Tangled.

[offshore?]

there is certain riders who are dead who may have benefitted from a knife.

lets just hope you never need one!

[unHooked]

My little 3in survival knife saved me from getting dragged across a highway by a AB 16.4 in 20kts. The rope end loop stuck to the end of the open release shackle. Thanks to lightning quick reflexes and a my flashing slashing blade, i'm here to tell this fantastic tale.

~U H~

P.S. got a steel ring that day, and going for the new pin releases mentioned on the forum

Floaty Q line has also been mentioned to help prevent tangles while you're kicking and swimming. (try not to kick your legs if that's possible)


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: unHooked on 2002-12-18 01:17 ]</font>

[Guest]

On 2002-12-13 00:43, Blow Me wrote:
Hey Guys/Gals.

As most of you know, I'm still fairly new at kitesurfing.

I have a fear in the back of my mind, and was wondering if anybody could offer any advice, or expiriences on it.

If you bail out there somewhere, maybe quite a ways from the shore, (or even close, it doesn't really matter), and you get tangled in your lines. I have a fear of getting tangled in my lines if I bail, and not being able to get out of them, or swim.

Is this common? Has it happened to anybody? Are there any good preventive measures to avoid this?

Any feedback, is really appreciated.

Cheers.

Yep it's happened to me... It happened in a a 30 knot crossshore wind pretty close to shore. I was wrapped up in a straight jacket, board biscuit (ie wrapped up in the kiteleash and board leash, unable to let go of the bar). Kite was powerlooping but fortunately hit the water and I was able to free myself and hit the saftey before the kite relaunched... not too far away from the road either.

It was caused by me not knowing my kite....

BLOWN AWAY

[Greeny]

Thanks for the advice guys.

The incident I recalled was probably my 5th session. I have been wakeboarding & windsurfing for 15 years or more, so I had one brief lesson, flew kites on land, watched How to Rip 1 & 2 - bought a kite & off I went on my wakeboard - got confident too quickly!

I always recomend to anybody else with the same background to have proper instruction to learn the correct safety techniques.

I still think a knife is essential, even with experience & application of common sense, it is the unexpected you have to be able to cater for. You cannot have too many levels of safety with this sport - in my opinion.

Cheers

Tony

[BLOWN AWAY]

...... or you could use a C Quad...

Do danger of a powerlooping kite once it's down it's down .

Just don't get too near to the the submerged kite... or you'll get tangled in the bridles and get pulled under with the sinking kite....

BLOWN AWAY

[Greeny]

& that brief lesson I had was at Kite Beach in Maui, possibly the worst place in the world to learn!! Gusty, seaweed everywhere, rocks, trees, no beach!

[Blow Me]

BLOWN AWAY,
how does the kite sink?

Whats Power Looping?

[unHooked]

my C Quad sank in shallow water, it looked like a giant multi-colored stingray hugging the bottom. Was comical.

The PL C Quad kites are single skin with glass or carbon rod structured frames. They do have sleves for foam tube (plumbing insulation works) floatation.

[BLOWN AWAY]

On 2002-12-18 11:11, Blow Me wrote:
BLOWN AWAY,
how does the kite sink?

Whats Power Looping?

C Quads without the floats sink , you can use floaties but whether or not they ruin the kites low wind performance is an interesting observation... you can't relaunch the bigger ones.

Tube kites don't sink....

Powerlooping is when the kite does an out of control loop in the powerzone... ie directly downwind of you... as it's out of control you DO NOT want this to happen... out of control unbearable pull.

BLOWN AWAY