Good idea to practice that skill, especially in strong winds it's not easy.

I believe the main reason people struggle with the idea of a self-rescue is because they haven't had a chance to practice it in their lessons and hence they do not master this skill at all.

The current International standard of teaching (IKO) requires to wrap the lines on the bar after securing the leash line on the bar. Now this all sounds great in theory, on paper and looks great on videos in 15 knots or when you practice it in shallow water or on the beach with your instructor. Most IKO instructors I know simply don't allow the student to practice this skills in deep waters and strong winds as they know the student won't have much chance of success. They either simply skip the self-rescue all together or simply teach it on the beach or in shallow waters.

The reality is that the wrapping of the lines method is overrated in strong winds and deep choppy water. I actually never seen anyone successfully and quickly wrap their lines around the bar before creating a sail in stronger winds in deep choppy waters. Wrapping lines around your bar in strong winds is very difficult and unsafe if you don't do it exactly the way it should be done. Plus it takes time...time you could be using creating your sail and getting back to the shore before you drift too far downwind.

The method we've successfully been teaching in our school for at least the past 5 years doesn't involve any wrapping of the lines. Simply follow your leash to the safety line and keep following one centre line all the way to the kite once it's safely de-powered. You can easily avoid excessive tangles by: 1) not swimming or kicking your feet , 2) pulling yourself to the kite instead of pulling the kite to you and 3) paying attention to the lines and leaving the lines and bar behind you as you go passed it on the way to the kite. Even if you come back to the shore with a few tangles, it's no big deal and doesn't affect your safety as long as you're holding your kite and creating your sail you're on your way back, that's the main thing.

All our students have to do the self-rescue the first time we get into the water. As far as I know We've never had failures using the method described above and had well over 1500 students self-rescue without issues over the years.

NickT said...
I still like to wrap, especially if I want to continue my session. My self rescues of late though have been a swim without my kite!

That's OK you know we got your back man

cbulota said...
Good idea to practice that skill, especially in strong winds it's not easy.

I believe the main reason people struggle with the idea of a self-rescue is because they haven't had a chance to practice it in their lessons and hence they do not master this skill at all.

The current International standard of teaching (IKO) requires to wrap the lines on the bar after securing the leash line on the bar. Now this all sounds great in theory, on paper and looks great on videos in 15 knots or when you practice it in shallow water or on the beach with your instructor. Most IKO instructors I know simply don't allow the student to practice this skills in deep waters and strong winds as they know the student won't have much chance of success. They either simply skip the self-rescue all together or simply teach it on the beach or in shallow waters.

The reality is that the wrapping of the lines method is overrated in strong winds and deep choppy water. I actually never seen anyone successfully and quickly wrap their lines around the bar before creating a sail in stronger winds in deep choppy waters. Wrapping lines around your bar in strong winds is very difficult and unsafe if you don't do it exactly the way it should be done. Plus it takes time...time you could be using creating your sail and getting back to the shore before you drift too far downwind.

The method we've successfully been teaching in our school for at least the past 5 years doesn't involve any wrapping of the lines. Simply follow your leash to the safety line and keep following one centre line all the way to the kite once it's safely de-powered. You can easily avoid excessive tangles by: 1) not swimming or kicking your feet , 2) pulling yourself to the kite instead of pulling the kite to you and 3) paying attention to the lines and leaving the lines and bar behind you as you go passed it on the way to the kite. Even if you come back to the shore with a few tangles, it's no big deal and doesn't affect your safety as long as you're holding your kite and creating your sail you're on your way back, that's the main thing.

All our students have to do the self-rescue the first time we get into the water. As far as I know We've never had failures using the method described above and had well over 1500 students self-rescue without issues over the years.

Interesting! So do you keep your harness connected with the safety leash and chicken loop with this method, or disconnect?

I've done something similar, I stayed connected, but was scared about getting lines tangled around me, then the kite firing up.

Thanks for the advice.

Dunno about not wrapping the lines. I've tried following the safety up to the kite, with soggy skin and 35kt gusts the kite has a tendency to lift when you get close to the LE, cutting through your skin like butter. Got the scars to prove it, I always wrap now.

Dl33ta said...
Dunno about not wrapping the lines. I've tried following the safety up to the kite, with soggy skin and 35kt gusts the kite has a tendency to lift when you get close to the LE, cutting through your skin like butter. Got the scars to prove it, I always wrap now.

Make sure you only follow one line to the kite and not two, the kite shouldn't move much and should not pull with only one line under tension and the other 3 (or 4) slack. You can recover the kite very fast by following that single centre line to the kite and by pulling yourself to the kite you will make it even easier. You must've been pulling both centre lines for the kite to pull and bounce around like you describe.

If you can wrap lines easily and quickly around your bar in 35 knots, that's an impressive achievement, just keep in mind there is no room for error, One mistake in wrapping your lines and your kite is doing death loops with your lines stuck on the bar...seen this happen a few times. With proper training not wrapping lines around the bar is a faster, more efficient and safer method, especially in stronger winds.

Following the single line to the kite has been the safest and easiest option I have found. I try and do at least one self rescue a year, usually to teach someone who never learned it in their lessons. I get really frustrated that people don't know how to get themselves out of trouble.
Two things, one, if you are on a surfboard you can drape your arm over the board after folding the kite to make a sail and you can actually go upwind back to the beach. Also, if your lines are tangled, (and they should be) don't disconnect the lines from the kite on the beach. Start undoing the loops within loops on the beach. They should all pull apart pretty quickly. If you just connect because you have to race home then the tangles get trickier.
These two tips I learned here on this killer forum.

I usually just want to get the F out of the water and sometimes leave the wrapping or I wrap it but not in a figure eight but just wind it around the bar... this way at least you minimise the tangle..

Not a big fan of the handles on my kite for the self rescue though.. their too far away from where I want to be during the sail in..

cbulota said...
Just today a beginner accidentally released his safety and kite came to full depower (as if secured on the beach position). He then proceeded to wrap his lines around the bar and the kite turned around, launched and started death looping uncontrollably for ages in the power zone with the lines wrapped around the bar.... Wind was around 25 knots...Interesting to see this happen today as we were just discussing the pros/cons of wrapping lines around the bar.

hmm yeah makes me reconsider wrapping them for sure..

Thanks Cbulota, I will give it a shot. I will probably end up as a human gordian knot after pulling myself hand-over-hand along the front line while having the leash attached and the board at my feet.