Day 52 – Kites
I love kites. Always have.
When I was a kid we got a 45′ dragon kite from a shop in New Orleans. We flew it in the parking lot of the church just behind our house next to Meyerland Plaza in Houston, TX. People would drive from all over to come and see what it was.
These days I don’t care much for kites that have one string to them and just fly.
What I like in a kite is either a lot of power and/or a lot of control.
I currently fly a 3.5 meter power kite when I’m wanting to feel the power or a Revolution III Kite when I want amazing control. Check out what you can do with these kites.
In addition to flying kites on the ground I also like to let them pull me through the water while on a board in a sport called… you guessed it… kiteboarding.
I’m not very good at it, but I have a great time with it.
My kiteboarding rig consists of a Cabrinha 17m kite (that’s right 17m) and a 151cm board. It’s a great kite.
I’ve gotten several lessons from Bill Gehring at South Padre Island Kiteboarding. He’s 70 years old and a great teacher who loves the sport. When they told me they had a 70-year-old teacher I said “That’s the guy I want” – I knew he’d be patient and wouldn’t be trying to show off for me, but instead would do a great job teaching. All the guys I met at SPI were really great.
I’ve gotten my IKO certification, which means I can rent equipment at locations around the world having shown that I have a certain level of competence with the sport.
![](https://i0.wp.com/moreshowsmoremoney.com/msmm/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/flyingtheschoolskite.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1)
One of my very first runs. I’m using the kite schools kite in this photo.