There are more and more people calling kiting 'sailing'.

Just wondering why?

It's a kite, not a sail.... So calling it kiting would be logical..

Is it a ex windsurfer thing??

Select to expand quote

RPM said..
There are more and more people calling kiting 'sailing'.

Just wondering why?

It's a kite, not a sail.... So calling it kiting would be logical..

Is it a ex windsurfer thing??

This is Kite Sailing and only this!

Good on ya Lost Dog, that's the correct answer. Or maybe it's the right answer.
When I've used wind power via a foiled kite to propel myself I've been sailing. Just what is it that you don't understand RPM. Lack of a displacement hull, lack of a mast, lack of a keel perhaps. Maybe the laws of physics are different, or is it your ability to reason?
I want to know how a Rabbit can grow a Hair but a Hare can't grow a Rabbit?

Select to expand quote

RPM said..
There are more and more people calling kiting 'sailing'.

Just wondering why?

It's a kite, not a sail.... So calling it kiting would be logical..

Is it a ex windsurfer thing??

Yep,

I'm guilty of this. ^^^

Being an ex-poley, it's hard to break old habits.

On a side note:

A yacht sailor calls a spinnaker sail a kite.

Select to expand quote

waveslave said..
A yacht sailor calls a spinnaker sail a kite.

A spinnaker has quite limited lift, it's mainly a drag and cannot carry a vessel upwind. A kite is more a sail than a spinnaker is. But they are both run out on lines.

You fly a kite, does that not make it more of a wing than a sail?

Not so fast there tiger! a spinnaker certainly can go upwind, and in the right conditions very sucessfully. I've seen it done on a 54' boat called Pacemaker on the Freo to Geraldton race. We had a 10 kn breeze comming over the bow at about 15 degrees off a true reach. we ran a huge light spinnaker, poled out (against the forestay) with someone lying on the deck underneath it to give precise trim info. once you get it going, apparent wind comes into play and keeping it trimmed perfectly we were able to hold 6 kn and make 10 miles on the competition

Select to expand quote

RPM said..
There are more and more people calling kiting 'sailing'.

Just wondering why?

It's a kite, not a sail.... So calling it kiting would be logical..

Is it a ex windsurfer thing??

Select to expand quote

Chris6791 said..
You fly a kite, does that not make it more of a wing than a sail?

It seems to me that Kiting is now part of yachting so that is the obvious answer. I watch some sailing on Foxtel and kiting is covered by them now. Last week there was an interesting sail off between kites, windsurfers and a sailing craft on a lake in europe with top notch sailors and in different conditions each craft was faster. according to Bjorn Dunkerbeck, a competitor, the sailing dingyes were fastest in light winds, kites in medium and windsurfers in stronger winds. The dingyes planed on foils similar to the last americas cup boats and could sail faster than the wind in very light conditions. Very interesting viewing.

The kite is a wing with huge upwards lift potential, the rider a pilot. Well demonstrated by the fact that over 50% of fatal injuries to kiters occur by being launched onto land or into a solid object.

2000 - kiters regularly described as pilots

2012 - someone with an $agenda$ sold out and decided it would be a good idea to call kiting "sailing" to try to align kiting to the ISAF (sailing) - it was a bad idea.

2014 - kiting is still kiting - a kite traction sport. It never was, and never will be sailing.



The day sailing gets any say in the sport of kiting is a sad one

Old windsurfers are excused - they also say things like "rigging my kite up", "pump up my sail" "what sail are you on" - kind of like your dad calling the remote control the oojamewotsit - old habits die hard lol

"Who is Kiteboarding Australia?
KA is the national member of the ISAF international class association for kiteboarding, the International Kiteboarding Association. KA is also the national class association for kiteboarding of Yachting Australia, the national member authority for sailing. "

There isn't much alignment between sailing at the likes of freestyle or wave kiting,
But kite racing is closely aligned to sailing in the rules and the courses.
The IKA (internationalkiteboarding.org/) is very closely align to ISAF. And numerous kiters have been nominated and won various international sailor of the year awards.

Kite Racing is included in the Sailing World cup taking place this week.
The world Cup are test events for the Olympic sailing classes and closely watched by IOC.Even events such a Redbull Lighthouse to Leighton are conducted under sailing rules.
Extract from L2L page..."The race will be utilising the ISAF and IKA Rules and all competitors are expected to know and understand and adhere to these rules. These can be downloaded from www.sailing.org."

That said... Freestyle does get support from sailing, by example the last nationals was hosted by a sailing club in VIC.

And dont forget when the Alex broke the world sailing speed record a few years ago most of the kiters acknowledged one of their own was the fastest sailing guy in the world ;)

We use a lot of sailing terms,
Turning your surf-board; Tack/Gybe
Somebody who cuts in front of you, "Short-tacker"
Which direction you kiting towards; Port/Starboard
Direction you kiting in relation to the wind; close reach, broad reach ( "points of sailing")
We use the nautical version of velocity (knots) to discuss wind speed.
Powering up your kite by pulling bar down : "sheeting in", sheet being another name for sail.