VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

The day's shot, no wind, crap weather, empty-house bored bachelor KUS aims to a avoid reno work at all costs....even if it's spending all friggen day on the BWD site....as he is about to succumb to insulation and woodwork, he thinks back on the session yesterday when he, for some bizzare reason, couldn't get the fin out of the board b4 leaving Kook Street. The fin has an adapter box where one of the brass screws across it is cracked that holds the fin in the plastic adapter ...."likely wedging into the box when I tried to pull out the fin" our guy reminisces. "There's a job"....can't have that, a fin not removed, it might even stretch the box...this has been known to occur.... So out comes the fin screw again but the damn thing won't budge, just like yesterday.....I work it back and forth, pulling, tugging. Getting annoyed now. A bit more force, yes, it wiggles but only in the back. The front portion where the cross screw is cracked is just pivoting back and forth. Ok, wrap the fin in a bootie, start jamming it.....more.....more. Shit it seems to wiggle a bit more, one last hit....crack Ok, well it broke but at least it's coming out....two pieces, damn, another adapter box needed....no wait, three pieces oh, there's that broken cross screw....with..... another bolt attached. Wait this ain't a powerbox, oh jeeeez yes, tuttle boxes have two fin screws, don't they
What a day, I better start drinking

At least I didn't break the whole deck...I don't think....I'm not even gonna look. Small favors. Got any bonehead stories

my whole life

HEY kUZ, I HAVE A TUTTLE FIN ADAPTER YOU CAN BUY,IN PACKAGE,FROM CHINOOK TO TUTTLE. "MAY THE WIND YOU PASS BE SWEET.

Hi there Kus - say, I have a great fin that is in a tuttle box adapter (that I bought at a garage sale from a reliable source - you), and I am not using it. Wanna buy it back?

Yeah, I kick myself every time I do something stupid (ie life threatening) kitesurfing. Its not a sport for Darwin Awards candidates.

ok, I was actually looking for similar bonehead stories...how about you guys think back of some moronic thing ya did and "edit" your comments?
thx John as discussed and hey, you MUST have a bonehead story/
Windsurfish- thx, fins is fine, box adapter is a bit ....in pieces but fixed it and may replace later...why r u selling the fin, thought you wanted length dood; got a story? don't think constantly sailing on a Go and 7.5 in 4.5 wave conditions counts tho
Matt- yup, almost witnessed a kitemare today at IV, buddy missed the steel gazebo by ~3-4 feet going for a power ride, how about a story from you?
l8r

I'm not sure if that counts but anyway here it is.

When I lived in Vancouver I was with "very well known" sailing club.

One day it was pretty windy even by Vic standards, I think it was something around 20-25 knots on the beach. Yes I took Go board, yes I was on 7 something sail without even a clue how to waterstart, but that's not the story.

The club rules were that you have to rinse the board after using it ( makes sence in a place like that ). So here I am after the session of diving and uphauling trying to wash the board. I put it on a buck, turned around to get a hose, next thing I know the board is in the air and... I should tell, this thing is not design to land on concrete.

That's my story.

So being a rookie has its usual mistakes, some more expensive than others.... Like the time I took my "brand new" mast, and forced the tip into the base with a mast extension cap stuck in the base. Its amazing how those fibers separate with internal force. Then there was "the wrong board" fiasco (I think everyone does this sooner or later) where you look into all the specs, talk to everyone you know (you know the god like entities that sail on say, 70L with a T-shirt sized sail), then head to the store and make the plunge. I took my tax refund one year, and blew it all on a Carve 131. This would have been a great purchase if I: 1) sailed in the tropics, protected by a reef in 3 feet of water, with no chop, and 2) only wanted to sail with say >7.5 ish gear.... Oh well, been there, done that, got the T-Shirt.... Then the "wave board" - its around 80L, should be great in 4.0.... those words echo in my head every time I slog in with it... True, in stable 4.0, this rookie would have no problems with 80L, in stable 4.0.... Then comes the tweaking, when the board seems right, the sails make you plane, and you are starting down the road to jibes. "I spin out." was my complaint. "It must be your technique." chorous the gods. "Can't be, I'm getting better..?" Try this fin, try that fin, try kneeling at the water's edge in the full moon begging Tiki for insight.... Eventually, the "trying" = better technique = don't really need the other fins = Listen to the gods, or better, keep on sailing..... Now if I can just get up the nerve to try a forward loop on my Go board - I asked Pxxl if he would show me..... Anyone wanna buy "the right fin"

This summer at penticton as skaha beach, set up kite, looked upwind and downwind (onshore wind) for any obstacles, noticed a tree and decided no prob will tack other way first. Hadn't sailed hardly at all this summer so a little rushed in anticipation. Launch the kite, walk out into the water and figure that I would be far enough out (first mistake), looked around and dove the kite, totally forgetting my earlier assessment that there was ONE tree on the beach to look out for, and whack there ya go, total bonehead move, drive the kite into the tree and tear the center panel, dohhhh.

