Opinions wanted, is it better to self land in strong winds by punching out from 12 or 3/9??

[grigorib]

Don’t touch QR or flagout line. Drop kite on water near the edge of wind window and pull it to yourself by one of front lines. Never warps line over anything you don’t want to cut off. Wear gloves to hold lines better.

What do you mean “punch out”?

[matth]

I am thinking of buying one of these and carrying on Nuking days...

[Herman]

Thanks for the video Matth.

I have practiced a type of belay technique using the harness hook; but is difficult to stop the line ending up by your feet. This little tool looks like it could help with that while being easy to carry. I will look into it. Probably handy on the snow as well.

[Oldpeople]

I would say definitely pull quick release nearer water than at 12. I got caught in a squall of 30kts plus on my 14m one time. I first sat in water with board on, put kite tip on the water and tried to ride it out. I traveled about 300 yards this way. Wind never let up and I was then about 200 yards directly up wind of the tiny on shore beach where we launch and land. So put the kite up at 12. I bounced the whole way with a lot of speed directly at the beach on my bottom, sort of skipping over the water. At about 40 yds from beach I dropped the kite to the water and released. Releasing at 12 I think would have been more dangerous because of the lift I was getting. All and all it was pretty scary.

[TomL]

I kite alone alot and am usually pretty horrible at self landing my kite unless the wind is light. So I generally punch out in stronger winds to self land. I like to punch out at 3 O'clock, with the kite about 4 feet off the ground. Either side of the wind window works fine as long as the flag line will be on the top side. If done right this will drop the kite with the leading edge down into the wind. After releasing the QR I give the leash/flag line a good yank because sometimes it can hang up. This process works only if you have a bar that has a single line flag. Make sure the kite arc sweep area from the edge of the window to directly downwind is clear, if you blow the landing the kite will sweep pretty much straight downwind.




I don't pull the depower in as shown in the vid, as I have plenty enough of travel on my bar and don't like the reduced steering input.

[Hugh2]

I have landed my kite countless times alone in strong winds, generally at the end of long solo downwinders at Cape Hatteras and in Cape Town. I always have a large open beach without people as the conditions are extreme. I always punch out with the kite at 12, and it lands nice and gentle. If on its back I walk a little to the side and yank the single remaining front line to get it to turn over. Then I walk up that line to the kite, taking care not to get the line anywhere near my legs. The kite has never relaunched. So I guess both methods work.

[Herman]

Thanks Hugh I find your Cape Town experience very informative. Always useful to hear of actual experience and I know you get plenty of wind down there. Particularly interesting to know that you have been able to do the downwind flip from the kite on its back to the parked position with the flag line.

[Herman]

The above video is the way I do it except I unhook and let go of bar rather than rely on qr, but there is a point as the wind increases where you can no longer fly the kite about in the window without it having you off your feet. You can no longer fly the kite to arc it down to get the LE near parallel to the ground at, or just beyond, the edge of the window for the qr/release. You need to get this near parallel position to get the kite to sit in the parked position and prevent a downwind tumble. In these exceedingly strong winds where you can’t fly the kite to the parallel position, you are forced to just qr/release imho. (This point is Kite dependant imho.)

If I am forced to just qr/release I prefer the kite to have a enough height to avoid contact with the ground before it reaches the downwind position as early ground contact can start a tumble which is undesirable and risks tangling imho.

PS Although I don’t use the direct at 12 method this is sort of self governing in a similar way. If you fly the kite up to 12 and you find yourself airborne you know it is too windy for that method as well LOL.

PPS. If you are inexperienced and faced with stronger wind than you are comfortable with, Hugh’s approach is probably simpler and more reliable than trying to do anything fancy imho.

[Hugh2]

The thing at Cape Town, especially, is that the wind typically builds through the afternoon. Hence if I start up at Milnerton, or Sunset Beach, or even Dolphin beach or Kitebeach and ride down to Haakgat, by the time I get down there 1-2 hours later, whether I started on 9, 7, or 5.5m, I will usually be overpowered. The wind is slightly offshore at Haakgat and gusty, so I don't go in there, I go a couple hundred yards downwind to Holbaai where there is a wide open and generally deserted beach in those conditions. Conveniently, that's also where the bus stop is for my ride back to my car.

I have seen more experienced riders come in and do a "regular" self-landing there, dropping the kite to the side and pulling the upper front line to get the kite to set down, and I used to do that a few years ago, but one time the kite relaunched in a massive gust just as I was walking towards it, and it was only luck that saved me from a nasty outcome, so now I always punch out at 12. I do it even when in company as I usually get there first, and then I can safely land my friend's kites.

[plummet]

Edge of the window is the way to go.

The safest way is to do it in the water so the kite lands in the water. Ideally a small white wash washes over the kite.