Annie

By William Tuthill

Here comes the new generation!

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Kite to pull ship across Atlantic (photo update)

Photo update to this article



Photo © Reuters/Scanpix

(more below)

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59.9 miles!

by William Tuthill

Wing sailing on Lake Sunapee this past week end was world class!

SO much wind that only a 4.8 meter wing was needed

The scenery was so nice that I went 59.9 miles ( 96.4 kilometers) in robust winds on a crusty snow surface between 1:30 pm and dark. I would have walked the extra 1/10th of a mile if I knew that I was that close to 60! It was too dark to read the GPS. The legs will get a break because we all drive to Val Brilliant, Quebec for the World Championships http://www.wissa2008.org NEXT weekend! Have a great week.

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Kite to pull ship across Atlantic

Story from BBC NEWS

The world's first commercial cargo ship partially powered by a giant kite is setting sail from Germany to Venezuela.

The designers of the MS Beluga Skysails say the computer-controlled kite, measuring 160sq m (1,722sq ft), could cut fuel consumption by as much as 20%.

They also hope the state-of-the-art kite will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, as it tugs the ship.

Fuel burnt by ships accounts for 4% of global CO2 emissions - twice as much as the aviation industry produces.

The MS Beluga SkySails' maiden transatlantic voyage is from the northern port of Bremerhaven to Guanta in Venezuela. The ship is expected to leave the German port at 1700 local time (1600 GMT).

It's kind of back to the future
Verena Frank, Beluga Shipping

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg, on board the vessel, says the computer will enable the kite to harness the full power of the wind.

"The maiden voyage marks the beginning of the practical testing during regular shipping operations of the SkySails System," says Stephan Wrage, managing director of SkySails GmbH.

"During the next few months we will finally be able to prove that our technology works in practice and significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions," he said on the company's website.

Free energy

"We're absolutely excited," said Verena Frank, project manager at Beluga Shipping GmbH, SkySails GmbH's partner.

She told the BBC's World Today programme that the project's core concept was "using wind energy as auxiliary propulsion power and using wind as a free of charge energy".

"Nevertheless, it differs very much from traditional sailing, as we do not have any bothersome mast on deck which might be a hindrance to cargo-loading operations."

Ms Frank said the efficiency of the kite depended on wind and weather conditions.

But the advantage of the SkySails system "is that you do not need only backward winds - there can also be side winds and you can still set sail," she said.

She said the kite could be used on medium-size cargo ships, cruise liners and trawlers.

HOW THE KITE SHIP WORKS

• The kite sail will help reduce annual fuel costs by 10-35%. Reduced fuel also means fewer harmful carbon emissions
  
• The large towing kite resembles a paraglider and is shaped like an aircraft wing, to enable it to take advantage of different wind directions
  
• It operates at 100-300m above surface level - much higher than a normal sailing craft - where winds are stronger and more stable
  
• The kite can be used in winds of between 12-74km/h (7-40 knots) and not just when the wind is blowing directly from behind the ship
  

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Good news - Bad news

by William Tuthill

The BAD news is that YOU NEED ONE! and that will cost you (but it is worth it). The GOOD news is that it is one of Kitewing's finest creations - more about that later.

The BAD news is for racers.

This past weekend proved what I had always suspected - that the all new 7.5 square meter "Wave Warrior" from Kitewing is more than just a water wing - it is a powerhouse for winter sailing also! Imagine the difference that an extra 2 square meters of sail area makes when the winds are light or the snow is deep. I knew that it would be good, but I never realized that it would replace almost everything else!
Obviously, the 4.8 and 5.5 will always be great in fast conditions, and I still say that the 4.8 on black ice is the ultimate, but WOW! The 7.5 meter Wave Warrior has way more range than I ever expected.
To quote NASA [North American Skimbat Association] web master Rick Hobbs, "the guys at Kitewing are geniuses". I agree.
The 7.5 meter wing is more advanced than ever. It has a way of absorbing gusts, keeping power, and flying steady in almost any amount of wind. The conditions on Sunday were so gusty that the snow was flying around in small tornadoes that resembled the "dust devils" of the great Australian Outback. Violent surges of power came from all angles yet the wing steered into the flow and kept steady. Quite a feat.
The Wave Warrior 7.5 meter wing will be on display, AND on the racecourse at WISSA-2008.
Come check it out, along with several other excellent winter sailing products, at the "Trade Mission" portion of WISSA 2008.

