Let's all keep it safe out on the river.

Pepi · Thu Aug 07, 14 5:46 pm **Let's all keep it safe out on the river.**

Today had a moment of chaos out at the Wunderbar Buoy with a kite getting caught, a rescue tow in, another kite and kiter getting tangled and then kites dropping and boards floating every which way.

Remember to kite safely, I know this is kind of Mommy lecture talk for this forum, but fun is fun until your brain shuts off and you overlook basic safety concerns either because you just didn't care, or you suddenly became uncomfortable and panicked a bit.

Nothing specific about what to be safe with, just a friendly and motherly reminder to be safe please.

Very glad everyone made it in safely today.
Remember, rescuing others adds up in your own personal karma bank account Very Happy

jperry · Since 07 Nov 2008 190 Posts Stoked

That was alot of swimming. I was chilling on my end. The wind was so fluky. I should of comunicated to the homie to stay connected. it would of been a really easy rescue then.

Oh well. Embarassed

moondog · Thu Aug 07, 14 9:11 pm

We were all concerned at the Wunderbar, so we sent a scout out with a knife. Matt said the person tangled wasn't communicating coherently, so I called the Marine Sheriff for the second time in 2 months. There were three kites down and it looked like a goat rope out there. I believe Pepi drug the initially tangled kiter to the Wunderbar without his kite.
When the sheriff arrived he found a kite and no humanoids so he cut the kite loose and it magically drifted NE up-current between 2 fishing boats and onto the Wunderbar into the owners hands. The winds were so bizarre out there anything was possible.

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

Moondog,

Thanks for the report. I have some more first and second hand information. It is not surprising to anyone who knows him, that Pepi acted fast and responsibly in advising the victim to detach, and then to drag him to safety.

It appears that the US Coast Guard needs/wants/must to be involved in any incident that affects a navigation buoy. One of the 911 phone contacts on the beach, was informed by the 911 dispacher, in NO uncertain terms, that no one (kiter, OWNER, or otherwise... even the water sheriff... should touch the kite or its lines... and that the Coast Guard would be notified to remove the kite and lines.

There is one very good reason why this procedure is dictated... which has to do with the critical nature of “navigation markers”, and that is the danger of one of these markers failing to do it job... that of safely guiding vessels. A light damaged by an incident, such as a kite tangle... could result in a night time tragedy. So, after each such incident, the marker needs to be checked by experts, trained for the task.

One bystander’s first reaction to this news from the 911 dispatcher was: “Big government agencies jealously guarding their rights”. Further analysis might convince such individuals that the 911 agent, the water sheriff, and the Coast Guard personnel were all doing their jobs, to a high standard of performance... so, there are many reasons for the play-out of the scenario, some of us witnessed.

It is interesting that even the owner of the object that tangled on the buoy does not have a right to free the object.

Of course, the responsibilities of the official agent involved would change if there was a risk to life. The water sheriff was very careful to verify that no person was stranded at the buoy. He did this from the boat by radio contact with the 911 dispatcher, who insisted on speaking directly with the owner of the kite in a very professional way, acquiring the person’s name, phone number, etc... Since the victim was not an english speaking US national, this was done with the help of an interpreter, with a cell phone.

Oddly enough, after this information was spread to all the intertested bystanders, a fisherman headed for the kite, confusing the “legal” situation, but to confuse it further, just by chance, at that moment, the kite tore itself loose, by breaking it’s 2 front lines right at the base of the sleeve of each larkshead, at the kite... and like a homing pigeon, came right back to its owner on the sandbar... bar and 4 lines dragging behind it.

If that wasn’t odd enough... the Coast Guard “buoy tender” then appeared crossing under the HR Bridge... and......... went right past the green buoy, at crusing speed, and disappeared past the Hatchery.....Whisky, Tango, Foxtrot!

Thus ended another day on the mighty Columbia River.... a hero (Pepi) rising to the challenge,... a concerned, and responsible citizen (Moondog) acting fast in calling for back-up,... 3 governmental agencies (911, water sheriff, Coasties, competently performing their duties,... local hospitality graciously extended to a visitor to our country,... A Cabrinha kite with the new combination auto-line-cutter/cup-holder/homing device on the bar performing flawlessly... and... yada, yada, yada...

moondog · Fri Aug 08, 14 1:46 pm

I like those new Cabrina accessories. Thanks for clearing things up and sharing the facts.