Postby Timop » Wed May 07, 2014 11:56 am
Great "stupid stories" guys:-)!!! and some scary ones.
Well I have done lots of stupid things in general, but percentage wise a lot more in kiting.
Two stories in particular come to mind, these were proper stupid, but I mention these as it endangered other people' s lives.
1. A couple of years ago a fancied myself a good kiter. (compared to the other lawn mowers that were around the area I kited) Naturally, I thought, I would be able to teach a beginner just by winging it..
The day before the lesson I read a couple of basic lesson steps, duct taped a waterproof receiver to a helmet and of we went to a Lake. The wind was 13 knots light, off shore on the one side and the drift was about 500m to the other side. To make a long story short, because I had zero experience in teaching the poor "student" at one point started drifting across the bay, gesturing widely, by the time I got to him was in full panic mode, asthma pump in hand...........
Needless to say I went home said a prayer the guy is still alive and signed up for an instructors course.
If I had to do that lesson again today, a myriad things would be different, not the least of which would be a proper medical questionnaire, Not just a "Hey dude can you swim?"
2. The second was when trying to show off, (Not to be confused with "entertainment", which IMO is a different mind set and pushes the sports limits and is necessary)
I was doing a lesson, which started at about 8 in the morning. The student was fit and competent, and by the time we finished it was around 16H00. During the lesson there was a couple of kiter's entertaining the small crowd and when the lesson finished I was well and truly pumped to show these guys and my student a thing or two.
In my rush to pump up my kite (Bandit 5), I forgot to secure it and it flew across the lagoon, over a road, narrowly missing a family in a Van and got stuck on a bank across a road . I drove around, fetched it, but tore it as I put it in my pick up. No problem, quick tape fix and in no time I was on the water "cooking" - .......showing off.
By this time the tide had dropped and there was a 50m wide sandbank on the other side of the lagoon, before some gnarly looking rocks a car park and a road. During a jump, a gust came through and I managed to land just before the sand bank, but got pulled out on to it, still in control. I stopped about 30 m from the rocks. In order to be cool, I thought to myself to just do a Ruben Lenten drag to the water, HOWEVER, the Bar had turned and in my rush to be cool I pulled the wrong side, the kite went from 2 to 10 and in doing so lofted me. It all happened in slow motion, the flight, the sickening thud and creak as I hit the rocks and then a metallic "doeff" as I hit the Van parked in the car park. Despite, causing damaged to their car and almost hurting them and their children (twice) playing outside on the rocks, the family was very helpful. To top it all my student took me took hospital.
I was out action for 2 months
The lesson - Practice what you preach. - (Be mindful of the obstacles downwind, take ur time when rigging, when crashing get your bearings first before pulling on the bar - remember red is left, and do not have a show off attitude, rather wait for the right opportunity to entertain with attitude and always respect other beach goers)