Do you fly your foilkite on ocean/sea/deep water?

[Peter_Frank]

Snip...

Using a foilkite means you need extra floatation, so always wear a vest. For foiling also always a helmet, and since you're less active on a foil, overdress even more.

Snip...

Agree it is a good idea - but one can not say that others should always wear a vest or a helmet, it is a personal choice.

Regarding the flotation and overdress issue, it can also be minimized or solved riding closer to shore.

Peter

[Flyboy]

I have taken to wearing a full PFD when foiling with Peaks. If you should drop the kite & lose your board - always a possibility - swimming in with the kite remains possible. I always wear a helmet, but it's been many, many hours of foiling since I was last hit on the head by my foil/board ... & the last time it happened I was hit in the face & the helmet didn't help! I find my helmet impedes my peripheral vision somewhat - a problem at Kite Beach Cabarete when it gets very busy. Falls from the foil are actually MORE jarring when wearing a helmet. On the other hand ... my buddy was hit by his board a couple of weeks ago & required 7 stitches in his forehead.

[Nelis]

Snip...

Using a foilkite means you need extra floatation, so always wear a vest. For foiling also always a helmet, and since you're less active on a foil, overdress even more.

Snip...

Agree it is a good idea - but one can not say that others should always wear a vest or a helmet, it is a personal choice.

Regarding the flotation and overdress issue, it can also be minimized or solved riding closer to shore.

Peter

It’s always a personal choice, obviously. But this is exactly what I mean by a lacking safety culture on the beach.

Coming back to my offpiste analogy, when people go out of bounds without helmet and/or backpack (meaning they certainly don’t have an avalanche beacon/shovel/probe) it’s really frouned upon. Guides, rescue workers etc will confront such people and point them back to where they belong (inbounds) Not to mention when things actually go wrong.

Try to explain to the SAR and your loved ones that the fashion police on the beach was more important then keeping yourself from floating/hypothermia/exhaustion.

[Peter_Frank]

Snip...

Using a foilkite means you need extra floatation, so always wear a vest. For foiling also always a helmet, and since you're less active on a foil, overdress even more.

Snip...

Agree it is a good idea - but one can not say that others should always wear a vest or a helmet, it is a personal choice.

Regarding the flotation and overdress issue, it can also be minimized or solved riding closer to shore.

Peter

It’s always a personal choice, obviously. But this is exactly what I mean by a lacking safety culture on the beach.

Coming back to my offpiste analogy, when people go out of bounds without helmet and/or backpack (meaning they certainly don’t have an avalanche beacon/shovel/probe) it’s really frouned upon. Guides, rescue workers etc will confront such people and point them back to where they belong (inbounds) Not to mention when things actually go wrong.

Try to explain to the SAR and your loved ones that the fashion police on the beach was more important then keeping yourself from floating/hypothermia/exhaustion.

I still disagree...

Nobody would ever go up against safety freaks, I know, but I'll still bite.

If you never have had any issues or rescues in your location or country, then how can you say it is a wrong toll on the rescue service or your loved ones?
Also, everything is a calculated risk.

Why not just stay home on the sofa instead - much safer
For a while

i hardly never see a lacking safety culture - on occasion yes, but not often.

And when, I always talk to those just to make sure they know the risk of what they are doing, and sometimes they say "ooooh, yes, thank you, I had not been thinking about that".
Very often when they are caught in the moment, they forget basic things - I might also do this myself on occasion, yes.

Peter

[Raynski]

@nelis: holy fack dude thats exactly the same issue i had a while back at Kijkduin!! After sending it too hard my kite overflew me, on the way down it fell through it own lines and there i was, about 100-200m from shore. I tried relaunching but it was hopeless. So i wrapped the bar and swam with the kite (i couldnt pack it, it was completely soaked, i just dragged it for about 45 minutes back to shore, i was extremely exhausted and scared when i finally hit the beach. It never even dawned on me that i could use it as a sail…. Luckily it was summer and i had an impact vest, but doing this when its winter…in 5 degrees celcius water, i dont think you will last even 30minutes, unlike you I did quit the foilkites even though they jump and fly amazingly. So now ive returned

I dont agree with your comment on the bowtie, ive never seen it untie itself, and ive had it happen like 5 times everytime bt sending it too far (tube kite habit). Did you practice your self rescue in deep water? Did you practice it with using a sail? Do you have any good videos for recommendation?


