Third Coast Kite and Hobby Blog by The KiteBoss

Wind In Their Sails: WISSA Plans Begin To Take Shape

2012-02-08T12:17:00.000-05:00

From The St. Ignace News

By Mary Petrides

Plans are taking shape, but St. Ignace Special Events committee members said they still need volunteers to help during the World Ice and Snow Sailing Association (WISSA) world championship in February.
Cheryl Schlehuber, who led the Special Events Committee meeting Thursday, January 5, said that while athletes and spectators will pour money into the city’s economy like regular tourists, it’s important for the community to support the event. The event is for residents as much as it is for athletes and spectators.

“We can make it for our community, which is what it should be,” she said.
This may include having athletes speak at schools, bringing students downtown to see the races, and allowing children of athletes to spend a day in St. Ignace schools.

Gregg Fettig, principal of LaSalle High School, was not at the meeting but said he hoped to attend future planning meetings before deciding how the high school would be involved.

“We’d love to do whatever we can to make it a good event,” said Kari Visnaw, principal of St. Ignace elementary and middle schools, who was not at the meeting. “They contacted us and told us that they had some ideas and were wondering if we were willing to get on board, and we said, ‘Absolutely.’”
She said Monday, January 9, that it was too early to talk about specific plans, but she did plan to attend future WISSA meetings to see how the schools could be involved.

The committee is hoping to find more sponsors to keep up with requests from WISSA organizers. Sponsorships could range from several thousand dollars to a family sponsoring one meal for an athlete. Sponsorships could be in memory of a deceased loved one.

“Somebody out there wants to sponsor this race because it’s being advertised all over,” Mrs. Schlehuber said.

Also under discussion are transportation to St. Ignace from airports, a speed gun with display board, a centralized information center open into the evening, establishing wireless Internet access downtown, and a snowmobile trip to Mackinac Island.

Events committee members met the snowmobile trip idea with reluctance.
“To be able to do that would be really cool, but the liability associated with it is not cool,” Mrs. Schlehuber said. Individuals with snowmobiles could bring visitors to the Island, but the committee isn’t likely to include this in any official promotion, members said.

Dave Kunze noted that ice sailing athletes may be more interested in the Island than the ice bridge – “they know ice,” he said – and the committee could promote airplane rides to the Island instead.
Chief of Police Mark Wilk suggested that the committee focus on St. Ignace.
“If they want an Island experience, let the Island put it together,” he suggested.
Mary Beth Powers said she’s talked to downtown business owners and nearly all have agreed to decorate their storefronts with white lights.
“I think we’re pretty much covered,” she said.

Glen Memorial Baptist Church may be the centralized site for babysitting children of athletes, it was announced at the meeting. Dave Davis, associate pastor of the church, was not at the meeting but said the church has to research liabilities before committing.

Jim DeKeyser suggested that any information on babysitting should note that it’s only for children of athletes and not open to anyone else.

St. Ignace hotels were recently added to the WISSA 2012 Web site, Visitors Bureau Director Mindy Sands said
“Hotels should start getting calls very soon,” she said.

In addition, she said, about a dozen writers from Travel Michigan will visit St. Ignace Friday, February 24, through Saturday, February 25. The writers will make stops in Gaylord and Sault Ste. Marie and will catch the end of the ice and snow sailing championships and the beginning of Youth Pond Hockey during their St. Ignace stop. Ms. Sands is working on an itinerary for them.

Third Coast Kite and Hobby

www.thirdcoastkites.com

World Ice & Snow Sailing championships will delight spectators in St. Ignace

2012-01-19T14:38:00.000-05:00

From The Ionia Sentinel-Standard

ST. IGNACE, Mich. —

The gravity-defying world of ice sailing will draw athletes from around the world to St. Ignace in February, when the World Ice and Snow Sailing Association (WISSA) holds its 2012 championship in Michigan.

WISSA, launched in the early 1980s, alternates its annual championship event between Europe and North America. The event glides back into the United States for the first time since 1995 when it lands February 20-26 in St. Ignace.

Racers may choose to capture wind power using a kite, a wing (a hand-held sail similar to a windsurfer but not attached to the board) or the traditional windsurfing sail, with a mast clipped to the board. The WISSA championship is the only gathering where wings, kites, and sails compete at one event.

Dan Hill, event coordinator for WISSA 2012 and a Michigan resident, is largely responsible for bringing the event to St. Ignace. “I was on my way to the Keweenaw and stopped to eat at the Mackinac Grille. That’s where I saw the pictures of their Pond Hockey event. It was exactly the same as what we needed for our event – snow and an area of cleared ice,” he explained.

The competition requires both snow and ice to accommodate the slalom (ice), race course (snow), and, if possible, a marathon (snow). Weather permitting, this year’s marathon will take competitors to Mackinac Island and back. Sixteen acres of zamboni-maintained ice on Lake Huron is available from the pond hockey event taking place right before WISSA arrives in St. Ignace.

The only condition that rivals ice and snow for importance is wind and that, according to Mindy Sands, executive director of the St. Ignace Visitors Bureau, is what made St. Ignace and WISSA a perfect fit.
“St. Ignace has much higher winds than many of the other racing locations and they tell us that is extremely attractive to the participating athletes,” she said.

Average wind speed in the St. Ignace area is 26.6 miles per hour in February, according to Hill. “That wind speed has a lot of people pumped up,” the organizer said.

People are pumped up in St. Ignace, too. This city of 2,600 is skilled in the art of hosting winter events, including the Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Championship – an event that draws more than 5,000 people to the ice of Lake Huron every February. Sands anticipates WISSA will have a similar draw, creating a festival atmosphere both on the ice and around the town.

Aside from the visually-spectacular action on the ice, WISSA promises to be a spectator’s delight. When they aren’t observing the races on the ice or from the nearby warming tents, a variety of activities and diversions await visitors, including ice bowling, ice golf, sailing demonstrations, and live entertainment.

