Power Kite Forum - Horrible session..just horrible

Horrible session..just horrible

beachrights - 2-11-2012 at 03:10 AM

Wind constant @ 22mph- trying to buggy on a new beach with winds about 10 degrees off parallel.

2.5 is too small- go to Viper 3.8- mistake #1

find winds have increased greatly since rerigging- still fly- mistake #2

Get lifted out of buggy twice in 4 turns- arms burning-not using harness- mistake #3

Should have quit then but kept going- finally say "Enough" try to land kite with forearms screaming in pain and can barely hold on and it spins right about a foot off ground and shoots straight up in the middle of the power zone ugh! Did a 33 foot [I measured] Superman jump. Somehow I hung on only to land at the base of the sand dunes

Try to back up to land kite on sand vs dunes but can't hold on- desperate attempt at landing and kite repowers and turns downward. Pictured cells blowing out so I let it go...oh, did I say I was not wearing Killers?

There goes kite- screaming over the top of the dunes to the bay on the other side- there goes Paul running like crazy to get it before it goes in Bay and ends up in the next town. It stopped 10 feet before the water- 482 feet it travelled!!!!!!

Ran back to buggy- still there yeah! Put the tangled mess in the buggy bag-

Do the walk of shame back to car to realize...I NOW HAVE LOST MY KEYS!!!!

No way to lock buggy to look for keys so I am stuck by the car

Its 4:45pm and getting darker by the minute- cell phone in car and this beach p-lot is a local pickup spot for strange men...great

Had to start an awkward conversation with someone and borrow his cell phone- called wifey who came with key and a good speech!

Now almost dark but I think I lost the keys in the dunes running- spend 1/2 hour looking..give up and head back. On the way back I follow a set of prints and there they are! My keys!!

Point being is stop before you get to the point where you are not in full control of the kite- The Vipers are new to me and I underestimated their power-
wind was too strong and for God sakes use a zippered pocket not a Velcro one like this idiot did!

Mainekite - 2-11-2012 at 03:21 AM

Good story, I would add start with a new kite in gentle winds till you get the feel of her and know what to expect. I always tie my key to one of my belt loops if I have to lock my car.

Glad your ok and the strange men didn't get you

thanson2001ok - 2-11-2012 at 03:46 AM

Excellent story. Good lessons here.

I'll add to the list...

Zippered pocket for cell phone.

Kamikuza - 2-11-2012 at 04:20 AM

Bwa-hahahahahahaha! I thought I had a bad session (crappy wind, ripped my boot, gashed my foot, dropped my new Flydoor and dinged the edge) but now I feel much better - thanks!

Keys, eh :ticking:

One time, I put my key fob (with remote) into my shorts cargo pocket (no flap!) and went kiteboarding. They were still there when I finished though - and the remote still works :lol:

Another time, I thought I'd lost my keys and spent an hour searching in the dark with a torch... then discovered they'd been locked in the car :dunno: turns out the wife had come to the beach, watched me for a bit then left, after kindly leaving me a chocolate bar on the seat of my car - that she locked with her set of keys.

B-Roc - 2-11-2012 at 04:26 AM

Rough day but glad you weren't hurt and the keys and kite were recovered.

One other tip, put cell phone in a zip lock bag to keep sand (and if it all goes wrong, water) off of it.

jimbocz - 2-11-2012 at 05:00 AM

In the UK, some of our kite spots are used at night by people looking for a different kind of "session", so I laughed out loud at that one.

Once I went to Amsterdam to meet up with some friends. It was in the days before cell phones, so they left me a message to meet them at a certain coffee shop at 11 pm. I get there, and find that it is a gay coffee shop and is full of single men. That's fine, I was in a mellow mood and don't have a problem with gay people doing their thing. However, things changed when I found out that the coffee shop closed at 11. I'm an ugly guy, but even I can get some attention at closing time when the other dudes start to get a little desperate. Awkward!

lad - 2-11-2012 at 07:38 AM

Yep, been there. :borg:

I now tend to leave essential stuff (including wallet) in the car.
Carry a single, dupe key in a buttoned pocket - or be sure full key set has a bunch of kleenex/napkins/paper/etc. stuffed over top of them in the hip pocket.
Or take everything and zip them up in my buggy bag.

And, of course, fly arcs in ALL wind conditions :rolleyes:

But I still usually "warm up" with a small FB...until my arms get sore (which is usually within minutes!) :ticking:

indigo_wolf - 2-11-2012 at 09:27 AM

Glad you weren't hurt.

