{"id":519,"date":"2016-07-10T20:29:03","date_gmt":"2016-07-10T18:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/?page_id=519"},"modified":"2016-07-11T00:03:54","modified_gmt":"2016-07-10T22:03:54","slug":"part-2-you-lost-it-how-to-find-a-missing-board","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/?page_id=519","title":{"rendered":"Part 2 – You lost it? How to find a missing board."},"content":{"rendered":"

So all the best laid plans we made in Part 1- Don’t Loose it!<\/a>\u00a0have failed or you are kindly looking for someone else board. Here is When it’s windy’s guide to finding a missing kiteboard.<\/p>\n

\"Sometimes<\/a>
Sometimes best laid plans fail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Working at kiteschools I\u00a0get daily requests to help\u00a0find and recover “lost” boards.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Virtually every kiteboarder should be able to help in the search for a board. Always help if you can.<\/p>\n

Remember time is of the essence. The quicker the search begins the easier it will be to find it.<\/p>\n

If you’ve lost your board<\/strong>, let someone\u00a0 experienced know as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Tell them:
\nWhen you lost it – 5, 10, 15 minutes ago.
\nHow far out? – 50m, 100m …
\nRoughly where you were when you last saw it.<\/p>\n

The same applies if you find a board floating but are not yet able to perform a board recovery.<\/p>\n

Within 5 minutes most boards can be easily found. Over 15 minutes is pushing your luck.\u00a0 Over an hour\u00a0– that is a longshot.<\/p>\n

Noone around to tell?<\/strong> Best bet is usually to return quickly\u00a0to shore and wait for your board to drift slowly downwind. Keep looking for your board whilst onshore. Brightly coloured boards and fins are easier to spot.
\nGo-joes or their DIY equivalent make this job easier still. A small pair of binoculars can be helpful in extreme circumstances.<\/p>\n

Side onshore or onshore winds usually return the board to or close to shore.<\/p>\n

Consider which way the currents are running as this\u00a0may also\u00a0effect the\u00a0course of the board.
\nWalk the beach and don’t be shy –<\/strong>\u00a0Ask everyone<\/strong>\u00a0if they’ve seen it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Spotting a board in the water.<\/b><\/p>\n

1.Try to avoid looking towards the sun<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Move to a position that allows a better angle. Polarised glasses will take the glare away from the surface of the water.<\/p>\n

2. Get some height above the water<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Flyin<\/a>
Flying\u00a0 on an axis limited and 10m Edge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An elevated position really helps with board spotting. Climb a sand dune, lookout tower, jump if riding a twintip and you have the ability. Once spotted try not to take your eye off it or its general vicinity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here are some typical\u00a0situations you may encounter and some suggestions how to help.<\/p>\n

Scenario 1<\/strong>: You see someone crash and then drift hopelessly downwind without a board or you see someone fruitlessly\u00a0bodydragging for their board.<\/p>\n

Level: Beginner \/ Int \/ Advanced<\/p>\n

Anyone can help in this situation.<\/p>\n

The board will usually be upwind of the kiteboarder unless there are strong currents.
\nRide to the area\u00a0where they crashed\u00a0and try to spot the board. Remember\u00a0to ride slowly and look all around.<\/p>\n

Jump if you have the ability. A birds eye view will help massively.
\nUse the sun to help you, try to look away from the sun to get a clearer view of your surroundings.<\/p>\n

Once spotted either perform a board recovery if you know how.<\/p>\n

or<\/p>\n

Let someone else know where the board is.<\/p>\n

Scenario 2<\/strong>: You may be on the beach or in the water and someone tells you they’ve lost their board.<\/p>\n

Level: Int \/ Adv
\nAsk them:
\nHow long ago they last saw it?
\nHow far from shore did they loose it?
\nRoughly which area did they loose it?<\/p>\n

This should give you a rough idea of where to search.<\/p>\n

If you are\u00a0in the water communication will be difficult but the board is probably nearby anyway. Avoid collision at all cost. Remember to keep a safe distance.<\/p>\n

Knowing local conditions is key here.
\nSometimes a current will take the board in an unexpected direction. Assuming no currents and sideon or onshore winds the board should wash up eventually. Get them to walk the shore whilst you ride out to look in the water.
\nIf there is a high view point (dunes or sea wall for example.) use it to try to spot the board.<\/p>\n

Be methodical in your search. <\/strong>
\nI usually\u00a0head out to the rough area where the board was lost and ride 150m reaches gradually working downwind maybe 50m each reach.<\/p>\n

\"Kiter<\/a>
Kiter crashed at point X and drifts downwind. Wind with current is quite an ocvious search pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jump whenever possible to get an elevated view point.\u00a0If I don’t find it I ride slowly back upwind performing the same search.
\nSearching for the board from a hydrofoil<\/a> is also\u00a0very effective as a lot of water can be covered up and down wind with an elevated view point.<\/p>\n

\"Wind<\/a>
Wind against current will mean you need to check upwind of the crash site too.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once located perform a board recovery or let another rider know there is a board in the water.<\/p>\n

Waving the board in the air can be a good way to signal that you need help.
\nIf someone comes, drop the board and ride out of their way. Check that they picked it up and carry on with your session.<\/p>\n

If a rescue boat is available remember that\u00a0they are there primarily to rescue people and may not be able to help.\u00a0 However if they are willing to help rescue your board give them the information they need and\u00a0act quickly. A friendly fishing boat\u00a0is sometime another option.<\/p>\n

If you someone helps you in your search always show your gratitude afterwards. A couple of beers can certainly make the effort worthwhile \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Last but not least – All is not lost<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you really have lost your board, notify local kite groups, forums and facebook pages. Check ebay and craigslist.\u00a0Boards \u00a0have a fairly good habit of showing up somewhere. If you’ve marked your board as suggested in Part 1 the chances are that little bit higher.<\/p>\n

\"axis<\/a>
DIY Go-Joe and Stickered Boards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also notify any coastal rescue services that the board is missing but that you are safe and sound.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Coming soon part 3 – Board Recovery – I found the board what now?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So all the best laid plans we made in Part 1- Don’t Loose it!\u00a0have failed or you are kindly looking for someone else board. Here is When it’s windy’s guide to finding a missing kiteboard. Working at kiteschools I\u00a0get daily requests to help\u00a0find and recover “lost” boards.   Virtually every kiteboarder should be able to … Continue reading Part 2 – You lost it? How to find a missing board.<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":179,"parent":515,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-519","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=519"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":529,"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/519\/revisions\/529"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whenitswindy.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}