This...
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...is my 4 week old Peter Lynn Venom II adorning a 12M tree near Mandurah in WA.
I had finally reached Kiteboarding Nirvana on New Years Eve (the ability to go upwind) at a secret remote location. As I was coming down from the pinnacle of kiting ecstasy (ie the wind dropped & I was heading downwind again to shore) and while meditating deeply on my having discovered "
the meaning of life, death, the universe, and kiting" - it happened.
I could see I was close to the shore and lifted my Venom-II over the first tree. The next tree looked far enough away from the shore to miss. I didnt notice the smallest of branches - a mere twig it was, a toothpick lurching out with all its wooden might over the water at my kite - and it snagged a line.
The front of the kite stopped dead and the rest neatly wrapped itself around the 12 meter tree. I thought it was a write-off.
I decided not to try to bring it down until the wind had dropped. It took 24 hours for the SW wind to drop enough to peel it off. I had to use a 6 metre extending ladder, a 6 metre pole, and one spare brother. I was right to wait. It had just 3 holes - $20 to fix (thanks Neil). I got out light.
Moral: dont try to get your kite out of a tree while the wind is blowing.
Wait. If the SW wind had only once changed direction back to the SE the kite would have just fallen off the tree by itself. So dont panic.
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)
