Self rescue in water - question

[Ballangan]

HI everybody,
i have been reading a lot about self rescue but still am not sure which technique should I use.
I ride a Cabrinha Omega 12.

I can ride, but I still loose water and have the tendency to slide downwind. In my local, very crowded lake spot, downwind is a problem. Kiting is only allowed at the very nord tip of the beach, and if you finish downwind there is simply no place to get on shore (first there is a small marina, then a beach which is offlimits for kiters, then a jetty, again an offlimits beach). This is why at times, if sliding downwind, i NEED to perform a self rescue in the water and WALK back to the starting point. Yes, walking is somewhow possible as the lake is mostly shallow enough, around 1,7 metres deep.

My question is: what is the best way to depower and get ahold of the kite while in the water? I notice that when the bar is released, the kite falls in the water, but it still pulls enough to drag me downwind.
And when the bar is released, there is no way to reach the 'safety' ring placed on one of the front lines which i am supposed to pull, as it is too far away from me. In order to reach it, i need to pull the bar towards me and the kite flies immediately in the air!

Do you think I should attach the safety leash to the 'ring' immediately, before launching? I tried this once but the leash was so tense that it really didnt seem possible to ride that way. Moreover, nobody is attaching a leash up there. All the people I see around are attaching their leashes to the middle, just ahead of the chicken loop.

I am very thankful for any advice. I would even be ready to buy a new kite which complies with my needs: depower in water, self rescue, swim/walk back. This seems to be impossible with my actual gear. I took a kite course years ago, but since then the systems changed quite a lot, and am now doubting if I am doing the right thing.

thanks!

[mdmaui]

let go of the bar. get to the bottom front line by pulling in the center. hand over hand on in letting all the line drift out behind you. (don't let go;) U can be unhooked or not.

[Ballangan]

let go of the bar. get to the bottom front line by pulling in the center. hand over hand on in letting all the line drift out behind you. (don't let go;) U can be unhooked or not.

does this mean i have to do it by hand by pulling the line to me (this is sometimes tricky and harmful for my fingers
no other way? (like i thought i could use the security leash for this, but maybe its just my very own wrong idea)

thank you.

Cheers,

ballangan

[K-School SafetyFirst]

First advice: avoid the situation. Learn to ride upwind quickly, get some tips on that. Buy a bigger board. A sharp rail, inverted outline, whatever. Spleene Door works wonders. With a Flysurfer kite it's even better.
Second option, the self rescue:
I don't know the Omega so well, but if it does't fall like a swan, you might pull the powerstrap towards you and quickly let go while doing 2 swimming strokes (the old C-relaunch). That way it might shift to swan position, reducing pull. If that doesn't work, get a 5th line kite. That should work.
But how can you walk upwind in water of 1.70m? You must be a giant.
Doing a self-rescue with a bow doesn't work the C-way. It doesn't flag out on a steering line, it relaunches. In stable water and wind you can hope the kite stays in position on 2 frontlines. If it doesn't while you're winding the lines, there's a risk of loosing some fingers. Better take a 5liner if yours moves. Some bows or delta's do stay in position, some don't, even if they're leashed on 2 frontlines.

[Ballangan]

First advice: avoid the situation. Learn to ride upwind quickly, get some tips on that. Buy a bigger board. A sharp rail, inverted outline, whatever. Spleene Door works wonders. With a Flysurfer kite it's even better.
Second option, the self rescue:
I don't know the Omega so well, but if it does't fall like a swan, you might pull the powerstrap towards you and quickly let go while doing 2 swimming strokes (the old C-relaunch). That way it might shift to swan position, reducing pull. If that doesn't work, get a 5th line kite. That should work.
But how can you walk upwind in water of 1.70m? You must be a giant.
Doing a self-rescue with a bow doesn't work the C-way. It doesn't flag out on a steering line, it relaunches. In stable water and wind you can hope the kite stays in position on 2 frontlines. If it doesn't while you're winding the lines, there's a risk of loosing some fingers. Better take a 5liner if yours moves. Some bows or delta's do stay in position, some don't, even if they're leashed on 2 frontlines.

which 5line Kite would - according to your experience - best suits my needs? there are many vendors out there and i would be happy to change to another system, i just want to be sure that the kite depower on the water and i can rescue it without loosing my fingers.

as of point 1 - I agree with you, am doing my best in learning but sometimes still happens that I need to rescue in water. unfortunately this is the only spot i can ride in here.

and finally, yes walking back is tricky, takes a lot of effort. maybe its not 170 cm, only 150.. i might have overevaluated here:)

thanks for your precious advice on this important choice!

