My self rescue vid. long swim...Fuerteventura

> 10 years ago
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doc jans
doc jans
VIC
70 posts
VIC, 70 posts
7 Feb 2010 9:59am
800 meters from shore, kite stuffed, cross offshore winds at 20 knots, hammerheads and reef sharks below and a long swim to shore.

Smedg
Smedg
NSW
836 posts
NSW, 836 posts
7 Feb 2010 11:15am
on a positive note, that's some awesome footage........
glad you survived. 800m and offshore isn't a situation i'd like to be in ever without a rescue crew lined up.
KiteDevil
KiteDevil
TAS
778 posts
TAS, 778 posts
7 Feb 2010 12:22pm
what happened did you break a line or something?
doc jans
doc jans
VIC
70 posts
VIC, 70 posts
7 Feb 2010 9:02pm
Nah the kite was in the sink, and a wave hit it as I was pulling on the 5th line to relaunch and a gust flipped it over on its back and the lines twisted so that the right front lines were pulled over the back. I had been doing more back rolls in one direction and the 5th line was twisted around the centre lines meaning that when I ejected the damn thing was still powered up and was doing loops to one side over and over. It would sit on the water until another gust came and lifted it up. There was a few times when I tried to reel it in that the damn thing would do another loop, and the lines had gathered around my arms and caught on my harness.

To say the least, it was a bit hairy at times! Thankfully it was doing loops in the opposite direction of the twist on the 5th line, and eventually I was able to get it to flag and reel it in and then self rescue as seen in the vid.

I have noticed that the new 2010 North bar, now has a twist reverse saftey mechanism built in just for this exact problem.
GalahOnTheBay
GalahOnTheBay
NSW
4188 posts
NSW, 4188 posts
7 Feb 2010 9:27pm
Smedg said...

on a positive note, that's some awesome footage........
glad you survived. 800m and offshore isn't a situation i'd like to be in ever without a rescue crew lined up.


nice footage indeed, but footage I would rather not have.

Unfortunately self rescue is becoming one of those long lost black arts of kiting.
Andrash
Andrash
WA
637 posts
WA, 637 posts
7 Feb 2010 6:43pm
You're looking good on this vid, and you seem to have done all the right things......glad you or anyone else were not hurt.....
....its all part of the game...well done
ApatheticEnd
ApatheticEnd
WA
995 posts
WA, 995 posts
7 Feb 2010 9:48pm
Self rescue and emergency packdown was something I practiced several times even after I finished my first few lessons. Seems like a bloody important thing to know. That far out, even if a rescue boat has to come out, you've done everything you can do to be safe and it's piss easy for them to pick you up and deflate your kite.

It was pretty cool the first time I sat on the kite, held the grab handle, and sailed my kite back into shore. It's pretty confidence inspiring to know you can do it.
doc jans
doc jans
VIC
70 posts
VIC, 70 posts
12 Feb 2010 10:35am
thanks guys, i thought i was going to get hammered posting this...
Pedro Sexton
Pedro Sexton
VIC
116 posts
VIC, 116 posts
12 Feb 2010 11:28am
GalahOnTheBay said...

Smedg said...

on a positive note, that's some awesome footage........
glad you survived. 800m and offshore isn't a situation i'd like to be in ever without a rescue crew lined up.


nice footage indeed, but footage I would rather not have.

Unfortunately self rescue is becoming one of those long lost black arts of kiting.


Totally agree about it being a long lost black art and that's a little worrying.

Doc Jans I could feel your pain. I have been in this situation (minus the sharks a few times).
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