THE INTERNATIONAL KITE JOURNAL. WINTER 1999·2000 • VOL.13 NO.2. $6.00 US DI[PP[: NQW sightings! by PiQffQ fabrQ BIK[ &KIT[ DR[AMTOUR of WQstQrn AmQrica V[RDUN'S last RQndQz-Vous? Who can fly thQ TUKKAL? SKYGALL[RY: Delicacies by Philippe (oUenceau DorTt leave the ISSN 0192-3439 ground without it. I<OLUS PRESS, INC. PI/blisher: Editor: VALERIE GOV1G Associate Editor: LEONARD M.CONQVER Assistal/.t Editor: STEVE McKERROW Des~ftll and Prodl/ctioll: PHILIP IGLEHART TRACY HETZEL OEBBIE NOFFSINGER JAN GILBERT HURST COlltributil/g Editor: DAN EISAMAN Promotion Director: MEL GaVIG international Correspondents: PIERRE FABRE SIMON FREIDIN Bllsincss Consultant: R. T. McCOY EDITORiAl ADVISORY PANEL William R. Bigge, Bevan H. Browl1,jol/. Burkhardt, Edwin L. Grauel) Gary HillZC, Send for our free A. Pete Jail-liZzi, Richard F Kinllaira, Nat Kobitz,Artllllr 80-page catalog of kites, KI/r1e, Peter Lyml, Curtis Marshall, Robert S. Price, William windsocks and more. A. RutiseY, Kevin Shalllloll, Charles A. Sotidl, Tal Streeter, C. William Tyrrell,]r. Into The Wind, Copyright © 2000 lEolus Press, Inc. Reproduction in 1408-6 Pearl St. any form, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited with­ Boulder, CO 80302 out prior written permission of the publisher. Call: 800-541-0314 KITE LINES, THE INTERNATIONAl KITE JOURNAL Infl: 303-449-5356 uniquely serves to unifY the broadest range ofkiting interests. www.intothewind.com It is published quarterly by .&olus Press, Inc. with editorial offices at 8807 Liberty Road, PO Box 466, Randallstown, Maryland 21133-0466, USA; telephone: 410-922-1212, fax: 410-922-4262, e-mail: [email protected] KIT E II NESIS END 0 R SED by the International Kitefliers Association and is on file in libraries ofthe National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Sci~ncesAdm.inistration;University ofNotre Dame Sports and Games Research Collection; the Library ofCongress; and the Deutsches Museum Library, Munich, Germany. It is included in the Index to CraftJournals from the Crafts Council ofAustralia. SUB SCRIP T ION S: In the US.A. and possessions, $18.00 for one year (four issues), $34.00 for two years (eight issues); all other countries, $27.00 for four issues, $50.00 for eight THE SMOOTHEST, issues (includes air-lift service). Foreign paynlents must be THINNEST, in US. dollars through a US. bank or the U.S. Post Office. Single copies are available from fine stores worldwide, or SLICKEST, for $6.00 plus $2.00 domestic shipping or $4.00 forei6'l1 air­ mail from the journal offices. MAIII NGs: Occasionally STRONGEST, Kite Lines makes its list ofsubscribers available to organi­ MOST RESPONSIVE zations offering information, pI:oducts or services ofinter­ est to kiters. Subscribers can be excluded fr0111 such lists by LINE AVAILABLE. informing Kite Lines. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send noti­ fication, including both old and new address. A 0 VERTIS ING RAT ES and information are available upon request. CON TRIB UTI 0 NS ofinformation, articles and photographs are always invited. Submitted nuterial must be accompa­ DEMAND ITI nied by a self-addressed envelope with adequate postage. Kite Lil1es is not responsible for unsolicited material. Writers and photographers should request guidelines before submitting. Diverse views presented in Kite Lil1es are A vailable at better kite not necessarily those of the editor, staff or advisory pan­ retailers everywhere. elists. POSTMASTER: Send address changes ,to Kite Lilies, Po. Box 466, Randallstown, MD 21133-0466.Application to mail at per,iodical class postage rates is pending at Randallstown, MD and additional entry points. Canada Post International Publications Mail Product (Canada Disrribution) Sales Agreement No. 990256. Printed in U.S.A. www.innotex.com 4 WINTER 1999-2000 KITE LINES (ont~nts· KITE LINES • WINTER 1999·2000 • VOL.13 NO.2 FEATURES TRACTION GETS WET! Combine yo/"r power kite with a modified suljboard or 26 windsuifer and you have a hot new sport called kiteboarding. By Dean Jordan. NEW SIGHTINGS AT DIEPPE '98 There is always something to learn-and to 31 marvel at-whCll the world's kit£ifliers congregate in Dieppe, France ...and 1998 was no exception. Article & photographs by Pierre Fabre. FLYING THE AMERICAN DREAM A kite businessman from Germany mounts up 36 a motorcycle to tour the I#st with kites and good will. ByJ). TOepfer. VERDUN'S LAST RENDEZ-VOUS Knocked out in 1998 by ice storms, Canada's 39 laJgest kite festival returns in '99-probablyfor the last time. By Anne Sloboda. LAST GOODBYES With an innovative dropper rig he would have enjoyed seeing, Mel 42 Govig leaves us at a beach he loved. By Valerie Govig, with rig by Mike Dallmer ON THE TRAIL OF THE TUKKAL