6/10-6/13 Rio Vista, Ca.

[jason morton]

Went to Sherman island for a long weekend of kiting. First time there. Had a great time. Same sort of set up as the gorge. I guess the wind tends to not get as strong as the gorge, but it blows more often and is more steady. Perfect for kiting. Not nearly as pretty as the gorge. The launch is a carbon copy of SSB, with 100 kiters compared to our 10. A real zoo on the weekends and evenings. Had a close call. Had finished up one evening and was headed to my kite to deflate when i hear someone behind me yelling to watch out. Next thing I'm doing a flip and on my ass. Then I see the guy spiral through bushes at high speed. Apparently this guy was on his way in and another kiter hit his kite and his went OC. He gets lofted over some berry bushes and takes me out just below my calves. It felt like someone was trying to break my leg with a baseball bat. Thought my trip was over. The guy ended up breaking his collar bone and dislocating it at the SC joint, in additions to several cuts and scratches all over. He was lucky, and so was I. My lesson learned. Don't turn your back to the beach when kiters are coming in in strong winds. Lots of ice and ibuprofen got me back on the water. Finished the trip with a kite loop straight to the water splitting my 15m nearly in half. Time for a 15m instinct, Jon.