Last Thursday afternoon, an adventurous group
gathered on the second floor of a former seaplane factory, eager to fly.
“You can search the whole world for the right wind,”
said John Pereira, 37, a kiteboarder and self-taught wind predictor. “But you
have to let it come to you. I’m pretty good at my predictions, but it is the
wind we’re talking about.”
This can be hard for the schedule-bound Manhattanites
who make up the bulk of Mr. Pereira’s kiteboarding clientele at the NY Kite Center,
but the sport is not one for those in a hurry.
Relatively new but growing quickly in the United
States, kiteboarding (a term sometimes used interchangeably with “kitesurfing,”
depending on the style of board used) resembles wakeboarding but without the
boat. The pull comes instead from a kite, and the wind. Beginners must possess
strong swimming skills, enough money to invest in lessons and gear and an
easygoing attitude.
Situated along South Oyster Bay in Amityville on Long
Island, the NY Kite Center has been a kiteboarding school, gear shop
and repair center since 2008. With its proximity to New York City, a convenient Long
Island Rail Road station and access to the bay, Amityville is an ideal location
to learn kiteboarding. Protected from the ocean by grassy islands and averaging
only four feet deep, the water is “flat,” and kites can be flown in any
direction.
“This place is the caviar of learning spots,” said Milot Krasniqi,
32, an instructor who took his first lessons at the center five years ago.
Caviar is an apt metaphor: The eight-hour beginner’s clinic (including rental
gear) costs $999.
“Fall kiting is
beautiful, with no boats, no bugs, crisp air, the green islands,” said Tom
Atwell, 57, who lives near the shop and kites all over the world. “Your board
going through water is like being on butter; it sounds like something sizzling
on the grill.”
For
now, though, 12 students relaxed in the shop wearing wet suits half-zipped, waiting
for the call of wind.
“I love wind,” said Frederic Leroy, 45, a former
windsurfer taking his second lesson. “When you glide on water, it’s like your
parents pushing you on a bike — a protective thrill.”
Then a voice called out, “Who’s ready to kite?” The
group sprang into action, ready for whatever the wind might bring. Soon, kites floated
above the bay like strange birds. Three hours later, the group returned to
shore, with nothing but smiles and, as one instructor put it, the horizon in
their eyes.
edited from The New York Times
