Letting Go of Kite to Save Your Life

[Windigo1]

Offshore wind, 50 knots, storm warning, tiny launching spot and no life jacket.. time for an award..

[dewwy]

Probably shouldn't go out with a forecast like this, if you don't know what to do when shit hits the fan.

[Toby]

Probably shouldn't go out with a forecast like this, if you don't know what to do when shit hits the fan.

definitely not !

[edt]

Everyone is dumping on the guy. That's funny. He expected to be called a hero for letting the kite go instead he gets called an idiot for going out in offshore 50 knots conditions.

[Flyboy]

So many opinions! I know the spot. I assume people kite there because it's close & accessible to Toronto. It's actually an "artificial" shoreline created by land fill that sticks out into Lake Ontario allowing kiting in a bit wider range of wind directions. However, it's a shitty launch, generally poor wind, & not much in the way of waves. There are other launches not that far away that are much better, but maybe not as convenient depending on where you're coming from (will involve a drive through busy downtown traffic).

The day of the video was extremely, unseasonably warm with a very strong SW flow. This always means unstable wind with the possibility of sudden spikes in wind strength. At a spot like that there is little room for error with only one, limited put-in area. In a good year I kite quite a lot with a 5m ... but on a surfboard. That means I would be on the 5m from about 28 knots. In my experience, anything over 35 knots is generally too gusty to be fun on a surfboard. Kiters on TTs looking for big air can always go out in strong gusty winds and just wait for a suitable gust to boost. However the kind of wind shown in the video - dirty, gusty side-off - is not good for anything.

[1234567Simon]

Everyone is dumping on the guy. That's funny. He expected to be called a hero for letting the kite go instead he gets called an idiot for going out in offshore 50 knots conditions.

Well … it really looked super shitty….
And just surviving….
Yes he survived…. Better than anything else….
Better than a big rescue action….

So yes, he is a hero!

[edt]

Here's my theory. We are all sitting around on the computer saying "I would have done this" and "I would have done that" but trust me a lot of us when we get out there make all the same shitty decisions and we only pretend we are better than him. He was never in real trouble so it's all good. It's nice when an incident is funny that means the only things that got hurt are his feelings.

I am so tired of this covid lockdown. Just seeing that toronto spot reminds me of all the great places in canada I used to go to but can't because of the stupid testing requirements, you have to get the long test to go to canada 2 or 3 days in advance, the wind in the midwest doesn't cooperate like that! No more day trips to Kettle Point, Belle River, Point Pele, Cedar Beach, Mitchell's Bay. I can still go to Ohio but it's not the same.

Going to KFC getting a poutine, kiting all day, then driving home, that seems like ages ago.

[bkkite]

Yeah, this seems pretty questionable, especially on film.

I walked away from a similar session about a month ago. Forecast was 25mph+, reality was 25mph gusting 45mph, launch in a wind shadow and fast changing weather conditions. Did a few tacks, saw the reality out on the water, came right back in and called it a day. I was bummed because I had not kite in 2-3 weeks... so I was itching to get out. Luckily got a nice sunny foil session the next day to reward me for my safety minded decision

[Flyboy]

Here's my theory. We are all sitting around on the computer saying "I would have done this" and "I would have done that" but trust me a lot of us when we get out there make all the same shitty decisions and we only pretend we are better than him. He was never in real trouble so it's all good. It's nice when an incident is funny that means the only things that got hurt are his feelings.

Toronto kiters are still mindful of the recent lofting death of an experienced local kiter which happened in very similar circumstances.

I am so tired of this covid lockdown. Just seeing that toronto spot reminds me of all the great places in canada I used to go to but can't because of the stupid testing requirements, you have to get the long test to go to canada 2 or 3 days in advance, the wind in the midwest doesn't cooperate like that! No more day trips to Kettle Point, Belle River, Point Pele, Cedar Beach, Mitchell's Bay. I can still go to Ohio but it's not the same.

Worse: the many American's who own summer homes on the shore of Lake Erie were unable to access them through the whole of 2020 & much of 2021.

[Regularkiter]

Offshore wind, 50 knots, storm warning, tiny launching spot and no life jacket.. time for an award..

fyi he had a flotation device under his yellow rash guard