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Attention all kiteboarders - you must read this

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Postby Guest » Sun Jun 09, 2002 12:27 am

I disagree with Dr gonzo. Unhooking a 2 line is possible after the initial surge and even during it if you r realyy scared. In a power swoop ok its harder but it is still possible, i have done it. But anyway with 2 line the point is you can unhook when you think danger might be coming. Then you can let go. a 4 line C Loop you have to LAUNcH in and always fly in! And is is just not possible to unhook. But leeashes.. would have avoided this calamity in the first place. solo flying kites are the biggest hazard especially to the public, imagine a baby in a pram. it doesnt matter what kite it could get dragged..

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Postby kitesite » Sun Jun 09, 2002 12:44 am

God Bless Silke
Yaniv Biton

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Postby kitesite » Sun Jun 09, 2002 12:45 am

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: KiteSite on 2002-06-09 01:46 ]</font>

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Postby Guest » Sun Jun 09, 2002 1:27 am

I feel very sorry for her relatives as well as all person who saw it happening.
It will not be easy for everyone being eye witnesses of this accident to go out on the water again.
I was very lucky not being eye witness of this, otherwise it would be an absolute problem for me as well.

Punished for life will be the rider who had to let go as well as the organiser of the event.

Toby

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Admin on 2002-06-09 02:31 ]</font>

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Postby Guest » Sun Jun 09, 2002 1:31 am

Hi, "pro" Chris Calthrop here.
I am saddened and enraged all at the same time to hear about Silke's death. I have been anti the chicken loop concept since it's first creation by Don Montague on Maui.
The sickening tragedy is that it was not a case of if, but when would an accident like this happen with this system.
I have been advocating for many years that non-relaunchabilty is preferable over relaunchabilty because relaunchable kites have not been developed with a safe landing procedure in mind... only money.
I have a huge amount of accident experience myself and I wish to input some important knowledge that I have to this debate. I choose non relaunchable foils over any other kite: because they stop after one drag when you lose control. Importantly foils like the Blade do not spiral or "wind up" in the same manner that inflatables do. If you are still in the harness and out of control they straighten up and crash, if they do go through the powerzone the attachment points to the main lines will break. (a fail safe designed to protect the kite but also the rider). This may have made a crucial difference to Silke's accident.
I sincerely feel for Silke, her family, her friends and those who witnessed her death. However painful, this tragedy must be analysed and understood so as to prevent a re-occurence. The future is very important to think about with an eye to prevention. This year will be an important year for kitesurfing as I have already been to two events where I would rather not compete than risk getting taken out by the many poor kite fliers there who think they are competent but are not. If you cant land your kite on your own in a controlled fashion NOTHING you do on the water should count. This mentality will develop products for the public that are safe, and kite skills that will make for a safer competition environment.

May Silke rest in peace. God Bless her, and may our thoughts be with her family and friends during this tragic time.

Chris Calthrop

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Postby Guest » Sun Jun 09, 2002 2:39 am

But I dont see any Kite Pros with safety system (5th line).
Shouln't World Tour Organization make them use it !?

My condolonces to her family

Joao Luis Correia

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Postby spiderella » Sun Jun 09, 2002 3:04 am

totally shocked about what happend....
missing the words to describe how i felt,when i read about her accident.
i'm not kitesurfing yet-but two of the most important people in my life do...

god bless her.
and may he give all of his power to the people knowing&loving her...

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Postby RickI » Sun Jun 09, 2002 3:22 am

Chris,

Thank you for your post and your perspective. It would be a very good thing if more pros of your caliber would contribute to this discussion. Whether we hear from them or not it is likely that this and unfortunately, other incidents will effect the development of this sport and competitons.

You raised an important point regarding the relative experience of riders in competitions. You judged two events to be populated with an unacceptable quantity of insufficiently skilled riders. I have been involved in helping to organize only three competitions to date. For one of them, I had the same concerns about ability in riders that no one knew by reputation. It was a technical launch with tightly packed, nearby bystanders so rider competence was an important issue. Rider safety was also a concern in addition to runaway kites.

We developed a written and practical exam for these unknown riders to demonstrate their ability prior to competing. It would be a good idea for other event organizers to consider doing the same.

Thanks again for your input Chris. You raise some compelling arguments in support of non-relaunchable foils. I haven't used any for two years, maybe I will try them again.

Rick Iossi

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Postby Juergen » Sun Jun 09, 2002 8:29 am

sorry, but you missed the point !! Silke not having a quick-release is the one thing, the guy letting go the kite without safety leash the other ! It was HIS Kite hitting her. You "Pros" haven´t yet understood the safety discussion at all and that´s why we all will experience hard measures of the authorities soon. You´re girls: Have you ever thought about catching a child with a kite ?
On 2002-06-09 00:21, Anonymous wrote:
We are all shocked and sad about the tragic death of Silke. She was a kitesurfing pioneer for us women.
This accident hopefully will make everybody think about safety systems. But stIll, we want to make it clear that no safety system could have helped her. Everything was going so incredibly fast, so that she had no time to release herself. By the time she realised that she was getting pulled by two kites, she was about to hit the wood piles. Even a quick release system wouldn't have opened quickly enough.
We girls who have been riding with her that day are honoured to have kited with her during her final heat. We are committed to carrying on Silkes positive spirit and passion for kitesurfing. We will never forget her.
Jody, Petra and Fiona

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Postby Guest » Sun Jun 09, 2002 10:38 am

I'm so sorry for Silke but I'm so happy I had the fortune to know her while we were shoting our video in Venezuela.

This movie is dedicated to her

Marcellino de Baggis


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