March 10: kiting the Grain Belt Brewery!

[Geo]

Always wondered if the Mississippi is actually kiteable in Northeast Minneapolis, so Diego and I found out. Technically, the answer is "yes". Practically, well, I dunno. Glad we were out there.

22 g 30 conditions from the SW midmorning, we scouted spots to launch.
Boom Island: no. No wind at the shore, and nasty rocks and an immediate drop off at shore.
Grain Belt Brewery: no, trees, not the easiest to get out on the slope, but....across the river...Yes!

There's actually a "beach" there just north of the Broadway bridge with a great view of downtown. Sunny and 65º or whatever it was. Windy up on the road on a little hill, it dropped off considerably down on the water's edge.

I helped Diego launch by the road, and he was able to miss the power lines, the lamp post, the tree, and that other one, and the little one that didn't seem so big until the kite started diving in that direction... And then he was off, running down the hill, sining the kite furiously to keep it aloft, and grabbing the board from me by the water.

Unfortunately, his 16 needs repairing, and the 10 was too small. Board: also too small. The wind that was supposed to fill in across the river did a little, but not enough. Still, you can get pretty far without being powered up, so he ended upriver (downwind) just before the next beach. Good thing: nice beach there, and he didn;t drop the kite.

I also was able to negotiate all those obstacles (kite did fall straight out of the sky once), but even on a 13 with my Door, I couldn't stay up wind. Got some air on the far side (heel tap on those cottonwoods? : no.) and made it back as well. The guys starting a barbeque on the beach were as entertaining to us as we were to them, I'm sure.

We did not scout further up the river, but the feeling was that if you want to go (I guess need to go)), then there needs to be some serious wind - which would probably make it even sketchier I suppose. SW is so on-off anyway, and that didn't help. We were also thinking that straight up river, even in the big gorge down near Lake - Franklin bridges and south might work if you could experience a steady venturi effect.

All in all - it was an adventure, and completely worth doing! And here are the pictures: earliest water session for me, and the first time on the Mississippi in Minneapolis.

[smrsco]

That's awesome guys! I live a couple of blocks from there and have always wondered if it was possible. That said, I don't think I'll ever try riding there .

[BSMITH]

Hat's off. I almost did the Black Dog power plant a few years ago. The water was just too nasty.

[Geo]

We had visions of kiting under bridges. Delusional, sure, but better than something in which you gotta fend off sharks for two days...

[fabrino]

YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY!!!!
It's awesome, I work there and see that part of the Mississippi from my office and go running there all the times
and on windy days have always wondered about that but
always though it was too gusty and narrow to pull it off.. maximum respect, well done!!!!

[Dean Rizer]

That's probably a kiting 1st for that part of the river. Congrats!. I live just below the Henn Ave bridge and I often paddle up river( north) from Boom Island. For this time of the year the river is unusually low and slow. That will likely change as the snow pack melts, it can easily exceed 6 knts. The side you chose to launch is definitely the best. The east side has lots of cement and rebar reinforcing the shoreline from Broadway to Plymouth. North winds may be cleaner, I'd like to try it but not solo.