William Tuthill is the president of WISSA, a post he’s held since 1992. The Rhode Island resident will find himself in St. Ignace in February – his first time in Michigan, save for Detroit.

Tuthill estimates somewhere between 80 and 100 athletes will participate. “It fluctuates from year to year. In Europe, there are more participants from Latvia, Russia, Sweden, and so forth. In North America, we will draw mostly from the United States and the Quebec region,” he speculated.

It could be the wind or the UP connection to Finland, but a November 15 entry on the WISSA2012 Facebook page indicates that at least some Europeans will be present at the 2012 championship. The post reads “Team Finland had a meeting tonight. 6 competitors are already on their way to St. Ignace.”

International interest is one reason why Sands and Mark Sposito, chairman of the St. Ignace Special Events Committee, are working feverishly to pull all the details together. Planners were pleased to find out that their commitment to the sport of ice sailing will become an annual event even after this year’s world championship concludes. St. Ignace is slated to host the North American championship starting next year. Establishing a recurring event appealed both to organizers and key sponsors, including Kewadin Casinos.

“This is going to turn into a huge winter festival,” Sands said. “We are committed to creating a spectacular experience for participants and visitors, especially since we are the only city in North America lucky enough to hold this annually.”

Learn more about this year’s event at stignace.com or call (800)338-6660. To register for the event, visit wissa2012.com.

Reposted by Third Coast Kite and Hobby

www.thirdcoastkites.com

WISSA Puts St. Ignace on World Stage

2012-01-15T14:34:00.000-05:00

2011-12-22

Brainstorming Session Tuesday: How To Meet Hospitality Demands of Ice Sailing Championship

By Mary Petrides

Athletes use wings and kites to catch the wind as they compete in snow and ice sailing events. (File photographs courtesy William Tuthill) With more than 100 athletes expected to compete on the ice of Moran Bay in the World Ice and Snow Sailing Association’s world championship in February — and national and international media reporters and a crowd of spectators coming along to follow the action closely — events organizers in town say that St. Ignace will be thrust into the international spotlight during the contests as it never has before, and they want to plan now to make sure that the town looks its best and is at its most welcoming, even in the offseason when some businesses and facilities are closed. Organizers are asking the public to participate in a planning meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, December 27, at Mackinac Grille restaurant to help come up with ideas.
A Washington, D.C. crew working on a documentary about Great Lakes ice has rented the Colonial House during the competition, Chris Green said, while event coordinator Dan Hill has spoken with representatives from NBC Sports, ESPN, and international media, who said they are interested in attending but have not yet committed to do so. He said WISSA draws between 80 and 200 athletes and he hopes for 1,000 spectators, plus spillover from the U.P. Pond Hockey Tournament.
Athletes participate in snow and ice sailing events in Estonia in 2007. With many competitors coming from Canada and Europe as well as the United States, staff at the Visitors Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and members of the Special Events Committee are now starting to field requests for language translators and places to store and repair ice sailing equipment. They want to be sure to accommodate as many of the requests as they can.
At the WISSA world championship, athletes on skis or skates will use the wind they catch in kites, wings, or sails to power themselves across the ice in Moran Bay Monday, February 20, through Friday, February 24. At least 32 athletes from northern Europe have already committed, said Special Events Committee Chairman Mark Sposito.
Ice and snow sailing is a more popular sport in Europe, and many of the athletes are well-known in their countries, said Cheryl Schlehuber of the Chamber of Commerce board.
“Some of these kids are really rock stars in their country,” she said. “Some are really famous.”
This includes Simon Gill of Salaberry de-Valleyfield, Quebec. Mr. Gill won the 2008 world championship in kite sailing in Val Brilliant, Quebec, in 2008 and also participated in WISSA 2009 in Riga, Latvia, said Will Tuthill, WISSA president. Mr. Gill won the world championship again in 2010 in Saguenay, Quebec, and came in sixth in WISSA 2011 in Oravi, Finland. He plans to compete in St. Ignace in 2012.
It is important to show that St. Ignace is vibrant and welcoming, organizers say. Because of strong winds here, WISSA’s North American Championship competitions are expected to be hosted here in future years.
“They’re not coming in at prime season. We don’t have lots of sunshine this time of year. We may or may not have pretty snow. Our streets aren’t lined with pretty flowers that time of year,” said Janet Peterson, director of the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce. “How can we truly light up the community?”
Organizers are hoping to discuss downtown lights and sprucing up storefronts, even if they’re closed for the season.
The meeting is also intended to coordinate efforts among the Special Events Committee, Visitors Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Development Authority, and others working on the project.
The St. Ignace Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce have been receiving requests for French-speaking babysitters and garages for athletic gear in addition to the usual inquiries about lodging. The championship follows on the heels of the U.P. Pond Hockey Tournament, which fills the available lodging in town.
Mrs. Schlehuber said at least one person who doesn’t speak English has rented a place during the event.
“One of the ladies from Quebec speaks broken English. . . She spoke enough to say that her friend who was coming didn’t speak,” so the reservation had to be confirmed in French, as well as English. “It was very fun, and it was just an eyeopener.”
At the meeting, community members will also learn more about the event.
“It’s an education process … to better inform the community of what this is and the magnitude of it, and also what steps can you, as Joe Doe Business, take to be part of that positive perception that we hope people will go away with,” Mrs. Peterson said.

Third Coast Kite and Hobby
www.thirdcoastkites.com

WISSA 2012 Comes to Michigan

2012-01-10T17:36:00.002-05:00

WISSA 2012

World Ice and Snow Sailing
Championship 2012

St. Ignace, Michigan, USA

By KiteBoss - thirdcoastkites.com

This International event is being hosted in the USA for the first time in over 17 years!
This year's event will run from February 20-26th, 2012 in St. Ignace, Michigan, USA.

WISSA is the ONLY world event where wings, kites and sails all compete together on snow or ice, slalom and course. This event, which is the oldest event its type, will be celebrated for 32nd time right here in the United States.