-- Will

Other winter sailing products on display:

• ConceptAir Kites from Quebec
  
• ParaskiFlex kites from Montreal, QC
  
• Kitewing from Finland
  
• Hibernia Iceboards from Latvia
  
• Snowfer from Canada
  
• Windski from U.S.A.
  

plus several other related products from various manufacturers

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Kajaani

by William Tuthill

The sun is low this close to the Arctic Circle this time of year, but
the sailing surface is sweet. Juha Mannermaa is training for WISSA
2008. Open Class sailors, get ready, he is fast.
One month to go: This should be an excellent event.

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WISSA 2008: Report from the Spot

Subject: WISSA 2008



The club house. Race committee HQ and possible gear storage/ waxing station. This is on the lake.



The main lodging. Maybe the architect liked Howard Johnson's ?



But check out the back yard! The WHOLE resort is OURS for the week!



Lost on the lake? Head for the twin steeples.



This is where meals, ceremonies, the Trade Mission, and many other activities take place. It is on the lake near the clubhouse. Everything is close. The main lodging at the mountain is connected by free shuttle bus.

Welcome to the land where the mountains meet the sea. Fresh shellfish, lobsters, and all manner of fruits de la Mer can be enjoyed with upland game, Maple syrup, and a rich array of locally farmed produce. Local dairy products are excellent as are the many items produced using the region's copious raspberries and blueberries.

The Gaspe is truly majestic. The geography and culture are special and unique to North America.

Its position down wind and up from the generally ice free gulf of St Lawrence makes it a catch basin for beaucoup de poudre and the winds are always cranking.

One whole side of Lac Matapedia is undeveloped wilderness. There are 3 towns on the lake and it is possible to sail from one to the next.

10-17 Feb.
This is a first installment. PLEASE plan on coming
Will

p.s. Bon Noel

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Kite Yukon

By Michael Meandering

I know many people who disdain winter, and I've noticed that these people tend to live in parts of Canada where there is little, if any, snow, or where getting out of the city to enjoy the snow consumes the better part of the day. I feel very sorry for those people.

/Original is here./

We've been having a dearth of snow in Whitehorse, which has made the winter a little less enjoyable but, over the last two days, that unfortunate situation has rectified itself.

It got even better last night, when I read in the paper that there were going to be free snow kiting demos and lessons at Schwatka Lake today. Fawn and I registered as soon as we saw the ad. We both wanted to give it a try.

This morning, Fawn, Jade and I bundled up and went down to the lake. It was a beautiful day for those who dressed properly. There was fresh snow on the ground and the wind was steady - not too weak and not too strong - perfect for learning how to kite ski.

The event was hosted by Up North Adventures and a new business, Kite Yukon. Jim Welsh of Kite Yukon gave us instruction on how to use the 3m learning kites. I have to say, he did a great job. Everything was clear and understandable and within minutes we were zipping the learner kites back and forth across the sky. I was amazed at how much power could come from the little kite. When I zipped it low across the horizon, I had to dig my feet in or get dragged across the snow and ice. Sometimes I got dragged anyway.

Unfortunately, Fawn had to leave early so Jade could have her lunch and a nap, which meant that she didn't get to try the bigger kites. The bigger kites have a lot of power and require the use of a harness. I had a little more difficulty using the larger kites, but it was still a lot of fun. And I mean a lot of fun. This time, no matter how hard I tried to dig my feet in, the kite would pull me forward fifteen or twenty feet at a time. It was incredible to feel how much power could come from a sheet of lightweight fabric and a light breeze. I was having a blast!

