08
3 tips to drastically improve your kitesurfing safety.
Posted under Kitesurfing LessonsGreat reading for those of you who need a bit of a refresher on kitesurfing safety after your kitesurfing lessons.
1. The position in which a kite lands on the water has a big effect on how it eventually flags out. If it lands on its leading edge with the nose of the kite facing you, you may not have a problem regardless of the safety system you have, because the kite is not in a position to regain any power. The kite can however quite easily spin itself around and in any case the true test of your de-power system is when the kite is in the “smiley” position in the middle of the window, it needs to roll over COMPLETELY on its back.
2. When you do flag out, ensure you keep tension in your safety line as you pull yourself toward the kite. Use the safety line to haul yourself towards your kite this way you have to keep tension in it. DON’T run or swim towards your kite because this will make your safety line loose, canceling the de-power effect of the safety line’s tension and possibly resulting in your kite taking off again… and again… Whichever safety line you are using, as you pull your way up the safety line(s), make sure that the other lines go completely loose. If the other lines are not completely loose the kite can re-power. Remember the idea here is to have your kite flying on 1 maybe 2 lines that way the kite will act like a flag. Sometimes lines will wrap around the kite tips and require that you wrap the safety line(s) a few extra times to make sure the kite is de-powered. Pulling yourself straight to the kite on your safety line, then wrapping the others after you get to the kite is the quickest way to get to the kite and is called for in some situations where time is of the essence, but those lines floating around can get tangled around your spreader bar hook, neck, or feet, not a pleasant experience. If you have the time, wrap all the other lines together once you’ve disabled the kite so that this doesn’t become a problem. This also makes it easier to sort out the spaghetti after you get to the beach.
3. Know your kitesurfing safety system and how to use it before going on the water. Practice your line-wrap on the beach on a very light or no-wind day, and line the kite up to check out how far your safety system allows the kite to tip over onto its back from the smiley position. Ensure that your kite tips right over, presenting only the LE profile to the wind without the panels catching any wind. In strong wind, even a small amount of panel exposed to the wind can produce enough pull to make it difficult or impossible to pull yourself to the kite.
Remember all, it’s better to have good knowledge of the self-rescue and not need it, than to need it and not have it! (paraphrase from some guy in a movie talking about carrying his gun)