My first Pacific NW Kite Session

[letsflykites]

I was so excited to get out on the water today!

Waking up at 0630, I felt refreshed, eager to get out on the water. I took care on the hour long drive from North Vancouver, with the rain making the pavement slick. Reaching Tsawwassen, pulling up to 3rd Beach, I spied a gorgeous cyan kite drifting gracefully overhead.

Getting onto the beach and setting up, meeting new people, getting the feel for the place, just left me feeling so pumped, so ready! My neighbour was helpful enough to launch me, and in my haste and anxiousness, I overlooked my pre-launch line check. "Let's go! Let's fly kites! Let'er go!", I exclaimed. I watched my kite float up lightly into the cool morning breeze and let out a sigh of anticipation, which quickly turned into a cry of frustration.

With my outside line over my inside line however, all we could do was watch it continue to arc, reach its zenith and then descend into a neighbouring garden. Alas, it was a NOMA garden light the broke my kites fall, rupturing the bladder and tearing the sail; not the patch of grass I was hoping for. The damage to my pride, to my "stoke", briefly overshadowed the damage done to the kite.

Perhaps it was all for the best. My 9m sail would have been hard pressed to stay aloft in the lighter than forecast winds. I likely would have ended up cold, wet, and walking back up the beach; frustrated.

Now as I sit eating a slice of cold pizza, the taste is bittersweet, all I can do is kick myself for rushing; and Google ways to fix my kite. One day soon I shall return.

[Slappy]

Grek in Comox can do the bladder.

For the sail I highly recommend North Sails in Richmond. Cheap and quality repairs.

[C36]

Nice you got a sense of 3rd. Sorry your session headed early before you got on the water.

Airtime might be able to help with the bladder repair.

[Slappy]

You might be able to rip the seam on your LE (use a seam ripper) and then just patch bladder with some Tear-Aid.

Re-stitching the LE is nothing for the guys at North Sails and if the tear in the canopy is close to the LE they might have to rip and resew it just to fix the canopy tear.

Obviously if the bladder damage is near a valve just pull it out through the valve and patch it that way.

[Faceplant]

Tough lesson to learn. Luckily there were no injuries.
I remember overhearing someone last year make a comment about a very well seasoned kiter that was launching someone. The kite to be launched had a crossed line as you described. The seasoned veteran was in no way going to let go of that kite. I learned, that it's not only the kiter, but the responsibility of the launcher to look for lines over wing tips, crossed lines or any other problems before letting go.

[AdrienGrelon]

I learned, that it's not only the kiter, but the responsibility of the launcher to look for lines over wing tips, crossed lines or any other problems before letting go.

While I agree that more seasoned riders should always try to use their experience to help others stay safe, at the end of the day the onus is still 100% on the guy holding the bar.

As a windsurfer who has launched many kites but who doesn't kite, I wouldn't necessarily know what to look for in this situation. If someone asks me to launch their kite, I'm in no way responsible for what happens next: I'm there to hold the leading edge in the wind, look for a thumbs up, and let go.

Kiting is an inherently dangerous sport. If you're gonna do it, do it right. It only takes one powered-up kite slamming towards the ground because of a rigging mistake to send someone to the hospital, and I know victims of this exact scenario. Pre-launch checks aren't just good practice, they are a matter of not putting others around you at serious risk.

I'm glad no one was hurt and hope that the lesson has been learnt for many successful sessions to come. Sorry for the slightly aggressive tone, but if someone's property had been badly damaged or someone had been badly hurt because of this incident, it could've compromised 3rd Ave as a launch for all kiters.

[brettliv]

I was the guy who launched this kite. Unfortunately for letsflykites I am by no means a seasoned veteran (only a handful of sessions under my belt). I just saw the thumbs up and without seeing any obvious tangles near the kite, let it go. I do feel bad, I had the ability to prevent an expensive accident and potentially dangerous situation. Both Faceplant and Adrien make valid points, but at the end of the day it should be a collective effort to be safe as possible.

Lesson learned as both a kiter AND a launcher... ALWAYS double check the lines before sending it up.

[Slappy]

I would also encourage people to launch and land the other direction too, kite near the houses and kiter half way to the water. If this launch had been set up that way then the kite would have just come down on the beach.

[Faceplant]

I don't think anybody wants to lay blame on anyone. It was an accident or a mistake or whatever you want to call it. Totally agreed that the kiter is the one responsible for his/her launch. I was just relaying an experience that I had last year. I was a total newbie. I now, make a habit of doing close visual examination of any kite before I even look at the person with the bar.
Again, with internet everyone has a chance to chime it. I think it's good we all keep it in good taste, and stay away from the negative finger pointing BS I've seen on other public forums (not necessarily kiting btw). People who are thinking of kiting often read forums like this just to familiarize themselves with all the details of the sport.
Thanks again for sharing the story.
Hope you can get the kite repaired and get out on the water soon.