Gotta say though.... that's a heck of a long-winded way of asking Santa for a waterproof gear buggy bag to store all your stuff. :wow: :lol:

ATB,
Sam

BeamerBob - 2-11-2012 at 09:30 AM

I had an interesting key issue last time out. Ivanpah is a 40 minute drive from home. Got there and as usual, took the keys out and laid them in the floor. Got out to talk to someone and found the door locked when I got back to the car. My younger son Jared had bumped the lock button when he got out and locked the keys in the car.

So there I stood with my buggy on the rack, tools to unload it locked in the car, all kites in the car, but my cellphone is in my pocket. My smiling wife drove up 45 minutes later and hit the remote to unlock the cars.

I'll do something else with the keys from now on. Considering getting a magnetic key holder for a spare as well. This could've happened at El Mirage or Harpers, or across the country for that matter. I need to be prepared for such surprises.

lives2fly - 2-11-2012 at 09:49 AM

Even the worst day kiting is better than the best day working

bigkid - 2-11-2012 at 10:05 AM

As for the key thing, glad you found them. Been there, done that, not again. As for the kites, glad you lived to tell the story. Been there, done that, not again. :smilegrin:

This is what I use for the keys,

lockbox (281x500).jpg - 103kB

bigkid - 2-11-2012 at 10:07 AM

this is big enough to hold all my keys and it can lock to anything like the hitch or wheel, or what ever.

IMAG0920 (281x500).jpg - 107kB

beachrights - 2-11-2012 at 03:46 PM

I didn't mention it at 1st but at one point I turned around since the "Woods People" as they are known as, were behind me [no pun intended] and I was worried I would be approached and was so pissed off that if they did it was going to get ugly.

When I turned around I saw some guy standing there with his Johnson in his hand just looking my way! WTF?! :o

It was almost comical at that point considering what was happeneing so I just laughed- when I turned around again he was gone.

And I have a nice buggy bag but for some reason the keys went into my pocket- BIGKID: how do you open that lock? Combo?

shaggs2riches - 2-11-2012 at 04:13 PM

Another reason I'm think of getting a hitch safe for my keys. Glad you got out alive and safe. Sucks to learn lessons like this, but its good you walked away with maybe a bit of hurt pride. Keep flying dude!!

nocando - 2-11-2012 at 04:44 PM

Come to Oz I never lock my ute when out for a fly

Kamikuza - 2-11-2012 at 05:51 PM

Never lock our cars here either - most people leave the rear door open too... but I gotta close mine up. Paranoia.

When I'm not at the local spot, I take the remote off the key chain, lock the car with the key and my swim shorts have a little loop stitched inside the pocket - I larS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s head the key through that :thumbup:

bigkid - 2-11-2012 at 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by beachrights
how do you open that lock? Combo?

Yep, 4 numbers under the rubber rain flap, and you set your own combo.

stetson05 - 2-11-2012 at 07:48 PM

Glad you had a session and are OK. I haven't had one for weeks and only two since August.

I had one of those magnetic key holders. I locked myself out once and went for the key only to find it had fallen off. I keep a simple key in a pocket that will unlock the doors when on water and put them in a zippered pocket when not.

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob
I had an interesting key issue last time out. Ivanpah is a 40 minute drive from home. Got there and as usual, took the keys out and laid them in the floor. Got out to talk to someone and found the door locked when I got back to the car. My younger son Jared had bumped the lock button when he got out and locked the keys in the car.

So there I stood with my buggy on the rack, tools to unload it locked in the car, all kites in the car, but my cellphone is in my pocket. My smiling wife drove up 45 minutes later and hit the remote to unlock the cars.

I'll do something else with the keys from now on. Considering getting a magnetic key holder for a spare as well. This could've happened at El Mirage or Harpers, or across the country for that matter. I need to be prepared for such surprises.

RedSky - 2-11-2012 at 07:59 PM

I always leave my keys in the ignition in the vain hope that someone will drive off with it. The insurance money would come in handy.

you should put your keys on your kite...

skimtwashington - 2-11-2012 at 08:37 PM

like Ben Franklin.:roll:

joedy - 3-11-2012 at 05:25 AM

But Kami, when you kite naked, where do you larS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s head your key ring then?

-joedy

Kamikuza - 3-11-2012 at 07:32 AM

I just tuck it under a chin.