Record for long distance gear breakage swim?

Greenroom said...

I know people who have had to swim for 3 hours to shore... and that was in the dark!!!

Fargen hell, horror story!!!!!

I spent 45 mins in the river a couple of seasons ago, swapping sides doing side stroke dragging my rig as when my tendon snapped the board hit a nice little bit river chop and with that it left me behind, I tried to catch it but could not swim fast enough, so I went back for my rig, someone kindly retrieved the board for me and it was waiting at the grass rigging area, not a real scary moment just a hard slog, very glad I had my buoyancy vest on that day and I don't sail with out it!

The crew kept an eye on me which was nice.

GT

I had a session from hell quite a few years back in Brighton.. not so much a long swim as a long float..

Midweek session, no-one around, self launch my X2 18m in light dodgy conditions. It's a long high AR kite, and with old weak bladders I can't pump it hard enough. In retrospect I call it The Seagull cos it flapped it's wings all the time and liked sh!tting all over me. Anyway I stuff the launch up and the kite rolls back through the lines, have to re-rig and start again. With the lunch time (non-kite) picnic crowd waiting & watching every move..

Finally get going and I decide to head right out into the bay, nice long run to make some good ground upwind in the light conditions. As I get right out there the jellyfish get thicker, so I just keep going waiting for them to thin out. Eventually I'm going over packs of them so thick there's more jelly than water. I start thinking 'don't stuff up' over and over, so of course I catch a lull, stall the kite backwards into the water, and all of a sudden I'm getting stung like there's no tomorrow.

Try to relaunch the kite a few times but there's no hope in the light wind, it's rolled into a wet ball and staying that way. My board's gone and I'm starting to get stings on my stings, which get progressively more painful. I swim to the kite, let some air out and try to get it wrapped up, but I'm still getting stung. Eventually I roll it all around me, till it's like I'm sitting in a floating kiddy pool with a wall all around and under me to keep the jellys out.

It took at least an hour to float in like this, probably more. I gave up trying to kick or propel myself as I just got more stings. I sat there and let the wind blow me back to shore, stung from foot to upper thigh on both legs (yes they got in my boardies). All the poison went to some glands in my groin I never knew I had, and the pain there kept me entertained all the way in.

When I finally made it close enough to wade in, I hadn't seen my board in at least an hour. It took another hour of running up and down the bay to spot my board, and a further 45 mins for it to wash in (No way I was going back in there to get it, even though there weren't many jellys in close). Instead I changed into some dry clothes, had a ciggie, and waited for it to come to me.

It was high tide when it finally came in, half way around the bay. As I leaned out on the concrete steps to finally grab my board, I slipped and fell in, cutting myself on shells in a few places and landing hard on a rock. That really capped off my day.

I went home for a hot shower, cold beer, and to think about how much I love kiting.