Jaswanth Giani Singh ~f India is a master ~f 49 the tukkal fighter kit~and shows our correspondent how to make one. Article & photographs by 'Tania Berger. DEPARTMENTS LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER A message 0/1 the state ~f the industry. LETTERS FLYING AROUND Kite experiencesfrol11 all over: Taiwan, Texas, Spain, NewJersey and on national TV with l\lfartha Stewart. WORKSHOP The "Sedgwickube" with sliding bridle can tUl11ble,float, zoom and bounce. FOR THE RECORD A new duration streak, a near-miss 011 altitude & more most-boxes. WHAT'S NEW: KITES 7],/JO contrasting power kites, a big trickste/; stacking two-line foils, a rnodular kite sysfem, a cylindrical cell & afighter kite with character. WHAT'S NEW: BOOKS A guide to the world's dueling kites, an English paperback that turns theory into practical tips,five vollnnes on regional Japanese kites, a workbook on READER SERVICES Japanese kitemaking & an enigmatic phenomenon. 25 CONTROVERSIES Point and counterpoint on manjha. 53 BOOKSTORE 45 THE BIGGE QUESTION (new department) Flying at the Smithsonian can be a 58 DIRECTORY OF mixed experience. By Bill Bigge. OUTLETS 47 IT WORKS FOR ME 59 CLASSIFIEDS 57 EMPTY SPACES Tom Marvin, Barbara INS ER T: CALENDAR Felkel; David Bui, Mel Edlund, Terry Yr/l1cker &To/'ll Sisson 60 SKYGALLERY Philippe Cottenceau, who C 0 VE R: Desmond Walsh in mid­ wants to make the world seem lighter jump during kiteboarding at Kailua Bay, Hawaii. Photograph by Stephen 62 IN THE WIND Whitesell. (See story on page 26.) KITE LINES WINTER 1999-2000 5 Remember your fir~t childhood attempt to build a kite? Their experience will be nothing like that. We promi~e. Catch the Wind's Pocket Kite Kit was designed to make a child's first kiting experience a pleasant one. Each kit includes flying line and materials for making 20 durable, airworthy kites. For more information call: 1-800-227-7878 Catch the Wind® Dealer inquires invited. WWlN.catchthewind.com 6 WINTER 1999-2000 KITE LINES p LETTER hat is it about kites that we love? • COP IES- COP IES- COP IE S: De­ Many things. They are a real expe­ sign a good kite in the U.S. today and see rience, yet ethereal; a solitary plea­ a copy (probably a good copy) from Wsure, yet social; an atWetic exer­ China tomorrow. cise, yet poetic; an intellectual challenge, I was talking to Stan Swanson the other yet simple. Kites are different things to dif­ day. His voice had a chastened, candid ring. He ferent people. had seen it all: a fast rise to the top with his But there is one constant, which is the Condor Kite Company in 1990, a collabora­ intensity ofour feelings about kites. We get tion with It's a Breeze and Skynasaur within obsessed about them. the Mile High Kite Company in 1996, and Sadly, many people have been forced now a collapse back into Condor Kite into a parting ofthe ways from Company again. But he does­ the kites that they love. One n't produce many kites. Mostly can't say it's the fault of kites. he makes instrument packs for They do no one wrong. But hurricane trackers. The packs the kite industry has been fly­ subsidize his unprofitable hours ing so low these days that kites ofkitemaking. are not themselves anymore. He said, "If it were a Everyone is looking for healthy industry the copies answers to the decline. I have wouldn't matter. But the pie is spoken to dozens ofpeople in getting smaller." many areas ofthe business and He claimed that kites are pastime. No one seems to not alone, that hobbies in gen­ know why the downturn has eral, especially outdoor hobbies, happened or what can be done. Your editor steps outdoors. are slumping.We're a nation of Some have theories and ideas, cyber-zombies and TV remote but no one really knows. handlers.We'd rather watch a video ofkitefly­ For years, people have been saying, ing than fly a kite. It's a shame. "This will be the year."Well, maybe 2000 We know our friend David Gomberg, will be. Maybe. But here's what I've seen president ofthe Kite Trade Association Inter­ over the past three to four years: national, sees things differently. He contended • CONSOLIDATION OF MANU· in the KTAI newsletter that things are better, FACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS: but from our vantage point it is hard to agree. That's a nice word for bigger companies Some people think that a magazine swallowing up smaller companies. But two about kites has a duty to promote the pos­ or three frail firms combined do not neces­ itives and keep a light touch at all times. I sarily make one strong firm. understand that, but I also think it's impor­ • FEWER KITE BUSINESSES OVER· tant to tell the truth. We have to see the ALL: Maybe half as many as we had in the need in order to act on it.