I had a great time with my V13 on the water until i had a big gust hit me and I got yarded over the board. In the process of the kite going to zenith I got further down wind from the board. I was in an ebb tide so the the board got even further away from me as I was body dragging up wind. The water was coooold. Flying my OR Rise, when I have been separated from my board and realized It would be a pain in the ass to get back up wind by body dragging. I would just park the kite at the far edge of the window and swim back to the board and relaunch no issue. I was really hesitant to try this out with the ARC. Also with the gusts and the kite wanting to go to 12 it was difficult to make headway body dragging. Any advice for next time? I just thought about maybe doing backstroke with the kite at 12 but I really doubt that would work with the wind with gusts to 30mph. Did I mention it was friggin' cold in the water. (I also posted at Arcusers)

When it's windy like that your only option is to keep the kite low and try to body drag upwind as best as you can. I use my hand like a canard (forward rudder) to try and steer my body upwind. The higher you fly the kite, the more downwind you are likely to drift, so minimize how much time you keep the kite at zenith as much as you can. If you cannot completely depower the kite, then that's something else you might want to investigate. I have a long enough center-line and depower strap so I can depower the kite almost fully. Venoms (and other Peter Lynns) at the top of their wind range will have quite a bit of pull at zenith and I suspect that's part of what you were experiencing. That's one nice thing about my Bularoos, I can almost fully depower them even in over powered conditions.

Did you try keeping the kite LOW and setting your body in the stretched out body drag positition? The upwind hand / rudder is key!

Fight auto zenith and swimming isn't the way to go??? Even fightng auto zenith is the wrong kite position to propel you in a body drag.

depower the kite, set up a low edge of the window drag , a considerable distance if its really howling. onehanded operation in heavy winds on a drag is gut check for sure and being cold dosen't help. doing form the 12 position will work but if it 30 probably just drag you down wind. hand forward/kick, get a line STAY ON IT! be easy with kite if falls back into the window or up too high you will be dragged off your point of sail.

Yes, kite low and steady. If you have a long way to go to the board, make longer tacks and you will work upwind faster and further (just like if you are riding your board). Zenith will make upwind travel almost impossible. Try walking backwards on land with it in those winds and you'll see how it won't work.

You did make it to your board?

That is what I figured to keep it low because any higher and I was being dragged downwind. The current was in the opposite direction of the wind. I was getting really cold so I dragged in going downwind after a few tacks and no sight of the board. One of the other guys kiting found the board way up wind. I owe him bigtime. I had a gopro on the board so have a video of the recovery.

I think that making any significant gains trying to swim with the kite at the 12 position is just about impossible. My best suggestion is to not waste much time and get to body dragging immediately if the board is going away from you. Any time I lose my board where body dragging is the only way to get back to it I just about immediately take off for it with long tacks.

Glad you got your board back

Today when I crashed I went straight into a body drag to the side in motion, bringing the kite lower just as I do with LEIs. Superman style body drag worked the charm. Did not let the kite go to zenith and got back to the board in no time flat.
Autozenith is useful after getting back to the board to get the feet back into the straps.

yeah glad your board and camera were recovered................I always drag low (I learned this lesson with Speeds and Speed 2s) and as important what Phree and BK mentioned about depowering the kite and using the arm/hand as a rudder.............................

Great to hear !

It is that superman stretch and working that hand above your head as a rudder along with the whole body that makes all the difference.

Use the same style holding your board and body dragging upwind.

Keep em low and GO !

Here is a video from last Saturday keeping the kite low to get back to the board.