Howard Marks Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 I was at Rhosneigr yesterday to go for a bit of a sail in what was predicted on most weather stations to be a southerly 18-25mph wind. However I had been listening to Irish weather reports and they were all saying SE coming in at 40 mph +. I had also called home to ask my brother what was showing on Xc-Weather and he told me that stronger SE were showing in the south of Wales and it was coming our way. That day I had watched a few very experienced kitesurfers go out on 8-12m ‘C’ kites and to be honest just by looking at the kites you could see how bad the wind was getting. Two out of the three kitesurfers had to head down the bottom of the bay as the tide was high and the wind shadow on launch was the worst I have seen. By 2pm everyone had packed down except the windsurfers. I had resided myself to the fact that even though I had traveled 125 miles I would not be getting out on this occasion even though I fly what I consider to be very safe S.L.E. kites, due to wind direction and Increasing strength. At about 3pm I was sat in my van on Glan y mor road watching a few windsurfers getting good air off the swell when I noticed an inflated 11M C kite being put into launch position on the beach. I ran from my van to warn the kiter of the danger he was in and to assist in any way I could. As I ran shouting for them to stop, the kite launched and as it cleared the houses and wind shadow the flyer was scudding towards the rocks. I was yelling for him to release but he was unsure at first and as he tried to go for it he got lofted 10ft into the air and slammed into the rocks. The rocks at Rhosy, for those who don’t know, are 2-3 ft high pieces of slate that stick vertically out of the floor in 10 m square patches. You can see eth two patches of rocks on multimap. Click on aerial Photo once the page has loaded www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=53.2295&lon=-4.5252&scale=5000&icon=x As I watched, helpless, in slow motion, I was pretty sure that he was going to die or suffer very serious injuries. I made his kite safe first and went over to him to see if he was ok. His foot was the wrong way round and the bone in his leg had broken the skin. I waved out to his friend to get an ambulance immediately. The impact was sickening and he came in with both legs together but did not sustain any head or back injuries. I tried my best to keep him warm with a few other helpers while the air ambulance was dispatched. He did really well and it never even looked like shock would set in. We managed quite a few very coherent conversations and he was in great condition to say how bad things looked from where I was. I found out that his name was Ben and he had just started at Bangor Uni a few days before. Ben was airlifted to Hospital where we took his friend. We got a brief chance to try and cheer him up before he went into surgery with the possibility of him having to have his leg fused to his foot as it was a really bad fracture. Ben had no idea that where he was on the beach was a massive wind shadow and that his kite was going to be throwing into turbulent 45mph wind that made his kite almost fold in half. He had rigged an 11m in poss 7m conditions because where he was stood it felt like 15-20mph max. He had not been out at Rhosy before and had been pondering if he should go out at all for a few hours. If I had seen him setting up I would have gone over to help him decide if it was a wise idea to launch, as I knew the conditions were some of the worst I have seen there for kitesurfers. I am still waiting to hear how things went, so I will post any news in time and I wish him the best and hope his recovery is full and swift. The reason I feel compelled to put this post up is because I have seen on many different occasions people launching on dangerously high tides, wind directions and locations on the beach at Rhosneigr. So I am asking anyone who is unsure about suitable wind directions, launching and landing areas at Rhosneigr to call in at Funsport to speak to Bucky as he will give you all the information you need to have a fun and safe time. If you plan to learn to kitesurf in this are you can take lessons from Alex @ Rhosneigr or Adam and Lucas from Turbulence on other locations around Anglesey. You may also want to call in @ turbulence on your way down to check current wind and weather conditions as Both Adam and Lucas are very knowledgeable and will always point you in the right direction. It is a good idea to wait till the tide is lower than the patches of rocks so you have a large buffer zone to sort any problems that you may encounter on launch. Have fun and fly safe Quote
mikland Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 Man, that sounds horrendous! It's lucky that you managed to get the guy sorted & off to hospital safely. Lucky also that he didn't sever any arteries with the bone sticking out. Best wishes for a swift recovery to the bloke. Hope that they managed to save him the use of his ankle... Quote
doc Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 Blummin eck that is just an awful story. Horrible for the guy and horrible for anyone who was on hand to see. The winds were gusty and mean yesterday and a novice should not be tempted. Shame they weren't spotted earlier. Again even though the winds were evil distance is still your friend. the bigger the beach the better and without rocks or posts in the shallows. i would hope things are not as bad as they appear and the hospital can do a sterling job. Quote
Lukewhity Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 omg that is some mad ****!!! i hope he is ok! r u back home now? Luke Quote
