (Barclays Rex) I frequent on Broad street that mentioned his interest in learning Kiteboarding. One of the best ways to learn a sport is it take it up with a friend, and its even better when you both are learning at the same stage.


So Alan made the initial investment and ordered a Rush Training 2 meter kite.



We took it out for a flight at a local park in Jersey and I quickly learned how powerful even a 2 meter kite can be given the right wind conditions. And it also turned out to be quite a workout.

This was also my introduction into controlling a kite with a bar. It's similar to the handlebars of a bike. At this point, I was focused only on keeping it in flight. Knowledge of the wind window and parking it at 12 o'clock were all a mystery to me.



A couple of weeks later we took another trip to Sandy Hook to check out the beach and to try to fly the trainer kite. "Try" being the operative word. The weather was gorgeous, but the wind was non-existent. After a few failed launches, we decided to just enjoy the beach. Did you know parts of Sandy Hook have nude beaches? Hmmmmm, but it's not the kind of nude you really want to be bragging about.

No kite time that day, but we did get an eye full.

First Encounter

I decided to start this blog to chronicle my journey and learning process of Kitesurfing aka Kiteboarding (I'll use the term interchangeably).

I remember seeing kite surfers for the first time in 2003. We were walking the beach at Crissy Field and noticed what looked like crescent shaped camping tents laying on the beach, blowing in the wind - surfers with their boards looking out at the bay and Golden Gate in the distant.

Then I saw it. A group of surfers making their way back to shore, planing on their boards holding bars with lines that lead up into the sky - drawn by what looked like some kind of modified parachute.

I looked back at the beach and realize these "tents" were parked kites, leading edge down, facing the same directions like a group of giant colorful bats all abiding to the laws of the wind.

My first impression was that these surfers were a whole new breed of extreme water athletes.
Little did I know then that I would later work my way to join their ranks.

It wasn't until we started spending more time in Morro Bay (around 2005) that I started seeing more kiteboarders. In my mind, I decided sometime in the future, I will take up the sport. No definitive date or milestone in my life. Just some vague future dream.

That dream manifested into action June of 2010. And so it begins