The World Ice and Snow Sailing Association (WISSA) event is the longest running international competition in the history of windsurfing. It’s also the most prestigious winter sailing event in the world. Held every year since 1980, the event location alternates annually between Europe and North America. This year it will be held in the 3rd oldest city in the U.S., St. Ignace, MI which was established in 1671.

The best athletes in these thrilling adventure sports will meet in one city for an entire week. In addition to racing, champions and beginners alike will be able to interact in a variety of WISSA activities.

An excerpt from "6 extreme sports you won't believe anyone survives"

2011-11-23T16:29:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from "6 extreme sports you won't believe anyone survives" by Pauli Pouiso of Cracked.com

Third Coast Kite and Hobby can help you do the top 2!

#2. Freestyle Jumping ... With a Giant Kite

For people who want to get in the air but aren't coordinated enough to attempt hang gliding or the process of buying plane tickets, kite jumping is probably the best start. Because anyone can jump, right? Sure. But jumping is the easy part.

The recipe for kite jumping is as simple as the recipe for disaster: A comically oversized kite and you, trying not to die when it inevitably snatches you up into the sky.

Ian B., College Humor
This is the final picture of at least one of these kids.

It is considered one of the riskier forms of kiting, an achievement that may seem comparable to being the most hardcore knitter in the Woolly Sock Club ... until you actually see it in action.

Like we said, you are by no means in for a smooth ride: you are at the mercy of the wind, which can fling you to the ground in a screeching, crushing arc.

YouTube
"I'm beginning to regret several specific life choices."

And of course, while you're up there, you do tricks. Because how else would it be extreme?

Could there be a stupider way to get airborne?

YouTube

Yes, actually.

#1. Surfing, Snowboarding/Skiing ... While Hang Gliding

Aviation is never a simple thing. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than with hang gliding, which is basically just a dude leaping off cliffs wearing a giant wing thong and trying not to die. Yet the sport of hang gliding somehow manages to have some of the strictest safety standards around, with more controls, harnesses and safety measures than a moderately equipped bondage dungeon.

But then there's the Kitewing, which is an unholy cross between a hang glider and a kite that's stripped of every single conceivable safety feature. What it has instead is a handle, for you to better hang-on-for-dear-life with.

Kitewing
"I like a morning glider shark hunt before my afternoon volcano skiing."

Technically, the Kitewing can be used safely, as a sail-like propeller to extreme sports vehicles such as roller skates, surfboards and snowboards. But Kitewing is also specifically designed to provide lift, in order to gain the extra element of uncontrollable flight to sports that are strictly surface-based.

And so we have these guys snow skiing with Kitewings ...

... and using them to fly right the hell off the side of the mountain:

YouTube
"The handles count as a safety feature, so I don't really need a helmet."

And then we have this guy ...

... using it to kite himself right across a frozen lake at breakneck speed:

YouTube
"I'll take imminent, gory death over coffee any morning."

Damn it, people. If God wanted people to fly via kite, he would have given us kite heads.

Starbucks "Snow Day" Kite

2011-11-18T15:01:00.003-05:00

Starflake - White 69" Cellular Box Kite

One of the famous "Snowday" kites from the Starbucks commercial! Perfect for resorts, weddings, or just for flying fun! Click to see video!

Third Coast Kite and Hobby

4WD Electric Mountainboard

2011-05-20T17:35:00.001-04:00

Joshua T. from California used his Third Coast connection to build this awesome 4WD Electric Mountainboard - Top speed: 24mph with 4 wheel independent electric drive!

Third Coast Kites

Wallaby Boomerangs on the Third Coast

2011-04-08T11:53:00.004-04:00

Wallaby Boomerangs is proud to provide a high-quality line of all natural, sport boomerangs handcrafted in his workshop in the Montreal, Canada. He’s one of the major manufacturers in North America and the first one to develop eco-friendly boomerangs made of different species of wood, bamboo and now biopolymers.

Wallaby combines timeless contemporary design with a thoughtful ethical way of working. By taking traditional craft methods to a contemporary level, Wallaby savoir-faire in working with this living material.

The red line through all these products is the company mission to design and manufacture new products with minimal environmental impact, using as much as possible renewable or abundantly available natural raw materials, while offering the highest technical and health safety standards for our customers. The company product range encompasses ecological paint products, varnishes.

We assume responsibility for our environment that is one of the principles of our corporate philosophy. For us, that means minimizing the ecological impact within the bounds of the financially defensible. We are therefore constantly upgrading our production processes and ascertaining, evaluating and minimizing the use of raw materials, emissions and waste volumes on an ongoing basis.

Wallaby is committed to :

- Sharing innovative and modern applications of different materials with the consumers around the world to give more value to my skill.

- Contributing to the preservation of the environment, continually searching for and educating on more ecological manufacturing and production processes.

- Maximizing social equity and sensitizing consumers to current social and ecological issues.

Check out some video: Third Coast Kite and Hobby YouTube Channel

Third Coast Kite and Hobby

KiteWing adds a new dimension to kiteboarding

2011-04-06T18:10:00.001-04:00

The KiteWing is easier to learn and handle than windsurfing or kitesurfing gear. It’s also very safe for the people around, since there are no lines. The wing is also TOTALLY depowerable, since you have direct control to the wind. (holding the wind in your hands) Compared to windsurfing rigs a KiteWing covers easily 4 windsurfing sail sizes (which often requires two different masts).

Check them out!

Video: KiteWing test on land and water in Maui -
KiteWing instructional video (water) -

More info: KiteWing -

Third Coast Kite and Hobby

Seagull Robot Takes Off And Flies On Its Own, Just Like the Real Thing

2011-03-26T15:39:00.004-04:00

Ok...I know it's not a kite, but this is still pretty damn cool. What you see here is a new lifelike seagull ‘bot is one of the most realistic bio-inspired flight machines we’ve seen. SmartBird takes off, flies and lands on its own, flapping its wings and turning its head and tail to steer. It is modeled on the herring gull and its appearance and movements are uncannily similar to the real thing.

