Ride with Blake | 5 Steps to Relaunch Your Kite

The relaunch is one of the most important steps in learning how to kiteboard. After all, if you can't get your kite out of the water you're not going to get very far in the sport.

One of the biggest concerns people face in the early stages is the fear of the unknown. 

• What happens if I crash? 
• How do I get back in if I drop my kite?
• Will the kite keep pulling me if I drop it? 

To counter these fears, I recommend starting small. You need to practice your relaunch on the beach, then progress into shallow knee deep water.  It's important to note, you should be respectful of small beaches and avoid crowds at all cost. Practicing some where safe is a great confidence builder! Do this in extremely light wind and work your way into moderate wind. 

Practice is paramount so put your time in and be patient.

Step 1

After a crash, drop the bar and reorient yourself. It’s natural when learning to kiteboard to hold on to the bar. Once you’re ready, grab the control bar and sheet out. A common misconception when relaunching is that you need to pull in for more power. While there is a time and place for that, when relaunching you want to push the bar away from you to open up the canopy of the kite.

Step 2

Pick a side of the wind window that you want to relaunch from. If you're close to the shore or an obstacle, it’s wise to sail the kite in the opposite direction. Just grab a float and steer the kite in your desired direction. in lighter wind, you may have to tug a few times to get the kite to respond Once the kite has reached the sweet spot in the window it will rock up onto one wingtip.

Step 3

Keep the red part of your bar in your left hand. This mean that your lines will be crossed while your kite is down in the water. It’s not uncommon for new kiteboarders to hold the bar backwards in order to correct the crossed lines. If you make this mistake, you will be flying the kite backwards after it takes off. This is sure to result in the kite crashing back down into the water.

Step 4

Pull on one line from a float while the kite is sheeted out. In lighter wind you will need to work the kite to the edge of the window by pumping it like I talked about earlier. Sometimes, if your constantly pulling on the line, the kite will roll over early and try to laugh too deep in the wind window. This isn’t so bad if your in deep water but it can get a little dangerous if you are in shallow water or have any obstacles near buy. If you’re in deep water, it’s also helpful to keep your board on your feet and push against the pull of the kite. Giving a little bit of resistance helps.

Step 5

Once the kite is in the air, in light wind you might have to pump it up into the sky. Fortunately if you’re appropriately powered the kite will simply go up like it is supposed to. otherwise if not, your going to have to work the kite just a little bit. Just work the kite up and pump the bar a few times to get some wind into your sail.

A few bonus tips:

Experiment with your sheeting. Sometimes you need to find the sweet spot in regards to line tension for the kite to respond.

If the kite inverts or rolls over onto its back, you need to swim at the kite in order to right the kite. It seems counter intuitive

In light winds you may have to launch the kite deeper in the wind window 

If you have any questions ask in the comments or give the crew at MACkite a call. 

800 - 622 - 4655 

Peace 

-Blake

Blake Olsen

A Michigan boy through and through (even though he was born in Saudi Arabia), Blake is a youth with a lifetime of experiences and adventures. Not only that, he's passionate about sharing his zest for life with others. He is proficient at many fields, including kiteboarding and acting as concierge to any who simply ask. Looking for an adventure? Well, Blake is your guy. From sailing the Gulf and the Caribbean to backpacking Hawaii and Southeast Asia, he knows his stuff and can make your vacation into an adventure.

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