Lesson 1 - The wind.

Wind Strength
The wind! it sounds simple! It blows it stops, right?

Well, in a nutshell yes. It blows and we need to blow so we can start flying kites, however if there isn't enough our kites won't fly and if there is too much we can generate too much power and run the risk of hurting ourselves.

So how do I know if the wind is right?

Generally speaking you would want to be flying your trainer kite in about 12-16knots to start with. You can check the wind for a location near you by heading over to a site like Seabreeze and checking the graphs. Using the seabreeze charts you'll need yellow arrows to fly your kite. Red arrows mean there is not enough wind and green means there’s too much. If you fly the kite in too much wind you risk damaging not only the kite, but yourself and others around you.

Direction
The direction that the wind blows is VERY important for kitesurfing If you are facing the sea and the wind is blowing into your back imagine the direction you are going to travel when floating in the water with a kite! It may seem a cheap ticket to New Zealand but it isn't a good idea!

So, when we kite surf we always ensure that the wind is blowing onto the land from the water, if you face the sea and the wind is in your face or to either side then its safe to kite.

Upwind - Downwind
One thing you'll notice with any sport is that they all have there own lingo.  We tend to stick with the general sailing lot when it comes to the lingo regarding wind.

Now imagine yourself standing on the beach facing the sea.  The wind is blowing in your face (so its probably good for kitesurfing) Now everything in front of you is classed UPWIND and everything behind you is classed as DOWNWIND. It's that simple.

Now turn around 180*, where is downwind now?
It's still the same, DOWNWIND is always where the wind is blowing to and UPWIND is where it is coming from. If you are unsure of what we call DEAD DOWNWIND pick up some sand or grass and let it go from a full arms reach. the direction it travels (the exact way the wind is blowing) is DEAD DOWNWIND. The opposite direction to that is of course UPWIND. When the wind is blowing nicely you should be able to either look into the wind or away from it and turn your head slowly and feel and hear the wind in your ears (tie your hair back girls) the noise will be the same in both ears when your head is looking DEAD DOWNWIND.

Next time you are out and about, and you can feel the wind on your face see if you can work out where is upwind and where is downwind.

Clean wind
You will hear people talking about clean wind from time to time, this can be very important when kiting and you need to consider it when you attempt to fly your trainer kite.

Behind any object be it tree, building or cliff there will be what is called a 'wind shadow' this is an area where the wind can't get into because of the object in the way. Just beyond of this area of no wind is an area of dirty wind, this is wind that is swirling in all sorts of directions as it has attempted to wrap around the object is passed over.  When flying kites it is important to find an area of clear wind so that your kite will fly correctly and not endanger other people.  See the green diagram to the right with the red area highlighting the 'dirty wind'.  This is why when flying kites on the beach we advise that the wind is coming from over the sea to avoid obstructions.

That's it for Lesson 1.