Designed by the German firm Festo, which also brought us the elephant-trunk-inspired robotic arm and the autonomous robotic jellyfish, SmartBird is Festo’s newest entry in its Bionic Learning Network program, which involves several universities in the U.S. and Europe and aims to use nature as a model for mechatronic systems.

The bird has a 6.5-foot wingspan, so it’s much larger than a real gull, but it looks pretty much like the real thing, as you can see in the video below.

SmartBird flies like a seagull thanks to an active torsion system combined with a complex control system. Its wings each consist of a two-part arm wing spar with an axle bearing on the torso. The wings and tail are the only mechanisms creating lift, and Festo engineers had to figure out bird flight in order to do it.

The company explains: “First, the wings beat up and down, whereby a lever mechanism causes the degree of deflection to increase from the torso to the wing tip. Second, the wing twists in such a way that its leading edge is directed upwards during the upward stroke, so that the wing adopts a positive angle of attack.”

The tail acts as an elevator and rudder, stabilizing the bird in straight-line flight and helping it change direction.

Check out a video of the SmartBird in action:

http://www.facebook.com/video/?id=81334776533#!/video/video.php?v=1466732328197

Third Coast Kite and Hobby

Buy Starkites at Third Coast Kite and Hobby

2011-03-10T12:29:00.004-05:00

ExA 2011- Power and Performance
Sizes Available: 7-9-11-13

The 2011 ExA, Starkites hybrid model is designed and built for one purpose, top notch freestyle performance. It is intended for demanding riders looking for big/lofty jumps, high powered tricks and mega loops.

Now on its third R and D year, we specifically focused on dynamic stability control.

This enables the ExA’s potential to be fully exploited at high winds, enhances safety at the extremes, and steering comfort in order to stay focused on the actual trick instead of the kite. Keeping our competition riders in mind, we have maximized upwind ability in order for them to throw more tricks during their heats.

The ExA comes in one-pump system and reinforcements at the leading and Trailing edges.

With its huge wind range, heavy duty construction, and ease-of-use, this kite stays at the top of the charts.

Technologies

Starkites R&D team has devoted a large amount of time to testing and improving each detail of ExA 2011. The result is amazing … See for yourself!

As with all the Starkites products, the ExA has been developed using state of the art technology and our specialized know-how to make this kite a market leader.

The Auto Morphing Profile enables a dual action:

1. Auto-stabilisation of the kite when it is located at the edge of wind window in gusty winds.

2. Double De-power allowing the kite to flatten the center profile in addition to reducing the angle of attack when sheeting out.

In more technical terms, the ExA s Central Strut Curve Curve is inverted and linked to the canopy by a fabric wall. This feature prevents the kites stalling in gusty winds and also increases the effect of sheeting in and out. Kites with standard struts change the angle of attack when the rider sheets in or out. The ExA changes both the center profile shape and the angle of attack which all leads to better de-power capacity using smaller movements on the bar.

The bridle system is key to a kites’ performance. With the ExA, we focused on developing the Dual Bridle System

This bridle system will always keep the kite arch in the same shape and ensure power transmission to be complete. The bridle does not absorb or lose force, which makes you get a real and direct response from your kite.

In the Dual System, the central bridle keeps the leading edge in a constant perfect shape, and the lateral bridle gives direct power transmission while maintaining the best kite balance according to the kite s center of power.

ICE technlogy stands for Inner Curved leading Edge.

The leading edge shape ensures minimal contact with water when the kite is on the water. It also guarantees a fast and easy re-launch.

Just power-up and pull one of the leader lines a few centimeters and it will re-launch the kite. No more swimming needed!

This is the same technology as developed for Starkites SBOW kite, a renowned model for its amazing re-launch capabilities.

Central Inflation

The ExA 2011 is available in with Central Inflation – we have the simplest and strongest system on the market, easy for repair and simple to use.

High Strength Structure

The ExA’s high strength structure creates a very reactive kite thanks to its hybrid radial construction : 1/3 bi-radial and 2/3 tri-radial.

Fabric fibers are orientated in the same exact direction as the power is distributed from, which creates a strong and stiff structure that results in minimum energy loss, increased reactivity, easier control and increased wind range.

Third Coast Kites

Kite / Wind Powered Car Crosses Australia

2011-02-20T18:46:00.004-05:00

Cruising along in a car of their own design--part kite surfer, part wind power turbine, part EV--a German duo has driven across the vast majority of southern Australia on about $15 worth of electricity. According to their own account they’ve set several records for their particular class of vehicle in doing so, and we’re inclined to believe them if only for the fact that we’ve never seen anything else quite like the “Wind Explorer.”

Like many eco-minded innovators before them, Dirk Gion and Stefan Simmerer wanted to create an emissions-free source of personal transit, one free of both direct carbon emissions and secondary emissions from consuming fossil-fuel derived electricity. So they built the Wind Explorer, a 441-pound auto that transports its own wind turbine--a 20-foot bamboo mast that can be fitted with a 9-foot-diameter rotor--for charging the 8 kWh batteries during the night.

But that’s not the only sense in which the car is wind-powered; with the right crosswinds, the passenger can deploy a parachute-like kite (similar to those used by kite surfers) to provide added thrust for the car.

It’s important to note that the Wind Explorer’s journey from Albany in southwestern Australia to Sydney in the east wasn’t entirely unplugged. During early technical adjustments and fine-tuning of their equipment the team plugged into the grid from time to time, as they did during Cyclone Yasi when they couldn’t erect their wind turbine due to the weather.

But their point was never to prove that they could cross a continent with a zero-total carbon footprint, but rather to show that there are different ways to think about automobile travel outside of the existing paradigm. And they’ve certainly succeeded at that. Have you ever seen a kite-surfing, turbine-toting, electric vehicle before?

