Lucky to be alive...kitemare gone really bad.

[skempthepimp]

That was the craziest experience I have had in kiting yet. First off, it was way more than 12 or 15 seconds, it was more like 40-60. I was way too outta breath for a 12 second run. I also think I recall the kite hitting the water several times because I would slow down and watch to see if you were gonna get the leash off when the kite was down, but the damn thing powered up 3 or 4 seconds later. I can tell you that it seemed like an eternity to me because no matter how fast I ran you were just gonna beat me there. If I did beat the kite I still didn't know what the hell I was gonna try to do. I saw that the tree was in your path and prayed for luck, but I could hardly watch the last second of it because I really thought that I was gonna be 50 feet away from complete horror. Needless to say I am thrilled to be wrong.

When you were being ripped through/across/under the water you were fighting the whole way. What stunned me the most was seeing into a man's eye after he escaped a close call. The adrenaline exhaustion was intense and overwhelming.

When the kite crashed and you got the QR off of you, you crawled OVER a barnacle encrusted slab of concrete just to get to the beach, lay down and regroup. Your first words (besides "Don't touch me"!) were, "I was dead." It was obvious you were in a lot of pain and some shock, but there was also a shock factor of "WTF just happened" and "how am I alive" that is burned in my memory. It could happen at any time folks.

I have re-lived this kitemare a thousand times in my head today and can say that it was just insane and pretty much unforeseeable and inconceivable.

This is definitely a story I will not be sharing with my wife. Some things are better left alone.

Bill, I am just glad you got through it bro. There was nothing you could have done but hope for a little luck. For the first time in my life I realize that the Australian Pine tree isn't such a bad thing after all. Kudos to ya and a speedy recovery.

I think you are definitely right about the time, John. I think the 15 seconds I guessed at was how long that the episode lasted from when I realized Bill was helpless until it ended. That would be about 2/3rds into it. The whole thing was a kitemare, but only when I realized it was one......
No wonder eyewitness testimony is shaky.

It was bad and only luck (or God) prevailed. I thought I was going to watch a friend die once I realized Bill was totally helpless. I was actually cursing him at first for not releasing and was very pissed he would hold on to his kite despite the circumstances. I then realized he had no choices and was getting dragged by his leash. At that point I was just praying with all my might for the tree to eat his kite. I hate seeing that kind of stuff. That was so long and drawn out that we had enough time to grasp the what ifs. That made it very difficult to watch, and actually emotional, as you said.
Just glad it's over and that Bill is okay. I felt really bad not being able to run. Thankfully you had it covered though.

[Coach]

Hey John...after reading your post, which I was waiting for, I got kind of sick to my stomach mate. I guess it was because you were the first guy to reach me and to see what kind of shape I was in, etc. You apparently saw the horror I felt was coming if that kite didn't catch that tree. I apologize for what ever I said at the time, as I don't remember WHAT I said to you, if anything. I STILL don't. I don't even remember you getting to me - all I remember is Bob kneeling down beside me. Sorry again. I can't thank you enough for coming to my aide and being the first one there. Your account of what happened and your recalling how I looked and apparently felt shook me up even more. Thanks a ton for helping me out mate.

What I recall now, after recently remembering more of the incident was that it was NOT actually the tree that slowed or stopped the kite. The kite was to the LEFT of the tree. I recall now calculating (if you can believe it) WHERE the kite was going to possibly hit the land and perhaps slow a bit. The kite actually flew OVER the fence from what I remember now and as soon as it bounced into the ground and simultaneously slammed me into the beach, I was able to somehow activate the CAB QR up the leash and break free of the kite. The kite then fell for good as I believe the LINES caught in the fence and the kite fell to the left of the tree? Does that sound about right John? Based on the fact that YOU were the guy that broke down the gear and rolled it all up, am I close? Remember, I am going from memory and a mangled noggin at the time but this is how I recall it today. I would really like to hear where the kite was when you got to it, where the bar and lines were, etc. Even where I was. I do remember that slab of concrete to my right. I think that is what I slammed into and gave me the concussion or maybe it was the water, over and over and over.

ANYWAY, AGAIN, THE ONLY REASON FOR THIS POST THIS MORNING WAS TO SAY THANKS FOR THE GUYS WHO WERE THERE FOR ME WHEN THIS WENT DOWN. That is the only thing I hoped to do with this first post. Sorry to clog the forum with this bullshit. Thanks again John.

