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Old 08-06-2006, 04:47 PM
balloonboy balloonboy is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 263
Default I just remembered . . .

Not long after learning I put some new groovy lines on my bar- the ones that are tres expensive, stiff, and work no better than the others.

I fed them thru the bottom of the end of the bar as I should, but also thru the top of the end piece. That hole tapers to a V and while big enough for the line, its not for the leader. Stay with me on this.

That week sailed at Club M lit on my 14m Flow and was stoked, only Roger and I. After a couple of hours I'm done but Roger is still on the water so I get to shore drop my kite in the water downwind ( you know, the safest way to land) and wait for it to depower. It doesn't. The leader slides through the bar and than gets jammed at the V. I've let go of the bar but am attached by the safety to my arm. Now the kite starts death spiraling downwind (out to sea fortunately) at about 10 o'clock and I'm getting dragged with it, flying actually; only the tops of my feet are skimming/hitting the water.

I'm kinda wondering what to do- just ditch the kite? Naw- its a perfectly good kite, so I reach up and grab one side of the bar and manage to crash the kite. For about 10 seconds then up it went again. More death spirals.

Managed to get it down again and get it off me this time. The kite flipping merrily out to sea (good riddance). Meanwhile Roger had witnessed the whole event , jumped in my boat and came to fetch me then the kite. When he arrives I'm spent and totally douched. The look on Rogers face said everything; "Fcuk Dave, that was intense!". We will now be forever bound by this event.

After, when I unwound my lines I counted over 30 winds- so thats 30+ loops. Lucky this was at Club M where downwind is just water. If it had been Cable Beach or Coral Harbour . . . it would have been far uglier.

Didn't know about this one didja?
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