Kites & Bubbles

Throwback or Normcore?

Boastiness is building as Good Friday approaches.  The extended wait for Bermuda's first public holiday weekend of 2014 is ratcheting up the longing for kite flying, fish cakes and hot cross buns, and myriad refreshments.  And this is amongst the adults.  The kids are getting their school breaks now.

Building a Kite.  Web-trawling again, I learned that most of the instructional material on kites has a target audience of teachers and others tasked to provide non-techy entertainment for younger children.  No way is this skill level is going to pull off a Bermuda kite in my experience.  Even if one refines the search to 'Bermuda Kite Building', there are imitators who think a triangle kite would pass muster.  No vay!!


The best Bermuda Kite Building video, judging by its 78,000+ views, is Bermuda Kite Making - BermudaYP  featuring Mr. Eugene O'Connor.  His instructions are clear, the kite is the basic model that everyone needs to first master, and the editing is just right.  But it's clear that he's not sharing everything he knows.

My next fave is Bermuda Kite Making as seen on LookBermuda.TV .  Mr. Vincent 'Kite King' Tuzo is providing a lovely nostalgic story more than instruction here, and the video has the smooth presentation associated with LookBermuda.  Pause and look at the background to see if you can gain a few pointers about kite flying and design.  I'll bet that guillotine comes in handy.

If you plan to make your own Bermuda kite, start now unless you are an old hand at kite building and material sourcing.  My newly purchased kite sticks and cane presented challenges right out of the gate - the cane didn't fit the drilled holes.  Then it was back to the hardware store for sandpaper to angle my head-stick so that it would fit snugly.  And I dug out a protractor and level for good measure.  If you read my last post, Knot Me! Kite Loops & Snarls, you'll appreciate that my knot-challenged status slowed me down on the stringing.

Then there is the vexed tissue paper...measuring, cutting, dark over light, too much glue, cats who want to play with the string...well, you get my drift.   I tried another one with gift wrap - not bad but hold it up to the light to make sure anything printed on the back, like cutting grids, won't show through before you spend hours on it.  Right now, I'm working on a design with coffee filters.  I could be a masochist.

Credit: www.vacationboomer.com

I'd like to know how to string those kites that look like kaleidoscopes  - maybe someone will post a video about cool stringing techniques.  Not just showing them off at the
Horseshoe Bay Kite Festival.


Boastiness.  As you will see in next week's post, A Superior Fishcake, the whole preparation for Good Friday fishcakes eats up much precious time in a busy life.  Same with building kites.  I don't believe anyone actually admits how much time and rework goes into them - unless asked by someone with a camera.  Then, it becomes Boastiness 101.

Kite King Tuzo expands on this concept (a.k.a. Level 201 - Flying a Bermuda Kite).  Altitude, launch speed, size, pulling strength, and beauty are the common measures.  My boasty hubby took it a step further two decades ago when he twigged to the 'spinnaker cloth' kite - which is 'weather-resistant' and can 'go overboard' on top of the criteria above.  Now, I don't think it was his original idea - many sailors know about it and kites usually were made from cloth back in the day.  But it definitely ups the boasty when the weather turns iffy.  Extra points if you use a fishing rod to reel your kite in and out.

Boastiness 301 involves retrieving an errant kite.  Sometimes the line does snap and you will have to visit another parish, or two, to get it back.    Do everyone a favour and reel in your kite line promptly when this happens - if only to head off the attribution of sinister kite-line motives on the Bernews comments.  But do talk about your search and rescue mission.

I've also seen kite-fishing video on YouTube.  Looks like graduate level fun but who needs to tell a fisherman how to boast?

Bubbles.  By 18 April, it is possible that all of this March wind will subside and Good Friday will dawn clear and calm.  Other conditions for kite disasters include gusty or shifty wind, trees that just weren't so tall last year, reluctance to give up bedsheets for kite tail, and miniscule attention spans.  You need a backup plan to keep people outside while those fishcakes are cooking.