Third Coast Kite and Hobby

Nuance in the art of Kite Mapping

2010-07-05T10:39:00.002-04:00

June 22nd, 2010

By Jeffrey Warren

By Lauren Craig; reposted from the Louisiana Bucket Brigade blog.

Since May, volunteers and staff from the LABB have been working with students from MIT’s media lab on an aerial photography mapping project. The Gulf Oil Spill Mapping project is so simple that it baffles people: attach a basic camera to a kite or weather ballon and set it to automatically take a picture every 5, 10 or 20 seconds. Let the rig out 1000 feet and cover as much coastline as you can. The photos are then sent to some smart guys at MIT (including the project’s fearless leader, Jeff Warren) who then stitch the photos together pixel by pixel and georeference them to make a map.

The simplicity of this project is what initially sparked my interest in it. The kits are assembled from relatively inexpensive materials, and almost anyone can perform the basic tasks of attaching the camera and letting out the kite or balloon. Since its inception, the project has successfully accumulated a lot of quality data. However, mapping the gulf coast oil spill is different than mapping, say, the festival grounds at Bonneroo.

The first, most obvious challenge is access. At Grand Isle, for example, the beaches remain open to the public, but only up to the water berm, about 30 feet back from the high tide mark. Even under low-wind conditions, it is almost impossible to get pictures of the coastline from this distance–especially when the Coast Guard and mysterious private security teams involved in the beach clean-up are breathing down your neck. When it is windy, the kite or balloon is carried even farther back from the coastline, and you end up with a bunch of pictures of people’s camp roofs. The old standby for us there has been the pier at Grand Isle State Park, which allows us to position the kite or balloon directly over the coastline. However, it forces us to limit our mapping to a very narrow section of beach, since we are confined to the pier. In contrast, the Mississippi Coast remains open to the public and our brave volunteers have actually waded out into the water to properly position the camera over the coastline–with great results! (But, we don’t know how much longer the MS beaches will remain open.)

Isle Grand Terre, a barrier island off the eastern coast of Grand Isle, hit the mainstream media a few weeks ago when its shores and wildlife were covered with thick, black oil. The day after oil hit, our volunteers were able to hitch a ride on a boat with researcher Adam Griffith from Western Carolina University and photographer Richard Shephard. The amazing results of that trip can be seen here:

However, access to the island has been significantly restricted since oil was found there. On Thursday, LABB volunteer Elizabeth, HandsOn New Orleans volunteer Erin, and I were lucky enough to score a boat ride with Greenpeace to Isle Grand Terre, along with a marine biologist and a filmmaker from California. Technically, Greenpeace warned us, we were not supposed to even go to the island. Getting on the beach there would require us to tow a small skiff boat and use it to ferry our group’s members to the beach. The prospects for toting a heavy helium tank on a boat with 8 people and then transitioning it to an 8-foot skiff boat with a 2-stroke engine seemed dim. I opted for the kite.

The boat ride from the Bridgeside Marina on Grand Isle to the fort at Grand Terre was slow. The entire bay is essentially a no-wake zone. In addition, there are larger oil-soaked fishing and shrimping boats constantly leaving and arriving at the docks of the Sand Dollar Marina at the eastern end of the island. Booms set up around Queen Bess island and large barges transporting tanker trucks present further navigational challenges. When we finally got to the island, we saw that the clean-up operations had been effective on the beach–the four-inch thick pools of oil were gone. But, thick, brown and orange oil remained trapped in the rock jetties and the marsh grasses surrounding them. Standing on the jetty, I looked down through the spaces in the rocks at pools of oil and brown frothy mess.

It is difficult to imagine how, or if, it can ever been cleaned up. When I set up the kite, I was disappointed to find that the wind was not strong enough to lift it up to 1000 feet. The more I let out the reel, the further from the coastline the kite ventured, with little rise in elevation. The results are that we captured plenty of pictures of the island’s interior, but only a few of the coastline (and these were at low elevation). My next option would have been to trail the kite behind the boat, but divergent interests among the boat’s passengers and the fuel level of the boat ruled out this scenario. All in all, the mapping trip was not the most successful one we have had so far. But, it also was not a total failure. Elizabeth obtained some excellent shots of the oil on Grand Terre, dolphins looking for food in shallow water and the clean-up operations, which can be viewed on the LABB flickr site.

We were also grateful to establish a relationship with Greenpeace. Having never worked with Greenpeace before, the organization’s reputation for in-your-face environmental activism made me a little wary of their intentions and tactics in the gulf. Although my personal sentiments toward off-shore drilling and the energy sector are closely aligned with theirs, I recognize the importance of petroleum to the economy and culture of coastal Louisiana; and I politely keep my opinions to myself here. A moratorium on off-shore drilling is not a popular idea in Louisiana–and Grand Isle is no exception. Further, I believe that using any disaster as a backdrop to bolster a political agenda is not only exploitative, it’s disrespectful. If you’re going to bother coming down to the gulf right now, you better have something to offer the people that live and work here–and anti-drilling rhetoric doesn’t count. Save it for Washington.

To Greenpeace’s credit, I was impressed with their staff’s efforts to keep a low profile and not isolate the community along political lines. The organization is funded entirely from private donations and does not endorse political candidates or accept funds from them. Their work in Grand Isle is focused specifically on providing boat transport to independent journalists, scientists and organizations who lack the funds to charter boats. Sure, they are also taking their own pictures as well. I am grateful for their services and appreciative of their respect for the sensitivity of the issue here.

The moral of this story: we can’t depend solely on the generosity of Greenpeace to get us where we need to go! Boats cost money; and mainstream media outlets have a lot more of it than we do–but they don’t have kites! If you are interested in our mapping project and would like to see more images of areas that are only accessible by boat, please visit our Grassroots Mapping page to make a donation!

Third Coast Kite and Hobby

Buggy Newz - Pembrey Beach, South Wales

2010-07-03T18:34:00.001-04:00

by Steve Walt Webb

The Parakart Association National Race Series 2010 continued with Round 3 being held on Pembrey beach, South Wales this weekend 15/16th May.