Cheers,

Ballangan

[ronnie]

I have an Omega and had to make an extension to the flagging ring so I could leash to the extension. You just need to have a piece of rope about 15" long with a ring on the end of it to make the extension. You want it to be just long enough so it removes the pull from the leash on the front line, but not so long that the leash can go past the end of the bar.

Having a bigger board of the right type will allow you to stay upwind better.

I have a couple of IDS Crossbows, and I'd much rather self rescue with them than with an Omega, because with the IDS you flag out to both front lines so the kite does not loop, and you then only have to wrap about 2.5m of IDS flagging line onto the bar, and you can then wind all 4 lines onto the bar, so the chance of getting line tangled around your legs is much reduced. The pull from the flagged IDS kite is also less than the Omega.

[frankm1960]

HI everybody,
i have been reading a lot about self rescue but still am not sure which technique should I use.
I ride a Cabrinha Omega 12.

I can ride, but I still loose water and have the tendency to slide downwind. In my local, very crowded lake spot, downwind is a problem. Kiting is only allowed at the very nord tip of the beach, and if you finish downwind there is simply no place to get on shore (first there is a small marina, then a beach which is offlimits for kiters, then a jetty, again an offlimits beach). This is why at times, if sliding downwind, i NEED to perform a self rescue in the water and WALK back to the starting point. Yes, walking is somewhow possible as the lake is mostly shallow enough, around 1,7 metres deep.

Riding up wind issues might be just a matter of too little wind as well.

My question is: what is the best way to depower and get ahold of the kite while in the water? I notice that when the bar is released, the kite falls in the water, but it still pulls enough to drag me downwind.
And when the bar is released, there is no way to reach the 'safety' ring placed on one of the front lines which i am supposed to pull, as it is too far away from me. In order to reach it, i need to pull the bar towards me and the kite flies immediately in the air!

Not sure which bar system you have... the manuals are located here...
http://www.cabrinhakites.com/user-manual-downloads.html
Pay attention to how/where the safety leash is supposed to go. It should attach to a center line ring so you can flag the kite out on a single line. You shouldn't have to add any "additional" lines to make the system work. If you do then there's something wrong. The safety leash is designed so that when you to activate your QR (or unhooking from CL manually), and let go of the bar of course, the kite will flag on the center line, reducing the power of the kite, hopefully enough so that you can then wind in about 20-30' of center line, and then wind all 4 lines up so you can get to the kite. Practice releasing your kite on land (somewhere safe, good steady light winds etc) so you can familiarize yourself with how the kite behaves. Practice getting to your kite by winding up the lines etc

Do you think I should attach the safety leash to the 'ring' immediately, before launching? I tried this once but the leash was so tense that it really didnt seem possible to ride that way. Moreover, nobody is attaching a leash up there. All the people I see around are attaching their leashes to the middle, just ahead of the chicken loop.

If you want to do a self rescue, ie get to your kite on water, then you'll need to be able to flag the kite out and wind up your lines without losing your fingers. The only way for that to happen is to use your leash and attach it to your safety ring as per your user manual. If the leash is too short get a longer one or as someone else mentioned, add a rope to the ring. But the leash should stretch a bit and even if it's a bit tight it shouldn't affect the kite as there is much tension on the center lines when the kite is powered. I personally hate having a safety leash attached above the bar to a flying line but that's just me. I also found it difficult to flag an SLE kite out on a flying line and get to the kite. I prefer a 5th line kite for that kind of rescue. But that's just me.

I am very thankful for any advice. I would even be ready to buy a new kite which complies with my needs: depower in water, self rescue, swim/walk back. This seems to be impossible with my actual gear. I took a kite course years ago, but since then the systems changed quite a lot, and am now doubting if I am doing the right thing.

thanks!

A 5th line could be attached to your kite I think but check the manual. Flagging on a 5th line is a lot easier than flagging on a flying line in my experience.

[Ballangan]

I have an Omega and had to make an extension to the flagging ring so I could leash to the extension. You just need to have a piece of rope about 15" long with a ring on the end of it to make the extension. You want it to be just long enough so it removes the pull from the leash on the front line, but not so long that the leash can go past the end of the bar.

Having a bigger board of the right type will allow you to stay upwind better.

