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Subject: 11m Renegade in Igor's Double Overhead Surf

Hey Dimitri,

Just wanted to commend you and MoMi on one hell of an EPIC kite! I was out in 15-20ft waves yesterday here in central FL. Winds were out of the NE 15-20mph. The 20-mile buoy off Cape Canaveral was rockin' at 12ft @ 16 sec...But I don't need to tell you how big it was, you were probably out in it too up there in OBX!

Anyways...

Not once, but TWICE, I got myself too deep, way on the outside in some big, heavy stuff, dropping down the face of a two-story building...I found myself racing towards the kite with way too much speed, not able to get it up enough and ended up luffing the kite and sending it into some of the biggest waves this coast has ever seen. I thought for sure that the kite (and myself, for that matter) were going to be out of commission...toast...

Much to my amazement, the kite's bomb-proof construction held up to some of the harshest abuse I've ever witnessed. Once both the kite and myself were back on shore and I was able to assess the damage, the only thing that failed was the ronstan pulley...the leader line ripped completely thru it! (picture attached)... I had a small L-shape tear on the wing-tip from where a surfer who was trying to corral my kite got the nose of his board on it, oh well....no biggie there...

The other attached picture is of the canopy at the middle strut where, if sand and debris get between the strut and canopy, causes some abrasion...I just added a little extra sail repair tape as a buffer there to help protect that stress point on the canopy...maybe something to note for the future models if you haven't spotted that already.

Hope this feedback serves you well. Both you and MoMi and all involved in Epic's design and construction get an A+ in my book. I love the way the renegade handles--super fast response, perfect bar pressure, stable, predictable, great range...I can't say enough...

-ryan