I went and got my skis and then waited for another large kite so I could try zipping back and forth across the lake. There are a lot of similarities between kite skiing and sailing and, if you know what you're doing, it's even possible to sail into the wind. In fact, it's even possible to sail up mountains! The crew from Kite Yukon use their kites as chair lifts when they go into the mountains, kite skiing up and then skiing back down.

I tried to take pictures while I waited for a kite, but my camera batteries died in the cold. After warming them up, I managed to get a few shots before they died again.

Schwatka Lake was full of colourful kites, from little training kites to massive foils.

Zooming along on skis...



My favourite picture of the day - Practising on a big kite with Grey Mountain in the background.

I finally got a big kite and got to feel what it's like to zip across the lake powered by nothing but the wind. It was awesome. While I didn't quite master using the larger kite with the skis, I did enough of it to know that I want to do it again.

I hear that they'll be doing demonstrations and lessons again on January 5th. Woohoo!

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Some pictures from Kajaani

2X world Champion [Open Class] Juha Mannermaa did his first session on Oulujarvi [Lake Oulu]. The lake is HUGE! With a surface area of 930 square kilometers and a location at 64 degrees north ICE is not the problem-but daylight? That can be troublesome at this time of year. Cheers to Juha for getting his daughter Lotta involved.


View Larger Map

William Tuthill

See more...

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Ice Sailing Starts Nov 25 07 in South Keswick

Yup, I’m wearing my wet suit, red life jacket and red ski boots. Don’t know if this ice will last till next weekend, as a strong NW wind could break it all up. Most of it is already refrozen broken ice. Nonetheless, it was fine and we had about 10 guys out today.


Joe Albert

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The Wild Sports You’ve Got To Try

Pretty funny post on BlueZeal News which puts Winter Kiting and Space Travel together as extreme sports worth trying.

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Big group of mountain sailors in the Colorado area.

Pretty cool eh?
--
by Clive Armitage

Still one of my favorite shots, my friend Tim, from Idaho Falls with a 6.0 in about 10-12 mph the snow was mid thigh deep, the 2006 has more float than this 2003 model.

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The Wing

Greetings.

Hope that you are having a great summer!

Here is a sneak preview of the Wave Warrior 7.5 m wing. It is designed for water but also works in light winds and/or sticky snow. There are some very cool new features. Set up/tear down is faster than ever. It is stable, powerful and well mannered. Stay tuned for more about this awesome new wing.

Will

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Dolzhanka. Day 1.

By Vladimir Zakharov

There is really something to `love` about this darn `Global Warming`. We need to stop measuring wind speed in knots but measure it in `girls`!

So, 4300 km and two and a half days our world was shrunk to the size of the steel box called `Isuzu Midi` (we called it `Mitjok` of course), and now it is over!


Ural, dear, I love you so! I did not have such fun in a long time. Artillery range with shell-holes of all kinds and calibers is called a federal highway due to some weird mistake. Night, rain, trucks in the ditch - it is all as usual, looks like Russia and good roads are incompatible forever.

We have finally arrived to the Azov Sea, Dolgaja Spit, Dolzhanka Village.

The South of Russia is not very friendly yet. It was warmer in Siberia. It is 9-10C of heat during the day and intermittent wind with gusts from under the storm clouds up to 15 m/s (30 knots).

The rain is over, the Sun is showing and my girlfriend wants to take a walk.. She opens the door of the cabin to scout the weather and instantly is thrown out into the nearest puddle by the gust! Yeah, the wind speed has increased. That is how we shall calibrate the wind in one `girl` and shall wait for summer kiting season opening until tomorrow. The forecast promises `global warming` and less wind.

In the meantime there is 4-5 kites flying around the Dolgaja Spit and around 10 wind surfers. Not too many people have come here this year, that is unusual!

The Surf Shelter camping where we live has surpassed all expectations - so far the difference between advertisement and reality is to reality's advantage!

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Rustler Ice

Here is the picture to illustrate the kind of ice described by Barney Kenney in the previous post. We call it "Rustler" in Novosibirsk. The photo is recent by Vladimir Travnikov. Enjoy the sound of thin ice needles crumbling.

