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We had a free afternoon so Chris and I headed out to a new spot we had been looking at for a while. The wind was South West and 20-25mph. We launched from the new housing development off the Levee to ride the man-made channels. We ended up walking about a mile with our kites to the shore and launching there since the channels were a little sketchy. After launching we headed to the south and then to the North to check out the shoreline and that is when we found “The Slick”. It consists of about a square mile of area of water 6-12″ deep with hundreds of small reed islands between sections of water. This makes it a butter-flat riding area with lots of natural features to jump and ride between.

The second time we rode it we parked in a new area and had to swim across a channel to get to a “launch spot”, I use that term loosely as we just drift launched off a muddy reed bank…it was kind of a mess. So we still need to find an ideal launch area to reach the Slick. I have a few ideas of where we can go that will be a lot easier to get out and back in. Enjoy the video below..Hatteras has got nothing on the Houston’s “Dollar Slick”.

2nd Annual 30mi Galveston Downwinder is a success! 

We only had roughly 8 people attempt the run this year and almost everyone made it down.  The wind was very very light in the morning and was literally blowing 7mph until 12:45 or so at St Luis pass.  Many people decided not to go because the wind looked bad.  Luckily once we got to St Luis and rigged our gear the wind came up to 20mph or so and we were all set.  The waves were pretty huge and abnormally clean so it was an EPIC downwinder.  The section through the seawall was filled with spectators as always and I’m sure we gave kitesurfing a good name in Galveston with some massive airs and impressive kickturns. 

It took the first group about 1.5 hours longer than last year going the other direction.  This year the wind was pretty much straight sideshore so there was a lot more cutting and jibing to make the down-wind progress.   

If you missed this run, stay tuned we’ll proabably do another one in February or March next year.  Before then if you’re rusty in the surf think about practicing some downwind runs from Stuwart beach to East beach or just going out and riding in the surf a couple times a month.

The Texas City Dike is open again!!  This means that our down-winders from the end of the dike can resume.  The bad news is that the City of Texas City is now charging for access to the Dike AND Levee Fri-Sun until the end of October.  Overall the Toll system runs from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. each Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the end of October. The dike access fee will resume on those weekend hours Memorial Day weekend and will continue through Labor Day weekend.

Bitter-sweet that the Dike is open but they started charging for access to the Levee now.  I have to say that they did a GREAT job on the dike and it is a pleasure to drive out on.  The landboarding at the end is also still good.  We were worried that changes would have effected the landboarding section at the end of the Dike but it has not. 

For a Complete listing of all rules check out the Texas City online help guide:
http://www.texas-city-tx.org/RecTour/RecTourdocs/Flyer_DikeFAQ09-13-10.pdf

Another helpful article:
http://www.khou.com/news/New-fee-no-hamper-on-Texas-City-dike-traffic-102730964.html

I get a lot of questions about long distance kiteboarding. Here are a few tips for people who want to do some long rides:

Planning is paramount. Wind direction for down-winders and for any distance ride can make or break the trip. You don’t want to be working up wind for 6 hours because the wind shifted direction in the middle of your ride. Planning your route, weather, and safety plan will make for a fun and safe distance ride. Keep track of weather patterns before you go and get some local tips if you’re not in your local area. It is also a great idea to scout of the area of the ride before you do it incase there are some obsticals that are new or not on the maps you used. I can tell multible stories of misadventures due to lack of planning. At the end of the day, you CAN’T plan for everything which brings me to the next point.

Safety and Emergencies. There is a certain amount of risk that is assumed by anyone undertaking a long kiteboarding trip. Fatigue will make any potentially harmful situation worse for sure. You can take precautions to give yourself the best chance of being successful in an emergency and a long kiteboarding ride is the time to take advantage of these. Wear the right gear. That means helmet, life jacket, whistle, booties, gloves, and hook knife. This also includes the no brainers like a kite leash, well maintained kite equipment, and supplies for the possibility of being stranded (ie cell phone, food, etc). Just like a marathon runner hits water and food stops during a race you should do the same during a kiteboarding endurance ride to prevent cramps and extreme fautigue. A camel back water system works great for keeping hydrated and power bars, gu’s, etc work well to keep your energy up.

Keep checking the site I’ll update with more helpful hints and some funny stories of problems I’ve had as well as other long distance kiters.

-Phil Midler

El Jardine’s chocolate water makes it into the most recent issue of the kiteboarder magazine as a review for the 2011 Litewave Wing board. XLKITES uses this board for lessons and light wind riding. We have them in stock and ready to save your light wind sessions. This is truely the best value in light wind boards. Why pay $850 for a Spleen door when you can get a LItewave Wing for under $600?

The Method Trainer kite is the newest technology in Trainer kites to hit the market. Its patented bridle system allows 2-line flying with the included bar and line set as well as 4-line flying using ANY regular bow, SLE, or Delta kite bar and line set. The idea is that students will practice flying the trainer on the 2-line system until they get the hang of it than switch to the 4-line bar and line set off thier large inflatable kiteboarding kite. This means that a prospective student can practice with thier ACTUAL 4-line kiteboarding bar and line set BEFORE they take thier lessons. This has been shown to save up to 50% lesson time required for the average student by effectively teaching the depower, emergency release, and sheeting action of the 4-line bar and line system before lessons. The training doesn’t stop after lessons, the Method Trainer Kite is also a great way to practice intermediate and advanced tricks on the beach before attempting on the water with a large (expensive) inflatable kite. By mastering the tricks on the Method Trainer kite first you’ll save wear and tear as well as bumps and bruses before heading out into the water.

Method Trainer kite is in stock and up to 15-20% off normal price…Get it with out with out 2-line bar and lines set ($189-209). See it here..

http://www.methodtrainkite.com