These results were unfortunately not available as I prepared this article, but the racing is really hotting up in the Masters group between Peter Lynn (Vapour) and PKD (Combat) !

Ozone, Libre and Pansh have 3 fliers each, and a new kite, Cooper (Cooperkites) from the Netherlands, have 1.

As you can see in the Open Class that few racers are sponsored, and this may account for the decline in racers registered this year. From 21 in 2009 to only 12 this year. Racing is not cheap and even though racers from this group hope to impress and gain sponsorship to move into the Masters Group, money is tight!

This year the balance of power has been broken by the newly re-invigorated Peter Lynn powerkite designs....in this case the Vapour!

Last year Ozone, PKD, Libre and Pansh all featured in the top 10 of the Masters Class but now they have more to race against!

In 2009 the Masters Class overall results where...

Pete Swann - PKD.
(running 2nd this year with PKD.)
Andy Lavelle - Ozone.
(Andy has switched to Peter Lynn and is currently 1st)
Graham Steel - GIN.
(switched back to Ozone, currently 12th)
D.Trainor - PKD.
(running 4th. PKD)
T. Aggett - Libre.
(running 9th. Libre)
R. McGavin - PKD.
(running 5th. PKD)
G. Wass - Libre.
(running 23rd. Libre)
Simon Bailey - Pansh.
(running 3rd switched to PKD)
Mark Hoyland - PKD.
(not racing this year)
M Cook - Ozone.
(running 10th. Ozone)

Interestingly M. Job is up from finishing 21st last year, to running 7th this year after switching from U-Turn to Peter Lynn.

And C. Barker is up from 18th last year to running 8th this year after switching from U-Turn to PKD.

2010 is certainly set to be a very interesting racing year as a greater choice of kite / buggy combinations makes for more exciting racing. But the costs associated with the top end racing scene, along with the lure of the freedom of kitesurfing, have affected the numbers drawn to racing. The PKA has recently seen some increased interest so look out for the next set of results as the race is on!

Third Coast Kite and Hobby

Grassroots Mapping of the Gulf Oil Spill

2010-05-31T18:38:00.002-04:00

The following is a description of this Grassroots project located on Kickstarter:

We are a group of citizens and activist mappers who are documenting the effects of the BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast with a set of novel DIY tools -- we send inexpensive cameras up in helium balloons and kites, and take aerial photos from up to 1500 ft. The data we're gathering will be vital in both the environmental assessment and response, as well as in the years of litigation following the spill. All the imagery we capture is released into the public domain and is free to use or redistribute.

We need support to keep a supply of helium, and to pay for gas, kites, cameras, and protective gear for our volunteers. We've already captured a great deal of amazing imagery which is available online:

http://grassrootsmapping.org/
http://grassrootsmapping.org/gulf-oil-spill
Louisiana Bucket Brigade, our collaborators and the local HQ, are sending volunteers out to affected coastal sites almost daily, and conducting training sessions for new volunteers in New Orleans and elsewhere along the gulf coast. Our imagery is being published across the web - not just photographs, but stitched maps like these:

http://maps.grassrootsmapping.org/may-9-chandeleur-balloon/
http://maps.grassrootsmapping.org/chandeleur-may8-plane/

Our photography is of higher resolution and greater coverage than much of what the press has, and we're now coordinating a nationwide effort to stitch the imagery into map overlays, which are viewable in Google Earth and OpenLayers. Our images are up to 10,000x higher resolution that the daily satellite images posted by NASA!

Help us get out there and record some evidence!

Project location: New Orleans, LA

Offshore Oil Vs. Offshore Wind: Who Wins?

2010-05-25T12:12:00.001-04:00

This disaster is an obvious example of why "drill baby drill" was comically/tragically ignorant though a catchy slogan for some. Most people still believe that oil drilled in the U.S. is "domestic oil" destined for our consumption - so wrong...oil-biased conservatives consistently benefit from making simplistic arguments that are simply and intentionally meant to mislead and confuse.

What I fail to understand is why progressive leaders in Washington fail to connect the dots between where we are now and who brought us here. While avoiding laying blame on the likes of Bush/Cheney and their cheerleaders like Fox, Rush, and such seem more mature and sensible, Progressives miss catalyzing public opinion to move the clean energy agenda forward. Point fingers and name names, lest those fingers begin pointing (as they are beginning) at Democrats and progressives.

We support Michigan wind energy - http://www.thirdcoastkites.com
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Mapping and surveying with kites and balloons

2010-05-11T09:51:00.002-04:00

With the Gulf Coast threatened by the BP oil spill environmental disaster, there have been non-profits as well as concerned citizens who are applying their expertise in monitoring and mitigating this catastrophe.

We found a very cool site where the students launch high-altitude balloons as well as towed kites outfitted with cameras to get aerial imagery of the shifting slick in the Gulf, helping to monitor its position.

This is a great example of how kiting technologies can be utilized for research, education, and environmental applications.

Check it out at: http://unterbahn.com/

Extreme Ocean Kiting

2010-05-04T10:03:00.004-04:00

So I found this site about Anne Quemere - she's planning a solo Pacific crossing by kite! Outrageous and amazing! She has created a modified sea vessel, similar to other human powered ocean crafts, but this craft is not powered by oars or pedals, but by kite.

I think she has created a class of water craft that you may see more and more of, particularly in the tropical vacations spots around the world.

You can check out her site here: http://www.anne-quemere.com/indexgb.php

Glacier National Park Loses Two More Glaciers

2010-04-10T16:59:00.001-04:00

I snowboarded on Saint Mary's Glacier outside Denver back in 1991. I returned not but 3 years later at the same time of year, and I was truly shocked at how much the glacier had receded in that short time.

http://www.thirdcoastkites.com - support wind energy!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

West Michigan Wind Farm Proposal Withdrawn

2010-04-08T12:55:00.002-04:00

BP Alternative Energy is withdrawing its application for a proposed commercial wind farm in the Huron-Manistee National Forest along the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Ludington.

