TAS
455 posts
Thursday was looking like a great day. Fantastic southerlies, nice swell at cott, and not too many people on the water.
When I came in to change boards as the wind was droppingo ut, I helped someone else launch their kite. His lines were a bit twisted, so he asked to land it and have me change the lines. As I caught his kite and laid it on its side to swap the lines over, the kite flogged, caught on a pole in the fence and put a 10cm rip in the canopy. Bugger!
This guy had just flown in from Tassie, and didn't have any other gear. I couldn't help him out, not having any sticky-back in the car. So i relaunched my 12, went out and had some fun, but fun slightly tainted by the fact I had just trashed some-one else's day. I was contemplating going in and offering him my kite for a bit, when I stacked on a jump, and crashed my kite into the water. The leading edge bladder popped!
So I began the long swim in to the beach, then an even longer walk back up the beach carrying a really heavy kite (how can a bladder which can't hold air be full of water that you can't get out of it?)
On getting back to the car, completely exhausted, I looked out at the water - it was still good, but had dropped a bit, so my 16 would be OK.
I had a quick chat to someone on the beach, telling them the story, and saying I would go out again - "bugger the gods - they can't hurt me anymore"
15 minutes of fun later, quitely happy that the worst was behind me - BLAMMO. I got hit by the road-train of bad-karma! In a carbon copy of the first crash, I blew the leading edge of my 16 as well!
I've never blown a leading edge before.
But on a brighter note for everyone else, I'm certain that my own personal bad karma, and being out of action till I can get my kites fizxed, should guarantee excellent kiting conditions for everyone else.
I think I've paid my penalty. I'm going to go and cry
NSW
4460 posts
Buddy this is boomerang country.
TAS
455 posts
just got out my gear and took a looka t it
16 - good news: just the plug popped out of the valver. The velcro must have come undone
12 - plugs still firmly in place. About three litres of water inside leading edge bladder. No hole to be found. What the?
The bladder went flat instantly on hitting the water, so the hole should be of a fair size. How can this happen, and what's the best way to find the hole - i've run the water continuously from one end of the bladder to the other, and it doesn't leak at all
b
crap
