NDE#2

Near Death Experience #2
10th April  2016
Hangovers and hang-gliding don't mix. Not that I was hang-gliding but I just couldn't resist the alliteration. It also sounds better than "paraglding and piss drinking don't mix".
Friday night - rocking the Bennett when I realised halfway through first set that I was on holidays and ended up at the stinkin' Exchange and spent all my gig money.
Saturday afternoon - A Day on the Green with Chris Isaak et al. Only drinking XXXX Gold but it kind of topped me up.
Home early as opposed to the very late night beforehand which is why I was able to consider having a fly on Sunday arvo.
Weather was SE at 12 kts. Got to Strezzie at around 2pm. 3 paras and 2 hangies were flying. One hangy headed to Dixon so that left the 3 paras. Tony Barton was preparing to launch with a tandem passenger as was Andrew - another paraglider I recognised from the club.
Tony flew off followed closely by Andrew. I started setting up when Cottsy appeared like an unwanted pimple in the middle of your forehead.
Laid the glider out and noticed a slight bit of a knot in the C risers on the left wing.
I decided to just fluff it up anyway and see if the knot would work itself out.
The glider came up OK and seemed alright so I committed to the launch.
As soon as I left the ground it became apparent that things were not right. I looked up and the knot was bigger than I first thought. The left wing was puckered at the back and the glider was pulling to the left as a result.
I tried tugging on the brake to force the knot out but no dice. I was heading downwards at a rate of knots (pun intended...). I thought I'd try and get to Newcastle Beach but I was barely level with the cliff height at this stage. I should have headed south and landed on the rock shelf below launch. The tide was well out and a bunch of sand had covered the rocks so it would have been ok.
Once I realised I wasn't even going to make it past the Bogey Hole I looked for some salt bush to crash into. I was almost going to pass under the electicity wires that run down form King Edward Park to the Bogey Hole. Rather than end up in the wire I turned right to bring me onto the cliff above the Bogey Hole.
With that, the knot unknotted itself with a noticeable yet strangely comforting thump of the wing as it assumed it's rightful shape. The glider bucked and spun around a bit but thanks to my Superior Flying Skills ™ I managed to hang on and control the bugger.
By this time I was lower on the cliff than I have ever been before - well below the coal seam which is the usual guide for lowness.   I was level with the picnic table at the Bogey Hole car park. Some kid was trying to get me to say hello but it is pretty hard when you're clutching your arse and weeping uncontrollably.
I almost scraped the side of the cliff but things started looking up and by the time I'd made it back to the gun emplacement next to launch I was at launch height. The Apco Vista SPII was behaving itself wonderfully by now.
I climbed up and kept flying around for about an hour until my shattered nerves could regain their composure. I landed in Empire Park. Had heaps of height coming in but landed fine. The 3 paragliders in the park asked what had happened. I gave the sage advice: "always check your lines and don'trush your launch!!".