It was a wonderful day. In the morning it was windless and sunny. In the afternoon the wind increased and became stronger. The first kite surfers who had been waiting on the bank could now start. Within a very short time, many of them glided over the restless water. We watched them. The colorful kites, the big waves, the tricks they did with their kites, it was a great presentation.

We could see them for a long time on our hike, even high up on the mountain. Then our hiking trail turned into the forest and we had lost sight of them. It was only in the evening when we got back to the lakeshore that we saw them again. There were 3 or 4 kites left on the lake. The wind was getting weak. It was quite late, we were tired and were on our way to the restaurant where we had dinner. The sunset begun and the colors in the sky had changed. All the kite surfers were gone, except for one. The wind got really weak and we started to wonder why the last surfer was still out there and how he could get back to the shore in this weak wind.

We ordered our food and had dinner. With a full stomach, while we had coffee, we were looking for the lonely kite surfer. He was actually still there. But the wind was so weak now, that he got stuck in the middle of the lake. We were worried. It seemed like an accident, a situation where someone needs help. Who do you call when someone tries in vain to get back to the shore in the middle of the lake? Probably the maritime police. But does this lake even have a maritime police force? We called the regular police and they told us that we were about the tenth that alarmed them about this kite surfer today. In fact, a few minutes later we saw a motor boat approaching the spot in the middle of the lake and coming to a stop next to it. From our location, unfortunately, we couldn’t see what was happening outside without binoculars. After a quarter of an hour the boat approached the shore again and the lake was now completely empty. It was beginning to dawn.

We never found out what actually happened on the lake that day. But it is good to know that help arrives so quickly in Switzerland and that you are rarely left alone in an accident. An incredible privilege! I wondered how it would be if the rescue concept didn’t work so well. What would I have done in this situation if I had been stuck in the middle of the lake without wind? I would have swum back to the shore and hopefully would have worn a life jacket. This thought was not nice.

Image Source: Unsplash.com