Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1993 20:47:42 -1000 From: danr@crash.cts.com (Dan Rubesh) Message-Id: <1993Sep09.234742.28462@crash> Organization: CTS Network Services (crash, ctsnet), El Cajon, CA Subject: KiteSki News THE KITESKI FLYER QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF KITESKI INC. (800) 548-3754 VOLUME II Edited by Cory Roeseler August 1993 KITESKIERS FINISH FIRST AND LAST AT BLOWOUT RACE ROESELER SETS NEW COURSE RECORD ON A KITESKI Terese Worbes and Cory Roeseler represented the Kiteski community this year, as they raced against 85 of the best sailors in The Gorge. Roeseler finished first in the Kiteski division and first overall with a new course record (1:05:23). Bruce Peterson, a local professional board sailor in The Gorge, won the board sailor division and finished second overall with a time of 1:06:59. Worbes was the first ever female entry for the Kiteski division, and she finished the 20 mile upstream course in 6 hours 42 minutes. The Blowout is an annual open river, downwind race from Stevenson, WA to Hood River, OR. The conditions along the course vary so much that only the most versatile sailors with the fastest equipment end up in front. True wind speeds ranged from 8 k nots at the start to 20 knots toward the end of the course, and the waves were anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet. In years past the winds have reached the mid forties, and the swells have crested to 6 feet. Roeseler won the pole position at the start as the rabbit boat motored across the start line. He quickly established a 1/4 mile lead over rival Peterson along with Matt Prichard and Ken Winner in the 3rd and 4th spots. Worbes started a few minutes fter the gun to avoid the traffic. Half way through the race, Roeseler got into some bad air. Peterson, Prichard, and Winner passed him on the opposite side of the river. Continued on page 3... LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Kiteskiers, We had fun with this issue, and I hope you enjoy it. We have included a new rating system by which we will be able to track the progress and evaluate the learning curve for Kiteskiers everywhere. We have a whole page of comments written by you to help other customers with their own Kiteskiing adventures. We have reported the latest racing news and other happenings in the Kiteski world, and we have once again scheduled the major events on the back page. Kiteski Inc. celebrated its first anniversary as a corporation back in April, and as of that date was financially stable with all its bills paid with sales increasing steadily. Since then we have seen our sales steadily outgrow our production capab ities, and we have worked our way into a back-order situation. We are trying to tool up for rate production which would bring the per unit costs down substantially, and meet the ever-increasing demand. However, we are extremely undercapitalized at this point, and we are seeking investments to help pay for the tooling. If you or someone you know would like to invest in Kiteski Inc., please contact us. We are happy to report an awesome media blitz that never seems to end. Kiteski was featured in countless magazines this quarter including Newsweek, Popular Science, Windsurfing, Waterski, Mens Fitness, and many others. Since the Popular Science ex posure, 8 different TV stations have contacted us to either feature Kiteski on their shows or promote Kiteski in some other way. At press time we had already shot raw footage with the Discovery channel in San Francisco, Front-runners in Seattle, and aui Weather with Glenn James. Other potential TV stations include the Playboy channel, CNN, MTV Sports, Wise Buy TV Network, and "Why Didn't I Think of That?", just to name a few. We are proud to report that Dynamite Dan Tomelin purchased 25 Kiteski packages to kick off the Canadian distributorship of Kiteski products, and he founded Kiteski Enterprises in Kelowna, British Colombia to support his venture. His toll free numbe r for Canada is 800 663-9257, and he or one of his associates would love to hear from you. As many of you may know, Wayne Patterson, one of our co-founders took another job that pays more money. He left Kiteski on good terms and will continue to support and consult Kiteski as he is still a part owner and board member. I have taken over the marketing function of the business and will act as the secretary and VP. Billy Roeseler is now the President and CEO. That's all the news, for now, and the wind is blowing. Let's go KITESKIING!!! Sincerely, Cory Roeseler Editor Blow out cont. from p. 1 With only 5 miles to go, Roeseler turned on the speed and regained the lead. He sailed into the Event Site at Hood River over a minute and a half ahead of Peterson chalking up his second Blowout victory on a Kiteski. Roeseler used a standard, off-the-shelf 20 foot Kiteski equipped with a NoLimitz spar supporting the 6.3 square meter sail, 7.5 inch wide skis with optional hi-wrap bindings, a DaKine Speed Flex seat harness, and a Reactor spreader bar. Worbes used the 16 foot Kiteski equipped with a Daisy spar. Her spar failed 3 times throughout the race due to mis-handling of the kite on the chase boat and one hard crash. But her determination to finish was awesome. Much credit and applause go es out to her dedicated chase boat crew, Brenda and Dynamite Dan, as her remarkable finish was an extraordinary team effort. Next year the Blowout may feature a fleet of Australian 18's, and some fast Catamarans. See you there! Up Wind on a Single??? On Thursday, August 5, 1993, Eric Steinbroner and Cory Roeseler proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that a single 9 inch wide Kiteski can sail up wind in the right conditions. Winds were a steady 12-15 knots at Candlestick Park near San Francisco, and the wind chop was less than 4 inches. KITESKIER CLASSIFICATIONS KITESKI Certificates of Accomplishment will be issued by KITESKI INC. for any person who can demonstrate all