By the way, the ice on the Ob' Sea of Novosibirsk is gone now and Vladimir Zakharov is testing his new Flysurfer kites on Azov Sea. I am planning to translate and post his reports in the next couple days.

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Photos from WISSA 2007 updated

By William Tuthil
I have much to report. We JUST got in from a LONG drive to Gaspisie and back. It is beautiful out there and WISSA 2008 accoms will be set up for families...
More later - much more.

For now, here are some fresh pics from Estonia.

[8 more images]

Do you need text?


Estonia 2007. Kalev Allikveer on a 3 blade sled.










Estonia 2007. Just after the start.


Estonia 2007 Vitold Nerling. Legendary windsurfing coach from Poland.


Estonia 2007. The technology and talent at WISSA World Championships is as up to date and radical as ANY windsurfing race on the planet. Here is to keeping the Open Class alive and strong FOREVER!

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This is some sweet April-May ice!

By William Tuthill

As we watch the grass turn green, Barney Kenney [organizer on WISSA
2001 Saskatchewan, Canada] is tuning and refining his amazing foot
steering sled. Barney has created several clever inventions, but this
sled is closer to short board sailing than any ski sled that I have
ever sailed. Everything from the steering mechanism to the custom
built skis are of his design and manufacture. The sled is a jibing
machine!

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Saturday & Easter

What a weekend!

Lake Sunapee ROCKS! The nearly 1100 foot elevation makes for a different climactic designation for this unusual body of water. Everything south and down has melted, but Sunapee still has 12-14 inches of ice! Better still, the forecast is for more cold and a 10 inch dump on Thursday! This means that NEXT weekend is apt to be epic as well!

Almost Night: Shot by Charles Meding while flying the red kite in the foreground. We sailed all day on loose granular, and into the dark.



Last Year: Flying over the St. Lawrence River. By Michael Eudenbach

By way of reference, the sun angle and length of day is that of Labor Day weekend. Yep, that's right- count your days towards summer from the equinox and Easter is like Labor Day and next weekend is crowding AUGUST for sun angles! :)

Before I jinx the jet stream into a more seasonal pattern, I'll just give a quick weekend rundown and crash.

SATURDAY: Forecast- no wind. Reality- 10- 15 mph. Rick Hobbs had to skate with a 5,5 meter wing. He got some rides but he also skated and waited. It looked good some of the time, but I hate skating on skis so I changed teams and "took the kite".

With George Baskette and Charlie Meding as company, it is easy to see the potential of kites.

The surface was loose granular, and with a 4 line foil kite on handles it was fun to chuck the power of the kite around like a rock on the end of a string. Whip it up and down for speed, and send it back for a POWER jibe! Now TTHAT is fun- even if it does rip your arms and abs. BTW George with the 8 meter CA leader? Poetry in motion. And Charlie? How the hell can you fly a kite AND shoot photos?

EASTER SUNDAY: Arose and went to heaven. The overnight temperature was in the teens and the wind was a robust 15-25mph.

Bright sun, thin crispy snow atop hard ice with the new Kitewing Rage 5.5+.

Arose and went to heaven.

That docile powerhouse together with Volkl P30 Race Carver skis on such a surface IS heaven on earth!

The distance between Sunapee Harbor Lighthouse and Herrick Cove Lighthouse is just under 2 miles. I was making the run in under 5 minutes before I realized that I should start keeping track.

After about an hour I started blazing on a broad reach between the 2 points- [an approx. 4 mile round trip]-over and over while counting.

Long story short, I made 25 trips in about 5 hours. That SHOULD be about 100 miles, but without a GPS and a witness, it is quite unofficial. WHO CARES? I did it for me - not for the record books. That said, I plan to get a GPS this week. With luck, I'll have a dog in the hunt for the "Century Club" Award from the Chickawaukee Ice Sailing Club in Maine U.S.A.. before the season ends.

Happy Easter and god bless.

Winter RULES!!!!!!!!

Will

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