SAFA Skysailor Magazine

16 SKY SAILOR September-October-November | SPRING 2026 I start to swim and grab the tip of my wing to drag behind me. Hard to abandon the equipment. I know I’m meant to leave it and rescue myself, but I’m on top of some underwater rocks, so I’m taking the stuff with me. A larger wave could have tangled me in the glider and the lines. I should have swum away from it. The glider is full of water and extremely heavy. I think I’m safe, in one piece, unscratched. More luck than brains.  Fishing out the glider turned out to be close to impossible. The waves grab it and move it freely and it is way too heavy to lift. Slowly, piece by piece, I pull it out, full of sand and seaweed. Pulling slowly by the trailing edge to let the water out through the openings made it possible. Meantime, other pilots arrived to help me, a rescue helicopter hovered over the water, the response was incredible. I’m deeply touched by the care and concern of other pilots. We’re worried about the other pilot who was behind me, but it turns out he landed safely on a tiny patch of sand. Skill I can only envy at this point. So what had happened and why was there no lift? Failing badly: The katabatic trap Photos: Pawel Olas