Today I want to let you understand, through a short story of one of my kite trips, the main difference between practicing it in summer and in winter.
Firstly, I think you know it, in summer it is more difficult for wind perturbations to occur and therefore it is obviously rare to find bigger waves. In the summertime, thermal winds and sea breezes predominate, both of which can reach 25-30 kt of speed, but, unlike perturbations, they blow only during the day and precisely in the hottest hours (from 12 AM to 6 PM approximately).
The kite trip I made today in Puzziteddu, in Trapani, with a thermal wind of about 18/20 kt, is the classic summer trip, with slightly choppy waters – I would say almost flat ones.
A summer kitesurfing session in Puzziteddu for an experienced kiter is very relaxing. I am used, in this spot, to go out with 2-3 meters of waves, but for an intermediate or beginner kiter that is the right opportunity to become familiar with the open sea and with a side-off wind, starting to try the strapless surfboard without being afraid of losing the board. Without any wave, water restart is very simple. You can also try the twin-tip board and start attempting some freestyle tricks (the flat sea allows it).
In fact, today I indulged in both the strapless and the twin-tip surfboards.
In the first two hours I used the twin-tip board and tried some new tricks. The sea conditions were perfect at first for freestyle, but after a while the sea began to ripple and form too many chops (small waves of 20-30 cm). In these conditions, trying new maneuvers is more complex and therefore I preferred to change: I put down the twin-tip board and took the strapless one.
With the strapless surfboard I had a lot of fun, even with no waves: I tried to realise some trick-wave and I assure you that it is very funny as usual, even if you fall down and do not get to close the trick you were trying, it is still nice to try new dives!
In short, today’s kite trip was a panacea and it was a very good opportunity to try new maneuvers. In any case, when you go kitesurfing you don’t think about anything, you immerse yourself in a parallel world and you take your mind off everything.
I finished my kitesurfing session around 5pm. I was nicely exhausted.
Aloha WindBusters!