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Felt like I Nearly Drowned

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edt
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Re: Felt like I Nearly Drowned

Postby edt » Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:19 pm

Slappysan wrote:
Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:07 pm
If the kite is pulling you towards shore on the safety just ride it in like that, if it's pulling you away from shore, let the kite go (try not to think about the $2000 charge for the rental, you'll probably get the kite back more or less unharmed).
Friend of mine broke his back doing that. He was letting the kite pull him in had it flagged, a wave ate the kite and yanked him so back he broke his back, luckily no permanent damage. If you are in the swell then swim to the kite keep it flagged, but in big surf you gotta let it go. Of course it depends how big the surf is, with ankle biters I never release, but once it gets over head you gotta let it go.

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Re: Felt like I Nearly Drowned

Postby K-Roy » Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:28 pm

in the case you are attached to the kite on safety line and do not want to let ot go completely, swim parallel with it...

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Re: Felt like I Nearly Drowned

Postby knyfe » Tue Dec 04, 2018 6:01 am

a 14 for a big set is not the choice to start with. Add the loaner and unfamiliarity with the spot to start with and its a call for a problem. Glad you made it out ok.

Reminds of the accident we had at ocean beach a few years ago with a guy for the first time in waves on a big wave day plus oversized kite and at that time too much wind... he unfortunately did not make it.

Respect the situation you see ... G

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Re: Felt like I Nearly Drowned

Postby Beardytello » Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:10 am

Thanks guys, some sobering thoughts!

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Re: Felt like I Nearly Drowned

Postby pmaggie » Tue Dec 04, 2018 9:58 am

Good to hear you're ok. I think that a dangerous day always comes, it's not a matter of being expert or not. Sometimes all the negative variables go to the same direction and it's the perfect storm. It's quite "easy" once (and if) you're back home to find the mistakes you made, the truth is probably that what you decided to do was the best it was possible for you in that situation. In italian we call this "senno di poi", that means more or less "the cleverness of the day after". The important thing is that you eventually came back alive to the shore. In my (very long) windsurfing career, I risked to drown just one time but I remember the day perfectly. Basically, I made no mistakes, it just happened: it was blowing about 30 knots, I was on a small board and small sail, perfectly trimmed, enjoying my session like a child. I began to jibe but as soon as I tried to detach from my harness, a sudden gust pushed me strong. The sail rotated together with me and I found myself under the sail. I immediately try to detach from the harness but I immediately understood it was not possible, since the harness rope during the crash had rotated completely, making a "knot" on the harness hook. I was without air, under the sail and unable to detach. Panic. Pushed by desperation, I gave a strong shot up to the sail and I breathed a little, than I managed to detach not the hook from the sail but the harness from my body. I eventually left the harness and took air again. It was really, really frightening. From that day, I never used again an harness without a system to immediately release the hook.
Last edited by pmaggie on Tue Dec 04, 2018 3:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Felt like I Nearly Drowned

Postby nothing2seehere » Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:46 am

Glad you made it back without a problem Beardytello.

I understand how easy it is to make the poor equipment trim mistake though. When you fly your own gear all the time you know how the trim is. Nobody checks for backstall every session. I only really check in light winds and if I'm having a go on someone else's kite (friendly bunch here so that happens fairly often). Useful lesson for everybody. You have my sympathy for having to experience it the wrong way.


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