A valuable lesson.........!

[Huncie]

It's been sometime since I last posted a message on this site but feel that my latest kitesurfing experience deserves a mention.
I am still relatively new to kitesurfing but decided to go off down to south east spain with my black tip 12.2 and f-one tt 175 equipped with an old style surfing leash (the point of the leash will become clear later on). Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was really starting to master kitesurfing, finding the flat water conditions easier to learn in than in England. Confidence at its peak, I went out on the water at which time the wind was soon hitting about 17 knots (onshore/sideshore) and I was completely maxed out. I couldn't help feeling that my kite was a bit too big! The beach was lined with people, mostly sunbathers but there were others who were wondering what the hell I was doing. On the way back into the beach I was really maxed out and edging bloody hard. It soon dawned on me that the beach was getting very close, the kite was pretty low and de-power lines were fully out. I couldn't slow down or anything and about 5 metres from the beach decided to go for it and pull hard on my back hand, not knowing really what I had to do. I was subsequently launched, board was left behind and started to proceed at about 15ft in the air straight for a load of sunbathers.
The result was I fortunately landed in between two swedish blondes, sorry, a couple of sunbeds and my kite stalled and landed right next to a load of other people. Fortunately no-one was hurt but I learnt some valuable lessons:
Don't wear a leash, unless you know what you are doing. That could have had serious consequences.
Don't think that because you can go some distance you are suddenly a pro, unless you know what you are doing.
My moral is therefore, don't kitesurf when people are around unless you know exactly what you are doing.

I soon realised that I certainly didn't know what I was doing and have been brought back down to earth again! Everything in tact apart from a slightly painful ear!

[Guest]

dumbass

[Guest]

at least, did you tell the blonds that it was all a cool trick that you've been practicing to show off at the competition in Brazil?

[RickI]

Thanks for posting your account. As they say, distance is your friend, in this sport. It is amazing what errors in judgement and the consequences of just plain bad luck a bit of distance can offset. When you are learning only more so.

When you say don't use a leash, I hope you are referring to a board leash, not a kite depowering leash?

Riders and new riders in particular need to avoid bystanders for their own good and that of the sport. Congratulations on coming through uninjured. I would definitely get a smaller kite(s). I look at the investment as being less costly than my medical insurance deductable.

Rick Iossi

[RickI]

Thanks for posting your account. As they say, distance is your friend, in this sport. It is amazing what errors in judgement and the consequences of just plain bad luck a bit of distance can offset. When you are learning only more so.

When you say don't use a leash, I hope you are referring to a board leash, not a kite depowering leash?

Riders and new riders in particular need to avoid bystanders for their own good and that of the sport. Congratulations on coming through uninjured. I would definitely get a smaller kite(s). I look at the investment as being less costly than my medical insurance deductable.

Rick Iossi

[RickI]

Thanks for posting your account. As they say, distance is your friend, in this sport. It is amazing what errors in judgement and the consequences of just plain bad luck a bit of distance can offset. When you are learning only more so.

When you say don't use a leash, I hope you are referring to a board leash, not a kite depowering leash?

Riders and new riders in particular need to avoid bystanders for their own good and that of the sport. Congratulations on coming through uninjured. I would definitely get a smaller kite(s). I look at the investment as being less costly than my medical insurance deductable.

Rick Iossi

[RickI]

Thanks for posting your account. As they say, distance is your friend, in this sport. It is amazing what errors in judgement and the consequences of just plain bad luck a bit of distance can offset. When you are learning only more so.

When you say don't use a leash, I hope you are referring to a board leash, not a kite depowering leash?

Riders and new riders in particular need to avoid bystanders for their own good and that of the sport. Congratulations on coming through uninjured. I would definitely get a smaller kite(s). I look at the investment as being less costly than my medical insurance deductable.

Rick Iossi

[Catch the breeze]

I understand the reason why one shouldn't use a board leash, but how do you retrieve your board after a fall? Someone mentioned body dragging UPWIND in a previous posting.
This sounds like the answer on retrieval, but could someone please expound? How the heck do you bodydrag UPWIND? I would much rather LEARN how to do this, than get injured using a leash...
Any input would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
CTB

[Mr Jo Macdonald]

Hi Huncie,
Thanks for the story, hope you sprang immediately to your feet and went howzat! to the crowd like you meant to do it.
Next time you're overpowered try keeping the kite higher, above 45°, it'll pull you more upwards and downwind but the ride will be a lot slower and when you want to stop just move it SLOWLY further up towards zenith. When you're well powered up any sudden movement of the bar will make the kite turn really fast and can pull you out of the water fast.
Also if you watch the kite a lot, especially when going fast, you can loose track of how fast you're actually getting somewhere, so the beach or anything else can sort of spring up on you all of a sudden.
If you're coming in really maxed out, slow down well in advance, that way you'll loose all the apparent wind and the kite will be much tamer, body drag slow towards the beach and if the beach is crowded and even downwind there's still no space, my advice is to ditch the bugger to the leash while still in the water well away from everyone and try to wind at least one line in before you reach the beach, gloves will help.

Keep practicing the beach landing, sounds like a real cool move, especially with the added attraction of the blondes.

Stay safe and have fun.
Jo


Catch the breeze

Body dragging upwind to retreive your board is really easy.
Try without the board first, all you do is lie in the water with your body and arm outstretched like superman, pointing in the direction you want to go, hooked in with the other hand controlling the kite which should be near the edge of the window and not too high, just a little powered up, you can even sine it slightly if it's too underpowered.
Go one way then the next, powering the kite as little as possible past zenith when changing direction. keep your eye on something on shore to use as a reference point and when you get the hang of it you'll find you can go upwind.

Then try with the board, first fall let the kite pull you out of the water at zenith to look for the board (especially in waves), it will almost certainly be somewhere upwind of you. Once you've spotted it, body drag upwind back and forth until your board floats downwind to you.
You can start doing this once you're past the stage where your kite pulls you downwind a lot every time you fall because if you're still doing this without a leash the board will be miles away, before you start jumping seriously is the best time to loose the board leash.

Hang time.
Jo

[Catch the breeze]

Right on! Thanks for the explanation!
I had been thinking about this the past few days and WHEEW, I feel better now that I know! I'll definatley put it to practice.
Jo, Thanks for your advice for this topic and topics in the forum!