Situation
Two kiteboards were sailing downwind on the same tack, in a breeze of 10 -15 knots.
Kiteboard B was clear astern of and on the same line with kiteboard A, with a distance of 10 metres between them. Kiteboard A’s foil ran across an invisible nylon sheet suspended underwater and suddenly dropped off the foil, but with her kite not touching water. The rider remained attached to the board but did not have steerage way. One second later, kiteboard B collided with kiteboard A and there was damage.

Question 1
When kiteboard A suddenly dropped off the foil, while her kite was still flying, should it be immediately considered as recovering?

Answer 1
Yes.

A kiteboard is recovering from the time she loses steerage way until she regains it unless she is capsized. See definition ‘recovering’.
Kiteboard A is not capsized, as neither is her kite in the water, nor are her lines tangled with another kiteboard’s lines.

Question 2
Did kiteboard B break rule 14?

Answer 2
No.

It was not reasonably possible for kiteboard B to avoid contact with kiteboard A, given the distance between them, the wind conditions, and the speed at which they were sailing.