Received: by zonker.hpl.hp.com (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA00707; Wed, 8 Jun 1994 04:15:57 -0700 Date: Wed, 8 Jun 1994 04:15:57 -0700 From: Ken Poulton <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Return-Path: <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Message-Id: <9406081115.AA00707@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> To: 72017.461@compuserve.com-DeleteThis, Fred_Sporon-Fiedler@hpctg.desk.hp.com-DeleteThis, Gerry_Owen@hpctg.desk.hp.com-DeleteThis, Phaman@ccmail.apldbio.com-DeleteThis, Walt_Menge@hp5400.desk.hp.com-DeleteThis, amulhall@pyramid.com-DeleteThis, cleland@cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, cord@hpoemb.sj.hp.com-DeleteThis, coussens@hplgcc.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis, ghs@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, jlabat@us.oracle.com-DeleteThis, lenb@ssd.intel.com-DeleteThis, matt@cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, mfabrega@raynet.COM-DeleteThis, missimer@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, rob_hartman@logitech.COM-DeleteThis, schofiel@sid.hp.com-DeleteThis, sjn@hpisod9.cup.hp.com-DeleteThis, wind_talk@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis Subject: Rescue at 3rd
------------ Mon 6 Jun 94
Missed the 4.0 day. Sigh.
============ Tue 7 Jun 94
Went to Coyote late because the 2:00 report was disappointing but the
3:00 was good. I rigged 5.2 despite Scott's warnings that that would
be too much. I went out at 4:15 and was powered to way, way powered
the whole time. Since I have finally figured out how much downhaul
my sails need, I have not had a sail start pulling away from me with
back-hand pressure - I just go faster!
In the channel, the swell was not big, but was nicely organized and
provided very nice ramps up to 4 feet. I got some nice jumps, some
about 2 seconds in the air. Saw Scott and KenB on the water, but I kept
losing them.
About 5:30 I came on a sailor (Mark Paris) who had broken off his fin.
He was near the middle of the channel, directly across the wind from the
new launch at 3rd. He was on a biggish board (125 liters) and a big
sail since he had started sailing early. He had his harness tied around
the board, but was not able to make much headway towards the shore that
way - he would get up and slog sideways for a bit and then fall back in.
Since he had to do this without harness, he was getting pretty tired.
He said someone had gone in to get a fin, but he had an O'Brien board and
did not know which kind of finbox it was (it was some kind of
through-the-board box, but there are more than I recognize). We decided
to derig and attempt to tow him in. We sucessfully derigged and got his
gear tied to his board and then I tried to tow him using a 30 foot line
and an uphaul (for stretch). This turned out not to work well - we
would get going and then he would hit a swell in a way that caused more
drag, I would come to a stop and sink since my board is only 86 liters.
When the swell hit my submerged board, I would lose my balance and fall in.
We did that for several tries before deciding I would just go in and call
the Coast Guard. I left him my bag of flares and lights and sailed in
about 6:00.
Luckily I have a cell phone, so I didn't have to drive to find a phone.
I found, however, that 911 put me on hold for two minutes - it was
quicker to call information for the Coast Guard rescue number.
I also recruited someone to go out and try to tow Mark in.
Within about 15 minutes, an older couple drove up in a car labelled
Coast Guard Auxiliary. They had good binoculars and a radio to talk to
the Coast Guard base and to the boat the Coast Guard sent from SF.
Another boat came from SFO and arrived slightly sooner. While we
waited, we tried to figure out where Mark was. We eventually saw a sail
that would periodically waterstart, slog, then fall back in and figured
that was the towing sailor. The Auxiliary members relayed this to the
airport launch and they went right to them. They picked up Mark about
7:00. When I met Mark at Coyote Point (where the boat could land) he
was very cold (visibly shaking and uncoordinated) and felt that he would
not have lasted another half hour.
Lessons learned:
Know your equipment! If he had known what kind of finbox he had,
we might have repaired him on the water.
The harness around the tail trick is hard to use. In retrospect,
it might have worked better if we had loosened the harness
to create more drag.
Hypothermia happens quickly. When I left Mark at 6:00, he felt warm
and turned down my offer of a hood I carry. This was a mistake.
His wetsuit was shortsleeved and he was very cold by the time he was
picked up at 7:00. If you get into a breakdown situation, do
everything possible to conserve your body heat. Also, a good
safety measure is to wear a wetsuit that will keep you warm if
you are in the water for a long time, even if that is warmer
than necessary for simply sailing.
Visibility is vital. The two other sailors who worked on towing
Mark in did not succeed in getting him across the channel, but they
did provide a good visual marker. We never did see Mark from the
shore, only about 1.5 miles away. The only way to be visible
if your sail is down is to sit on your board, and that is still
probably only good for a half mile or so.
Don't wait to call the Coast Guard. When I left Mark, we had no
sense of urgency. He felt warm enough and thought he could still
paddle in if need be. Given the long time need to get a boat
there, that was dangerously wrong. The best thing we did was to
give up on towing and just call the Coast Guard.
Get a downed sailor a buddy. The second best thing we did was to
send someone else out to stay with Mark. Even if towing is not
useful, someone who is hypothermic does not think clearly and may
not be able to flag a boat when it does come.
Ken Poulton
poulton@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
"Well, how about it, punk? Do you feel lucky?"
-- Dirty Harry
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