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wind and sun galore

It's the day of the Gumby Kite Fly and we headed out to an afternoon down on Treasure Island flying our kites on the wide open beach.

The fun fly was hosted by Kiting Tampa Bay was already well underway as we were running on vacation time. Plus it was hot outside. Really really hot. So we relaxed and had lunch while we waited for the sun to slide over a bit.

Kiting Tampa Bay had a couple of canopies setup and a bunch of kites in the air. There were two Revs flying separately on the beach and four or so staked in line over by the canopies.

The wind had recently changed direction so to get some empty sky we moved closer to the water as it was a nice onshore breeze. We setup the SportBrella and started digging an anchor.

It was a really nice afternoon but the direct sun was still a bit much to handle. That's when I discovered that I had left my heavier line back in our room. The two, three, and five hundred pound spools were absent. I had some one eighty pound and a bunch of hundreds and that would have to do. No biggie, the wind was a fairly constant five to seven miles per hour breeze so there was little worry about snapping a line. Still the Pilot 50 foil with its fifty-foot streamer tail stayed in the bag just to be safe.

I really enjoy flying the GFAK Parafoil 15 and it is a strong puller for its size. I would like to use it as a model for a sewing project and double its size. It has a nice look with an interesting use of color. Shame they are no longer making kites. (GFAK = Go Fly A Kite, a company no longer around)

We put the Manta Ray up next and it filled right up. Always fun to get this kite in the air. One day i'm going to split the bridle and fly it like a dual line just for fun. It definitely flies on its own but it is tethered to the pilot line today like we usually do.

Next was the Octopus but eventually it became clear that the Ray and it should switch places as the Octopus flies a bit higher and would try to overfly the line if the Ray was above it pulling the line at a steeper angle.

We were still getting used to the direct sun and retreated to the shade of the umbrella every now and then to relax and get a drink. Lying back in the shade and watching the kites on a nice Sunday afternoon, what a treat. There were bird kites, a bat, two line stunt foils, a Skyform 60 and other cool foils, a tie fighter, and a group of four or more Revs flying together.

On top of that add our manta ray, octopus, seahorses, and jellyfish and we had quite a little kite day going on the beach. With kite, the drum circle just barely audible from down the beach and the blow up superslide nearby gave a festival atmosphere for sure.

While adjusting my line and putting up the octopus, Kelly from Kiting Tampa Bay came over and introduced herself. It is always fun to meet others who enjoy kites the way we do and she was certainly a kiter. Once again I am reminded of just what cool people kiters are.

Soon after that her husband Jay Nunes came over and we chatted for a bit. Freaking Jay Nunes! Former iQuad Member Jay Nunes! I really enjoyed our conversation, what a nice guy.

They both confirmed the news about Kiteoberfest, it is not being sponsored this year but tentative plans for a 2014 event were talked about. That means the next festival we plan to attend won't be until the TI Festival in January, so we will see what else might fit between now and then, there is the AKA conference in Oregon in October, hmmmm.

I did get Spike out for his maiden "flight" and the small bol from sewing project number four helps keep spike horizontal. I was very pleased with them both. Larger versions of those guys are on my to-do list.

This day went quick and time got way out of hand. I wanted to fly with the other Revs and talk more with the other kiters and fly more kites of course, but that would have to wait for another day.

Morgan wanted to bring down the stack and so he wrangled the ray, octopus and the foil one by one. That was some good stuff there I've got to tell ya.