Blowing bubbles will definitely distract the smaller kids who can't quite master the kite flying.  I picked up cheap bottles of Miracle Bubbles and a couple of Fun Bubbles wands that kind of look like low-tech light sabers.  If they run out of bubble solution before losing interest, here is a link to home-made bubble solutions - using glycerin produces those really strong bubbles, by the way. 

For the adults, Dark & Stormies or Swizzle may be traditional diversions but could pack a punch if you are sleep deprived from finishing that darned kite.  We're planning on starting with mimosas.  Lindo's is my go-to for bubbles of all kinds and has a fine selection of sparkling wines in all price ranges. With a little doctoring, you can even pass it off as 'fruit punch & ginger beer' in front of your in-laws.

For those 'dry' events, I suggest quietly bringing along a pocket flask of your favourite tipple.  If you are old enough to remember kites made from Piggly Wiggly bags, then you will also recall how some relatives mysteriously became more voluble as Good Friday progressed.  Yep - spiked punch.  I suspect also that fishcakes are paired with hot cross buns in Bermuda in hope of soaking up the 'refreshments'. 

So, what if you have a gluten-free, low-carb, tee-totaling 'situation' on your hands?  Enlist them to retrieve errant kites and act as designated drivers.  After all, who needs rain on a boasty day?

If you like my posts, please feel free to share on the social media of your choice.  The blogspot has included some handy links below...

Knot Me! Kite Loops & Snarls

If you've seen neon coloured twine at Masters or Gorham's recently, you may be considering incorporating it in your Good Friday kite design this year.

But have you considered the last - and probably most aerodynamically important - step in getting a kite to actually fly properly?  Yep - the LOOP.

A loop is just a knot, right?  I have to confess that tying knots in public strikes me with more than mild anxiety.  You see, beyond a basic overhand or square knot and variations like tying shoelaces or a gift bow, I just produce snarls or, worse, lashings that come undone under light pressure.

Oh, I can fake it.  I've hopped off the boat and casually looped a dock line around a cleat.  You will, however, see hubby discreetly check it thereafter.  Same with fenders - I've learnt that they are expensive to replace when they mysteriously float away.  My mother tied my school uniform knot and secured it with a tiny safety pin for years.  As a teen, I spent too many hours trying to tie silk scarf variations with limited success.  I could never hope to sensually adjust a necktie for an attractive man.

If you think about it, knowing how to tie proper knots is a useful skill even if you are not a sailor, surgeon, or climber.  It tends to come in handy at those times when technology is not front and centre.   Like securing a tarpaulin after a tropical storm, or tying up that envy-worthy stuffed boneless leg of Easter lamb.  Which brings me back to kite loops.

My next post, Kites & Bubbles, will talk about the showy part of kite building.  Selecting a design, picking paper and glue and carefully assembling it all into a masterpiece to be proudly displayed at the Good Friday kite party.

But on that day, you will not want to be fumbling with the knotty loop thing which, like adequate lengths of kite tail, you will have forgotten about after hours of cutting and gluing tissue paper and then protecting it from little fingers and cat claws.

Each Spring, I pull out my copy of BERMUDA KITES How to Make - and Fly Them by Frank Watlington.   It has wonderful diagrams and detailed instructions like this...

Credit:  Bermuda Kites How to Make - and Fly Them by Frank Watlington

"If your loop isn't right, your kite won't fly".

"Tie all knots very tightly".

Mounting loop... Pulling loop...  Tail loop.  Great - how does one make a knot with a loop that stays tied?

Well, it turns out there is an app for that - several, in fact.

After trawling the web and going down the rabbit holes of paracord bracelets and survivalist tools, here are some useful links for anyone who is also knot-challenged.

Animated Knots by Grog.  This site is comprehensive.  Knots for every occasion as well as iOS and Android apps. The  supercilious voice over is clear and hilarious.  This app includes the butcher's knot among other 'household' knots like Windsor and shoelaces.

Knot Guide from Winkpass.  I bought this one thinking that the Animated Knots app was more than I needed or cared to spend.  Not bad - but second choice.

3D Knots.  Pretty good as well - though the presentation makes me suspect it's more about selling apps than knot knowledge.

