For all those about to answer.
We have an item in stock here which will prevent you ever loosing another kite.
Its called a "Safety Leash"
Comes in numerous styles and some really cool colours. We sell them really cheap so no-one is ever tempted to go without and risk kite loses, public disasters or adding to the argument for people wanting to cut our beach access.
One and half.
Years ago (2002). It was a prototype relaunchable ram air foil from the days when safety leashes and stuff had not been perfected.
Put the kite up and decided it was too big for comfort. Brought it down to land and the leash broke. The wind pushed it into the water and we did the chase/tease thing where the bar was just always out of reach.
Being a foil the bar and lines created front line drag so the kite sat up in relaunch position ready to go and proceeded to sail off down the coast.
The wind was cross shore but the gusts were bouncing off the coast and pushing the kite slightly away from the beach.
Run down the beach and out on the reef and just missed it.
Ran back to the car and drove to the next point only to see it had just passed by.
Drove to the next point and it was 400m offshore. Next land was 70k downwind.
Called search and rescue to tell them I was ok and to not go looking for a big bright yellow kite. It was no big deal for me because I was test riding for the manufacturer and got free kites. They sent me a couple of new prototypes so it was all good for me.
We went from open chicken loop and separate safety leashes to permanently shackled systems. That was much better but shackles tend to fail, ether opening when they shouldn't, or not opening when they should. One day the shackle opened but I was able to chase the kite down before it got too far.
Now I use both a chicken loop with donkey dick and a safety leash with quick releases. No lost kites since.
I have had several accidental unhookings but managed to hang on and just hook back in. It is still good to have the leash as backup.
I have had a lot of partial unhookings where the loop comes off the hook but the donkey dick still hangs on.
The safety leash argument was big in 2001-2002 (maybe 2003) when guys were riding unhooked on non-depowerable kites. They said it was safer for them to be able to release when they mess up. We used to spend a lot of time running after escaped kites.
I don't know of anyone who rides without a kite leash now. At worst the unhooked guys ride with only a single leash.
Leashes fail. It's better to have two leashes or a chicken loop with a donkey dick and a backup leash.
2 for me both kites snapped the centre depower line with the leash attached to the end of the depower,first one ended up in a tree (not a cab) about 2k away,second one was in an offshore so ended up about 10+ k out and was picked up by the coastguard,since having a centre override none.
... I lost one when chicken loop broke then as kite fell back and it caught wind again, the snap broke the 5th line and all I had at the end of my safety was a ring with a broken line at the end.
I've rescued many run away kites though. A few that broke the safety doing handle pass stuff but some were let go due to pilot feared for themselves!
While on holidays in Vietnam, after the 4th kite I had rescued in the last few days, I grab it and take it in. I see the guy walking along. I manage to put the kite at the waters edge and he comes up, grabs the kite and starts to walk off. I yelled out, "oi, people usually say thankyou!" The prick looked at me like I was an alien, like I'd done something wrong. "F#ck you, don't expect me do that again mate!"
I pointed out to my mates about the fact that no one actually says thanks, its like it was an expected thing. Then I figured that because you can get a 'boy' who runs after you, they don't think its much of a deal, 'cause its his job. I am clearly not a local (maybe being 6'4" White 120kg dude would give it away), I'm not a boy, I don't expect an arse kissing but a little thank you for my bloody efforts.
Anyway, now jaded, I stopped doing rescues with run away kites, just let drift on by, let some one else do it, it will eventually land on the beach anyway!!!!
Grabbing a runaway kite is sometimes not easy.
Back home, calmed down, I'll alwasys help out though, just not the ungrateful euro's!!
cheers for now,
Robbie
I've lost three.
Twice when the leash snapped and once when I was in a rush and just simply forgot to attach it.
First time the kite ended up in a tree.
Second time the kite took off, when it was overland the bar snagged a post and the kite slammed into a car park. Luckily the only person there was a kiter who quickly secured it.
