Glad to hear that you are ok. I still don't like to think that any accident is unavoidable. I won’t comment on the bridal wear issue or the inspection, but like it or not, bridal wear will be prevalent on any kite with good use and I would assume that this is also the case with your 2-3 year old kite if you have not changed them. Let’s assume that as you said there was no visible wear and that an inspection was done, then I too agree that unseen breakage can and will happen from time to time (as stated just above). We all know that pulleys break, lines can have unseen cuts, etc. Unseen and unexpected breakage is unavoidable. I agree.
While I do understand that you feel that this was not a case or rider error, I think that we should review 3 issues that to me are clearly areas for improvement. Addressing any of these issues would have helped you and others to avoid similar issues in the future. The reason for bringing this up is not to question judgment, but in hopes that others will learn from this.
#1. The choice of leash with out an accessible QR was totally avoidable. Using a leash with out a QR could be considered the first and most glaring instance of rider error. It’s a bad idea under all circumstances. Getting caught by another kite, catching a boat, or being dragged by a wave would have had you in poor condition in all cases.
#2 I'd like to know is where exactly was the leash attached to the depowering system? Was it above or below the QR? I am assuming that it was below the QR given that you stated that the secondary, disk shaped release was out of reach. There would have been no reason to deploy this if your leash was above the QR, and attaching a leash above the QR if the leash doesn’t have a QR is unadvisable.
#3. If the leash was connected below the QR, unhooking could be seen as the third error. At this point, unhooking just negated having a breakaway system, thus putting safety out of your reach. If you leash was attached above the QR, then you MUST have a QR that is a part of your leash and is with in inches of your harness. Mine for example is attached to a steel ring at the back of my harness. I can get to in under all circumstances. It is important that your release in this area is one that is pulled AWAY from the body for release and not TOWARD the body.
Because I too have had a similar situation that I was fortunate to have walked away from, I have trained myself to carefully analyze my equipments safety features and have my action plan clearly thought out. I always attach my leash below the QR when launching and landing. Once safely offshore, I many times move the leash above the QR to avoid accidental releases. At this point, I have a good safety barrier similar to what you had. The difference is that because I always use a leash with a good and accessible QR, I simply would have used it. I have practiced using it and know exactly when to deploy it.
In short, it sounds as if you may have had a possibly undetectable catastrophic equipment failure. It seems as though you were on the correct size of kite for the conditions and that you have ample experience to have handled most situations that could have arisen. If this happened to you, no doubt it can happen to others. I am hoping that the 3 possible mistakes outlined above will be considered by others to avoid this in the future.
Just as any launch that is less than perfect is a BAD Launch, any equipment failure that causes an uncontrollable situation is catastrophic and the secondary release should be the PRIMARY thought. All riders need to carefully consider all 3 essential release mechanisms and understand when and how to deploy them quickly. While I am very happy to see that a bullet was dodged, it is important for all to know that this was an avoidable bullet irrespective of the failure. Equipment failure for any reason it not a reason to automatically get hurt. I’m sorry to have been so direct, but after reading so many posts indicating that they too agree that this was an unavoidable injury, some further education is definitely in order.
Kent
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