From: Cape Cod Kite Chick
Location: Cape Code. MA (USA)

NICE! Love the video made by Dimitri on page 59, and great pics Lane on page 58! I was actually in OBX that day Lane went out, but didn't have the cajones to join him in the side off wind and waves. well, that's changed now that I stopped flying girlie kites and got myself a pair.....of Epic Renegades that is.

I got to try them on some downwinders in the ocean in Hatteras and had some of my best sessions yet- the kite was so smooth for riding waves, it would power up when I needed it, and once I'd found a nice wave I'd just push the bar out, forget about the kite and ride the wave in, then just sheet it back in to power myself back out again to look for another ride. And even if I got pushed too far under the kite it'd just settle back in the window and hang there like it was just waiting for me. I mostly ride strapless, so it's sooo nice to have a kite that's so silky smooth and doesn't jerk me off the board when it powers up, but when I did ride it strapped in bigger waves I was amazed at how much pop it had for a kite with so much depower when I would send it a little to pop me over any breakers. I got the 9m thinking it would be the mainstay of my quiver, but in fact I've mostly been on my 6m which I can use in 17-30 mph (I'm only 5'3" 110 lbs). It's SO much fun being able to get out most days on a little kite! So don't let it's size fool you, especially when I loop it I realize how much power it has for such a little kite. Imagine for you guys being on a 9m almost all the time, how much fun that would be for you!!!!

Now back home and equipped with a brand new pair I decided to I had to get out in the nice surf we had here yesterday and brave the side-off wind. I knew from my experiences that the Renegade would be a reliable flyer in flukey, offshore wind. Well I ended up having much more confidence in the kite than in my own abilities when we got there and realized the wind was actually dead off-shore at the break. Still the waves looked clean and nice, so we had to go. Now I'm a believer and the guys here are gonna have to deal with me pestering them to go out in off-shore winds whenever the surf's right! And that confidence comes from knowing I have the right kite for the conditions. Not only does it behave beautifully in the air, but it relaunches easily b/c it only has 3 struts, which is key to getting it up and out of the waves quickly. One thing to be aware of if you've tried the Renegade and didn't like it: right out of the bag I found both of them flew way oversheeted on my bar. I don't know if it's b/c I'm using my old bar with them and the center lines are just stretched out, or if the kite is much more of a front line flyer than my old kite. But the problem was easily resolved with some center line shortening and adding some pigtails to the rear attachment points.

While I didn't try the Screamer, it's worth mentioning that our friends from Boston did and one of the most skilled riders in the group who is sponsored by Naish said he loved it and it was "the biggest boosting kite" he'd ever been on.