Safety works like a charm....D'OH!

Hit the lake for a downwinder today (about 2 or 3 miles?) and about 30 minutes or so into it I wiped on the chop with the board about 6 feet upwind of me. Rather than drag to the board first (which I'd done a few times with great success already) I thought I'd like to depower my kite just a hair so I reached into the water, grabbed the ball end of the camcleat trimmer and just as I pulled my mind went "Oh #@%$#!e.....that wasn't the trimmer....I just released the chickenloop!" Tried to hold it and reset and hook back in but didn't have the sense of mind to let go if the bar and just hold the chickenloop.

Not the smartest move I've ever made but no harm done. I swam my ass off upwind to get the board and got it. Set it under my elbows in a contemplative Charlie Brown and Linus pose and started to try to decide what to do next. I pulled my way up the leash to the bar and all seemed fine but then I felt a line brush my leg underwater......it wasn't the leash line it was the steering line from the leashed side. I didn't like that I didn't know where the lines were or if they were wrapped around me and after just a few minutes of trying to verify I reverted to rescue which I'm happy to say went quite well...although I sure didn't get anywhere fast in rescue mode. I'd been sailing a wingtip for 45 minutes and reckon I was about 10 more minutes to landfall when a kind young guy on a SeaDoo came to check on me. I handed him my board and graciously accepted a ride to the boat launch which is where my wife was waiting for me.

I had planned to hit land, sort my lines and ride back in (things were going well until that stupid release.....) but the guy had said everyone was looking for me so I can only imagine the wife was too - and likely concerned. She was driving back to the drop spot watching for me so I borrowed a phone and called her back.

I'm bummed that a good day was lost adrift but I'm happy at the lessons learned.

1) KNOW what you're pulling......why the depower knobby camcleat and the release are on the same side of the chickenloop I'm not sure. Maybe there's a "don't be stupid" clause in the instructions that I missed ; )

2) "Don't go out farther than you care to swim" - I should have stayed closer to shore but was having too much fun.....well, except for the 2-3 foot chop....ney....WAVES out there - I couldn't believe it! Closer to shore I'd have been out of the water, lines sorted and ripping again in easily half the time.

3) A couple ziplocks and a cell phone in the wetsuit would have saved some trauma on the part of my wife and those helping her try to spot me. I coulda easily called from the starboard deck of the SS Turbo 3

I'm proud of the composure I maintained out there and prouder at the decisions made and the manner I carried it all out. Hell...I can't even call it a kitemare....I did something stupid but there was no panic ever. I'm very proud of the few successful upwind bodydrags to retrieve my board prior to the "incident" and proud of our local kite community for looking out for each other.

I'll sleep good tonight.