The special-use application submitted in 2008 by White Pines Wind Farm, a subsidiary of BP Alternative Energy, to the U.S. Forest Service called for construction of 20 to 28 wind turbines on the forest land north of Forest Trail in Mason County’s Grant Township. The 420-foot-tall turbines would have combined to produce up to 70 megawatts, enough to supply 20,000 homes.

According to a press release issued Wednesday by the U.S. Forest Service, BP Alternative Energy decided not to proceed with the proposed project as a result of the company’s review of recent wind resource data and developments in the market for wind-generated energy.

The proposed wind farm generated both positive and negative comments during public open houses in Ludington and Manistee in 2008. Supporters mentioned the expected need for alternative energy sources and opponents mainly voiced concerns over putting turbines in a national forest.

Proposed wind-energy developments have produced a region-wide conversation over recent months. Much of the debate has centered on Scandia Wind’s proposal for offshore wind farms in Lake Michigan off Grand Haven and Ludington.

Mason County seems to be an ideal location for prospective developers. In addition to the Scandia and BP proposals, Consumers Energy has proposed a 100-megawatt land-based wind farm in various locations in Mason County.

Wind Turbine Webinar

2010-03-03T19:52:00.000-05:00

NREL will host a 1 ½ hour webinar to discuss site assessment and micrositing issues for small wind turbines. Presented by Mick Sagrillo, the webinar will cover the basics, rules of thumb, tools of the trade, and what not to do.
The presentation will take about an hour followed by ½ hour for questions and answers.

Start Time: Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 11:30AM PACIFIC TIME
End Time: Thursday, Mar 4, 2010 1:00PM PACIFIC TIME

CORRECTED CALL-IN INFORMATION

Attendee URL: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mmancusa/join?id=HT2Z4N&role=attend&pw=W%2Bm%29%5CB%217F
Meeting ID: HT2Z4N
Attendee Entry Code: W+m)\B!7F

Audio: 888-995-9709

Audio passcode: 4494844

Please contact Arielle if you have any questions

Arielle Wolfe
Administrative Assistant
National Wind Technology Center
1617 Cole Blvd. MS3811
Golden, CO 80401
Phone: 303-384-6925
Fax: 303-384-6999

Spread the Word: Clean Energy Means New Jobs for Our Generation

2010-03-03T13:27:00.001-05:00

Green jobs are being created every day, and more and more states, municipalities, and individuals are getting on board.

http://www.thirdcoastkites.com - we support Michigan's Green Energy Industries

The fact that youth and youth-culture embraces this movement is no surprise - Youth, by definition, don't have entrenched interest in the status-quo. They are interested in building their own future, and they recognize that the Green Movement is a means by which they can insure they have a future.

I am very happy that artists like Omarion are using their cultural reach to encourage environmental stewardship, because the urban blight that so many youth experience is a case in point of what happens when the environment is secondary to corporate profits...the money leaves, wreckage remains.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Wind Turbine Webinar

2010-02-02T12:51:00.004-05:00

The Great Lakes Regional Wind Energy Institute will be holding a webinar on the myths and facts surrounding wind turbines.

When:

Thursday February 11th at 11am EST for a discussion of the myths and facts behind wind turbine syndrome and how scientific research is used to both support and deny the claims made.

Attendees will hear experts in sound impacts discuss:

The science of sound;
Overview of wind turbine syndrome;
Published research on sound impacts and how it is used to both support and deny claims of wind turbine syndrome;
How the “nocebo” effect plays a role (A nocebo response occurs when the suggestion of a negative effect of an action leads to an actual negative outcome)

Connection Instructions:

You will need an internet connection and a phone line to participate in this webinar. Simply copy the link below into your web browser to connect – you do not need to pre-register. In order to hear the audio, you will need to call into one of the phone numbers below.

Audio Access:

Toll Free: 877-951-7311

Toll: 203-607-0666

Participant Passcode: 9348502

Web Access:

https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join.php?i=PW1627857&p=9348502&t=c

URL: https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join/

Conference number: PW1627857

Audience passcode: 9348502

Questions or issues with connecting to the webinar? Please contact Sue Hinnen at NREL (Susan.Hinnen@nrel.gov).

Questions or comments about the webinar topic, speakers, or the Great Lakes Regional Wind Energy Institute? Please contact Christina Mills at Windustry (Christina@windustry.org) or visit http://www.windustry.org/GLRWEI

Third Coast Kite and Hobby - Go Green!

New HQ Montana V and NEO II

2009-11-02T14:43:00.004-05:00

For most of the Northern Hemisphere, the kiteboarding (water) season is over...Que lastima! But, if you love the snow as much as you love the water...and I guess it's the same stuff anyway...you are siked about the beginning of the Snowkiting season!

Get pumped up by checking out this new video of HQ's 2010 Montana V and Neo II kites!

http://www.thirdcoastkites.com

China's Reforestation Commitment: Imperfect, Important Progress

2009-10-06T11:27:00.001-04:00

China is vast and has an even larger population...that being said, there seems to be a growing awareness of the real value of their environment to their booming economy and to themselves. It's Maslow's Hierarchy of Need in action...A critical mass of people are moving from a basic need for survival to safety and security, which includes the recognition that a cleaner / greener environment gives one the security to know they can continue to grow and keep and enjoy what they've gained.

Secondly, those who pull the levers of power (much easier there than here) know where the money is at, and are shifting strategies and going green faster than we. I've been approached by several wind and solar power equipment manufacturers from China...they are moving fast, and we're still debating the reality of the green economy.

I support their efforts and encourage more for ourselves

http://www.thirdcoastkites.com
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

New HQ NEO 11

2009-09-10T11:38:00.002-04:00

We had a great labor day weekend this year, and it was made better because we received the new NEO 11 by HQ powerkites.