Of course, none of these apps refers to a kite loop, never mind mounting, pulling or tail loops.   Look up fixed loops - a simple bowline should do for a kite loop knot.  But don't forget to measure the length of the strings on the loops.  Apparently these determine the angle of flight - whether the kite sits "too flat" or on the wind.

If you really want to dive into knots, the ultimate authority is The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford W. Ashley.  Apparently this was published in 1944 by Doubleday (New York) and (according to Grog) "is a stunning compilation of knots and their uses.  Nothing comparable has been published since and it remains the authoritative source."  Well, except for the websites and apps that are basically  re-skinning Ashley.

If you can tie a secure knot, you'd better learn to untie one.  Most of these sources tell you which might be easier to get apart.  Good to know if you need to pack up in hurry.  Or if, like me, you are not only knot-challenged but your fingers and eyesight are not as deft as they once were.

So happy knotting and looping.  And just in case - in the words of Steven Tyler - Fake it 'til you make it!

The Joy of Fishing

On Sunday, we went fishing.  Or perhaps we went boating while bringing rods and bait. The weather on North Shore made up a bit more than anticipated, and actually catching fish of a size suitable to bring to shore proved to be beyond our admittedly novice skills.  But we had a great day nonetheless, and a few fish benefited from gobbling our bait.

Porgy Dreams

Don't confuse us with game fishermen - we have much more in common with the folks we saw casting hand lines off the rocks.  Our rods are the junior specials and the bait came frozen from the fuel dock.  

Wise women usually know that when their men disappear to go recreational fishing, it's often an excuse to spend some time with their mates and otherwise avoid their honey-do lists.  A catch is sought as evidence of their pure intent, but it is really about the camaraderie.  I've also had it suggested to me that the presence of women on boats ensures little or no catch.  A silly suspicion!  

Here's what I think my land-bound sisters (and many June to September boaters) are missing...

1. Fresh sea air.  Yes, bait and fish smell, well, fishy.  But not nearly as bad as nail polish or traffic fumes.  If it's not high summer, the smell is quite pleasant.  And you can sit upwind of it.  Draw in lungfuls of salt air.  It's much fresher than the yoga studio's.
2. Noise abatement.  Cellphones work inshore - but you can always use the excuse of poor reception to take a break from the wired world.  While boat motors are noisy, they are behind you and off when you are actually engaged in fishing.  Listening to the lap of waves and occasional bird call is super relaxing.  And the party boats aren't out in winter.
3. A different perspective.  I've always thought that Bermuda is much more interesting when viewed from the water.   Plus, a lot of moorings are empty before May - you can putter around the shoreline before coming home and learn quite a bit.
4. Friendliness of strangers.  Everyone waves and smiles around the water, with very few exceptions.   Those people are either uninitiated visitors or miserable.  Wave anyway.
5. Observation.  Bermudians are pokey.  While you are looking at them, they are most certainly checking you out.  While they wave.
6. Staycation.  Honestly, we often forget to enjoy for free what our overseas visitors pay dearly to experience for a few days.  The stress reduction benefits of a sunny day by the water are huge - and you don't have to get all sandy, or brave a bathing suit, or perspire.
7. Catch and release.   Unless you really enjoy cleaning and cooking fish, I recommend gifting the catch or sharing with someone who will appreciate it.  Or throw it back and let the circle of life work.
8. Self accomplishment.  You know that saying about 'teach a man to fish'.  Well, it feels pretty darn good to land or boat a fish and even more exciting to see it just under the water when it is magnified.  The source of all 'fish tales'.

So if you get a chance to get out on the water before May 24th or after Labour Day, take along a fishing line and hook and try your hand at jigging.  I have a friend who swears by chicken for snapper bait.

Lobster Tales

Spiny Lobster season will be over on March 31st; though the cooler water will have put off many of these divers by about mid-November.  This painting is called "Lobster Tales".  I've printed it on a long sleeve t-shirt that is perfect for boating or fishing and available on my website www.bermyurchins.com or at Hand Made Bermuda's shop in the Clocktower Mall at Dockyard.