Originally Posted by kitenb

Okay, here is my really LONG story and short review:

Had a really bad day today... Finally got my new Royal 12m out, winds right around 15-20 when I went out, took about 4 tacks back and forth on my 6.0 Caution Surfboard. The kite rocks... Super smooth, fast, just perfect.... then all goes to hell really fast.

On my 4th tack out, I'm probably about 1/4 mile off shore, riding along, then "baa... ding..." there goes my brand new 12m kite flying away down wind. Somehow, I made the quick release on the ERA bar kick into release mode, and there it went. Like a moron, I didn't have my leash hooked up to the chicken loop leash attachmet point, so I just watched is fly away.

So, I am 1/4 mile off shore, and the winds are due North, so the kite isn't coming in... I decide to paddle my surfboard in to shore. I make it in to shore in about 30 minutes, see I can still see my kite on the horizon(going out, not coming closer to shore), so I run and pump up my friend Haydon's 15m kite, grab his board, and make the long tack out to sea to try and recover my kite.

I get to the kite, and it is already twisted up in the lines a bit, so I am doing everything I can to try and grab the leading edge, but when I do, a wave pushes me into the kite, I almost get stuck in the kite and lines, so I get the hell out of there. I try that about 10 times, and then go for option b: trying to roll up the lines on the bar(with my other kite in the air), so I can grab the kite without fear of getting caught up in the lines. So, I get about halfway up my lines, and am almost to the kite, then a wave pushes me away and I lose the bar. I make a few tacks to get back near the bar and end up getting lines wrapped around my leg, waist, and a nice little double wrap around my harness hook(with the other kite still in the air). By this time I am about a mile off shore and I am thinking "oh shit". I look down for a hook knife and realize I don't have one with me. My kite in the air is pulling me left, the lines around my waist are putting tension on the other kite and that kite starts to launch. I am getting pulled both ways, so I pulled the quick release on the the other kite and watched that one sail away. The other kite is literally pulling me underwater and I thought it was over. Somehow I managed to unwrap the lines from around my waist, and off my harness hook, and was free.

So, now I have my original BRAND NEW 12m kite going out to see on my left, and my friend's "rescue" kite going out to see a few hundred yards away, and I am sitting on top of his small 132 twin tip thinking this really sucks! I start the long paddle in, and luckily after about 20 minutes, two lifeguards in their inflatable boat come and pick me up. We tried to go towards one of the kites and recover it, but they almost got caught in the lines with their motor, so we decided we would just wait for them to come to shore....

So, I get in, my friend Haydon who I OWE big time, met up with me after running about 2 miles down the beach, and we are off to walk down the beach to wait for the kite to come in... we walk, and walk, then drive, and walk, and they just kept going out to sea, or at least stayed parallel to shore about a mile off.... We did this for about an hour and half, then we go back get our gear, and drove 5miles or so down to Ponte Vedra and decided to check one of the beach accesses, and there was his 15m about to be rolled in the surf...we swam out, got his 15m and amazingly it was not hurt. Still no sign of my 12m.

We ran up the beach a mile or so, still no sign, ran back, drove another mile or two, no sign, then went back to the beach and figured we would kite there with hopes of the 12m coming across our path. it never came. It either deflated, and sunk, or is still off the coast somewhere.

So, here is my review of the 12m:
-The kite is super smooth and was a blast to ride for about 1minute and 30 seconds.
-The quick relase on the bar works. Trust me. Be careful with that quick release, because it has about 2cm's of play, and it is released. All it takes is a slight nudge with your hand and it is released. Next time out on that bar(if I use it), I am going to lock that quick relase down with something so it can't come off.

Thanks again to Haydon...and glad we at least got your kite back...