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megram - 55JulGTA - Index

children’s section at the Carp Branch of the Ottawa Public Library, and the
Canadian Language School in Hull.
Creating a 45.6-metre-long kite for the new Farley Mowat Elementary
School in Barrhaven was particularly rewarding.The kite hangs in the school’s
two-story atrium. It sails through the library, giving the illusion that it is moving
through a glass wall, and leaps effortlessly to the ceiling.
The tail of the kite is made up of three sections. It was designed to reflect
the joining together of three elementary schools. Prior to closing, the students
at each school decorated their third of the kite’s tail, and sent it back to Eric so
he could stitch them together.
His wife and business partner, Christine, painted a wolf’s head on the face
of the kite.
“Really,the smallest kite I have ever built was only a couple of inches,”says
Eric.“The biggest is 252 square metres and I’m still building it. I’m having so
much fun I may never finish it.”
A few have been his travelling companions at kiting events around the
world.While there are pockets of kite-flying enthusiasts scattered throughout
Canada, it is a sport with a much greater profile in Japan, India and Europe.
“Quebec has its own federation and they get provincial funding,” notes
Eric.“I love going to the small communities in Quebec where they create the
most amazing kite festivals.”
Kiting trips that Eric remembers fondly include Papineauville and St.
Placid, Quebec, the Majave Desert, Lake Simcoe, Ontario, New Zealand and
Australia.
Kite demonstrations during CBC’s annual “Touch the Sky”kite festival helped
to bolster interest in kiting locally. Eric speaks fondly of those events.Although a
victim of budget cuts, they provided an opportunity for the Ottawa-area kiting
community to discuss the finer points of the sport with the general public.
Throughout the years, Eric has given kiting demonstrations at countless
schools, at the Aviation Museum and at the Museum of Civilization. In 1994, he
taught a weekend workshop at the Science Centre in Toronto.
“In the millennium year,” he laughs,“I was hired to see if it was possible to
fly kites on boats at night in the quarry behind the casino.”
In the fall of 2004, Eric brought the first Peter Lynn “Kite Cat” to Canada
for kitesailing. It is commonly used with an arc-style traction kite. It boasts better
sheeting and gust response, and better upwind performance.
The rider is attached to the kite with a harness, by two lines at the front
and two lines at the back, but not attached to the catamaran.
The possibility of getting “lofted” — being lifted off the catamaran by the
wind — can never be underestimated.Eric remembers when it happened to him.
“The wind speed had increased while I was out there and I had put the
kite too high.I found myself on the beach waiting for the ‘cat’to get washed up
on shore.”
Clearly, the sport of kiting is not without its dangers. Unpredictable winds
and the risk of being dragged by an overpowered kite are very real. Fatal accidents
are not unheard of, so adherence to a strict set of navigation safeguards
and rules is strongly suggested.
Long-time family friend Myra Smith sets the scene for her favourite Eric
story:“This was around 20 or so years ago when Eric was beginning his interest
in kiting and his enthusiasm for this ‘fun’ activity led our families to make
hand-painted kites with our children,and then head off to Andrew Haydon Park
to fly our creations.
“My son, who was around four years old, was having a really good time
July/August 2008 • 12 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine