"Scott Bemis" wrote in message
om...
Has anyone seen or read of sea kayakers using water relaunchable kites
to sail with a sea kayak?

I am a little hesitant due to all the lines on a kite, in particular
the potential for entanglement with a powered kite. This is the
situation of capsizing in the sea kayak with kite still powered by the
wind. There would be still significant tension on the lines. Larger
kites also generate a fair amount of power. Kiters can be lifted out
of the water and "fly" for a fair distance in the air. As this would
be a somewhat downwind situation, and I do not understand how I could
keep my hands on the paddle, even with the cleats I have on my kayak,
what is done in a broach situation? The stern rudder will not work. Or
does the kite assist in this situation?

After watching windsurfers and kiters on North Maui, I remain somewhat
curious though. The kiter, with a powered kite, could right himself
after being caught in a breaking wave. He had the kite to assist him.
The windsurfer had a more difficult time - a sail full of water.

The kites those guys use have a couple levels of safety systems, which will
cause the kite to lose power and drop from the sky (The third level is a
knife.) Of course, if you did tip, you might just want the power of the
kite to pull you back up, or you could end up in a nasty tangling situation.
A four-line kite like those can also be tacked upwind, so you're not limited
to downwind travel.

I don't know how you could steer the kite and paddle at the same time. I
think you'd stow the paddle and use the kayak's rudder to set the boat's
angle.

I couldn't figure out why my buddy said he didn't use a leash on his
kiteboard, until I watched him (and others). The kite generally stays up
after a wipeout, and they can use it to pull themselves back to their
boards.

-Paul