[toby wilson]

Bill, I know I saw John trying to pull your lines out of that tree once I got to you. So I think it probably ended up in the tree at some point or another. Also, I agree that it was more like 30 or 40 seconds, just thought that maybe since it was so scary, I was thinking in slow motion at the time or something. I agree with John as well, the kite definitely crashed and then repowered up about every hundred yards so 6 or 7 times as opposed to the initially reported 3 or so.

[bryanleighty]

Originally Posted by Coach

ANYWAY, AGAIN, THE ONLY REASON FOR THIS POST THIS MORNING WAS TO SAY THANKS FOR THE GUYS WHO WERE THERE FOR ME WHEN THIS WENT DOWN. That is the only thing I hoped to do with this first post. Sorry to clog the forum with this bullshit. Thanks again John.

no BS at all man...

dont apologize for anything..

that you are safe is the #1 thing..
that we brainstorm some way to hopefully avoid situations like this in the future is #2.

i dont think anyone is saying "you should have done this.." or "you should have done that...".. it sounds to me that you were very much aware of what needed to be done but due to the situation and gear you were not able to.

that is a great topic of discussion.

gear and safety dont get enough discussion compared to rider habits in regards to safety. i think we ALL can agree that certain setups are safer.. none will cover every situation.. and thats the inherent problem that i hope someone can figure out.

-b

[toddjb]

Coach, thanks for sharing this account. It is something that scares me about bridled kites (which I fly) and your post will give us all a chance to think. What would we do in this situation? How can we prepare for it?

Originally Posted by toddjb

Coach, thanks for sharing this account. It is something that scares me about bridled kites (which I fly) and your post will give us all a chance to think. What would we do in this situation? How can we prepare for it?

A good handlepass leash with disconnect ... like this one is a good start. Any brand is fine as long as it works.

[Erick]

Originally Posted by Tom Stock

A good handlepass leash with disconnect ... like this one is a good start. Any brand is fine as long as it works.

Tom,

Correct me if I’m wrong here but I've noticed that the SS leash makes more sense to me than the one you shown before why?

I believe that when somebody is in trouble (or in deep sh*t being pulled by the kite), a natural human instinct is to pull instead of push to activate the quick release.

See pics (sorry, i know the rider drawing looks very crappy)

[Gator Gris]

Bill,

Colin called me to tell me what happend -that evening. It was surreal for me, because I saw you at East Beach earlier that day and the wind shifted SW. Myself and a group went to Passagrille and you obviously went to Skyway West.

I was going to try out a waist harness. I think I will stay with a seat harness for now. Is there anyway to prevent those waist harnesses from spinning around?

On a positive note, if it takes a while longer to get the right conditions for the Kitemasters Race, you could make that hopefully!

Glad you are alive and relatively well! When I was brand new, you were very supportive. Thanks again for being the man!

Gris

[skempthepimp]

First off bro no apologies needed whatsoever. You were in the land of the bunny rabbits and understandably so.

Ok. The lines of the kite definitely were grabbed by the tree and the kite drilled the top of the fence. The tree grabbing the 2 lines probably are the only reason it didn't completely clear the fence and go in the road because when the kite looped they shortened the distance between you and the kite and allowed the kite to hit the fence. After telling you that "you lived, just relax" I broke the kite down ASAP to get it off of DOT's hands. Outta sight outta mind ya know. The left side of the kite was torn a little and the LE was deflated, so I think your bladder is done. The bridle was well tangled in the top of the chain link, and as I was deflating struts I noticed there was a torn bridle line that looked like it broke from tension. This line was on the same side of the kite as the tear. The other 2 lines were in the tree and stayed there for about ten minutes. They were well tangled and I tugged pretty hard to get them free. I was careful to roll up your kite without tearing it any more, so there may be some salvage potential. All struts were inflated after the incident was over, so they are good.

When you did hit the QR, the kite was definitely stopped and you crawled a half crawl and released it in about 4-5 seconds from stopping.

Also, that slab of concrete was not alone. There were others that were just submerged and were out a little from the beach. I think those were the ones you hit. It happened real fast though bro.

How are you feeling today?