LOST: Ocean Rodeo Rise 10M '07 Green,white,black..and morals
Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 2:23 pm
LOST: Ocean Rodeo Rise 10M '07 Green,white,black and the bar and lines still attached (broken swivel).
separated from the kite about 1.5 km out in the staight of juan de fuca at Gordon's beach Fri. Aug 20th.
I swam for nearly an hour towards the shore in a slack tide (thank God!) I was just an invisible speck... and Tom K. finally saw me and towed me the rest of the way. Legs were starting to cramp and arms exhausted. HOLY SHIT! Well I'm still alive and getting back on the horse the very next day...... but I've learned some things.
Sail with buddies and keep an eye on them.
Don't sail out further than you are willing to swim. (I thought I'd learned this lesson when I swam in 3 years ago and I was the only one out there.)
Keep a brightly coloured helmet or flare or cell phone or something so you can be seen in case you are separated from the kite.
Be aware that the kite can take you a very far distance very quickly and if you have gear failure you are f*%^$d if you are too far out!
I tried to do the TACO to self rescue but hit the dump valve instead of the inflate to let out a bit of air so I could get the wingtips together. Once deflated then the kite was dead weight and I was not going to try to save it and me.
Thanks to Betty-Anne and Pat for the shore search support and getting the coast guard on stand by while everyone wondered where I was for an hour - too far out to be seen...and thanks again to TOM who I could see kiting up and down and all along the shore in the distance looking for me. THANKS TOM!!
OK - wind is blowing and I think I'll go sail close to shore.. ahhh.. It's a good life.. and I really appreciate it now!!
separated from the kite about 1.5 km out in the staight of juan de fuca at Gordon's beach Fri. Aug 20th.
I swam for nearly an hour towards the shore in a slack tide (thank God!) I was just an invisible speck... and Tom K. finally saw me and towed me the rest of the way. Legs were starting to cramp and arms exhausted. HOLY SHIT! Well I'm still alive and getting back on the horse the very next day...... but I've learned some things.
Sail with buddies and keep an eye on them.
Don't sail out further than you are willing to swim. (I thought I'd learned this lesson when I swam in 3 years ago and I was the only one out there.)
Keep a brightly coloured helmet or flare or cell phone or something so you can be seen in case you are separated from the kite.
Be aware that the kite can take you a very far distance very quickly and if you have gear failure you are f*%^$d if you are too far out!
I tried to do the TACO to self rescue but hit the dump valve instead of the inflate to let out a bit of air so I could get the wingtips together. Once deflated then the kite was dead weight and I was not going to try to save it and me.
Thanks to Betty-Anne and Pat for the shore search support and getting the coast guard on stand by while everyone wondered where I was for an hour - too far out to be seen...and thanks again to TOM who I could see kiting up and down and all along the shore in the distance looking for me. THANKS TOM!!
OK - wind is blowing and I think I'll go sail close to shore.. ahhh.. It's a good life.. and I really appreciate it now!!
dude, thank goodness it ended well. thanks for sharing, as this may save someone else's hide. Most of us have done something like this on occasion, even mr. safety himself, (you know who I mean). PLEASE DON'T DO IT AGAIN. if you had died, that would have ruined my entire evening...
I'll buy you a survival beer next time our paths cross.
