Beginner Downwinders at Sherman

[Bulldog]

If you are a beginner and you are wanting to kite at Sherman, please, please, please do not accept a ride upriver with anyone who is not going to provide you with support on the trip back down. It doesn't matter if you are with a group; if you are all kiting, you are all in the same deep doodoo if something goes wrong.

Do not be decieved by the vibe at Sherman; the river is a dangerous place for you if you don't know what you are doing. The wind can die unexpectedly, causing your kite to fall out of the sky. It can also ramp up so much that you will be overpowered and out of control, with the results including getting lofted or teabagged onto land or knocked unconscious in the water. You could have a gear failure. There are dozens of ways in which you could end up down in the water, miles from anyone.

The river is a shipping channel, and even though the water seems warm, if you are down in it for several hours, you can easily get hypothermia. Of course you should have a full wetsuit and a PFD, but these will not necessarily save you. Even a strong swimmer would have a hard time fighting the current and/or tide to make it to land, much less back to the park -- especially towing a kite.

Yesterday a group of beginners hitched a ride upwind with some folks who will remain anonymous, but who are not among the well-known outfits at Sherman. Their ride headed back to chill at the park, and while the kiters were still far, far upwind, the wind died off. When I left at 8:15, there were still two kiters with kites down in the water nowhere near the beach.

People were trying to convince the party responsible for taking them to put their sled back in the water and do a rescue mission, but when I left it was looking like one of the more responsible boat owners out there was going to have to do the dirty work.

[zgur]

All parties made it in safely, although a bit tired....

Get some, Z.

[OliverG]

Paul,

Good advice! I went out with another group Monday evening from kitopia and was the only one who made it in, after much effor and work to do so. Everyone else came in on the boat, which was following us...without a boat, we would have had major problems. At another time over the weekend, i crashed my kite and couldn't relaunch, and came in slightly downwind of the launch, but was surprised at how strong the flood was...

Ollie

[narly1]

thats why thay call it a RIVER