Some of you may have seen me talking to JL about a lost board but may not know the details. I figured I'd post exactly what happened so we can all learn from my mistakes.

It was Sunday January 22, 2006 at Island View beach. Wind was about 15-20 knots and the tide was heading out. I was using a 16m and <a href="/http://www.bigwavedave.ca/gallery/displ ... 5">this</a> board (balsa one). I was making some big tacks about 2/3 of the way to James Island. It was only a matter of time before I got messed up on a wave and went down loosing my board. I've never ridden with a leash and I do feel they are dangerous in many situations, but if I did have one, I would have simply pulled the board back to me and continued riding.

Since I didn't have a leash, I looked back, saw my board floating up-side-down about 20ft upwind. I started body dragging away from it, then headed back towards it, passing by about 10ft away, kept going and turned around thinking I would hit it on the next pass. But on this pass I could not see the board anywhere. I figured I was still downwind of it and kept going back and forth out there for another 20 min...

Eventually I had not seen the board in a while, I was getting tired from swimming and I had lost my bearings. So I dragged into shore to grab another board and head back out to look. Jimmy must have read my mind cause he grabbed my other board and brought it to me at the shore. I went on a mission upwind and searched until the wind picked up and I had to head in. Untimately I never saw the board again. I walked the beach with binoculars, but since the current was going the opposite of the wind, the board could have gone anywhere... Cordova bay, the US, or maybe the wind did blow it downwind to Banzan bay?

So the lessons learned:
- Put you name and phone # on your board! I have nothing on that board so if someone does find it, well they will likely keep it.

- Keep an eye on your board...once I lost my bearings I had no idea if I was upwind or downwind of it.

- When the current is going the opposite direction of the wind, your board will head upwind while you go downwind. Gotta swim hard to get back to it quickly.

So if any of you kiters have tips for body dragging back to your board or if you have other advice for us intermediate kiters I'd love to hear it...I just wanted to share the experience in the hopes no one else looses a board.

Alastair

I think your phone # or e-mail written on the board is great insurance. Worked for these crazy guys:
http://www.mit.edu/people/robot/zp/zeroprestige.html

Thanks for that mf4...I love those guys. I feel so...................normal............