Off Season Vistor

In 1993, a friend of mine indicated that his brother-in-law owned a house in Avon, NC that we could use in November. The blue-fish were said to be running. We put 10 guys in a 1989 GMC Van and drove down from Philadelphia. The reason for the trip was to go blue-fishing but when we passed through Kitty Hawk, NC, we decided to stop at Kitty Hawk Kites (a must do for someone traveling nearby). I had always liked kites, flying single string box kites and kites my grandfather taught me to build out of strips of pine and newspaper, so I was looking for a nice one to fly while I was on the beach, just in case the fishing slowed. After a great conversion with another kite flyer (who just happened to be an employee of the store), I selected a Prism 2-line Stunt Kite and had a ball. It’s now 2012 and we had repeated the trip (with different guys and girls) every year since. I have continued to purchase a new kite or wind sock every year. I departed from Prism Kites for a couple of years as I worked my way through a number of trilby 6-pack kite purchases (stacked 24 before I switched to stacked Ions). Returning to stunt kites I now have a good selection of 3Ds, many Ions, a Spark 2, various parafoils and on the last trip, I purchased a Revolution (my first 4-line). Took a while to get that one to fly but it is quite fun when you learn the moves. One year, when I was unable to make the trip, my wife went on line and purchased the Prizm Fanatic for me and it too was quite fun.

This time of year is great because few people are on the beach so I can try the new tricks I learned watching uTube. Over the years, I have flown my kites on the coast of Florida, Avon, Hilton Head, Maui, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware. While not only having fun, I have taught many people the basics and have met many new and interesting people. What a great sport. Fun is to be had with a kite from beginner to expert.

Steven Hutchins