It’s the ideal time to fly a kite on the Sonoma Coast

Kites never seem to fall out of fashion.

Sure, remote-controlled helicopters, drones and other whiz-bang flying machines increasingly buzz the skies, but kites still soar right along with them. No batteries required.

Spring is one of the best times to fly a kite, with steady breezes providing plenty of lift-off power. The Sonoma Coast in particular offers an ideal setting for airborne adventures, as celebrated during the Castles and Kites Festival May 7 in Bodega Bay.

Too often, though, the experience ends in tears, with kites failing to launch or spiraling to the ground, as if shot down by enemy jet fighters.

Ashley Rader knows the frustration. Stopping in at Bodega Bay’s Candy & Kites on a recent Friday afternoon, the Petaluma mom admitted to staff that she has “issues” with kites.

“You just can’t get them up in the air. You’re running, and it’s not going anywhere,” Rader said, as her three children loaded candy into her arms.

Fiona Love, who co-owns Candy & Kites with her husband, David, has heard this lament too many times to count.

For starters, Love told Rader, you shouldn’t be running, unless your goal is to tire out the kids. Let out about 10 feet of line and if the wind is good (Love said 8 to 12 mph is ideal), the kite should lift off on its own. Keep in mind that what goes up must come down.

“We always say, if you let out 300 feet of line, you’re going to be bringing in 300 feet of line,” Love said.

Even in less-than-ideal conditions, a person’s odds of success increase by having the right kite and knowing how to use it. Many people buy the cheapest version they can find, only to discover once they unwrap the thing that it’s either too complicated to put together or is not built to last.

Love’s go-to option for novice kite-fliers is the large Easy-Flyer, which she sells at her store for $29.99. The kite is triangular-shaped and has a long tail. It’s easy to assemble and is flown using a single line.

Generally speaking, kites that are modeled after figures (think dragons or robots) don’t fare as well as those that hew more closely to traditional dimensions, according to Tom McAlister, owner of Highline Kites in Berkeley and founder of the Berkeley Kite Festival.

“The more it tries to look like something other than a kite, the less easy it’s going to be to fly,” he said.

One exception to this rule is Squeaky the Wavy Rainbow Octopus, which McAlister describes on his website (highlinekites.com) as “so easy to fly that anyone with a pulse can be flying in seconds.” The kite retails for $21.95 online.

About 500 people attended the first Berkeley Kite Festival in 1986. The event now draws upwards of 35,000 people to Cesar E. Chavez Park on the city’s marina. It takes place the last weekend in July.

The 12th annual Castles & Kites Festival at Doran Regional Park also has become a popular draw. The event, which is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 7, has free admission, but parking is $7.

Love named Doran as her favorite place on the Sonoma Coast to fly a kite. In addition to its kid-friendly beach, Doran faces south, which means the winds tend to blow out toward the sea. At other North Coast beaches, kite-fliers stand with their backs toward the water.

For those who’ve outgrown basic kite-flying, both Candy & Kites and Second Wind in Bodega Bay offer more advanced options, including dual-line and quad-line kites and parafoils, also known as stunt kites. They typically cost more, in some cases by hundreds of dollars.

“You change from being a kite flier to being a sky decorator,” said McAlister of Highline Kites.

Having driven to the coast with her children, Rader’s goal was finding a kite that wouldn’t disappoint. The family is still learning about the area after recently moving here from Chicago.

Rader purchased an Easy Flyer painted like a stealth bomber at the urging of her 10-year-old son, Jackson. The family then headed back down the highway toward Doran, where the wind blew steady and strong.

Said Love after they had left, “We forget that kids don’t need to be looking at TV or playing a video game to have fun.”

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.