April 26th, 2021 Kite Newsletter
This last weekend was a great weekend, with several kite events seeing a return after a long year of shutdowns and pandemic based restrictions, and a few new ones! The long loved Maryland International Kite Expo returned to Ocean City, Maryland, and a new kite festival popped up in the beautiful landscape of Alaska. Kite flying is increasingly being seen as an activity that folks can do safely while adhering to pandemic protocols. Word has it that other kite festivals such as the Washington State International Kite Festival in August are also planning on returning! Stay tuned, and hopefully we can see more kites in the skies!!!
As always, if you have any questions, or comments, shoot me an email at: info@fortunafound.com
~Nic
THE RACE IS ON!!
The Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille joins the adventure as SP80’s title sponsor. This partnership allows us to start building the boat that will sail for the record We will have our boat on the water by 2022 ! After two years of hard work, Richard Mille’s involvement in our project is a source of great pride and incredible motivation for our young team We are one huge step closer to the World Sailing Speed Record More information on: https://www.richardmille.com/fr/friends-and-partners/sp80
Kite Festival Inspires Music
Audrey Kang, the lead singer and songwriter for the mostly New York-based band Lightning Bug, flew to Long Beach for the WSIKF in 2019, shortly after turning in her band’s long-awaited second album, October Song. She figured that the band was over, with every member of the group exhausted at the end of a five-year writing and recording process. “I felt spent, I felt tired, I felt uninspired, I felt like I was at the end of something and I didn't feel hopeful,” she says now over the phone from Mexico City, where she’s spent the past few months. Kang, who has been interested in kites and kite-making since picking up a dusty book in a used bookstore a few years ago, insists she would never bring her own kite to an event this prestigious. Instead she was there, on the other side of the continent, to camp out and watch other people fly their kites, attempt feats of kite-flying endurance, even engage in organized kite-fighting: “I think I was the only person who was there alone, who was in their 20s. I think I was an anomaly. But it was beautiful.” https://www.thefader.com/2021/04/21/lightning-bug-a-color-of-the-sky-audrey-kang-interview-international-kite-festival
The HQ-Fazer XL is a big (2.80cm/110" wingspan) Power & Speed kite. I made some tricks when the wind dropped to 5-7km/h, 3-4mph. It was a great fitness with big movements. There is a How to/tutorial part - Flare to Fade.
China’s annual kite festival takes off with 280-metre-long ‘dragon’ in the sky
A 280-metre (918ft) long dragon kite took to the air at an annual kite festival in the Chinese eastern province of Shandong on April 18, 2021, state media reported. The Weifang International Kite Festival, which runs until May 5, will feature more than 1,600 kites made by 500 participants across the country, according to the organiser. Click on the link below to read more and to see the video https://www.scmp.com/video/china/3130168/chinas-annual-kite-festival-takes-280-metre-long-dragon-sky
Check out Anders Matson flying his A-Quad HardCore - Beer n fries
Unraveling the Basics of Lines
Check out the Sportkite Podcast on your favorite streaming platform.
Kite lines are usually the last thing people think about, and one of the first things they complain about. Lines can make or break your flying experience, and they can turn a good kite into a poor flying one. There are many factors that go into line making and line selection, and knowing the differences between the various options can help you get the most out of your kite.
What is the difference between nylon, cotton, kevlar, and Spectra? Are there benefits to one over the other? Check it out in this weeks episode where host Nic O'Neill unravels the basics of lines.