...if you want the story read below.The loss got me thinking about safe ways to prevent losing another one, and what came to mind is those transponders that everybody wears when going skiing in avalanche country. They are small enough that one could be taped or strapped to a board and I believe the batteries should last a full day.
Has anyone tried this or had recent experience with these devices?
I've had to "search" for my board on many occasions but have always found it -however, I think some sort of transponder would be a great insurance policy and may also contribute to overall kite safety. For example: in kite mare situations, poor decions may be made if you are but worried about losing your board. To me, I like the idea of only worrying about my one safety and getting the kite under control...if possible.
...The story,
Freak november day here in Toronto, 20C and 10-25kts from the SW.
(its usually freezing this time of year).
Desperate for a final session of the season, I headed out with my x-bow 16. I was the only one on the water so I stayed within swimming distance. Had a great session for about 90mins (practicing the many tips on getting big - which BTW way - do work...but timing and technique are critical).
The wind started to get really gusty (5-28kts) and even the X-bow was having trouble, so I decided to come in. On my way in I tried on last jump and wasn't edging hard enough. I swung under the kite and it hindenberged down, rooling over a couple of times. After getting dragged for a while as I tried to figure out the tangle, I got seperated from my board. At one point, I contemplated ditching the kite as i was getting dragged away from shore (water was very cold) and I was not getting any depower. Fortunately, I realized that on of the lines was caught on the chicken loop and when I got it off - I had better control. The front and rear lines were tangled with each other but the kite was contrllable enough for me to body drag to shore. Once I got to shore and secured the kite I went looking for the board. The wind was side shore, with a slight angle on shore. I looked for 2 hours and combed over 5km of beach. Nothing. The wierd thing is that I was only 400m from shore when I ditched the board???? The wind is blowing the opposite direction today - so maybe it will come back...
At the end of the day - I'm happy I did not have to ditch the kite, which is worth much more than a 4 year old Wipika switcher. If I had a buddy to ride with, the board would not have been lost.
Also - I am not blaming the x-bow for the tangle as it can happen to any 4 line. It was my fault for blowing the jump. The x-bow, continues to impress as I doubt I would have been able to fly any othe kite in those king of gusty conditions.