My intro to kitesurfing was pretty boneheaded. I figured, no problem, with my "considerable watersports experience" I'd be out and back right away. My first three attempts were a bewildering collage of dragging underwater, porposing up into the air, frenzied redirections of the kite from the trees, kite crashes on the beach, rock surfing, people looking at me like I'm some clownboy or something....not good. I have progressed somewhat since but I'm not sure I've ever totally recovered from the experience. Yikes! If you feel yourself prone to boneheadedness some real lessons from a kind but firm instructor might be the way to go. Busting a screw ar a finbox seems small in comparison to the high powered mayhem them kites offer up. They seem to have the best horror stories. The last windsurfer type mag I read had a couple of mentions of the dangerousness of the sport. But hey, I'm not against it, just a lot more respecful of what the proposition entails. I wouldn't really recommend it as a sport for boneheads.

OK, I'll do a windsurfing bonehead story.
Pretty much my first time at IV, one of the first times in open water (as opposed to Nitinat), I think it might have been before I got present steamer so I was in 20 yr old Farmer John with a jacket over top - not warm. I think it was a cool October or November day. Not a solid waterstarter yet, and had only gybed by mistake. Throw all the gear together, jump on the board, get planing, head out for a couple of minutes, geez the waves are big out here! Notice that the booms are getting wobbly, supposed to be clamp-ons. Look down, see that the inhaul line is not properly attached. Try and gybe, fall - God thats cold! Booms have completely come away from the mast, and spend a couple of minutes trying to fix them on again - realize I can't do it with the outhaul still done up. Pull myself to the tail of the booms, getting washed every so often by a big whitecap. Pull the outhaul line loose from cleat and let go, du-oh! jamming the figure-8 'safety' knot into the cleat. Mast has filled with water by this point and the whole rig wants to point straight down. Flood tide taking me way downwind/down current. Finally get jammed knot undone (had to pull bitter end of outhaul to loosen from cleat, thus further tightening knot!). Outhaul finally off, have to swim half underwater to keep now completely unattached booms from falling off semi-inverted mast. Get it back into position in sail cutout, work clamping lines onto knobs with fingers that don't want to work at all by this time. Get it clamped, swim to clew and attach outhaul. Hands almost refusing to work by this time, uncontrollable shivering starting. Get into waterstart postion, and start, thinking "i've only got one or maybe two shots at this!". Luckily manage to start, can't feel booms, hold on to them by luck, sail to beach, heart pounding.

Dragged gear above the break, did windmills with arms for some time before any feeling returned, derigged and made looooong walk of shame back. Went to town and bought good steamer and booties. Now always check rig clamps before heading out first time.

I thinks that was probably my most bone-headed move, although there are many others!

Now, most people with any self-respect would keep quiet about this event but since I have little respect for anybody (as I've been told all my life by various people) including in particular myself, I just gotta tell you what happened to me at JR today:

So it's windy, things are good, I get to my fullsize Van slider to sit and enjoy a bite for a break in the wave sailing. Once done it's apparently imperative I never take my eyes off the water, ya never know what you might miss out there, eh? The window on the slider is open so I absentmindedly grab it and chove the door shut to head back out....except....it's not the window I grabbed with my left "driving" finger, it's the door edge The door slams with a resounding "whump".

Something's wrong, I can tell.....yes, my brain is telling me with an alarming crescendo of neurons that indeed something isn''t as it should be.

AAAAAAOOOUUUUGHHH my finger is squished into about a 1/8" space, it seems unlikely it's not almost amputated completely....and....I cannot get the f#$@@*er outta there, I am stuck. With agile windsurfer speed and quick thinking (a bit late) I try to pry the door open to free myself... not a hope in hell This be a good ol' American automobile, no campbell soup tin can, no sir
Ok, don't panic, just open the friggen door LOCKED! I AM STUCK LIKE A SQUISHED RAT IN A SPRING-TRAP. The passenger door is unlocked but I can't reach it or the power doorlock switch nor the key. I can't even reach a rock on the ground to break the glass. As my finger is screaming I translate it's signals into a directed "Excuse me, HEEEEELPP" to the crowd at Shakeys 25 yards away They look up, see me, continue with their coffees...after repeated yells and gesturing with my other hand, one of them finally gets up....yes, he even takes a step toward me, yes, still screaming for help. He then gingerly crosses the street at a speed of a dew worm, his facial expression showing me that he's not quite clear on what "Please Help Meeeee" means....my finger and I figure it's time to gesture more....he finally arrives and says "so, what's up then?" I explain rather briefly and encourage him to open the passenger door and open the slider, thank you kind sir

Once I am free and inspect what's left of my finger once I darted to the cold water and soaked it a bit, a lady comes over and offers to heal me. I say "thanks, I don't think I can be helped and the water is doing the trick for the finger". Despite this strain of self-inflicted injuries lately (bit of a career-limiting pattern here... ), amazingly the finger was only badly bruised and just broke the skin from the pressure on both sides and the door edge knawed on my knucke a bit but it still worked. Whew, good thing or all that gas combustion would have been for very little sailing

Thats horrible, Kus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be really careful around zippers, won't you?

ok, it wasn't so funny at the time but it sure struck me hilarious after. Don't tell me I'm the only one on the planet who keeps having these bonehead incidents I know WHY I'm not an electrician or a parachuting instructor....Anyone else got one? C'mon, share, it makes you feel better laughing at yourself