the skills in the respective class. Flight hours are estimated for average kiteskiers. Class 1 (Trainee) - keeps small kite flying on land for 5 minutes - flies small kite in figure "8" pattern, loops in both directions - puts on skis in water, untwist lines, and prepare for assisted start - keeps KITESKI flying for 1 minute with skis between self and kite - water-skis behind a boat on two skis. 3 hours Class 2 (Novice) performs all skills named above and: - assembles own kiteski - keeps KITESKI flying for 5 min. with skis between self and kite - sustains a planing speed for 1 minute in any direction - SAFELY lands KITESKI on beach - can reel in lines after a fall 10 hours Class 3 (Intermediate) performs all skills named above and: - keeps KITESKI flying for 10 minutes - sails on starboard tack for 1 minute - sails on port tack for 1 minute - can loop KITESKI in either direction - sustains planing speed through a jibe 20 hours Class 4 (Advanced) performs all skills named above and: - self starts from beach - returns to starting point without help - reels in lines after a fall in less than 90 seconds - keeps KITESKI flying for 1/2 hour 100 hours Class 5 (Master) performs all skills named above and: - Kiteskis 1 mile UP-WIND and returns to starting place - self starts from deep water - keeps KITESKI flying for 1 hour 200 hours Class 6 (Expert) performs all skills named above and: - KITESKIS on a single ski, and return to starting place with no assistance - come about in both directions - completes an aerial helicopter - completes a planing tumble turn 500 hours (nice photo of Corey up on a KiteSki here) [photo by Jack Morton] Customers' Comments Customer input is the most valuable source of ideas driving the evolution of KITESKI. As the KITESKI customer base grows we receive more and more feedback. We encourage and welcome input from all of our customers. Please submit comments to us in writing: 5555 Santa Fe St Ste E San Diego CA 92109 ATTN: R & D. Here's what some of you have told us: Tom Spencer: Always reel in the line clockwise, because when you San Diego, CA self start you want the line clear away from the left hand. Otherwise the left hand may grab the line with the bar after releasing the kite, causing rope burn inside the fingers. Richard Honor: "You didn't tell me it would take off like a scared Aruba Marlin!" Rick stresses the importance of NOT hooking into the harness until you have the kite under control. He reports that the windsurf instructors at Fisherman's Huts in Aruba had some exciting KITESKI rides. Connie Vallie If you have one of the earlier KITESKIS, and the ends Corpus Cristi, TX of the spars are splitting Gulf Tech can help you wrap the ends with elevated temperature cure carbon tape, or just use strapping tape and replace it often. Jorn Moller Jorn is pushing the summer season in Hamburg, and he Germany has found that the battens become brittle in cold weather. He cured the broken batten problem by inserting 1 inch long solid fiberglass dowels inside the poly where it joins the carbon. Randy Shumaker cured the problem on the production kites by inserting 2 inches of steel cable. Terese Worbes If you have an earlier Kiteski with the harness rope San Diego, CA still attached to the ends of the control bar switch it to the new position immediately (see sketch) so you don't get dragged out of control after a belly flop. I once was dragged for some time after a fall. The new position causes the kite to safely crash into the water if you lose control. [ control bar sketch deleted] Eric Stienbroner If you like your first Kiteski buy a second one, Mountain View, CA the design has been refined and improved, so your second one will perform even better than your first. Chandler Rogers "Let me tell you about the winds here, they are truly Vancouver, CAN magnificent. And while I haven't flown as often as I've liked, I've flown the 22 footer enough times to know that with time and dedication I could kiteski. I am truly convinced that this is a sport that could grow to be world famous. Allan Rodrick After struggling with the 20 foot kite I swallowed my Mosier, OR pride (I work out) and picked up the 16 footer. It was easy, and I had a great time with it. Brushing up on my water ski skills behind a power boat was also very helpful. EVENTS CALENDAR AUGUST 19 COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE; Cory and Billy will shoot footage with Front-runners, a KOMO TV show from Seattle. 20 WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT; Legendary speedskier, Mike Avila, will loan Cory a 100 mph speed ski to help shatter the world speed sailing record in Lysle, Washington 25 LAKE ELSINORE; The host of "Why didn't I think of that?" will Kiteski to prove that the invention works for the average person. SEPTEMBER 4 LAKE ELSINORE; Kiteski race #2, FREE to all competitors; speed slalom and classic downwinder races OCTOBER ?? SAN DIEGO; Mission Bay Headquarters will host a public forum to discuss the feasibility of Kiteskiing on Mission Bay. 1-15 WEYMOUTH, ENGLAND; OFFICIAL WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT; Speed week is two weeks this year to improve the chances of strong wind. We will be there if we can afford it. ================================================ This newsletter is reproduced here for information purposes only. Although I am a stunt kite dealer, I have no business connection/interest with KiteSki. If you want a print copy of the newsletter, a demo video or more information on KiteSki, give them a call at (800) 548-3754 or (800) KITE SKI, or drop them a line at 5555 Santa Fe St., Suite E San Diego, CA 92109 Good Winds and Tight Lines! - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dan Rubesh Wind Wizard, Purveyor of UUCP: {ucsd, nosc}!crash!danr GO Stunt Kites & Accessories ARPA: crash!danr@nosc.mil FLY A P.O. Box 5747 INET: danr@crash.cts.com KITE! Ventura, CA 93005 (805) 659-5654 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =