In 2014 the same ten mile roundtrip run went without incident. Having a really good but large light wind board, a Cab. Alias made all the difference. This time I was using my normal moderate to high wind tt board with a large kite with a big wind range in pretty good wind, initially. I flew commercial this time and didn't have room for the Alias which was too large for the initial wind conditions anyway.
I had some preconceived notions which were ultimately wrong about how I would come in to this possible last recourse landing area I had identified two years early. I thought it would be fairly easy to body drag using the kite on to the small plateau. I couldn't maintain kite power in that close however. So, the kite was not only useless at that point, it was a serious liability and tangling hazard. So, my first choice was to drop the kite, lines and bar out of reach on the cliff which worked with setting it adrift as a second choice but a less certain and desireable one with all that line. It took some time to swim in close enough to drop it on the spot on the cliff out of the way to the south. That part went smoothly and to plan, unlike some parts that followed. Then I thought I would body surf on to the plateau on a wave, but that didn't work either. Finally, I thought I would just swim in dragging my board while side stroking. That last effort almost put me under. It took almost too long for me to figure out that there was a subtle rip current-like outflow which I was unable to swim against. Seeing flotsum beside me in a line hammered the realization home along with the elapsed time with no real movement. There was no getting in with the board on your feet, you couldn't swim like that and they kite was of no help at that point. You can see some white submerged areas which outline some of the outflow from the cliffs in the Skord Mount overhead photos. Fortunately, it occurred to me to swim into the vertical cliffs where there was no outflow, then to traverse on the cliff face over to the plateau. After several attempts, that finally worked. I was lucky how things worked out obviously enough with some persistence and late dawning understanding on the surf principles in play.
bluespresso wrote: ↑Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:50 am
I know that you have manoeuvred yourself into a very serious situation. Can you explain why you decided to release the kite? I think I would have tried to keep the kite flying because it gives me manoeuvrability, stability and the possibility to give me extra lift and help me climb the rocks. I guess I also would have tried to keep the board attached to my feet in order to absorb a possible collision with the rocks due to swell.
Of course I cannot judge the actual situation from your pictures alone and the lack of experience of a comparable situation but I am very interested in the thoughts of others.