Don’t lose it!!
It’s an unfortunate occurence but sometimes even the best kiters loose their boards. Here is part 1 of the whenitswindy guide to avoiding board loss and how to find and recover a missing board.
Prevention is better than the cure. Follow these tips to prevent your board going missing in the first place.
Top 10 Tips – Avoid Losing your board – without a board leash
The lazy way of course is to use a board leash but you don’t want to do that otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this!
1.Learn to body drag upwind – beginner
It’s easy but needs practice. Will do a post on this soon…
Keep some basics in mind.
Maintain kite at around 10 or 2 o clock in the sky.
Stretch your body out like superman and follow your arm which should be pointing roughly 20 degrees upwind of the kite.
Don’t pull the bar – relax.
Work in a zigzag search pattern roughly 20 seconds each direction.
2. Avoid winds which make kite re-launch difficult – Beginner
If the wind is very light , re-launch can be tricky. If you can’t relaunch you will have a hard time recovering your board. Practice your lightwind relaunch – get it dialled for when you need it.
3.Use a brightly coloured board and/or fins – Beginner
(Orange is one of the easiest colours to spot) spray paint works well. I advise beginners to avoid buying a board that is similar colour to the waters that they will ride. This will be different at every spot, but orange, red and yellow are standouts… Visibility is key to finding a missing board.
4.Use Ocean Rodeo’s Go-Joe or a similar DIY device – Beginner/Intermediate
I don’t know of anyone who’s lost a board with a Go-joe. They make the board so easy to spot and also push it down wind faster. We use children’s inflatable arm bands as a cheapo alternative. Other DIY options include pool noodles or plastic bottles attached to the board handle. They don’t get in the way at all but really help. Some say that Go-Joes look kooky – I say losing 500 quid is kookier.
Please note I get no sponsorship from Ocean Rodeo I just like this product a lot.
5.Ride with or just upwind of other kiters – Beginner/Int./Adv.
Doing this your board should pass others before disappearing downwind to doom if you encounter problems recovering it. Hopefully some kind person will come to your aid. If you kite downwind of others, there will be no chance of this happening.
6.Tell somebody! Beg/Int/Adv
If you lost it, tell someone quickly. Preferably someone who is still kiting or able to help search. Time is of the essence!!! I’ve found clients boards up to an hour and a half later through sheer luck. Don’t leave it to chance.
7.Understand the currents at your spot. Beg/Int/Adv
Which direction will your board travel – you may be surprised. Many spots have currents which can make the board end up in a different direction than that which the wind is blowing. If you don’t know about them ask the locals.
8.Mark Your Board Beg/Int/Adv
Write your name, email address, and phone number on your board. Use a label or just a magic marker. There are many honest people around who do return lost boards. Offering a small reward may increase your chances.
9.Personalise your board. Beg/Int/Adv
Use stickers or identifying markers. Hopefully preventing someone mistakenly taking your board from the beach. You are not the only person in the world with that model. A good friend recently had his new board accidentally swapped for a used but identical version. Gutted!
10. Know your tides. Beg/Int/Adv
Don’t leave your board below the high tide mark if the tide is coming in. Check the tide tables and know your spot. Also be careful not to leave the board floating after you’ve landed your kite. Many have disappeared this way.
Don’t wish to bang on about board leashes but if you follow the above advice you should never need to use one. Still not convinced? Follow this link- Pretty gross images of what can happen whilst leashed
Part 2 – So you lost it? How to find it!
Part 3 – Retrieving a lost board
