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The Global Game
Overview
About
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The Physics of Kites
Kiteboards must be moved forward above planning speed to stay above the water and this necessitates a source of propulsion or thrust which is ideally provided by the traction kite. Detailed information regarding how the thrust comes about is addressed at The Physics of Kites
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ABC of Kite Surfing
An online portal in the ins and outs of kitesurfing, providing detailed instructions and lessons to learn the technique, a news desk, where to kitesurf, community....
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Origins of Kite surfing
A collection of articles providing the background
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The inflatable kite
Learn the history of the inflatable kite from the inventors and read about their patent rights.
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KiteSufing
From Wikipedia covering History, Technique and Equipment
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KiteBoarding Magazine
News, online videos, photos, forum, back articles, tips, newsletter
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Kite Surfing School
Online information, dedicated to beginners learning how to kite surf with clearly presented information on all aspects of the sport. See How to for a thorough explanation of technique. It also has a very good Links section
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Kitemare
Florida; a great site to learn the basics and get the gear.
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Kitesurfing
(British Kite Surfing Association) -a fast grow new extreme sport which is gaining lots of publicity. "Discovered by the French, Popularized by Hawaiians, Kite surfing has taken off in Britain - become part of it". What is Kite surfing, 'where to' with UK map, FAQ, extensive links including National associations and useful UK tide and weather sites.
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Kitesurfing Information
An introduction with a FAQ
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Kite Ireland
An Irish resource for the sport
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Kite Flix
Free high quality kiteboarding / kitesurfing videos and digital photos to get you pumped up and inspired to ride; new videos all the time
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Kite links
From Amoka Wind Sports or try WorldWindSurf
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Kitemare
"the Absolute BEST Kiteboarding website for beginners"; It will fill you in on some basics and has some used gear info, etc. It also has a section called "KITEMARES" where people share their horror stories. It's good to read through these so you are aware what can and might go wrong.
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Speed Sailing
From Dave Culp Why Kites?
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KiteSurfing Speeds
KitesurfingSchool.com discuss the speeds you can expect
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Tampa Bay Kitesurf
Accessories, gear, information, news, gear reviews, video gallery and picture gallery;
History
History of Kite Surfing
Although the sport of KiteSurfing is new, it is not a one man invention and people have been playing with the concept for a long time. In fact, in China and Polynesia, kitesailing was a form of transportation in the Pacific Rim beginning in the 13th and 14th century! Indonesian and Polynesian kite fishermen dragged their canoes with kites, as early as the 12th century. In the early 1800's, British inventor George Pocock enlarged common kites and flew them in groups to pull carts on land and boats on the water. His efforts resulted in what were, at the time, the fastest speeds on land and water. Pocock's kites were fully controllable, using 4 lines, just as we use today. His boats and carts could sail upwind, his boats could beat other boats he raced against. His original patent number was GB5420, dated 1826. In Nov 1903, American inventor Samuel Cody kitesailed across the English Channel.In the late 50's, individuals used the concept of being trailed by a parachute/wings above and on water. In the mid 1970's, Englishman Peter Powell developed the dual line control and built a 2-line delta kite with which he sailed small dinghies. These were the first commercially successful 2-line deltas, based on Francis Rogollo's patents of the early 1940's. They were marketed for use with boats and buggies, and in fact, a stack of 6 Powell deltas was used by Englishman Keith Stewart with a nine foot catamaran to cross the English Channel, purposely duplicating the Samuel Cody's 1903 crossing. In October 1977 Gijsbertus Adrianus Panhuise (Netherlands) gets the first patent NL07603691 for our sport. The patent cover specifically a water sport using a floating board of a surf board type where a pilot standing up on it is pulled by a wind catching device of a parachute type tied to his harness on a trapeze type belt. Although this patent did not result in any commercial interest, Gijsbertus Adrianus Panhuise could be considered as the originator of KiteSurfing. In 1978 Dave Culp (USA) designed his first kiteboat with the first documented inflated leading edge kite which powered it. In the early 80's, Arnaud de Rosnay (France) during one of his channel crossings, used a windsurfing board and kite instead of a sail and Andreas Kuhn (Switzerland) rode, using a ski hybrid (close to a wakeboard) and a parapente. He pushed Gijsbertus Adrianus Panhuise concept further by documenting it on TV - riding and jumping. In November 1987 (filed in August 1986) Dominique and Bruno Legaignoux (France), get the Patent US4708078 for the first self-relaunching marine wing. In the same period, Cory Roeseler (USA) prepared the Kiteski. He was the first one kite sailing upwind. In November 1994 (filed in November 1993) Cory Roeseller (USA) is granted a Patent on KiteSkiing Patent US5366182. Cory Roeseler held the first Kitesurfing World Cup in 1991 (?) in San Francisco. There were 7 entries, including one from Hawaii. It was televised and shown extensively on Discovery and ESPN. Cory also entered the Weymouth Speed Trials in 1988 and won fastest boat at the event, for a kite-powered waterski. In 1996 kitesurfing its first worldwide media exposure as a sport thanks to the windsurfers Laird Hamilton and Manu Bertin. In 1997 F-One enters the market. In 1999 Naish enters the market with a progressive line of kites that have higher aspect and four lines, after some early work with licensed 2-line Kites from Bruno Legaignoux. Since then the sport has been growing at a brisk pace with many new kite manufacturers. Most kites now use a similar design with inflatable bladders and struts which assist greatly in re-launching from water. In 2004 Best Kiteboarding introducedtheir line of kites meant to beof similar quality but at almost half the price due to direct sales over the internet. To be continued...( we hope) from Kite Surf Origins # (AquaGlider) with comments from George our librarian from Kite Flix and Dave Culp of Kiteship top
Equipment
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Kiteship
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Extreme-kites
Whether you're in to kitesurfing / kiteboarding, buggying, atb or even if you just want to get into the sport, - information on traction and power kite sports; kite reviews, a kitesurf + buggy location database,forums, and a news section.
