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snapped my leash on suicide mode, watched my kite float over the café at south beach, bar wrapped around a utes roof rack and landed perfectly in bay 4 at the cafes car park
, thanks to the young bloke in the landcruiser( kiter?) who grabbed it, sorry I was a bit sharp with you as I didn't want it to power up and wrap some lines around you, cheers cauncy
Iv lost my kite a few time from it unclipping. And after a wile they bend out. What are everyones preferred leash. I ride airush but after a wile they go to ****. Any suggestions?
I was self launching in fairly strong gusty winds using a second safety leash attached to an old rusty dumptruck that was on the beach
It was an old kite I had not used for ages and the lines needed some adjusting
The kite fell from the sky and powered up just before it hit the ground
I thought I would be ok because I was securely attached to a dumptruck [it wasn't going anywhere]
I braced myself as the kite powered up
I was JOLTED in the air,then PING the safety leash snapped
I landed 15m down the beach and releashed the kite
NEVER use a safety leash to tie off to self launch in strong winds
I was surprised at how easy it snapped
Use a proper rated sling or rope that has a loop spliced in both ends with a rated D shakel or carabina
And attach it to something strong
Eg coconut tree,fence post,4WD,large timber boat,rusty dumptruck
Don,t attach it to a large log on the beach as my mate it once
His kite went cruising down the beach draggin the log attached to it as he was walking back to hook up
He had to run after it 
And be sure you have pulled the depower strap
The dumptruck was attached to the chicken loop with the safety leash
I had two safety leashes
Was far from ideal wind and the bar and lines were the first time I had used them with this old kite
Was a bit sketchy
I think at the time I had lost my sling and D shackel
Left it on the beach after packing up so just used my spare safety leash instead
The piont of my story is don,t use a safety leash instead of a sling and D shackel
Set up the kite as normal with the bar and lines
Attach the sling with D shackel between a coconut tree and the chicken loop
Walk to the kite and stand it on it windtip,let go
Kite will just bounce a bit but won,t go anywhere,it may just go forward or backward a little till it sits at the edge of the wind window
Walk back to the bar and attach the kite to your harness and attach the safety leash as normal whist the kite is still attached to the coconut tree
Bring the kite into the air
Fly the kite for a bit whist still attached to the co**** tree and check that everything is good,eg no crossed over lines
Unhook the D shackel from your chicken loop
And go kiting
I have kited a lot in strong winds on isolated beaches with only 1 or 2 other kiting mates when a small kite is the only option and nobody wants to sit on the beach and only
a third world hospital to patch you up if things go wrong
Can launch your 2 mates as normal but you don,t want to be holding your kite with one hand trying to launch your mate in really strong wind,is dangerous and sitting your
kite on the beach and self launching as most kiters here on the Sunhine Coast do is OK in light to moderate wind but is not an option in strong winds
The first person to finnish kiting walks up the beach attaches the D shackel to his chicken loop,lowers the kite down till the wingtip is on the beach,unhooks the kite from
his harness and his own safety leash and walks to the kite,drops the kite
The only problem with this method is if you are kiting in cross offshore wind and the wind is so strong you can not walk up the beach to get to the sling and D
shackel as happened once
Bringing the kite to 12 o,clock and walking up the beach was not an option
Gokid,
curious...why do you launch that way rather than a standard self launch? the statement that 'self launching is not an option in strong winds' confuses me a little.
i use the same method when on beaches with sharp shells. Slide self launch trashes kites if the "beach" is crap.
I should of written ,not a safe option
I self launch sitting the kite on the beach like most people
By strong winds I mean, leaving your kite on the beach is not an option
it will get blown away unless it has a big sandbag on it
and the big grains of sand are flying stinging your legs
you need to find a sheltered place just to pump up your kite
or when its supa gusty
Or when its a sketchy narrow beach with rocks downwind
Haha! Thats in kingscliff. I hadn't done it in years and I did it twice in two days. Looks like your having a blast, travelling the world!
