SALT POND — With two poles in the still water at Salt Pond Sunday, James Parsonson thought he would bring some excitement to the lack of action. Using a kite his wife picked up at a garage sale, Parsonson hooked
SALT POND — With two poles in the still water at Salt Pond Sunday, James Parsonson thought he would bring some excitement to the lack of action.
Using a kite his wife picked up at a garage sale, Parsonson hooked up the fabric dragon to one of his spare poles and let the wind do the rest, giving a new definition to “hana pa‘a,” which loosely means to hook up or fasten.
The National Weather Service had the trades blowing at 16 mph out of the northeast and with the calm seas, the dragon quickly gained a life of its own, bending the pole as it tugged at the 70-pound test line.
“I’m not letting it go too far today,” Parsonson said. “Yesterday, it took out all the line I had and it was far out on the ocean.”
Based on a delta kite design, the dragon was fashioned out of ripstop nylon with fiberglass spars holding its wings out for the wind to play with.
With its mouth open, the wind filled its ripstop nylon body and the creature undulated in the wind, similar to a fighting fish leaping out of the water. The inflated dragon body creates a keel which directs wind into its wings, enabling the kite to fly, and with its tail streaming, keeps the attack angle fairly low.
“The kids were playing with it and there was sand in the tail,” Parsonson said, shaking the body and the collected sand in the tip of its tail making the dragon dance.
Delta kites are normally single-line triangle kites that are sometimes called “bat” or “wing” kites, states an online source. Delta kites, named after their resemblance of the Greek letter, are very efficient and can float in lighter winds than most of the other kite shapes.
Its versatility is shown as it forms the basis for other kite forms including the larger hang gliders which can support the weight of a human.
“The fish weren’t biting so I just thought I would have a little fun since the kids weren’t playing with it,” Parsonson said. “Who knows? Maybe this will become a new sport.”
