3rd Ave - Kiter accident at upper launch

[usa4]

Lyn Pruit was the Kiter who in the accident.
He is a long time Bay Area windsurfer and racer and began kiting in the last few years in la Ventana & more recently at 3rd. He is getting ready to go into surgury.
Thank you for all those who responded quickly and for the tips on avoiding such accidents.

[MehYam]

The range of a kite doesn't change with trimming. All trimming does is lock in an amount of depower, and reduces the amount you can impose/effect by sheeting out.

What's wrong with locking in some depower? Are you saying you'd prefer that people don't go out if their kites are at the top of their wind ranges? That advice isn't practical, as nobody will follow it. Locking in depower is good if it means you're not having to hold the bar at full arm's length, especially during takeoff/landing.

[friggin old guy]

Hope Lyn recovers 100% and is back on the water soon.

The instinctual reaction in these situations is to sheet in, and it takes quite some time to learn to react immediately in just the opposite way. In most situations even if the kite has drifted into the hot zone directly downwind, if you sheet out all the way or if you let go of the bar, the kite will fly to zenith but without enough power to gank you off your feet or loft you. That assumes your kite is matched to conditions...if you're op'd in super gusty stuff, all bets are off and you'd better be ready to eject.

Agree with previous poster that your chances of getting ganked off your feet are minimized if you can sheet out but maintain directional control and keep the kite lower in the window as it powers over to the edge.

Even after years of doing this, the amount of depower you have with just a few inches of throw on the bar and the difference it can make is truly amazing to me. It's hard to trust the depower and let that bar go at first........

Personally I don't like going out with the kite at the top of its range. I'll do it if conditions are steady or forecasted to drop, but I seldom use the depower strap if I can avoid doing so. Maybe I'm lazy but if I have to gank that depower in very much at all, I should be on a smaller kite.

[etxxz]

Hope Lyn recovers 100% and is back on the water soon.

.......
In most situations even if the kite has drifted into the hot zone directly downwind, if you sheet out all the way or if you let go of the bar, the kite will fly to zenith but without enough power to gank you off your feet or loft you.
.....

this has been my experience in those situations... i experience it every time i self launch and man i hot launch almost every time.

I'm reaaaaally sorry this happened to a fellow kiter. Those rocks have hurt my feet in the past just walking on them. I can't imagine slamming against them. Wow. Wish a quick recovery.

Depower your ** and be careful. I always tell newbies to be afraid of the power a kite can develop if you let it run rampant. And when in doubt, eject your kite. a $1000 kite is less than a 3mi ambulance ride.

[kenjidnb]

This is a good reminder that accidents like this don't always involve the least experienced rider. There are many accidents involving experienced riders every year. Remember the Kinsley Wong accident a few years back? Sh** can happen to any of us, beginner or experienced.

Sheeting in for kite recovery isn't necessary a beginner's instinct, I've noticed some kiters getting too confident and thinking "I can recover from this", so they keep pulling in random direction hoping that the kite will stop pulling at some point. This eventually works while you are on the water, far away from any hard object. But on land, especially at 3rd, now with a shrinking launch area, this is very hazardous.

Off course, we can always say that punching out the quick release would have avoided that accident, but who knows what went through his mind at this particular moment.
Learning how to react in case of problem is only part of the solution. Before a launch, we should always talk to other kiters, observe,listen to our guts, double check your equipment... In fact, anything that brings more awareness to the surroundings will help in preventing AND reacting.

Even if you drove 2 hours to get here, missed many good sessions because too busy with work/life or your buddy is already out there having an epic session, the only deciding factors should be those involving safety first.

I wish Lyn a good recovery.

[jrg]

The range of a kite doesn't change with trimming. All trimming does is lock in an amount of depower, and reduces the amount you can impose/effect by sheeting out. Most kites do not handle as well when trimmed, because they are designed to handle on the back lines which, when trimmed, are not under tension.

This is NOT true with the kites I have used. With my kites (~2007 Waroos, 2008 Cabs, 2010 Fones, 2011+ Airrush) putting in some depower will shift the range of the kite upwards (you can depower more by sheeting out). The kites listed above handle just fine with a reasonable amount of depower).

[drroc]

The range of a kite doesn't change with trimming. All trimming does is lock in an amount of depower, and reduces the amount you can impose/effect by sheeting out. Most kites do not handle as well when trimmed, because they are designed to handle on the back lines which, when trimmed, are not under tension.

This is NOT true with the kites I have used. With my kites (~2007 Waroos, 2008 Cabs, 2010 Fones, 2011+ Airrush) putting in some depower will shift the range of the kite upwards (you can depower more by sheeting out). The kites listed above handle just fine with a reasonable amount of depower).

Depower trimming essentially give you longer back lines and reduces the angle of attack for the kite. On all of my kites, depower trimming significantly changes their effective wind range. However, when fully depowered, the kites don't fly as well as they become sluggish. Although, the ideal depower is a smaller kite :)

[behindThePeak]

i wasn't there, but from what i can tell by reading the accounts it seams to me the biggest issue is that the kiter didn't eject. helmets are important, sheeting in/out and de-powering matter in nuanced ways, kite size makes things easier or harder sure. Gusts happen, and upper third isn't the easiest launch because it always causes kites to stall, but really, at the end of the day: ejecting solves all problems.

best advice i got while learning was to build a habit of practicing ejecting into your kiting routine so you'll be ready with quick reactions and reliable muscle memory when you need it.

every time i change direction on the water i take advantage of that mellow moment when i'm building speed on the new tack to drop my dominant hand and tap my quick release. every time i land my kite i go through a quick-release drill as i wrap up my lines. Two quick mindless motions that i don't even think about anymore but have saved my ass a few times a few times over the years when i needed to punch out quickly on bad launches and spotty conditions.

to all the newbees out there looking to learn from this; that's my advice.

best of luck to Lyn, terrible news and hopping for a swift recovery.

[ino]

quick recovery to Lyn . I m very sorry to hear that he got hurt. hopefully he ll be back with us soon.

[Aloha]

I agree that it can really happen to any of us at any moment no matter how long you've been at the game. I had a failed self-land earlier in the year at OB that left me getting dragged a bit in a kite loop that was only stopped by a lucky QR reflex from turning into a worse situation.

I remember a few years ago at 3rd I saw a guy slip on the mud, lose it, and get dragged into the rocks - stopping about a foot short from a huge piece of rebar sticking out of what looked like a concrete block rock pointed at his body. Definitely must approach a mudfest slippery launch like 3rd with "one hand on the trigger [of the QR]"

With regard to lulls and re-powering, the old Kirk saying "rig for the gusts, not for the lulls" has always served me pretty well. It's a lot easier to recover a quick, responsive, fast bumble bee 7m into a controllable zone than a 10m (or bigger for those of you rigging for the lulls) hindenburg that is transforming into a rocketship by a gust after falling back. A surfboard and a tiny kite can go a long way on those awesome(?) 10 gusting 30 days. I wish this guy a fast recovery it is awful when things like this happen. Everybody be safe out there