Third time the kite was slowly blowing towards some kids but a kiter on the beach ran down and intercepted it (I was a long way out)
I'd hate to think what stories I'd have if I didn't have a leash 
Lost my first kite in light winds when it dropped and got a steering line caught over wing tip After death looping down the coast submerged I released on to safety which snapped under the force. There my kite proceeded to blow out to sea when winds turned off shore. Swam in and was body dragged 1km out by a kind soul to catch it right on sunset. A memorable 3rd session in the water
I've lost one, what a pisser…. 
Was a total newb, and I don't really know how it all deteriorated so quickly. The wind was cross shore, and down the beach about ½ km away the coastline curved out towards a point. I crashed face-first into the water, somehow lines got tangled and the kite started looping, dragging me under water for what seemed to be a very long time. I was finally getting some time above the water now and in between coughing fits, was doing all I could to try and sort out the line carnage. Pulled the safety, but too many tangles for the kite to flag. I figured, OK, this situation is pretty dismal, but even if I can't fix this mess I will eventually be blown down onto the beach which swung out towards the point. Unfortunately as I was headed towards my salvation the wind direction followed the curvature of the coast and then I suddenly realized that I wasn't going anywhere near the beach, but headed out to sea 
. More attempts to try and sort out the lines, and a few more litres of salt water down the gullet, when it came to the point where it was either me or the kite. I chose life, pulled the release on the safety line, and watched my kite head out to sea 
. I then had a nice relaxing 30 minute swim back to the beach, while thinking about the convenient timing of my decision to try my first kiting session without wearing my newb impact vest, which I had worn every time since my first lesson. The wife was on the beach but she didn't notice that I was participating in a near-death experience, and was primarily interested in conducting a lecture about how impact vests aren't of much help when they are left on the beach while learning to kitesurf.
None, I always ride a real safety leash...
But even a safety leash does not save kites from trees, waves and other painful deaths by misadventure.
< BUT FIRST, A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR >
^^^ No, you post a sh!t-stirring thread, and a guy who knows your angle defuses it by pre-emptively disarming your ulterior motive.
(No affiliation with puppet/woodys, just bored of slave's leash rants.)
Not sure how the anti leash agenda is looking with the amount of kites lost due to no or faulty leashes.
I have only lost one that hasn't been recovered when I lent one to someone who used their own crap leash that had a plastic clip connecting it to their harness. Sure enough chicken loop came off and the clip broke.
Don't know how or why this became about leashes and don't care (it seems a few other of you have it as a pet topic not just slave). We all make our own decisions/have our own experience so back to the original question ...
^^^^rant rant rant......YAWNNNNNN
You cant blame everyone for there comments,,, as you usually turn your "social threads" into anti safety leash bashing in one way or another.
As you will this one
never lost a kite but have quite a few stories of relationships from a tight leash...
if you go kiting one more time i'll leave you ....
gosh i'll miss you!!
on a far more serious note john daly is 1 under after 1 hole birdie. in the British open go big fella ....
Yup, lost one last season, self-launching of the car. Bloody thing powered up (I still haven't figured out why) launched back and forward across the wind window half a dozen times smashing into the ground at each pass then snapped the rope attached to the car.
(yes if I'd walked 100 m back up the beach I could have got an assisted launch... and yes the beach was well clear downwind before I did launch
)
Anyway it ended up in the water, I knew it was beyond catching but the Frenchman giving it his best was good for a laugh (and appreciated). It would have ended up near north point for collection but someone dragged it in from inside hole in the wall. I did the righty and went off to buy a carton for the help but the intended recipients had already left the beach by the time I returned. The carton of Little Creatures Pale Ale was pretty tasty and a pleasant change
There seems to be more and more kites turning up without riders in coral bay I here.
Not sure where there coming from but I am pretty sure Gboss would know
lost an 8.5 2003 co2 by choice into the scrub when i got to the barb wire fence(dam they pull when out of control)lost a 06 0ctane about 1km out to sea (if you hook one line suicide you don,t wind up the lines but if the emergency goes off so does the kite bloody long swim back)and also lost my rally unwinding a bow tie at sea. when i unhooked the bar to roll over a gust took the kite and because the flag out had a roll it did not run through the bar (snapped the flexible bungy bit) luckily sat on the beach another swim in apart from that peachy
