Don’t trust a quick release on a leg leash

This is just another reminder to everyone that having any sort of quick release on a leg leash is a bad idea. Yesterday a friend came off his ski a mile off shore in icy water and the ski blew away because the quick release mechanism had opened itself. Thankfully one of the other guys paddling happened to be directly downwind and looking upwind at that moment and was able to catch the ski.

In this case the brand of leash was MetaLeash. But the brand does not matter. I have had 2 different quick release mechanisms on Epic branded leashes open in similar circumstances. A Previous mocke brand quick release would also open in its own. Looking at other brand leashes that I have not owned, they all share similar or identical mechanisms and will be prone to the same failure.

So just don’t get a leash with a quick release. If you have one with a quick release you might be able to permanently shut the quick release with wire, a tube if shrink wrap, or stands of epoxy soaked fiber glass wrapped around it.

One last point on leashes: in this case my friend had a paddle to body leash as well. I might suggest a paddle to boat leash instead, as if the leg leash fails, you will presumably still be holding onto the paddle and won’t lose the boat.

Stay safe!

What is it that failed? I have several Metaleashes and they have a plastic buckle and a carabiner.

I think it depends on the quick-release. You are correct in that there was a model of the Mocke leash years ago that had a kind of squeeze release that could be twisted into undoing itself.

I added a quick-release to my belt-leash; I've used it for more than ten years without any kind of issue. It's the kind used by kite-boarders - there's absolutely no way it can release itself. (Well, never say never, I guess - but given that it's used by millions of sailors and kiters, etc, it must be reasonably reliable!)



So I'd yes, absolutely, the so-called quick releases that come on some leashes should be avoided, but a properly designed quick release is great - I quick-release my leash every time I come in at the end of a downwind...

Agree the stainless steel clip that come on epic leashes self releases on a regular basis. Obviously it brushes against something and you have no idea until you go take it off and find it not attached,

+1 on having a boat to paddle leash to either act as back up leash to boat, or if you let go, provide drag to reduce boat drift

From experience: don't rely on the paddle leash to slow the boat down. I lost a boat at the end of a downwind when cutting a corner and being knocked off by a wave breaking over a reef (I ducked under the boat and tried to hold onto the footstraps, but the next wave ripped the boat out of my hands and broke my leg leash).

The paddle leash just wrapped around the boat, the paddle was held against the hull and didn't slow the rolling down at all - in no time the boat was haring off downwind... much faster than I could swim after it.

Lost the boat, got it back 2 days later battered beyond repair. The paddle had come off it but I did get my Garmin back so I had the "black box" which showed some interesting information about the boat's last moments!

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I use a paddle leash - but purely so that I can let the paddle go when I need both hands to do something. That's been really useful on a couple of occasions when helping someone else.

tve wrote:

What is it that failed? I have several Metaleashes and they have a plastic buckle and a carabiner.

The little spring loaded metal carabiner is what opened itself on the metaleash. I had an epic leash a while back with a very similar carabiner that also released itself once or twice before I wired it shut. For me I would get to the end if the run, hop out, and see that it was disconnected. So the thing had undone while paddling.