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Kitesurfing equipment
reviews and price comparisons on Ciao.co.uk
Improve
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Learn to Kiteboard
From Kiteflix.com; 3 easy steps and a useful a list of recommended kiteboarding schools and kiteboarding instructors
Play/Watch
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Art and kitesurfing
A gallery of kitesurfing art, which consists of original paintings , limited edition giclee prints and canvas prints .
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Ethan Janson Kiteboard Photography
Kitesurf and kiteboard photographer Ethan Janson. Photos from the Gorge, Maui, Puget Sound, Hatteras, British Columbia...
Organisational bodies
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IKO
The International Kiteboarding Organization, was founded 2001 to promote kiteboarding worldwide. Through the development of a professional network of affiliated kiteboarding centres and trained instructors and examiners, IKO provides a high quality level of teaching, with standards that are recognized and applied worldwide.
Competitions
Professional
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Kiteboard Pro World Tour
World Cup schedules and rankings. news, videos, reports, webcams, online store
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Professional Kite Riders Association
An association of riders for riders that manages professional kiteboarding worldwide. Website provides current information about the world tour, other events and on issues that concern professional kiteboarding
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Kiteflix
Founded and is primarily filmed, edited and produced by George Saunders, provides free videos. See aerial assault
Servers-Blogs-Forums
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Extreme Kites
Power and traction, chat, equipment...
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Kite Forum
Recommended as one of the best for this topic on the web
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Florida Kitesurfing Association Forums
A good place to keep up with all the news and developments.
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Forces-of-nature
Kitesurfung forum
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Fractured Axel
Chat, share reviews, technique etc
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Power Kiting
From Kite Zone
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Seabreeze
Australia Discussion about KiteSurfing - Where, What, When, Injuries and more!
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SBC Kiteboard
All things kite boarding, news, equipment reviews, instruction
Commercial
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Kitesurfing Holidays and Schools
The essential travel guide to kitesurfing destinations, schools and vacation packages worldwide. Get the latest kitesurfing holiday special offers, check out weather reports, read kitesurfing destination information and book lessons, instruction & kite surfing vacation packages online. Forums
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Surf Lanzarote
Surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing holidays on the Canary Islands, Spain
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San Diego
Where to ride from San Diego KA
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Gale Force kiteboarding School
(Washoe Lake Outside of Reno Nevada) a great kiteboarding school with a friendly and helpful staff. We use the newest and the best Kitboarding Equipment on the market. We use chase boats for all of our lessons so that we are able to take students miles upwind so that they are able to log weeks of practice in just one lesson.
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Kite Surfing Holidays
West Wales is a cool new holiday destination for Kite Surfing, with our consistent wind, waves and sunshine your guaranteed to enjoy the combination of kite flying and surfing
Asia
Overview
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KiteboardingAsia
Web portal for Kitesurfing and Kiteboarding in Thailand and Asia; training centres, equipment, destinations, links
Europe
Ireland
Overview
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Irish Kite Surfing
Dedicated to ensuring the promotion of kitesurfing within Ireland, with the mission to encourage safety, accessibility and responsibility among the Kitesurfing community while developing a framework for events both competitive and social. News, events, safety
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Kiteboarding Ireland.
Provides information on the sport of Kiteboarding in Ireland and the rest of the world; general news, locations, forecasts....
United Kingdom
Overview
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British Kitesurfing Association
Promotes safe kite surfing practices, a recognized training scheme for beginners, develops a network of clubs throughout the UK, runs the British Championships and promotes Grassroutes competitions/events held by clubs. News, events, getting started, Clubs, training, where to go.....
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Wild West Wales Kitesurfing
With consistent wind, waves and sunshine it's no wonder that top international kitesurfers like Kirsty Jones and Ben Hanbury are based here.
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Xtreme Kites
UK Based Extreme Sports Shop, kite surfing, kite boarding, kite buggying; tuition; forum, extensive links
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NE Kitesurfing
In the North East of England (Redcar, Druridge, Beadnell, Bamburgh, Budle, Allonby etc); school, forum, weather forecasting and shop
North America
Overview
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KiteSurf Caribbean
A place to meet, exchange, inform and help each other, find out about surf spots, meet other kitesurfers, locate events, competitions, or other happenings in the area; related links
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Surf Center El-Medano
Situated at the southern most beach of the Canary Island in the Atlantic ocean; sales, rental, tuition. Location and details of Wind and Tides
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Azul Kiteboarding
El Madano, Tenerife; exposed to the prominent Trade Winds. News, school, weather, webcams, links, training for teachers
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Kitesurfing Surfing Fuerteventura
At El Cotilo; one-on-one coaching; IKO certified
Saint Lucia
USA
Overview
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Iwindsurf.com
A great resource for US and Canada; wind reports, forecast, community (forums, photo gallery, directory); join and customise your home page
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Southern California Kiteboarding Association
(covers Los Angeles south through Orange County) Safety Guidelines, beginners guidelines (downloadable pdf file)
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San Diego Kitesurfing Association
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East Coast Kiteboarding
Learn to kite board with kitesurfing lessons at East Coast Kiteboarding, South Florida's only mobile kiteboarding school. Teaching locations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.
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Kitemare
Florida; a great site to learn the basics and get the gear.
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South Florida Kiteboarding
Located in SE Florida, offering boat-assisted lessons in waist deep water, kiteboarder-specific accommodations, Cable Park instruction, equipment sales etc
Ask the Expert
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