Line Climber

Today I finally sat down and figured out how to use the line climber I had bought in Mackinaw City, Michigan back in September. I didn't get to try it out on a kite, as we had really strong winds and gusts today.


It is in the shape of a bat. Which seems appropriate for the fall season. Not a design I would have normally chosen. It was the only one they had in the kite shop, and I really wanted to try it out. (It turned out that we didn't fly kites that day.) The line climber is called Ferry, and is made by Gunther Flugspiele.

I think my first mistake in trying to figure it out about a month ago, was that I tried to put the pieces together while out in the wind. The pieces wanted to blow away, and then it got dark, and then the wind stopped. The second mistake was probably not taking the time to read the directions. :)

Today I pulled it out when I saw the trees swaying in the wind outside, and it made me think of kites. I sat down and followed the directions, and figured the system out. Basically you have a stopper that is placed near where the line attaches to the kite. Then some rubber bands are used to hold tension on the "wings" to the part that rides the line.


The wind pushes it up the line, where it hits the stopper, which flips the wings 90 degrees, and it slides back down the line. I can't wait to see it in action. Hopefully I'll have time soon, to go out to Lake Michigan and take advantage of the breeze out there.

As for the design, I think I would prefer the one I found at Into The Wind, called Kite Popper.

A Worthy Tale

As this young lady (who is likely not so young any more, as this page is dated 1997) has the same name as myself, I was particularly attracted to her story.

I was charmed by the illustrations and I think that you will be as well. The Kite that Got Stuck brings back memories of my own childhood efforts and writing and illustrating stories (as well as my kite flying adventures).

On her webpage is an about the author section as well as a link to another story, The Lion and the Hippo, which is not illustrated but none-the-less charming.

Pretty awesome looking kites

While surfing the web I found these pretty awesome looking kites at www.letsflyakite.com


Their website calls them "cellular crystals in the sky." I call them "the next thing on my Christmas wish list."

It's technique rather than strength

The BBC News webpage has a feature called In Pictures that I like to frequent. While looking through "Your perspective on the world: 3-10 Nov" I saw the above picture of kite surfing.

Kite surfing is a sport Session 1 says is expensive to get into, but rewarding enough to make the sacrifice. I haven't as yet had a chance to try my hand at kite surfing, but I would like to one day.

I found a site from Australia called "Behind the News" in which they interview kite boarders which is another name for kite surfing. Ceridwen Jones said something that was very encouraging. "I didn't find it that hard. I had flown kites quite a bit when I was younger, but to learn, once you have lessons it's actually quite easy. It's technique rather than strength."

I've heard this same sentiment applied to golf. I wonder how many other sports can say that it is technique rather than strength that really makes the difference?

Carabiners for Closepins

A neat idea I found on www.gomberkites.com is to use carabiners to attach your line laundry. Line Laundry is a name for the spinners and things you attach to kite lines. Gombergkites.com has a lot of good information. I often use it as a reference.

The mental picture I had for line laundry was more like the picture above, rather than what they really are below, which I found on ForeverFlying.com.


Another example of line laundry I found on NiceKite.com which had a rather patriotic kite on display.

Childhood Kite Memories

There is a spot along the Shore Parkway just before you get on the Verrazano, where kite flyers gather. Saturday mornings, from the time I was seven years old, I would gaze out the car window entranced by the beautiful colors bobbing in the wind. The Hudson Bay beyond was a pretty background for the kiters who were joined by fishermen, in-line skaters, and dog walkers.

My love of kites probably started when my older brother decided to build a box kite out of newspaper and wooden dowels. Soon after I was spending my nickels and dimes on small kites that I would hastily entangle in a tree.

Now I have grown old and complain about how the price of kites has gone up.

Do you have childhood kite memories?