Finally a water test
After the beach trials, it was finally time for the water test. I was excited, even though I knew my kite setup wasn’t perfect. Honestly, I didn’t care. I just had to find out if I could get this thing started and lift it out of the water. My curiosity was through the roof—I needed to know how it would feel flying behind me on the open water.
I had my setup ready: the Armstrong 121L downwind board for plenty of buoyancy, and the MA 1225, which is probably one of the largest foils anyone has ridden in a long time. I didn’t want to struggle with getting up on foil, and I figured I’d need all the extra lift I could get. The kite, though? I knew that was going to be a challenge.
As I was preparing, I couldn’t help but think about the rumors swirling around. Other brands were out here testing their own versions of what’s quickly becoming the latest trend—perwing. Word on the water was that BRM had already sold over a thousand of these wings, each priced around a thousand bucks. It made me wonder how fast the industry was moving, how many brands would jump in, and how soon the market would become saturated. But for now, all that mattered was getting in the water.
Things didn’t go as I’d hoped. Frustration hit me hard. The kite was grabbing the wind, sure, but it was also grabbing sand and water. I’d struggled with it on the beach, but I thought that once it was airborne, everything would smooth out. Wrong. The moment the kite touched the water, it was like it was working against me, filling with water and pulling me down.
The wind was perfect, enough to get me up and flying if I could just get out far enough. But every step felt like a battle. Dragging the kite and the board into waist-deep water and trying to climb up wasn’t easy. The kite kept tangling itself, twisting and folding like it had a mind of its own. What I thought would be a quick test was quickly turning into a disaster, and I could feel my frustration growing.
“This video’s going to be shorter than I planned,” I muttered to myself. The kite was such a mess, it would take me days—or maybe a kite pro—to figure out how to untangle it. “This sucks,” I thought, as all the excitement I had built up deflated.
Still, the buzz around me continued. I’d heard that Nash and Ozone were already working on their own versions of the perwing, and it seemed like making one wouldn’t be too hard for a kite factory. So now I had a choice: either find another trainer kite or wait until the proper gear becomes available at a price that makes more sense.
For now, I’ll stick with what I know—my wing and medium-length board, which has never let me down. With a sigh, I packed up my gear and thought, “Until next time.”
The water trials would have to wait.