My Fellow Kite Fliers

Last weekend I went down to Vanier Park to fly my kite. It's a popular kite-flying site, getting great westerly winds off the ocean. Looking around I was suffering a bit of kite-envy, and so asked around for recommendations on a new kite. Eventually, I went and bought myself a brand new Prism Quantum stunt kite identical to that shown below.

It's an amazing kite to fly - incredibly stable, smooth and responsive. I can land it on the ground like the lunar module on the Moon. It has a wider turning circle than I'm used to, but that can be adjusted. It can fly in low wind or high wind depending on various bridle settings. It's a real step up from what I had.

But what I'm really enjoying is being able to get out and meet other people. There's a wide variety of people at Vanier Park who fly kites:

• Alex. About 10-15 years old. Flies a blue dual-string Prism Nexus. New to the sport and is starting off well. Determined to learn how to do everything properly. Comes down with his mother Jane. I enjoyed helping him get his kite up and hope to see them around again.
• Darcy. About 20-30 years old. Flies a green dual-string Prism Nexus. New to the sport. Just met him today.
• Jason and his dog Sidney. About 25-30 years old. Flies a red and black quad-string Revolution, amongst others. Started flying this summer, and has really gotten into the sport. Full of tips. Sidney is very friendly, loves to bark, and wanders all over the park. :)
• Sue. About 40-50 years old. Flies a unique red/black dual-string kite with a curvy yellow motif, and a blue dual-string 'ultralight' kite. Has been flying kites for 12 years and even flies through the winter. Every other kite can be down for lack of wind, but she manages to keep hers up there somehow. I have a lot to learn from her. Always listening to her CDs when she flies. :)
• Gerald. About 40-60 years old. Normally flies at another beach down near Richmond. Has kites large enough to pull him across the sand, and runs a business renting kites.

Then there's the couples, all around my age and trying out their first stunt kite. And even more people walking past who are interested in your kite. I love giving them a go of my kite.

In the end, any time there's wind, there's a bunch of people turning up on bicycles to fly their kites. They're a great group of individuals, and I'm enjoying just make contact with them. I'm hoping to spend more time down there after work. I just have to keep watching the Jericho Wind page... :)