Minimum wind for relaunch

I'm a beginner using an 11.5 Naish AR5 kite. I find that when the wind drops below a certain velocity, maybe around 8 to 10 knots, I can fly the kite and even get going on the board, but I cannot relaunch the kite from the water after a crash. Is it truly not possible to relaunch the kite under those conditions, or am I just not skilled enough yet?

Thanks, Dave O

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That's what I've been told and witnessed at my home launch. Water relaunching below 8 knots is extremely difficult with inflatibles. Foils might be a bit easier to get back up, but if you insist on kitesurfing below 8 knots your best bet is not to drop your kite.

Ok. I can sometimes get the kite onto its back, but I'm not always able to get it from there onto its side, which I believe is necessary for a relaunch. The Naish video says to point the bar at the kite to pull it onto its side, but that doesn't always work when the wind is light. Should I pull in a few feet of line on one side, to really emphasize the effect?

By the way, what is the 'superman drift'?

Thanks, Dave O

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

What's the minimum wind you can reliable relaunch an AR5 in? I have seen quite a few people do the swim when they crashed in less than 8 knots.

According to Teds review on the kitesurf mailing list the ARC relaunches easily in 5 mph.

With the kite sitting leading edge down, you first must get it to lay on it's back. This is done by laying stretched out in the water, like Superman, drifting with the kite. In strong wind it will roll over. In light wind you need to pull in 2 meters of center line and release it, creating extra line slack to make it roll over.

Next you point one end of the bar at the kite, still drifting with the kite in the Superman position. In strong wind the kite will move sideways and relaunch. In less wind you need to pull and push the bar, still pointed at the kite and still in the Superman position. Don't stop pulling and pushing until it flies, and always drift with the kite in the Superman position. Don't stand on the bottom if it's shallow water.

Sometimes reversing which end you point at the bar can speed up the relaunch. Normally I don't reverse which end I point.

There are two positions the kite will lift off from. One is right after you get it on it's back and it is in the tips up position and drifting to one side. It will roll around and go up right from there. The other position is when the tips are crossed and it's folded in half. This is a good position for the bar pointing technique. Just don't quit pulling and pushing the bar and drifting with the kite. If you do this it will fly away very quickly. When the top tip raises up, keep pulling and pushing until it flies away. Stopping this to early is a beginner mistake. In very powered conditions you don't need to pull and push the bar, just drift like Superman and it flies away.

My 9.5 will relaunch in winds so light the kite won't fly without falling from the sky. It's the kite falling from the sky that's the AR5 wind limiter, not the relaunching wind speed.