Did anyone else see this happen? The guy was drifting downwind in a cross shore breeze for some time without any success for a water relaunch, after which he gave up and ditched his kite and casually swam back to the beach.

sounds like the average day out round here this summer...

I saw three kites heading past green point.
one got retrieved by a jet ski
another one got ditched and kept going
and i think the third the guy got it up but not sure if he ever made it back

I believe I was the one the jetski picked up.

Still not sure exactly what happened. I was water launching and suddenly something gave way. At first i thought a line broke but then the bar was snatched from my hands in a gust i.e. I was unhooked! Somehow the chicken loop had detached . then the release system on the safety leash let go of its own accord and the kite started drifting away faster than i could swim. It all happened very quickly. After a futile effort to catch up with the kite, I said goodbye and started swimming back to shore with my board - not a very cheery moment - until the jetski came by. Thank god for the kindness of strangers!

Lessons learnt:

1) I should not have been that far out - particularly in those cross-shore gusty conditions and the fact that I'm on P-Plates. Only go as far out as you can comfortably swim/self rescue given the conditions.

2) Brighton in a northerly is deceptive. It feels cross shore, but you don't have to drift very far downwind before the shore-line starts veering east and you are essentially being blown offshore into the bay - a big, lonely and scary place...

3) Gear check: for now on I'll try to remember to check things while I'm out there as well as on the beach. Donkey dick dislodged?

When I was back on the beach I saw the other guy way down wind, fairly far out, and obviously in strife. What to do? Call water police? Thankfully he was picked up.

I would have much preferred learning from the mistakes of others! Take Heed!!!

yeah the older cabrinhas had some trouble with the chicken loop popping out. safety leash is a must! They have rectified this problem with the current model.

lost my 2010 kite twice.

DOn't trust the velcro on the chicken loop. I now connect my leash both to the chickenloop ring and through the IDS ring in one. Basically means you have no QR2.

Leash has popped on me once when i crashed a trick and skided backwards through the water. Luckily mate grabbed it on the beach. I just ended up tying the bunggy rope firmer

Yep. A northerly at brighton is NOT 100% cross-shore, rather it is actually slightly offshore (wind is a bit more cross-shore at the south end where the beach curves around a bit). This results in turbulent winds when standing on the beach. Due to this turbulence, one guy hindenburged his kite on monday whilst standing on a crowded brighton beach, almost crashing it into me and a few others . As his kite was falling, he yelled out 'HEADS'. Luckily the kite missed us. No harm done

The only other time I lost gear was, surprise surprise, at Brighten in a Northerly. My board was picked up the following day by a fisherman somewhere off Mornington. Don't forget to lable your stuff, including your kite!

At the risk of repeating myself and preaching to the choir, in the hope of preventative education I'll re-post a rant I had a few months ago:

1, The link: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/If-you-want-to-kite-Brighton-VIC-in-Northerlies/

2, The opening rant: Seems an increasing number of beginners think they're ready to kite at Brighton in northerlies. Yesterday was further proof that this location and wind direction is for intermediates and above. By this I mean people who can:
Tell the f$%king wind direction well enough to know where to stand when getting launched,
Handle the very punchy gusts and still hold ground in the lulls (from 12-25 in a blink yesterday),
Work the wind shifts to stay upwind
Keep their kite well clear of other beachgoers if they have to do the walk of shame (kite over the water, not over the beach as you walk up)
Understand that when folk are swimming you stay the f$%k away from them.

Yesterday there were several incidents where non-kiters were freaked out by wayward kites. I spoke to a few of the offenders, all of whom recognised they'd bitten off more than they could chew. Others I only saw from the water. For those, and other beginners wondering what to do next northerly, this post is for you.

For the other competent kiters, if someone asks for a launch and then walks to an obviously wrong spot, have a word. If a person can't even sense the wind direction and/or can't understand the physics of launching from the edge of the window, and can't even work out which way to move so that their kite is catching just enough wind for a launch, then what chance have they got of being able to do the other stuff? It's up to those of us who know better to check in with them.

Beginners, if you stuff up at Brighton in a northerly then the next landfall is some way away, quite possibly past Frankston. Even if you bodydrag back to the south end of the beach having realised that maybe your 12m is a little overcooked for the 30knot gusts, there's nobody there to help you. All the skilled kiters are on the water or at the north end of the beach. The south end will be covered with sunbathers and is even gustier than the more exposed north end.

If you aren't sure you can handle this, and if you don't have a small enough kite, wait for a seabreeze. You'll learn a lot more by watching the experienced kiters rip it up than by going out and getting smashed on your first run, tangling your bridle round a wingtip, losing your board and hoping that someone else sees you in time to help.

I feel better now. (And I had an awesome session yesterday, was grinning even as I had a quiet word with said beginners. Still grinning thinking about it, that's part of why I want to ensure no public liability incidents there.)

djdojo said...
Understand that when folk are swimming you stay the f$%k away from them.

I just felt like quoting djdojo to emphasise this point. I don't care how skilled or 'legit' a rider is. STAY AWAY FROM SWIMMERS! There is absolutely no reason to ride close to shore where the swimmers are unless getting to/from the beach to land/launch. And with a northerly at Brighton, riding close to shore is frustrating with the turbulence.

djdojo said...

If you aren't sure you can handle this, and if you don't have a small enough kite, wait for a seabreeze.

hahahahahaha . i'm not that patient

Totally agreed that at times you're riding a cross-off wind that is prone to dropping off leaving you stranded downwind of the spot (on a N-NE), or having bathers ducking for cover when your kite Hindenburgs over land or water especially in marginal winds. Unfortunately I think this is a risk some kiteboarders are willing to assume if they don't have the time to make the journey down to Rye which most of us would choose over Brighton given the right circumstances (or at least I would...).