My close call - Be Careful

[buckidge]

Be careful out there everyone.
*Don't rush. Think Everything out*

Today I had a close call with serious trouble at Berkeley (Pt. Emory). I came a way with 3 sore fingers, some bloodied knuckles, a minorly bruised ego, and a damaged strap on my life vest.

Here's my story:
When I kite at Berkeley (rarely) and at OB (fairly frequently) my self-launch/land strategy has always been to fill a big, heavy duty bag with sand, attach some rope to the bag, and a climbing carabiner to the rope. Easy as pie, every time. It feels safe. It is safe.

Today the sand was hard and heavy and wet and hard to dig/scrape off the beach. I filled the bag part way, determined it wasn't enough. Filled some more. Figured it would be good (especially since it was wet), but I *RUSHED* to that judgement because I had someone ready to help me launch (rather than using/testing the bag).

Off to the bay... great session. Not killer but fun to be out as always. 9m depowered most the way. Felt great. Felt glued to my surfboard since I actually remembered wax today.

Time to come in and self-land as always. Depower the kite. Walk to the bag. Hook carabiner to chicken loop. Fly kite to edge of window. Remove donkey dick. Be careful of the woman walking near my kite. At this time everything's good.

Then I unhooked my chicken loop from my harness and immediately realized the bag wasn't heavy enough. The kite was on the sand at the edge of the window, so I was okay, steering it back down to the ground, but it was quite a precarious spot to be in... The kite wanted to fly. I had no way to land that kite from this position (bag would have been dragged along beach).

I debate my options... start trying to kick sand int the bag while holding the kite on the edge of the window? That could take 20-30 minutes with all my attention now on flying the kite. Not very reasonable. Try to get the old lady passing by to grab the kite? No way she's strong enough. Try to pull on lines (alternate self-landing style) and get the kite to fall on it's leading edge?

Yeah... trying to carefully steer/land the kite down was the best option for me.

It didn't take long for the option to not work. One miscalculated pull and up the kite went right overhead. Powered up heading towards the bike path. One quick loop and we're off. Next stop I-80. Over the logs into those awesome soft green plant things.

Crash! It was over. It kite came down just short of the bike path, fully powered. I'm panicking, laying on my stomach in those awesome soft green plant things hoping the kite doesn't start pulling more. Some bikers/runners come by trying to help. I see that my safety has wrapped itself around the control bar. No way to depower that sucker. They can't really hold the kite/don't know what to do.

With urgency and calm I shout instructions to grab the "big black tube" on the edge. Why are there no big dudes around? Only 2 small women. Not enough to hold the kite. Make that now 3 small women. They're holding the kite tight, but it could still go flying. Finally, more shouts for help and some stronger people come by and upon my instruction, wrestle the kite to the ground.

Finally I can detach my leash, I come join them in the civilians vs kite wrestling match on the bike path, and I deflate the kite. I get to go home safely. Phew.

Kitemare? Maybe, but with a happy ending. Getting dragged over those logs could have ended much worse. I'm actully probably quite lucky.

BTW. I was wearing a helmet. I'm glad I always do when a situation like this happens to me.

IT ALL COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF I HADN'T RUSHED OUT TO THE WATER.
Shame on me. Don't be like today me. Be like every other day me, who's extra careful.

Should I now grab the popcorn?

[Xor]

Glad you and bystanders are fine!
Thanks for posting.
I bet we all have something goes wrong from time to time and get experience.
Totally agree, do not rush and double check (but how hard it is to follow when wind is good and calling). But better to get out later, but safe.

[ino]

Hey bro , we all make mistakes , all the time.
Today berkeley seemed windy and lots of beach to self launch and land.
I personally feel weird whenever the kite is attached to something other than me.
The sand bags in my opinion are more weight to carry around but work great to hold the kite down and nothing else .
IN my humble opinion . if you re not feeling so sure about the self land.
Just bring the kite closest to water before the beach and pull your safety , worst case
10 min light birds nest. A wet kite and possible hitting the rocks with a depowered kite.
I m glad it turned out ok.
Last year I once came in to the lower beach when wind died on high tide my floating kite choose to go to the rocks and just waited there.

[waves are good]

Everyone beyond the beginner level should know how to self launch and land a kite without using anchors or piles of sand on wingtips etc.

Self launching and landing is a basic skill that kiters should have if you are riding at advanced spots around the bay area and the coast.

