Run away kite!

[plummet]

So I'm out of town at a different location. Its an estuary with water down wind of the launch site. Wind is about 25 knots.

I'm pumping my kite, The kite is hooked up to the pump line as usual.
Anyway. For unknown reasons I slip and let go out the pump. The kite starts floating down wind with pump attached. No biggie, I'll just run and catch it. To my dismay i can't run fast enough. Its like a bad dream i'm sprinting my brains out and the kite is just out of reach floating away.
Then i trip and faceplant!.... hehehhe.

At that point I realise that my newest kite is just going to float away ! across the 300m estuary and get smashed on the tree's behind.

Luckily just before it floats over the water a bridle line snags on a bit of drift wood and flips the kite and it lands its self long enough for me to dive on it.

What a tool.

[windybrit]

I think you get an automatic 50% reduction in tool rating for sharing the story Lucky the kite was ok.
2 years ago a friend was pumping his kite in the snow, his foot slipped off the pump and the kite cartwheeled away from him , coming to rest on the only sharp object in 50m (a post ), it put a 30cm rip in the canopy.....not a happy day for him.

[Toby]

hahahaha, I have a similar story! But way more embarrassing!

Pumped my 18...wind blowing 20-25, so on my limit.
About 30 people watching...thinking I am crazy with the 18...they didn't know me...

Pumping, then kite gets loose from pump...me running like stupid behind it...kicking flipflops away and full sprint...and I manage to get it!

Now imagine everyone watching me...what a classic situation...

[Dave_5280]

I had my 12 meter foil laid out with snow holding it down, walk the lines back to the bar and my skis, strong wind, maybe it shifted. Suddenly the kite fills and starts lifting, grab for the bar, starts pulling I'm running towards it in ski boots in deep snow because I didn't have the skis on yet. Running faster and faster and stumbling forward I finally give up just toss the bar up in the air and fall on my face, the kite goes a ways and wraps around a small tree trunk and is undamaged.

[JS]

So I'm out of town...

Good writing. I very much enjoyed reading your short story, and the visualization it evoked

[Westozzy]

Yeh man ya not alone. Infact two of us were running after it, trip over each other's heels and cracked our heads together as we both somehow fell with our mouths opens, which resulted in a gob full of sand...we got up, spitting out sand of our mouths, was just about to grab it and it took off again, and we crashed into each other again!! Problem was by now we were pissing ourselves laughing which didn't help with the chase, was just about to fly over a man made cut, which would have resulted in a 10 minute drive around to retrieve it, if there was anything at all to retrieve, big rocks on the other side...and it snagged on a sign at the end of jetty and was floating in air above the water!

It was a well used 2009 waroo best, so maybe we should have let it just go....

So yeh, as I said ya not alone.

[Clew In]

hahahaha, I have a similar story! But way more embarrassing!

Pumped my 18...wind blowing 20-25, so on my limit.
About 30 people watching...thinking I am crazy with the 18...they didn't know me...

Pumping, then kite gets loose from pump...me running like stupid behind it...kicking flipflops away and full sprint...and I manage to get it!

Now imagine everyone watching me...what a classic situation...

I am certain you made up for it with a "Big Air Time" performance.

Several years ago I was in Panama City Beach, FL. and there was a nice offshore breeze. I am sitting on the beach enjoying the day with all my gear sitting beside me. All my non kiteboarding crew is harassing me to rig up and go. I am not even thinking about pumping up when down the beach I see a kite being inflated. More harassment from my group "see you don't know what you are doing that fellow is going" etc.
He launches his kite and takes out on the water he keeps going further and further without gaining any upwind runs (back to the beach). He finally releases the kite and It is bowing out to see for as far as the eye can see. The fellow runs by us in a panic trying to figure out what to do. Meanwhile the kite is still blowing further and further out.
30 minutes later I see two jets skis heading out to look for the kite and soon after they came back to the beach with the kite. Lucky Dude!

Rock On!

Clew In

[SupaEZ]

When really windy put a sandbag in the kite to one side of center strut near LE as you pump kite

Other solution..invent a pump can has a base that can be screwed one foot deep into the sand

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2011/n ... ay-300.jpg

[KiteCulture]

me too for winter. Kite partially rigged and it started to drift on the snow before I could hook in for a self launch. I grabbed the outside line thinking it would flag out…BUT, I hadn't connected that line to the kite yet - DOH. So I pulled the line all the way to the bar before I realized it. The bare end came to my hand and I thought "this is weird", then BAM, full on sprint in knee high snow. Kite heading for trees. It hit the tree when I got to it, but no damage. I was totally gassed from the run. Ran it all back up the hill, rigged and had a great session - once I caught my breath.
take care

[FLandOBX]

So I'm self launching with my chicken loop very securely attached to what appears to be a nicely rooted bush on the beach. My kite stands on its end and behaves nicely. I begin walking back towards the kite to hook in and launch. A big gust knocks my kite back onto its trailing edge. The kite hot launches and rips the bush completely out of the ground. So I have to chase down my kite with heavy vegetation dangling from the end of my bar. Very embarrassing.