More experiences with the tubekite prototypes.

There are many advantages in being a high school teacher. The kids usually go home around 3 inthe afternoon so if the weather predictions are good that one meeting can easily be postponed , and that one student that has gotten detention doesn’t mind staying a few hours longer on another day.

But then the summer holidays… 6 weeks off and lots of time for family, friends and ofcourse.. Kiting!

The past year and a half I enjoy both land and water and the performance my PL gear offers, but frankly; In the past year the balance tipped more and more toward buggying. Playing with big kites in just a few knots is just about the greatest thing there is. Often I wondered if there was enough wind to bother going to the beach, but now if the wind is low I just put the bug in the back of the Caddy and head to the beach to ride with my 13 or 16 Vapors, never really worrying about winds being to low anymore.


This past summer I had the oppurtunity to try out the new tube proto’s and with the coming of this kite I now find myself wondering if winds are low; do I go out in the buggy or do I hit the water? If you ask me what the biggest advantage of the new tube is compared to the Twinskins I would have to say; Fun in low winds!





Enthusiasm makes you forget.


The first time I tried the 12m tube was on one of those low wind days and when I drove onto the Brouwersdam there were only big foils out, most of them buggy Kites. One of those typical days where only the ones with big kites could just cruise along and most kitesurfers don’t even bother pumping up their kites. Normally in these winds I would have grabbed my buggy gear but this time i had that tube calling me from the trunk so I just had to go and try it. So I pumped it up and did some playing around on the beach. I was surprised by the power and couldn’t help myself putting on my wetsuit and head out… To have a good low wind session!





In my enthusiasm I had long forgotten my keyring which I had left lying on the beach, luckily an alert fellow buggier found some kids playing with it. But this session was the first time I felt like this new kite was going to give me many good times on the water.


Playtime


On holiday in the bay of Rosas (Spain) we had the perfect weather for a vacation with family, friends and Kites. In the morning a light breeze, good for family time: breakfast outside the caravan, doing some groceries and generally relax. And in the afternoon from around 13:00 I switched from beach toys with the kids to my kitegear and the 12 to 15 knots were ideal to go play with the 12m tube. I quickly found that even in these low winds one can easily ride upwind, send the kite 1 or 2 times and then just keep it steady and have the depower and the board do the rest, What a difference with other kites!





The new PL tube proved to be suitable for powered moves and airtime even in these low wind conditions. The board-off pic was taken at a moment when most other kiterboarders with 12 and 14m kites were already off the water.


Always listen to the man with the coffee.


And then my first experience with the 9m! This has become my absolute favorite, and that in only 2 sessions. At one day we were at St. Pere Pescador and had southerly winds. This meant sideshore in this coastal town which is situated in a bay. A large group of kiters on the beach, but nobody out there on the water. Then the man with the coffee appeared and since he had already kitesurfed so much the past days he was the one with the knowledge about this spot. And even though there was enough wind this day he didn’t bother and said that you had to get at least a 100 meters out of the coast for useable winds. Talked and laughed some more with the other kiters and soon enough the typical kitetalk camo out. Things like: That PL of yours makes it easy to get out there right? More laughter followed. But undeterred I went out there and while I was furiously sending the kite hoping to get moving out I heard them laugh from the shore. But when I finally got past the deadzone I was off! I did not dare looking back to see how far I now was out of the shore, but when I turned I realized that I was already gaining height going upwind! Soon enough the other kiters got out there as well, them on12 meterkites, me on the 9m, who’s got the last laugh now?





Anyways, holidays are over and the 2011/2012 buggyseason is about to start.


Now it’s just a wait untill the kites roll out of the factory with their final looks.


Cheers,
Koen Schepers
Peter Lynn teamrider