We tested the kite at Elberta Beach for water and the Lake County Airport for land. Though winds were light in both locations, this kite has excellent light-wind performance and generated surprisingly big pull for the conditions.

One thing we liked about this kite was that there was no pumping. Unlike LEI kites, a ram-air foil uses air entering through ports in the leading edge to pressurize the foil, helping the kite to hold its shape, and in this particular kites' case, allowing it to relaunch from water without sinking, as well as function equally well in summer or winter.

We really liked the ability to "reverse launch" the kite. When the kite is nose down, all you do is pull both the back-leader-lines with the reverse-launch strap, and the kite rises off the ground, turns over and when you release the lines, she takes off. You can use those same straps to land the kite; when you pull on the back-leader-lines, the kite depowers, you can steer it down and lands ready for take-off.

We'll be testing this and other kites in varying conditions and in combination with water, snow, and land gear - stay tuned for updates.

A Surprise Way to Keep Our Beaches Clean: Pass a Climate Bill

2009-09-02T15:17:00.001-04:00

This comment is pending approval and won't be displayed until it is approved.

Well I certainly support clean water, as my business depends on it, as does much of Michigan's economy. Though much discussion has been had about Michigan's faltering economy due to the collapse of the auto industry, Michigan has the most coastline in the lower 48 states, and some of the most beautiful beaches and coastal communities in the U.S. It is our extraordinary natural resources that not only sustain our spirits through recreation, but sustain our economy because you can't outsource the jobs associated with the Great Lakes.

I don't understand critics of a greener society - they sound like children who argue they shouldn't have to do math homework because they figure they'll never need the skill "in the real world"...so short sighted.

Environmental = Economical

http://www.thirdcoastkites.com
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Sweet Video of Tom Court

2009-08-27T10:30:00.002-04:00

Found this awesome video of Tom Court by way of the main man mai. Nice production quality and just makes you want to ride!

Kiteboard Pro World Tour 2009 - Dunkerque, France

2009-08-14T14:37:00.002-04:00

I have attached reports from day 1-3 KPWT from Dunkerque, France. Check them out - wish you were there - enjoy!

http://www.thirdcoastkites.com

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Wind Energy From Kites

2009-08-08T11:28:00.004-04:00

when you've felt the power a kite generates in a slight to moderate breeze, it's not only a suprising sensation, but it's also tactile evidence that with a bit of clever engineering, there is a lot of energy right above our heads. Saul Griffith, an MIT engineering student and kiteboarder has taken the "a-ha" moment and applied his passion for kiteboarding and a bit of math to win a MacArthur Genius Award for his work in renewable energy concepts.

Read more about his work in National Geographic

Third Coast Kite and Hobby

Kiteboarding on the Columbia River

2009-08-03T13:39:00.004-04:00

A pioneer in the Kiteboarding world - Bill Tai - recently posted a video of some sick kiteboarding on the Columbia River in Stevenson, WA. From the first years of the sport, Stevenson attracted kiteboarders with a daily dose of reliable steady winds, a wide river and good waves. Kiteboarding does not require the nukin’ winds. Strong, steady and daily works just fine. With a cool soundtrack and fx, check out the fun these guys and girls had over the 4th of July weekend!

http://www.thirdcoastkites.com

Explore Wind Potential In Your Area

2009-08-02T10:53:00.002-04:00

Living in Michigan, we are blessed with an abundance of natural resources. One of the new areas of resource development is the production of wind power. Because of our geography, we are able to benefit from ample amounts of wind. Whether you are flying kites, or are interested in the potential of generating renewable wind power on your property or development, I've found a several interesting sites that allow you to see wind maps of your area.

http://navigator.awstruewind.com/ - Free registration and personalized wind maps

http://www.michigan.gov/dleg/0,1607,7-154-25676_25774-101765--,00.html - Good information resource and wind maps.

for more information visit http://www.thirdcoastkites.com

Michigan Energy Cooperatives Support Wind Power

2009-07-29T12:38:00.002-04:00

We get our electricity from Great Lakes Energy here in northwestern Michigan. As a result of recent state legislation, power companies are required to have Green/Renewable energy sources comprise a percentage of their power production. Great Lakes Energy has posted a video that discusses their efforts towards increasing Wind Energy production in our state.

http://www.thircoastkites.com

A Kite's Eye View

2009-07-27T13:18:00.002-04:00

Found this video of a stack of Speed Wings. If you've never heard of or flown a Speed Wing, basically they are a very simple design kite, but very durable, meant to be flown in high winds...oh by the way, they can fly at over 100mph. Take a ride with this kite...

Great Lakes Wind Energy

2009-07-22T08:45:00.002-04:00

Michigan has tremendous Wind Power potential, and given the condition of our state economy, we need to capitalize on it; thankfully our governor (Granholm) foresaw the need to diversify our state economy years ago. Though the pain of auto industry collapse hurts us disproportionately, the ground work has already been laid for Green and Knowledge Economy to replace it. Wind power companies are sprouting up all around Michigan - and we have the industrial backbone to scale up production.

Wind sports like kiteboarding is also fast growing in popularity and is not only a great sport, but is a great ambassador for Wind Power. When you feel the power of the wind in your hands, it;s truly an amazing feeing...like surfers talking about the mystical power of waves.

People interested in Great Lakes Wind Power should check out the www.glrea.org

Huffington Post blogger Dennis Markatos and founder of (SET) Sustainable Energy Transition discusses Wind Energy:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-markatos/new-report-predicts-recor_b_242352.html

http://www.thirdcoastkites.com

2009-07-21T13:46:00.002-04:00

Hi all! I'm really excited to start this new blog. I plan to use this new blogging area as a place to share cool pictures and videos related to kiting and kiteboarding from around the world, as well as kiting and kiteboarding news and information from the Third Coast region.

I'd like to kick off this blog with one of my favorite videos from Tom Bourdeau (HQ Kites). He's one of the pioneers of kiteboarding, and he talks about what kiteboarding is, particularly as it pertains to kiteboarding on snow.