Weird week with kite- surfer and luxury yacht

[headmount]

Did a Maliko run in my ski last week and had a kite surfer drop his kite right in front of me while I was going full speed.  Managed to avoid the kite but had one of the strings wrapped around my leg.  I got my hand between the string and my leg and pulled some slack with my other hand to loosen the garrote around my leg allowing me to slide off the ski and out of the loop just as the kite began re-lifting and tightening the line. 

I was pissed but had been having such a great run up till that point, that I forced it out of my mind and got back into a great finish to the run.

Next was on South side with ski.  Admittedly we are difficult to see so low in the water, made even more so by the apparent nose high profile of this luxury yacht bigger than the size of a PT boat.  I did have my neon outfit on but the guy was bearing right at me from 180 downwind.  So I made a determined move towards the inside to avoid being run over as well as the highest volume swearing I could muster.  Then to my horror he corrected to my new direction.... then corrected at last second to just miss me.   Cute girl laying on the deck wasn't  cute enough for me to not swear and flip them off.

Then I got pounded by their wake, and I mean this was easily four to five foot wake.  Barely stayed in.  Sooo pissed.  You hear plenty about jetski accidents that don't have an observer but man, a big boat like that... I was freaked.

[yugi]

Usually the bigger the boat the bigger the idiot. Kitesurfers being the exception to that rule.

Man! That was a close call with the kite line. Good on you to get out fast. Kiter was a bit of an idiot to drop the kite in front of you. Even more to not pull the safety so the kite doesn't power up with you in the lines. Total nOOb or what?

My personal MO in life is to steer well clear of idiots.

Inner city biking gives me plenty of practice. I don't even get angry or defend my rights any more. I presume I'm invisible and the game is for me to get out of the way. If I have a close call I only get angry at myself for not having seen it coming earlier.

Same game skiing. We get a lot of clueless skiers in the Alps. I'm not just talking about reckless skiers on piste, I mean clueless freeriders. Get some idiots like that above you in exposed terrain and some days you just need to completely change your day plans and just clear out fast before they trigger an avalanche on you. Better safe than sorry.

I paddle on waters which are surrounded by affluent towns. Affluent towns means plenty of people with no water sense with newly bought expensive boats. A dangerous mix. I'm fully aware how little visible I am and I keep my idiot radar on full alert at all times.

[stoneaxe]

and you're worried about sharks?.......

[burchas]

My personal MO in life is to steer well clear of idiots.

Inner city biking gives me plenty of practice. I don't even get angry or defend my rights any more. I presume I'm invisible and the game is for me to get out of the way. If I have a close call I only get angry at myself for not having seen it coming earlier.

+1

[leecea]

Do you have a knife or something that cuts line on your PFD?  I carry a small cutter, mainly in case of stray fishing line at my local lakes.  Not sure what you'd need to cut kite line.

[yugi]

^ carry this close at hand when kiting or got kites raining around and on you

https://www.dakine.com/en-us/sport/kiteboard/kite-accessories/hook-knife-w-pocket/

[southwesterly]

I used to carry this DaKine knife while windsurfing at Waddell Creek.

Back when kiting first started there was a lot of kite carnage with kites and lines everywhere.

I never had to use it but I made sure to let everyone know that I would be cutting any lines that I could.

Don't think it would help you with the wayward yacht.

[headmount]

I used to carry this DaKine knife while windsurfing at Waddell Creek.

Back when kiting first started there was a lot of kite carnage with kites and lines everywhere.

I never had to use it but I made sure to let everyone know that I would be cutting any lines that I could.

Don't think it would help you with the wayward yacht.

Wow I love that cutter.  Thanks for the tip.  The reality is that most kiters know what they're doing and are good about not coming too close.  I just got incredibly unlucky with this guy. 
And the other reality is I've never seen a boat out in the conditions we usually favor.  This was a first.  Way more whale and shark sightings than close calls from boat traffic. 
It was just weird that two things like this happened so close together.  What were the odds?  Why me?

[SUPcheat]

Look on the bright side.  The kite could have picked you up by the leg, dropped you on a hungry shark, and the boat could have run you down while the shark was dining.

Low probability possible events aren't zero, and sometimes you hit a node where a couple occur together.  You can only shrug and move on if you survive.

[Off-Shore]

^^ ^^

We get a lot of luxury yachts in HK at full throttle in the off shore areas we paddle and I get the feeling they like trying to knock us off our boards by coming close. But at least I get the feeling they see us. There is however nothing like that panicked feeling when you think they haven't seen you. I've had a few of those and this is one of the main reasons I wear day glow orange all the time.

[headmount]

^^ ^^

We get a lot of luxury yachts in HK at full throttle in the off shore areas we paddle and I get the feeling they like trying to knock us off our boards by coming close. But at least I get the feeling they see us. There is however nothing like that panicked feeling when you think they haven't seen you. I've had a few of those and this is one of the main reasons I wear day glow orange all the time.

I had a guy tell me I should have a tall pole with an orange banner on it.  He said you only get stepped on by an elephant once.  Hard to argue with that but I'm not putting up any orange flag.  I have a dayglow orange hat and I'm going with that.  If I do get run over... for grins...