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Kitemare at Sherman Island yesterday
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cvalk



Joined: 28 Apr 1999
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 11:32 am    Post subject: Kitemare at Sherman Island yesterday Reply with quote

I saw a man in the water 20' off shore between the two launch pads by the Sign. He was yelling and while there were 6-8 people at one launch no one could really hear him. I ran to a closer spot and he said he needed help now. I grabbed a board and ran up stream as there was a very high current flowing, and paddled out to him. He had only his head above water and had line around both legs, snarled in the rocks below. He was totally stuck. I yelled for a knife and luckily some one on shore had one, which they brought out and we cut him loose. A good 8 wraps of line around each ankle. The victims knife , typical kitter issue , was too dull to help. He had been in the water for 20 minutes and was very panicked, who wouldn't be? And he was really lucky we weren't out sailing, as the wind had died. And he had on a life jacket that probably saved him as he could not move his feet. A warning to anyone sailing in this area...there is a lethal tangle on line near the bushes between the two launches. I snared my ankle. ........Carol Exclamation Exclamation Exclamation Exclamation
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MalibuGuru



Joined: 11 Nov 1993
Posts: 9293

PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 11:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Am I hearing this correctly? There is kite line (submerged or above water?) that someone left behind? It could be there for years.

CLEAN IT UP! (KITER)
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spanker_jeep



Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 404
Location: Outer Richmond District.

PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That was truly heroic. The definition of a kite-mare. Don't hate kiters, work with them. If kiting were never invented they would just be another swinging dick on a sailboard.
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clifton



Joined: 27 Jun 2008
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:30 am    Post subject: Braided Fishing Line Reply with quote

In that location the line is more likely braided fishing line 50+ lb test used for sturgeon looks like kite line. Sad to see how adversarial kiters and windsurfers can be. Embarassed
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human_catapult



Joined: 20 Nov 2007
Posts: 374

PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had to help a kiter retrieve his board near the sandbags at the access yesterday. I guess he couldn't body drag upwind given the flood. When I delivered his board he couldn't manage to get it when it was 2 feet away from him. When he started having trouble he started heading toward the rocks and the sandbags and I started envisioning something terrible happening to him.

I saw an awful lot of kiters out there who didn't seem to have it all together this weekend.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Every time some "civilian" who knows I WS asks me , "I want to try them kite thingies. How are they?", my short answer is "Deadly. They can kill and maim people, whereas in WS we can just let go." I know they're getting safer, but every time I consider saying, "They're great. Go get one", I see or hear of another idiot doing something stupid on one. Anyone who treats them like toys is heading for a harsh lesson in reality.

Mike \m/
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tsokat



Joined: 15 May 1997
Posts: 326

PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Carol, my hat is off to you and the others that helped save the life of another human being and fellow water sport enthusiast Very Happy Bravo, that truly was heroic! I personally decided long ago that I am not detail oriented enough regarding the type of gear used in the sport to take up kiteboarding, so I am firmly committed for the duration to the sport of windsurfing that has brought me so much joy for 20+ years. The line wrap scenario can be deadly (a kiteboarder, who was a husband and father, was killed on South Padre this year in waist deep water from a line wrap and being dragged underwater-it over for him in minutes). Kiting is not for everyone and more folks need to ask themselves if they are detail oriented and focussed enough to take up that particular water sport. Some of us are and some of us are not. It is not a matter of judgment, and we are just all out there trying to enjoy the wind and water. My best friend is an expert kiter and, unlike me, is very detail oriented regarding gear, so kiting is an appropriate sport for him and others like him.

If that line is still there and you think it can be cleared out, I would be glad to bring a paddle craft over on a calm day and try to help retrieve as much of it as possible. The area you described is an area where a lot of sailors wade, waterstart and rest. But knowing the nature of the friendly and helpful regular crew over there, and their spirit of volunteerism, I wouldn't be surprised if it has not already been taken care of.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

tsokat wrote:
Kiting is not for everyone and more folks need to ask themselves if they are detail oriented and focussed enough to take up that particular water sport. Some of us are and some of us are not. It is not a matter of judgment, and we are just all out there trying to enjoy the wind and water. My best friend is an expert kiter and, unlike me, is very detail oriented regarding gear, so kiting is an appropriate sport for him and others like him. .


A bud who added kites to his WSing gear shakes his head in amazement when he sees people toss their kite $#!+ on the ground, strap on their Batbelt, and hit the water without performing a thorough preflight examination from bladder to fins. In his previous life he flew fighter jets and dissected and analyzed many crashes, and never got near a cockpit until he examined a plane from pitot tubes to thruster nozzle and wingtip to wingtip. He treats kites the same way for the same reason: both can kill if taken for granted.

A superior pilot is a pilot who uses his superior judgment to avoid situations that might require his superior skills.

Mike \m/
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davidllyon



Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Posts: 26

PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm a kiter, and glad to sign up to try to help with this. I cross posted this in bayareakiteboarding.

I scuba dive, and if I know where the snag is, could try to cut more of it out. Getting entangled on scuba gear is a great big deal, so I would want to go over the area without it first.

I've gotten caught up in braided fish line in Alameda, scared me, can not break that stuff, but I got a brand new rod and reel by cleaning it up!! In that case, someone probably hooked a batray, and it took off with his gear. Those suckers are amazingly strong for their size.

- David pm me if you know more
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mustard



Joined: 12 Jul 2009
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 1:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sensitivity aside, clifton may be right. A clean up effort sounds great, but let's be careful of hidden hooks and further entanglement if it is fishing gear.

That sounded like a nasty situation and the responders are certainly due thanks over and over again. I stopped to help someone push a stalled car to the side of the road yesterday. There is no telling how many people drove past before I stopped, but I watched at least five go by in front of me. Crying or Very sad

in the water delay could mean death, and that is unacceptable.

Thanks again to those who helped.
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