Kite Boarding 101

words MIKE BEGGS images STEVE UHRANEY

By now just about everyone has seen those exhilarating action shots of kiteboarding - from vistas like Maui, St. Lucia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cape Hatteras or the San Francisco Bay.

But with this, the world’s fastest-growing water sport over the past few years, combining the thrills of surfing with the mechanics of sailing, one can witness plenty of boarding right here on Lake Ontario at venues such as Marie Curtis Park on the Mississauga/Etobicoke border.

On a good day, there might be as many as 15 kiteboarders out there, ripping five to ten foot waves, airing, and doing assorted tricks (rolls, kickflips, 360s. etc). That almost always includes fraternal twin brothers Terry and Ted Rutledge of Mississauga.

They will be out there whenever there are appropriate winds from the northeast, round to the south – right into November. Otherwise, they will venture to other hotspots like Lake Erie, Georgian Bay, Sherkston Beach, or Port Colborne. And that’s not to mention their many boarding holidays to Cape Hatteras, Hawaii, Barbados and the Dominican Republic.

“When Terry and I started out at Marie Curtis Park, we were the only ones,” Ted relates. “The sport is growing like crazy.”

“Once you start, it’s almost like an addiction. It’s unbelievable. You just live to do it. To me, that’s what makes life exciting right now.”

"Once you start, it's almost like an addiction.
It's unbelievable. You just live to do it."
TEd Rutledge

Terry and son, James, in the workshop

Both brothers were hardcore windsurfers, but, as an aerospace engineer, Terry was well-acquainted with the mechanics of flight, and when he first saw kiteboarding, “That was it.”

He likes the fact that you can go out in lighter winds. “For windsurfing you need 20 knots, yet you can go kiteboarding in 8 to 10,” he explains. “At 10 to 15 knots, you can get air.”
“You can put the kite overhead, and you will go up 10 to 30 feet for a flight. You have that third dimension.”

In his “boardroom” (the garage) of his Port Credit home, the 51-year-old father of three makes his own boards from scratch. That’s about a 40-hour process, which involves carving out the shape from a foam core, and then laying fibreglass on top of it.

For he, his wife Terri (a windsurfer), and their three children, he says, “Through our whole life, it has always been hit the beach with all the surfing gear. The kids are all learning to kiteboard. We snowboard, and kite snowboard on frozen lakes in the winter.”

This sport is a natural for windsurfers, wakeboarders, and skateboarders, because, “you already know how to move a board.”

“If you windsurf, you can move right into it,” Ted says.

“A lot of people are afraid of this sport because it looks, and can be, extreme. But, the new kites are a lot safer than they used to be, because you can decelerate the kite. Otherwise, it can yank you right off your board.”

	Gander Tawaststjerna, a partner in the Toronto shop, Boardsports observes that, “A lot of kiteboarders have crossed over from windsurfing, but it has also brought a lot of new people to the water.” “There are a bunch of good reasons for this,” he says. “The gear is easy to transport. Board sails aren’t big. The kiteboard and bag, you could take on the subway to the beach.” Realtor Dan Steiner was one of Toronto’s first kiteboarders and has competed and taught it all over the world. He notes that, “If you have a solid wind, you could learn it in a weekend, depending how coordinated you are.” Of its allure, he says, “You can do anything, go 60 feet in the air. It’s just like freedom. And the best part is it’s hand-powered. You don’t have a noisy boat, you’re harnessing Mother Nature.” Indeed, kiteboarders are drawn to both the extreme, and the eco side of the sport. From Marie Curtis Park, Etobicoke resident Mariusz Bielawski. 48, says, “It’s very good exercise, and relatively inexpensive – you can buy used stuff mostly.” “For people like myself, this is a beautiful sport because it’s quiet – wind, water, and nature. I like to swim, especially with the lake being so close and accessible.” The roots of kiteboarding date back to the 1800s, when George Woodcock used, “kites of increased size, to propel carts on land and water.” (He reportedly used a 4-line control system, the same as today!). It really began to take flight in the late 1990s – growing to an estimated 200,000-plus participants by 2006, and spawning high-gloss magazines, and web sites – where you can buy or swap gear, pick up tips, and blog with fellow boarders. Whether launching your kite on the beach, or doing jumps 20 or 30 feet in the air, there’s always the potential for a “kitemare” out there, resulting in serious injuries, even fatalities. With sudden gusts, power kites can be carried off and dashed against water, trees, buildings, cars, power lines, etc. And as a result, kiteboarding can pose hazards to boarders, others on the water, beachgoers, and bystanders, alike. The volunteer-based Ontario Kiteboarding Association is working to develop better kite etiquette on the beaches and waters, to improve safety and ensure continued access to beaches around the province. And the sport is becoming safer due to innovations in kite design, safety release systems, and professional instruction. “You have to learn the skill, and the safety aspect of it,” Terry Rutledge stresses. “And what’s really important is respecting the communities you kiteboard in.” Boardsports recommends people start with a “training kite,” a 1.5 to 3-square metre kite. “It’s a really small version of the real thing,” Tawaststjerna says. “That way, they can practice on land before hitting the water.” From there, they suggest buying a How-To video, and then taking a series of lessons (about $300 to $500). The necessary kiteboarding gear will run you $2,500 and up. Kites come in different sizes, the average one being 9 to 14 square metres enabling kiteboarding in 12 to 30 knots. From there, you need your board (with footholds), flying lines, control bar, kite harness, wetsuit, lifejacket, and helmet. It’s also recommended you bring along a safety hook knife, signalling devices, GPS, and a buddy. From there, it’s just a matter of waiting for the right winds to show up. “The great thing about Toronto is within 2.5 hours you can get to Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, Lake Ontario, or Lake Simcoe,” he adds. “You’re always looking for a side-on wind at a 45 degree angle from the shore, so you can go straight off the shoreline.” “There are a number of web sites you can visit that give you accurate reads on wind conditions.” Now that you know the basics there is nothing to stop you from riding the wind and the waves to a new level of freedom. GL