I feel like i should share my story...
For anyone who can't be bothered reading, the moral of the story is
runaway kites don't always drift downwind!I was kiting away at woodies last friday afternoon on my 7m. I was tucked away behind the groyne on Beach One, which has lovely flat water in the westerlies and essentially a cross shore breeze. I had only been out for about 15 minutes and then for some unknown reason my loop jumped off my harness. For another unknown reason, my leash also let go. It hapenned in a flash.
I was about 100m from the shore, so I started swimming in direct to the beach so that i could run down the beach and try to intercept my kite before it got to land (it was drifting cross shore, but slightly on shore). With legs like Jelly, i eventually made it to the kite, but just as i got there, a small wave hit the wingtip and kind of folded it over. The resultant shape of the kite must have resembed a small sailboat with a keel, becuase my kite shot off side wind and started to head out to sea. Yes, it was drifting about 90 degrees sideways into the wind!!!
I swam after if but could only reach the bar. As soon as i grabbed it and went to untangle, the kite started looping. I held on for as long as i could, trying to untangle the bar, but as anyone knows, its not easy when your barely even holding on with 2 fingers. I had to let her go again. She crashed in the water, not 20 meters away, so I thought i'd be able to swim after her and grab the kite instead of the lines. I follwed the kite about 200 meters out to sea. I was no closer to the kite, but it wasn't getting away either. I knew that if i kept swimming and eventually caught her, then i could rest knowing that it would keep me afloat and i could turn it and drift back to shore. But the other possible outcome was that i would follow it another 500m and then not get there and drown. I forgot to mention that i was alone on the bach, all the other kiters were at beach 2.
After waving my kite goodbye, i swam back to shore, collected the rest of my stuff and headed back to the car. I was hoping that the kite would wash up in the boatyards somewhere south of woodies so i planned to drive around. I first drove out on the northern breakwater. When i got there, my kite was about 80m out. There was just me and a fisherman, and we couldnt believe that although the wind was directly in our faces, the kite was still travelling southerly, sideways across the wind. I potentially could have swam out and intercepted it, but there were massive waves breaking on the rocks, and i don't think i would have had much fun trying to get back out of that water onto the rocks with those waves, it would have killed me.
I drove around to the next breakwater, and luckily the kite had turned a bit more westerly and was about to land on the rocks. Again, i would have ,loved to jump in the water and deflate the kite, but it would have been very difficult to get back out of the water with the kite without hurting or killing myself. I stood on the rocks and waited for the kite to reach me. HOORAY, as i grabbed it and quickly pulled the bung.
Half of the kite was out of the water and i quickly rolled this up on the rocks. But the other half had been pushed by the waves into a crack between two rocks. Now let me tell you, these rocks were sharp. And everytime i tried to gently pull my kite from this crack, a fresh wave would come and jam it in. All i had running through my mind were the pictures of a 12m North kite at cott. Maying it worse, the struts were still fully inflated, i couldnt get to the deflate clips, and these struts were heavily jammed into the rocks. Eventually, i got her free, rolled up the kite and put her in the car.
Now for the bar, i had four lines coming out of the water but the bar was obviously snagged on a rock under water. So, fast forward to monday morning which was the first calm weather opportunity. I got up early before work and headed down to the spot. 7am, there i am sitting on the rocks with my wettie on, feet in the water, about to put my goggles on but alas, they are broken. If i haven't snapped yet, then i don't think i'm going to. Anyway, i ended up going back monday arvo and after diving down about 3m, i eventually managed to recover my bar and lines.
So, overall damage:
Small 1cm tear to side of kite
10cm tear to second strut and a popped bladder.
Tangled lines.
Not too bad considering what could have happened.
