I should know better. I tried to body drag out but the waves pushed me right back in. So I then tried to put the board on my feet and wait for a wave to crash on the beach and then launch in the receding water. HA! the receding water is to shallow, the board stuck in the sand I got turned around 180 degrees and crashed the kite. Lucky no one around and no damage, (that'll come later). Embarrassed by my stupidity I cleared out of there fast and headed to the Platte River launch.
Launch gone bad type of day. Now I'm at Platte River Beach rigging my 11M. I set it up to an anchor and placed the kite in the wind window toward land on my right. Launched it, got the kite in the air, suddenly it lost the wind and it drifted down to hot launch position. Not good, I ran forward to slacken the line tension, but it was too late the kite caught the next gust and cartwheeled, slid 180 degrees to the left side wind window. Through rocks, branches and other beach barbs debris. A few holes must of been sliced through the canopy as it slide and rolled the 180 degrees. So now it was on the water side of the wind window in perfect launch position. So I launched and didn't think to check the kite out. I didn't noticed the destruction until an hour into the session when I saw sun sunlight through the holes. So I called it quits then, although the wind was good, the waves were confused and holes in my canopy made me come in after one hour.
So my 11M Z1 virgin kite is not flyable until I can get some sail clothe tape and patch the holes up.
Relive Platte River session
TOW: 1 hour 12:00-1:00
Gear: 11M Z1 kite and TT Board
Water conditions: Gnarly, side shore west winds, strong currents around the point made for all kinds of weird wave conditions.
Wind: West 12-25 mph
Weather: Bluebird day, another mid-60s October day
Highlights: Not much, probably the launch mishaps were the highlight
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