I have a couple of IDS Crossbows, and I'd much rather self rescue with them than with an Omega, because with the IDS you flag out to both front lines so the kite does not loop, and you then only have to wrap about 2.5m of IDS flagging line onto the bar, and you can then wind all 4 lines onto the bar, so the chance of getting line tangled around your legs is much reduced. The pull from the flagged IDS kite is also less than the Omega.

thanks a lot.. these are very important tips to me! I'll give a try to make an extension there

[Ballangan]

HI everybody,
i have been reading a lot about self rescue but still am not sure which technique should I use.
I ride a Cabrinha Omega 12.

I can ride, but I still loose water and have the tendency to slide downwind. In my local, very crowded lake spot, downwind is a problem. Kiting is only allowed at the very nord tip of the beach, and if you finish downwind there is simply no place to get on shore (first there is a small marina, then a beach which is offlimits for kiters, then a jetty, again an offlimits beach). This is why at times, if sliding downwind, i NEED to perform a self rescue in the water and WALK back to the starting point. Yes, walking is somewhow possible as the lake is mostly shallow enough, around 1,7 metres deep.

Riding up wind issues might be just a matter of too little wind as well.

My question is: what is the best way to depower and get ahold of the kite while in the water? I notice that when the bar is released, the kite falls in the water, but it still pulls enough to drag me downwind.
And when the bar is released, there is no way to reach the 'safety' ring placed on one of the front lines which i am supposed to pull, as it is too far away from me. In order to reach it, i need to pull the bar towards me and the kite flies immediately in the air!

Not sure which bar system you have... the manuals are located here...
http://www.cabrinhakites.com/user-manual-downloads.html
Pay attention to how/where the safety leash is supposed to go. It should attach to a center line ring so you can flag the kite out on a single line. You shouldn't have to add any "additional" lines to make the system work. If you do then there's something wrong. The safety leash is designed so that when you to activate your QR (or unhooking from CL manually), and let go of the bar of course, the kite will flag on the center line, reducing the power of the kite, hopefully enough so that you can then wind in about 20-30' of center line, and then wind all 4 lines up so you can get to the kite. Practice releasing your kite on land (somewhere safe, good steady light winds etc) so you can familiarize yourself with how the kite behaves. Practice getting to your kite by winding up the lines etc

Do you think I should attach the safety leash to the 'ring' immediately, before launching? I tried this once but the leash was so tense that it really didnt seem possible to ride that way. Moreover, nobody is attaching a leash up there. All the people I see around are attaching their leashes to the middle, just ahead of the chicken loop.

If you want to do a self rescue, ie get to your kite on water, then you'll need to be able to flag the kite out and wind up your lines without losing your fingers. The only way for that to happen is to use your leash and attach it to your safety ring as per your user manual. If the leash is too short get a longer one or as someone else mentioned, add a rope to the ring. But the leash should stretch a bit and even if it's a bit tight it shouldn't affect the kite as there is much tension on the center lines when the kite is powered. I personally hate having a safety leash attached above the bar to a flying line but that's just me. I also found it difficult to flag an SLE kite out on a flying line and get to the kite. I prefer a 5th line kite for that kind of rescue. But that's just me.

I am very thankful for any advice. I would even be ready to buy a new kite which complies with my needs: depower in water, self rescue, swim/walk back. This seems to be impossible with my actual gear. I took a kite course years ago, but since then the systems changed quite a lot, and am now doubting if I am doing the right thing.

thanks!

A 5th line could be attached to your kite I think but check the manual. Flagging on a 5th line is a lot easier than flagging on a flying line in my experience.

thank you so much for taking the time to answer me on this one. What I am reading here is of vital importance for me; and i am now starting to think that i will in the future switch to a 5th line system, because i really like FULL depower, and if I understand correctly this is something which works better with 5 lines.

I would be grateful for any brand suggestion. The most depowerable kites you know of. I can imagine there are still differences between various 5lines models and brands.

[wouterb]

It is seriously a good thing to ask this type of questions, I think a lot of people benefit from just reading this, thnx

A trick I used was: bodydragging upwind.
Often when I wasn't able to stay my ground, I dragged back (just refusing to walk. lol). with a board it's even more efficient.
take position as in a normal upwinddrag but place the board in front of you. Your hook should around the aft footstrap, the depowercord holding the board down. Your front arm (normally streched out) placed across the tip of the board. grap the toeside rail just behind the fin, elbow on heelside. Now you can control the angle of the board; flat to railing. And also you can shift up or down the length of the board and obtain the best balance.

pretty decent speeds can be reached.

Don't mean this as alternative to selfrescue, but a tip in your specific situation.