The Annual Mile of Hope Kite Fly

The Mile of Hope is an annual weekend on the beach for families with children who have cancer. It is sponsored by the Optimist Club of Raleigh, NC. Twenty-five families spend the weekend visiting area attractions, going on a sightseeing cruise and spending time on the beach. It gives them a chance to get away from the routine of hospital stays, drug treatments and therapies.

Saturday morning is beach time. The families spend time on the beach wading in the water, building sand castles and flying kites. Kites Unlimited of Atlantic Beach provides kites for all the children. The Carolina Kite Club members bring some of their “showiest” kites and fill the sky with color for all to enjoy. We’re also there to help the children get their kites in the air and solve any problems they might have.

This year was one of the best years for the kite fly. The winds were moderate and directed down the beach (no obstructions), the sun shone and the temperatures were mild. All kinds of kites were in the sky; dragon kites, critter kites, power sleds, delta kites, a Legs kite, and a Triangulation. The theme of the weekend was “dragons” so we made sure the big green Skydog Dragon was in the air as well as the large White Bird “Friendly Dragons” and their accompanying smaller “Friendly Dragons”.

By the end of the morning, we were worn out from walking up and down the beach. But it felt good to see the smiles on the children’s faces and hear their laughter as they played in the sand. And looking around, you could see that the adults were having just as much fun as the children.

Fair Winds All.

We’ve Been Invaded

This two weekends ago was the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the North Carolina State Parks. Fort Macon State Park had a huge re-enactment of the Siege of Fort Macon as part of the celebration. I’ve never seen this many participants at the fort in all the years I’ve lived in this area. There were cannon firings, demonstrations of Civil War dress for men and women, children’s marching drills, musket firings and marching drills, displays about the way of life during the Civil War and an evening concert and fireworks.

During the day, the Confederate forces held the fort and were bivouacked inside. The Union forces were laying siege to the fort and were camped on the beach, with their cannons and mortars. Right alongside our flying beach. In fact, we had to go around a barricade across the path in order to get to the beach.

In honor of the celebration, two special rokkakus were flown. One was for the Confederate States and one was for the Union States. These were made for the AKA Convention at Gettysburg, PA in 2008.

Our personal tribute to the anniversary of the NC State Parks was a RWB delta kite with transition tails. Along with these various other delta kites and critter kites added color in the sky.

After all the single line kites were flying and anchored, I began the long-awaited maiden flight of my five-stack of Goblins. I’ve had a three-stack for quite a while and just recently decided to expand to five. The Goblin is a smaller dual-line stunt kite that is practically indestructible. It’s a great beginner stunt kite and, when stacked, provides more “pull” for experienced flyers. And they look really great in the sky because of the Prismatex center panel. It gives a sparkling holographic effect when the sun hits it.

After some bridle adjustments, the stack took off and tried to take me with it. The “pull” was surprising even though I was expecting it. And I couldn’t stop grinning for a while after landing them. The next time they, fly I will have tails attached. It should be an even better show.

We went home that afternoon tired and happy. And already planning the next kite club fly.

Fair Winds All.

Playing Catch-Up III

The last two kite club meetings have been a little bit lonely. The first began with a message on Facebook that it was raining at Fort Macon State Park and there would not be a fly. Being ever hopeful, we got our breakfast and drove out to the park anyway. At the very worse, we would eat there and visit the gift shop before returning home.

Rain? What rain?? It was cloudy and the wind was light but there was no rain. So we headed down to the beach. We put up out light wind kites and enjoyed the fresh air, wishing there was some sunshine. The newest light wind kite in our bag is the Laima by Flying Wings. It looks like a bird soaring in the sky and flies in even less wind than the Skate.

Skate by Into The Wind and Dunton-Taylor Box Delta

The following week was a complete wash-out. There was rain, cold and almost too much wind. We sat in the truck for an hour waiting to see if there were going to be some other “fools” with kites coming to the beach. You never know. Alas, we were the only ones. We adjourned to the kite shop to see what was new and what our other kite flying friends were up to.

The days in between were beautiful. The temperatures were warm, the sun shone and the winds varied from light to mid-range and perfect for flying. We added two more kites to our vintage bag. Both of them are Skywaves made by David Prentice. The Skywave is an “old school” dual line stunt kite. The day we took them out to fly the wind was on the light side and I wasn’t sure there was enough for this kite. If not, we would have to be content with our low wind single-line kites. Boy, was I wrong. Both flew smooth with hardly any pull. Beautifully responsive and not tricky, just the way I like to fly. So another piece of history landed at our house and we are so pleased.

Fair Winds All.

Playing Catch-Up II

It’s that time of year where it is not winter anymore but it is not quite spring. The temperatures have started to moderate but you still need to wrap up and wear your hat. Some need to wrap more than others.

There was a good crowd of regulars at this fly and the wind was cooperating. Not too strong, and not too weak. It was a good day to test fly a couple of the new kites coming out this year. So up went two new Kritter Kites and a new Travel Diamond. All of them flew quite well and looked really good in the sky. The most surprising was the Travel Diamond. It hung above our heads all morning and handled gusts easily. The Nemo Kritter Kite made us laugh as his little fins flapped in the wind, making him look like he was swimming.

Owl Kritter by Skydog — Owl Kritter Kite by Skydog

Nemo Kritter by Skydog — Nemo Kritter Kite by Skydog

The rest of us dug older kites out of our bags, kites that hadn’t seen the sky in months or even years. Some of these kites are still available in kite shops and some are no longer being made. As we stood and watched them, I realized that each one had a story to go along with it. Each one was more than just a pretty thing that flies. The kites hold our memories. They may commemorate an event, honor someone no longer with us or just remind us of good times spent with friends and family.

So grab a kite and head to the beach or the park or the nearest big field and make some memories. I guarantee you’ll smile then and later on.

Fair Winds All.

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