who has done the rock dance at 3rd?

[tommy]

yesterday was my first time at 3rd
i'm a beginner - took lessons in march and been going 2-3 times/week since then. mostly at waddell.
went with a buddy who is way more experienced
he suggested i rig my 9m - i'm on a twin tip
launch went fine and made to within 50 yards of the marker on my tack out
then slowly lost a little ground each tack after that
then i started getting back upwind some
and then lost ground
then surrendered to the fact that i was climbing the rocks
tried to make my way to the last ramp in front of the office buildings
but didn't make it
landed the kite on the water
released right in front of the rocks
ditched the board
kite blew into the pond on the other side of the trail, right by the last office building
so i climbed the rocks, retrieved my kite and bar, set them on the trail and climbed back down the rocks to retrieve my board
then did the long walk of shame back to the upper launch
got a pretty good size rip in the canopy of my kite
and dinged the toeside rail of my board

can't wait to give it another go :)

who else has shared this same experience?

[JimmyJack]

You released the leash to the kite so that it was free to go where it wanted to?

[jwest21]

I think he means he punched out way close to the rocks and the kite fell out of the sky into the pond, with lines across the bike path. Still not a great choice. You have to punch out way before you hit the rocks so you can self rescue and have the kite in hand with a cleanly wound bar BEFORE the wind brings you into the rocks. If you can't perform a solid ninja-status self rescue, you have no place being at third… it's almost the only definite pre-requisite to flying there other than solid kite control on launches. You definitely have no place at Waddell if you can't self rescue. Practice your self-rescue every session until it's muscle memory, then practice every so often to keep it. A wet kite is better than a ripped one.

Sonny is your man for patching that kite. I came up on the rocks there once and despite having kite in hand I ripped at least 3 or 4 slices on all the sharp rocks and metal there. He made it look almost new, well it was a 5 year old kite at that time so not really new.

[ddubwinokur]

Bummer to hear about that man. We've all had those days.

For the record, you should be OK at 3rd if you can:
1. hold your line against the wind or go mildly upwind
2. be competent at doing an independent water self rescue (as described above); this way you can self rescue into the lower launch if you can't stay upwind
3. make sure you go out when the wind is blowing on the beach, not just the channel, so you have enough power to get in and out
4. you have a big enough kite to generate adequate power to go upwind given the windspeed, size your kite based on wind at the beach
5. check wind direction and tide to determine that it's favorable to getting back to the launch
6. go with a buddy

Good luck.

[windrider99]

As a beginner at third, try to kite at lowish tide, so if you're having trouble coming in to the lower launch, you can stand up and walk in. You might end up slogging through mud, but that's better than getting blown onto the rocks.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[Aloha]

A lot of good info posted so far, the one that immediately stood out to me:

Before I could go upwind - when in doubt, I'd rig big!

Unless you are very light, are riding a two-line kite or it's blowing 40 and you're on a 12, going a little bigger for conditions won't hurt especially this far into the season (generally not a lot of nuker days left at 3rd or Alameda) ... Good luck!

[mcfly777]

Hey Tommy
Welcome to 3rd. I bet most of those who went to 3rd right after lessons had one or more encounters with the rocks (myself included). However, I'd say that is not really needed. What I'd say to you:
- if you're going downwind for whatever reason (lack of skills of light/low wind), don't try to fight it. Particularly if it is for lack of skills, you won't suddenly be able to go upwind and get back to where you were. Worse, you'll be probably exhausted at the end of this exercise, and still far downwind, and swimming exhausted is no good. So when you see it's not going well, come in. Yes, the lower launch can be muddy on low tide, but it's safe and like I said there's no shame in going in.
- never wait until you're close to the rocks to pull your quickrelease. When the kite hits the water, there's a good chance it will be depowered. But for various reasons it may not depower immediately, you may need to yank the flagging front-line for example. If you're close to the rocks it's not a good place to do that. Also, my preference is to eject with the kite pointed towards the bay, again if something bad happens i'd rather swim a little than get dragged to the rocks.
- never, ever walk on the rocks with your kite up. I've seen that done. It can go bad very fast.
- for your first sessions, go when the tide is low like someone mentioned above. Very easy to walk and you can walk upwind some.
- finally, at least for the time you're a beginner, use a good PFD and a helmet. I wear both to this day (i'm not a veteran but not a newbie) and the PFD always helps when I have to swim, you waste less energy.

You can always reach out to the more experienced folks at 3rd. Everyone there looks out for each other.

See you out there.
Leo

[sflinux]

The low tide recommendation is a good one. Knowing whether it is ebbing or flooding helps too. The PFD recommendation is also a great one. When releasing your kite to leash, do so at least 2 line lengths from shore (while you and your kite are still in the water). Instinct tells you do it closer, but the reality is you'll drift towards shore much quicker than you'd think. As said above, wind ALL of your lines up and have the kite in hand before you are near the rocks. If you missed the ramp and are at the rocks, I like to release the main bladder letting air out of the kite. It is important to reseal the valve, else your bladder(s) will take on water. Then roll up your kite and work your way up the rocks.
Landing your kite with your lines over the bike path is a No No, putting others at risk.
Your kite is repairable, but always remember kiting gear is expendable.
As far as your buddy's recommendation of kite size, self rescuing a 9M kite is easier than a 12M (less pull while winding lines).
You may want to consider picking up a surfboard for when you are underpowered on your 9M.

[Cosmicocean]

+1 what said above, especially dubwinokur,
Funny that this is my fourth season and i've been out at OB and some
Ocean sessions in northern baja, hoping i can get a wadell sesh before season ends,
Point being that i thought wadell was a no go for noobs,
am i wrong?

[SFPete]

How the hell was the username "tommy" not taken until March this year?