Enough said.

[victor]

that is one of the worst beaches to self launch and land especially in strong gusty wind like yesterday. very experienced kiters have had near disasters there.

if a kite ends up on the frontage road or freeway and causes an accident we could be banned from the spot.

FYI
there's a very sturdy self launch/land chain with a caribiner attached to a log on the parking lot side just below the soft green plant things (aka iceplant)

[JimmyJack]

Everyone beyond the beginner level should know how to self launch and land a kite without using anchors or piles of sand on wingtips etc.

Self launching and landing is a basic skill that kiters should have if you are riding at advanced spots around the bay area and the coast.

Enough said.

I struggle with the concept that one needs to be an expert landing and launcher before riding a place like Berkeley Marina. This is indeed proabably one of the most dificult but doable spots in the east bay to land and launch. But once you are in the water it is pretty safe place to be in the water (no ebb to take you to Farrallons, no shipping traffic and if somethng goes wrong you are generally back where you started.

I go here and TP a fair bit. Mostly here on low tide and TP any other time. This place can be busy with people in not a lot of space. It just feels tight. I can self launch no problem almost anywhere by just rolling the kite over downwind of me. But self landing is much trickier. I spent a couple of hours landing and launching my larger kite in too light of winds at TP one day, but does that prepare me for a gusty landing at this place? Doubt it. I do believe that I get better at it as I progress as a kiter in general. So this is the dilemma, should intermediate folks be kiting in locations that are user friendly but entry exits (in particular) are not. My view on this, and I am open to alternative views, is illustrated by my actions at this location. The anchor mentioned above is not always easy to find, I have brought an anchor before, but now I self launch and when I come in, if it is gusty and dangerous, I just put the kite on the water and realease the safety I have an Ozone bar so clean up is easy.

[etxxz]

Don't understand why after the realization of the bag not being heavy enough you either tried to self land the kite or let go of the chicken loop / pop it. Flag the sucker and reel it in. Even after it took off. LET GO of it. That's what the safety leash is for , as everyone above pointed out. That's quite a few basic basic concepts that needs correcting amigo. Glad you're alright.

Homework - next time you go to OB learn to self land the kite the right way (no help of by-standers or sand bags). Plenty of beach to f*-up on.

[cleepa]

Everyone beyond the beginner level should know how to self launch and land a kite without using anchors or piles of sand on wingtips etc.

Self launching and landing is a basic skill that kiters should have if you are riding at advanced spots around the bay area and the coast.

Enough said.

I struggle with the concept that one needs to be an expert landing and launcher before riding a place like Berkeley Marina. This is indeed proabably one of the most dificult but doable spots in the east bay to land and launch. But once you are in the water it is pretty safe place to be in the water (no ebb to take you to Farrallons, no shipping traffic and if somethng goes wrong you are generally back where you started.

I go here and TP a fair bit. Mostly here on low tide and TP any other time. This place can be busy with people in not a lot of space. It just feels tight. I can self launch no problem almost anywhere by just rolling the kite over downwind of me. But self landing is much trickier. I spent a couple of hours landing and launching my larger kite in too light of winds at TP one day, but does that prepare me for a gusty landing at this place? Doubt it. I do believe that I get better at it as I progress as a kiter in general. So this is the dilemma, should intermediate folks be kiting in locations that are user friendly but entry exits (in particular) are not. My view on this, and I am open to alternative views, is illustrated by my actions at this location. The anchor mentioned above is not always easy to find, I have brought an anchor before, but now I self launch and when I come in, if it is gusty and dangerous, I just put the kite on the water and realease the safety I have an Ozone bar so clean up is easy.

The answer is simple. If you are at a spot that may require self launching or landing, and you are not confident that you can safely do so, then you shouldn't be kiting there.

[JimmyJack]

[/quote]

The answer is simple. If you are at a spot that may require self launching or landing, and you are not confident that you can safely do so, then you shouldn't be kiting there.[/quote]

Again, like I said, there are safe ways to land a kite that don't require the ability to self land in a gusty situation. Not everyone that kites at Crissy for example can self land a kite, especially a foil, so why is that requirement necessary when there are other ways, safer ways to end your day?

Good point above about practicing at OB. It is the perfect place to practice.

[steve]

I'm surprised that one of your first opions wasn't to just go back in the water and land your kite. Just in case you weren't sure, your kite was designed to get wet :)
steve