Ps: they told me to not pull the power lines when the kite is on its leading edge, because that will open up the air intakes and have it soak up water, doesnt that contradict what you said about not releasing the bar? I dont think the infinity xx and force control bar even have a stopper ball?

[Nelis]

Nobody would ever go up against safety freaks, I know, but I'll still bite.

If you never have had any issues or rescues in your location or country, then how can you say it is a wrong toll on the rescue service or your loved ones?
Also, everything is a calculated risk.

Why not just stay home on the sofa instead - much safer

Calling names doesn't really affirm your view. Only thing I did was strongly suggest a impact/floatation vest when going out in wintertime North Sea with strong currents, riptides, shifting sandbanks and eddy currents around jettys. Which is not really an extreme point of view. The SAR in the Netherlands pulls out 150 times per year for kitesurfers alone.

It's not hard to point out bad decisions on the beach that could reduce that number. Although, dear I say it, I think foil kite users are likely more conscious in their behaviors because of the nature of the equipment anyways.

After sending it too hard my kite overflew me,

I dont agree with your comment on the bowtie, ive never seen it untie itself, and ive had it happen like 5 times everytime bt sending it too far (tube kite habit). Did you practice your self rescue in deep water? Did you practice it with using a sail? Do you have any good videos for recommendation?


Ps: they told me to not pull the power lines when the kite is on its leading edge, because that will open up the air intakes and have it soak up water, doesnt that contradict what you said about not releasing the bar? I dont think the infinity xx and force control bar even have a stopper ball?

I try to pull the bar all the way in once I notice I've made a mistake when it overflies. This is a bit scary off course and counterintuitive, but I think it has the highest chance of straighten itself out in the air. I'm also still practicing jumping, so am making plenty of mistakes, being off balance in the air etc. Tips more than welcome

I practiced exactly this: which worked well for me. I was on my foilboard too though...

No, we are saying the same thing; don't pull the powerlines. Pull the bar in, is the first thing you can do, and pull even more in using the leaderlines to initiate it flying backwards. This assuming there's no bowtie and it sits on the leading edge.

Maybe others should chip in, but a bowtie in a crash I believe can be resolved by pulling the kite by one of the rear lines a couple of meters (depending on kite size) essentially flagging out, so the kite straightens itself out downwind. Afterwards letting that line go again should improve your situation and make it relaunchable.

[Peter_Frank]

Sorry Nelis, if a bit harsh words, not my intention directly at you, but more in general as so many dictate what others should do

I like the phrase "Would advice everyone to always wear a vest, and a helmet if foiling", or similar.

But the words "Using a foilkite means you need extra floatation, so always wear a vest. For foiling also always a helmet, and since you're less active on a foil, overdress even more".
Above sounds like a command more than an advice

I know you have good intentions with this though

Peter

[rnelias]

It's not hard to point out bad decisions on the beach that could reduce that number. Although, dear I say it, I think foil kite users are likely more conscious in their behaviors because of the nature of the equipment anyways.

I can't see foilboards as dangerous as twintips. Tt doesn't float very well. People usually rely only on their LEI kites as a floatation device...

Twintips combined with foil kites, no floatation vest and open sea is the most dangerous combination I could think of.

The dangerous nature of foilboards is what makes them wonderful: the freedom to cover big distances

[1234567Simon]

Nice Toppic!
Let's get Back to it....

Side Note: I still go very often kiting with my Windsurfing Friends. Also in super stupid kiting conditions. They know that I am prepaird to through away my stuff, so they can drag me to shore. But since I started foiling, I notice, how far a lot of foilers go out. Much further than any Windsurfer would ever go out to rescue me. (And this especially ist true for Foilkites).

Sorry .... Back to Toppic