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.

It’s A Beautiful Morning

A person couldn’t ask for a more beautiful morning. The temperature was mild, the sun was out and the winds were light, in the 5-7 mph range. The clouds moved in not too much later but the beach was still the place to be. This was the day for the first flight of my new light wind kite, the Laima. It looks like a bird soaring high in the sky and floats on the lightest of winds.

There was quite a variety of kites in the air along with my Laima; a white Ghost delta kite with a jellyfish on the line, the low-wind Skate, a Triangulation and a smaller power sled.

Ghost Delta by Gomberg Kites with Jellyfish by Premier Kites

This was also a good day to do some test flying of new kites. Two of Skydog Kites new offerings flew very well in the light winds and you couldn’t help but smile when looking at them. One was a parrot and the other was a butterfly. Perfect kites for families on vacation.

I took advantage of the morning to fly my little Wisp. It is such a great low wind dual line stunt kite but oh, so sensitive to the inputs. It took me a couple of launches to get used to it again. Then the fun began. Loops and dives and tight little spins.

Before leaving, I took some time to try out the Reflex from Revolution kites, their latest model quad line. The early descriptions have it as a low wind kite for the beginner quad line flyer. So this was the perfect day to give it a trial.

To me it appeared to be a slower flyer but easy to handle. At times it seemed to drift in the wind and feel soft on the handles. I wasn’t using the light-weight handles that come with but had it on my regular no-snag handles. I had an easier time with an inverse hover which I’ve never been able to do well. This trial was an easy fly, no hard “spanking” or tricks. Mostly smooth moves and slow lazy turns and loops. Just want a beginning flyer would try to do. I didn’t try the launch from a flat position nor the classic “dive-stop”. I did like the Reflex more than I thought I would. So there you have it.

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.

The Earth Day Celebration

This past weekend was the annual Earth Day Celebration at Fort Macon State Park. It brings out several government agencies, local non-profits and businesses to educate and promote good environmental stewardship. There were activities and demonstrations for kids and adults and live music. Civil War re-enactors were also present to assist with cannon firings and historical demonstrations. The Carolina Kite Club was asked to put a lot of color in the sky down on the beach for the visitors.

The days prior to this event were sunny, warm and blustery. That is to say the winds were ranging from 14 to 20 mph. We were all hoping those strong winds would calm enough so we could fill the sky with large kites and long tails. Temperatures dropped a little on the day of the fly but the winds did not. Ever the hopeful group, we took the kites we planned on flying and went down to the beach.

Our first order of business was to put up the banners. After they were up, we began to think this was not such a good idea. Wind gauges were measuring 18 to 22 mph and the sand was beginning to blow across the surface of the beach. One intrepid flyer did launch a large HQ flowform with long tube tails and then immediately went and added extra sand to the anchor. Another put up a mesh delta which handled the wind quite well. I anchored out my large ground bouncer caterpillar. The rest of the group decided it was too much wind but would wait a while and see if anything changed.

And change it did. The wind got stronger. The wind was now blowing 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. We huddled behind a dune to get out of the blowing sand and watched the banners bend almost down to the ground. That was it! We all packed up and called it a day.

It is such a disappointment when you’re asked to fly at an event and then are unable to. Even when it is through no fault of your own. We just hope that the organizers understand and know that we will be back to try again at the next Earth Day Celebration.

Fair Winds All.

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