"Skatewing is a hand held sail, similar to a wind surfer sail, except it sails on almost everything even frozen water. It is constructed of see-through Milar sail material which embodies profiled battens to hold the wing shape for maximum aerodynamic lift. The light weight, anodized aluminum mast is elliptically curved and generates lots of acceleration off the wind.  If you can skate or skate board, control is easy to learn. Do it on roller skates, ice skates, skis, skateboards, mountainboards and all terrain skates. Do it on concrete, asphalt, snow, ice, dry lake beds and dirt. Expect to reach speeds of at least double the wind speed in medium winds. As extreme sports go Skatewing is very safe as long as you wear your safety gear.  Skatewing has only recently arrived in the United States, after a big hit in Europe, where the popularity has spurred organized regattas. The wings are available in several sizes, depending on level of experience and wind velocities in which you will be sailing. How it Works The basic techniques on how to use the Skatewing are shown in the next few links. Please note that a good constant wind is important for a good ride...and the faster you go the more your skates are stabilized by the down force of the sail. The rig with its characteristic curved mast is designed to get the point of support and the lateral centers within the vertical axes. 
In this way the rig is balanced when the footrest is set on the skate.The rig is held with both hands on the lower boom, which is the horizontal pivot. The aerodynamic thrust creates a force in opposite direction at the bottom point of support. This counterforce keeps the wing on the skate and stabilizes it. AERODYNAMICS Due to the low friction of skates and the efficiency of the skatewing airfoil, high speeds can be reached even with a light breeze. A laminar air flow builds up around the wing. The airstream adds to the true wind, and, on acceleration the airstream is even stronger. In this way a multiple speed of the true wind speed is reached. Try this 3.3 SkateWing with one of our Mountainboards!! |