|
When I was a kid I messed with the paper and bamboo kites but I didn't have a plan so most of them never flew very well. In later years I had a go with the Peter Powell stuff but they never really caught on with me.
And then some years ago I saw some Uni students flying a stunt kite and doing really cool tricks with it - this was the start of it all. I'd mentioned to Gill that I'd like to give it a go, but it wasn't until September (1997) that I got my first stunt kite.
|
|
|
|
|
|
One year on and kites are everywhere! And I have a wife who is interested too. Our son has his degree and gone to the big smoke so I have his room, purloined Gill's sewing machine and I now make them. Single line, line junk, a bol and I have finally made my first stunt kite (a wacko - see right). It really is a joy to fly something you have made yourself.
|
|
| Black Rok is the first kite we ever made. It's had mistakes corrected and applique added and holds a special place in our kite bag. The soccerball I made late last year and it was a real test of stamina sewing all those seams. It's a crowd puller bouncing around on its stake and looks fantastic, even though its not strictly a kite. The white Rok, however, was made in Brisbane at a club sponsored Workshop and is painted tyvek. Flies really well. |
|
My business requires me to visit Brisbane every so often and earlier this year it coincided with a Redcliffe fly in. I finally found the venue in Clontarf (on the south side of the Redcliff peninsula), and it was this visit more than anything else that got Gill's interest.
|
|
|
Colours, movement and people just having fun. Festivals are still her favourites and we get away when we can afford it, only now we play a small part in them. Usually in a quiet corner away from the big kites and having a good time. |
|
|
|
|
|
The first (left-most) `picasso' rokakkau was my first major applique. It took a lot of sewing and cutting away the unwanted fabric was a very nerve racking affair. It flies quite well too. The last two kites above were bought second hand from England, a Natalie's Legs made by Martin Lester, and a Warrior made by Teardrop Kites in Scunthorpe.
I bought a big windsock second hand and I needed a lifter kite to show it off so I made the red and black flowform with it's wide matching tail (you may notice that I like long, long tails). |
|
|
|
|
|
| At the Redcliffe festival last year (1999) I bought a spinner from Noel Shore from the Shoalhaven Kitefliers. I modified the design and made a few more and started to add them to the kite line and before long I needed another kite to lift 8 of them. That many spinners create a fair pull so it needed to be good. Spinning as they do means they will tangle anything that gets close so it needed to be a stable kite too.
Gary Engval from the States eventually talked me into building an 8 foot Rokkaku with the bridle set for lifting not fighting. As a result we now have Baz & Gill signature Rok which flies wherever we go and the spinners on the line attract attention. When we flew them in Malaysia we caused a sensation, making the front page of the local newspaper as well as an interview on TV. |
|
I like things that move in the wind, so I made a big purple and black ring bol. Sewing it was a test of patience but tying all those bridle lines was a nightmare of endless bowline knots. |
|
|
| It attracts kids and adults to try and figure out what makes it turn. I have heard one knowing father tell his child that the swivel was a motor with a battery. Jim Ellis from Mackay made the swivel for me so it's not the usual brass fishing item. |
This Bol has significant pulling power and it needed an even bigger kite to hold it so the next project was an even bigger flowform. A matching purple and black one was made with a flower applique on the base. Works well too.
At the Redcliffe Kitefest 2000, the bol was attached to the giant octopus line and looked great. |
|
|
Now where did I see that plan for an octopus?
My only regret about kiting is not getting interested sooner. We live in a perfect place to enjoy this hobby, close to the beach in Tannum Sands, just south of Gladstone, 5 hours north of Brisbane. Come and join us on the beach! |
|
us, or if your are in Australia Ring us on (07) 4973 7455.
-- Baz Thrower, Tannum Sands |
