Be careful with boats

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Arnaud
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Be careful with boats

Post by Arnaud » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:04 pm

I often read posts here about some kiters having a bad attitude and putting the others in danger. I think like everyone else, what an asshole. Well today I was this guy.

I wanted to share this with you because it can really happen to anyone, a bad decision can happen fast. I hope it will prevent some people to end up like me today.

I was in Sherman. There was the two boats from kitopia following each other, very slowly. I should have waited for the boats to pass. Instead, I decided to pass between the two boats... Last minute I noticed there were actually towing. My reaction was to jump to avoid the rope... I ended up landing on a boat. I bounced on the boat and then my board hitted a girl's head. Thanks god she was wearing a helmet, and she is okay. I'll check with her tomorrow.

I sincerely apologize and I learned a lesson for sure today... Even when it seems safe, a surprise can happen and it's fine if you're alone, but not if other people are involved.

I want to thank everyone who was involved today for being nice. I didn't deserve it.
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le noun
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Re: Be careful with boats

Post by le noun » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:14 pm

As long as she was wearing a helmet, then everything is fine.
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jsin138
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Be careful with boats

Post by jsin138 » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:32 pm

Any boater without a helmet cares little about their own safety.

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Re: Be careful with boats

Post by JRaut » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:34 pm

Arnaud wrote:Thanks god she was wearing a helmet
I think the OP meant *Praise Allah she was wearing a helmet*

J

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Re: Be careful with boats

Post by sloughslut » Sun Sep 15, 2013 9:00 pm

Best post ever |}{+
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biba
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Re: Be careful with boats

Post by biba » Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:48 am

le noun wrote:As long as she was wearing a helmet, then everything is fine.
In the end wearing a helmet is not for the kiter but for the ones around him/her, so they can remain safe :P. Launch me? pls? :D

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Re: Be careful with boats

Post by Kitopia » Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:10 pm

I would like to say the view point from the boat this is Sandy owner of Kitopia kiteboarding school. Yesterday after teaching a lesson I was returning back to the boat ramp at Sherman Island when I seen a distressed boater, they flagged me down asking for assistance I offered them a tow back into the boat ramp they were just above the second island when I started pulling them in on our way to the ramp as we passed the second island we had to go thru the kiters which over the last few years has been a scary and dangerous thing as kiters these days seem fearless, and on more than one occasion I have seen and tried to avoid kites jumping over my boat!!!!!!!!! Well yesterday when I was towing the distressed boater back in, I continually checked back at the boat to make sure the towing was going ok, as we were getting closer to the first Island I look back and seen a kiter start to kite between my boat and the boat I was towing, which the distance between the 2 boats was no more than 30 feet apart, as the kiter got closer it looked like he was going to ollie over the tow line, then at the last second that ollie turned into a sent jump, he hit the top back of my boat, (I have the board marks on my boat) then he hit with his board still on his feet the back of my students HEAD!!!! knocking her into the seat next to her, knocking the helmet she was thankfully wearing off her head and into the water. The impact broke parts of the helmet. My students don’t typically have a helmet on while in the boat just fortunately for her she hadn't taken it off yet.
The girl who was hit in the back of the head seemed ok at the time, I’m still waiting to hear back from her today to make sure the injuries were not more severe, she seemed ok when she left but shock sometimes has a way of masking other injuries that may not show up immediately.

Accidents happen but this one could've been avoided. It seems like there are kiter’s out there that don’t realize, they infact are a vessel on the water and that they have to follow the same boating laws as any other vessel on the water (just a note; Sherman and most locations in the bay are Federal waterways, rules are definitely inforced and more strict than just kiting in some random lake.) If this accident would of happen with any other boater, they might not have been as nice as we were, they may have gotten the Coast Guard and or Sheriff involved I’m assuming that would be bad for us all! We were very fortunate that no one got as hurt as badly as they could of if the board would of hit just a few inches lower she could of been paralyzed or even died, this accident should not be taken lightly. If the authorities do ever get involved there is a good chance that kiting could be shut down in that area and since most of the areas we kite in are Federal waterways they could decide to shut down kiting in all Federal waterways because of the neglect of just one kiter!!! I really hope we can all learn from this accident to help prevent future accidents on the water!

All it takes is one kiter to be the Snowy Plover.

Could someone please explain to me why it would be fun to jump over a boat this is not the first person who has done this to me its just the first time its gotten someone got hurt.

I also gotta ask since when was it necessary for a fisherman to wear a helmet while fishing??? Recreational boaters should not need to wear helmets if they are following the boating laws.

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Re: Be careful with boats

Post by Aloha » Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:36 pm

Going in between two vessels 30 feet apart probably isn't the most prudent decision you can make on the water, but I've seen tighter passings than even that when things are crowded out there...

I think the major surprise/unknown was the tow line that resulted in a late game change of plans that didn't end well. Hopefully this will be a lesson to anyone who reads it to consider less obvious obstacles that you may someday face on the water (such as a tow line between boats etc.) in the same spirit of my "don't wind shadow yourself with a tanker even though you're way downwind and think you're clear of it, but you're not" thread last season. We kite, we learn, we share, and we all learn. Hope you weren't too hard on him Sandy & glad everyone was okay!

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Re: Be careful with boats

Post by Arnaud » Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:46 pm

Sandy, I called the girl this morning and she said “I’m feeling okay today”
I’m lucky I could learn this lesson without more severe consequences.
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Re: Be careful with boats

Post by Sonny » Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:55 pm

Not sure why you would try to go between two boats that close together.
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