Howard Marks Posted September 28, 2006 Author Report Posted September 28, 2006 I have just had a call off a flat mate to say that his ankle is not being fused and he is going back under tomorrow for a clean out and more screws or plates. He is sat up in bed dosed on morhphine chatting and feeling a lot better about the whole situation. It may be a long recovery but we hope to welcome Ben back on the water in the next 12 months for sure. :) :) Next time I am on my way to Wales I will pop in to see him as he will be in hospital for at least the next 7 days. I hear that he is already wondering if his beloved kite has any damage from its crash on the rocks, which is a good sign! Quote
xdavemarshallx Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 Thats crazy......glad he is on the mend though. I know it doesn't always work this way, sometimes you are just the first on the beach.....but at a relatively popular kiting spot, you have to start wondering why there is no one else out flying. Quote
needakite mike Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 is that ben as in ptben?????? Quote
highflyer1599968632 Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 sh111t, hope he is ok.. Can confirm the wind in ireland was nuts last night too, was fairly maxed out on a sonic 8mtr, gusts were easily hitting 40 knots. speedy recovery ben Quote
ptben Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 is that ben as in ptben?????? Nope not me luckily. I went down to the beach last night and thought it looked gusty. That with the fact no-one else out made me think "I'll leave it till another day". I then noticed someone being stretchered off the beach. I had gone down to see Andy about a Waroo (I'm sure we'll sort something out sometime Andy). Thought it must have been a windsurfer as there were no kites out. I hope this other Ben gets fixed soon. Quote
dafast1 Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 ouch , hope ben is ok , yes a SSE/ SE at rhossy is a tricky one i was there 2 weeks ago during the turbulance week ,howard marks was there also , so he knows from experience . well done to howard marks for his quick reactions .... hopefully ben will have a speedy recovery Quote
kiteingcolin Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 NASTY LOFTING AT NEWBROUGH AT AROUND 2.30 PM did that guy actually launch a kite in 38 mph directly down wind? when i looked up the guy was 15 ft in the air and trying to release in mid flight at 20 mph above the beach, so so lucky, he left with his mate straight away, off for some instruction i hope, jesssus! no helmet and totally out of control, he set up near the dunes so no one could see him clearly to assist, Quote
gingerob19 Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 hope the guy comes out of it ok.... Saw a few loftings as newbrough yesterday bad conditions tho. I was on the limit with me 7m roo because it was gusting so violently. Quote
kiteingcolin Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 ben, i had a break that sounds the same, foot hanging off and tib and fib sticking out all broken and yucky, all my ligaments were sliced through by the sharp broken bones, 6 hr operation plates and screws and morphine happy daze, never kite again he said , 9 months of work he said, 7 weeks later i was out on my board, falling off all the time as it hurt and no strength, took ages to limp back up the beach, but this was so much better than moaning and physio,kept it up as the ankle wanted to sieze up, now it only hurts when i use my 22 mtr kite for a few hours, and jumping off any height i find impossible(apart from kite jumps which are no problem) so take heart and get the leg moving as soon as possible, keep bending the ankle for as long as possible and as far as possible, it will hurt , but the rudddy stiches hurt more as they are pulled out, dont give kiteing up, but get a helmet, i smashed my head into the sea wall at the same time and without my helmet it realy would of hurt a lot, Quote
Lukewhity Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 u r a soldier colin! get well soon ben Quote
doc Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 what do u do then if and when a such a repair breaks again - do u get the spanner set out or what - i don't like the sound of it. i think peeps who have bad break and are plated - if they want to continue - should take it easier in the future for the sake of their health - and their limbs Quote
kitegirl Posted September 28, 2006 Report Posted September 28, 2006 Hope Ben mends soons, appears he's the local rider who was out at Frais last Wednesday when Tom and I arrived. Healing vibes heading across the M62. Andy - nice one for helping out, if Ben needs a lift back this way when all's fixed give me a shout and we'll sort something. Peace, love, kiteboarding, Dee Quote
Blue Ice Posted September 29, 2006 Report Posted September 29, 2006 All the best for a speedy recovery Ben. Quote
muppetdude1 Posted September 29, 2006 Report Posted September 29, 2006 every day is a day closer to the water ben - all the best mate mart remember you can support the rnli and air ambulance rescue services at the forthcoming fleetwood kite festival - pray we never them them but what an excellent service we take for granted Quote
ANGELZ Posted September 29, 2006 Report Posted September 29, 2006 This is by far the best post I have read on a forum, I hope that all riders take the advice given here in an really think about the conditions and weva one dodgy session in worth missing months of good sesions waiting for an injury to heal. If U dont know the beach wait til some1 gets there who does, nicer waitin on a beach than in A&E. Quote
ezstevie Posted September 29, 2006 Report Posted September 29, 2006 Im off to Rhossy tonight! I hope the wind is not too crazy....... Yep those rocks are dangerous, very sharp pieces of slate. The beach at Rhos is very small at high tide, lots of rocks, walls, houses, dinghy masts etc. Not a place for the inexperienced to launch in scary winds. The wind shadow is very bad sometimes........ I have often made the mistake of thinking its not too windy, then I get out the shadow on the water and start sh*tting myself! Quote
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