bad times at SW. almost horrific.

[toby wilson]

Tom, what if it had been Roy's head instead of his kite? What if Roy's bar had broken and his kite started looping toward the rocks? What then? I guess he would have just "learned a lesson", huh?

Just my opinion but I am all about taking 2 minutes to help a bro out. Looks like I am in the minority though.

In this situation I am sure that Raul and the others on the water would have helped out, they are good guys who I am sure would have helped.

But that kind of thinking isn't cool Tom.

Originally Posted by invisible

Sounds like he learned a lesson to me ! Like don't ride down wind near the rocks unless you are prepared for the consequences?

How many times are we going to see the same people stuck across the channel or walking from the rocks 100 feet from the road.

Regardless, yeah I'd have helped you Bryan... I drove by and saw you guys boosting. Sounds like you now know what the o-sh$t handles are for. Glad you are ok.

[amber]

I was actually driving on the skyway when you were on your tack back towards shore. I hadn't seen the "high winds" flashing lights on the skyway for a while and it was a challenge just to make it over the bridge and stay in my lane at the same time. So glad that you are okay. If you see toby out at the beach over the next couple days feel free to use my bar.

I would like to see pics of your bar as well. Give us a call if you're gonna try to get your bar out of the trees and we'd be happy to come help if we're around.

[sparkyman]

Glad your OK Mr B. I have a telescoping 20' pole Fox Bros have 30' one if u need it. Will pm u with # Jordain

Originally Posted by toby wilson

Tom, what if it had been Roy's head instead of his kite? What if Roy's bar had broken and his kite started looping toward the rocks? What then? I guess he would have just "learned a lesson", huh?

Toby if that would have been happening people would have been running. Since that didn't happen it's irrelevant.

so I tired to dive it out of the way and then my TOP OF THE LINE TURBO DIESEL inverted and fell out of the sky right onto the rocks

And, based on Roy's description of what happened the kite fell out of the sky onto the rocks WHILE someone else was trying to help him, so how would a rescue have saved the kite? Sounds like the rescue crashed the kite!

Just my opinion but I am all about taking 2 minutes to help a bro out. Looks like I am in the minority though.

Everyone helps whenever they can. I can't even tell you how many times I've done the 100 yard sprint.

Besides, I just had a talk with Roy the other day about some people who shouldn't be rescued right away... getting stranded somewhere over and over and over... and eating coconuts that wash up on shore! j/k Sure you can rescue them if you want to, but you'll do it again 15 minutes later.

[toby wilson]

You probably have Roy mixed up with someone else. He goes out his way to help out all the time.

[BigR]

I think people are having a hard time DIFFERENTIATING between helping/ rescuing during a life and death situation which is usually over in a matter of seconds

VERSUS

Helping a friend untangle a rats nest of tangled lines

One is much more important than the other, and I'm sure everyone is obligated , and will do the right thing vs. the nice thing which isn't

[robertovillate]

I think it goes without saying ...and that it's somewhat safe to say that people are usually willing to help and they will do just that. Perhaps this thread is getting off-track...???

BL's account of what happened is noteworthy...and what to do if it happens to you, how to prevent it if possible (not always), are the real issues.

Gear failures happen sometimes and they take us all by surprise...sometimes at the worst possible moment. I for one am curious to see photos the bar and understand why it broke, any comments from BEST...

Bars break, lines break, bridles break, harnesses, spreader bars, footstraps...etc, etc...and sometimes quick thinking and a little luck is all we can rely on for those few scary moments before the kite stops.

Hey Bryan did the screw come out of the bar end? How in the world did it come apart?

I once tried to cut down a best bar and even with after removing the screw I couldn't get the bar ends off... even with a hammer.

I should have a good look at my bar and make sure it's tight.

Originally Posted by invisible

Everyone helps whenever they can. I can't even tell you how many times I've done the 100 yard sprint.

I think that is a good estimate of what happens around here. People pitch in because they are cool. I've argued on this forum that kiters do not have a duty, as in a legal obligation, to help other kiters in trouble unless we have a special relationship such as teacher/student, but that does mean I won't jump to help out when the shit hits the fan.

I might not always help, though, if I don't think I can or should cash the check.

Any suggestion that most kiters around here won't do anything to help others is going to stir up a lot of people because it is simply not true. Every time someone launches or lands your kite, grabs you by the back of the harness during a powered launch, retrieves a board, etc., a gratuity is getting thrown your way.

I don't have any obligation to lauch or land anyone's kite (and it is not what I want to do when I am trying to rig, either), but I do it all day long and so does almost everyone else around here. A lot of people have helped me out before, with launches and rescues, but aside from when I was actually taking a lesson, I can't remember thinking that anybody owed me anything when I was neck-deep in a kiteboarding cesspool of my own making, even though I do remember screaming, more than once, "[insert name here], grab the f*ck*ng kite!"

When bad shit happens, it can be tempting to look at the last moment of the kitemare to assign blame. Here, it is a good example--if only someone would have decided to grab the kite, it would not have been in the trees. Maybe so. Maybe the outcome would have been worse. But that does not take into account prior decisions that were made by Bryan (Bryan decided to ride in the first place, moreover decided to ride in heavy wind, rode with an older bar that has likely been used a lot in the last 1 to 1.5 years and could have been replaced before today's session, and that even different decisions by Bryan once the failure occurred might have led to a better result).

Am I saying that in the end, this is all on Bryan? Yes.

Note that I am not calling Bryan out or criticizing his kiting actions. He's been riding for a while now and has been a solid citizen. Had I shown up today and this had happened to me with a one year old Ion bar (and I have and use several), my analysis would be the same. The risks and rewards of kiting are personal to each kiter and, in the end, it is up to each kiter to control his or her kite. Period. Bryan deserves credit for putting his experience up here so others can learn from it. Bryan already qualified his earlier statements regarding a lack of assistance from others by noting that he was jacked up by the kitemare when he made those comments.

I am responsible for the outcome when I lauch a kite. When I ride, I assume the risk to get the reward. When the session works out great, I get the stoke. When the session sucks, I get the ass-beating and the blame. It is not fair to point at others and demand that someone else take the blame for the bad outcome. Even if 50 people are nearby, it is a lonely moment when you are getting worked and it hits home with amazing clarity that if you can't solve the problem, no one else will.

This is an important concept for new kiters around here to take to heart. It is up to you and no one else to make certain that you get your kite launched and landed without injuring yourself or anyone else, even if something does not proceed according to plan.

Don't ever rely on being able to get help if something goes wrong. It's better to figure out before you launch that you are on your own.

[bryanleighty]

perfectly stated Ebone.

and i will post photos of bar when i get them. i am not sure what happened exactly, but i did get a good look at the bar while i was dealing with trying to keep the kite from looping.. looked like the endcap came off.. dont think the bar broke... but i did notice that it wasnt just a line break... looked like the entire right side cap was missing. will need to look closer.

i just ordered a new 45cm 2007 best bar from extreme kites. Daryl said to get photos of the bar and maybe Best will take care of it.. maybe not. i've been told by a couple experienced people to replace bar and harness every year.. and guess what.. in the past 30 days my bar and harness (both just a while past their year-old mark) bit the dust.

Ocean Rodeo took care and sent me a brand new harness .... maybe best will do the same, but I am not going to be upset if they dont. its at least 14 months old.

we will see.