[rec.windsurfing] Safety & Rescue FAQ (long)

From: Justin Gordon (justin@booza.mcm.com-DeleteThis)
Date: Sun Nov 05 1995 - 15:51:38 PST

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Date: Sun, 5 Nov 1995 15:51:38 -0800
From: justin@booza.mcm.com-DeleteThis (Justin Gordon)
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Subject: [rec.windsurfing] Safety & Rescue FAQ (long)
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>In article <46iuhm$9mm@pulp.ucs.ualberta.ca-DeleteThis>, Ed the Shred <ecornell@psych.ualberta.ca> says:
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>>Would all you jocks who maintain Web sites please copy and list this
>>FAQ?
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Newsgroups: rec.windsurfing
Subject: Safety & Rescue FAQ (long)
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From: Ed the Shred <ecornell@psych.ualberta.ca-DeleteThis>
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Would all you jocks who maintain Web sites please copy and list this
FAQ? Although a somewhat dated joint effort, it has anticipated most of
the follow-up discussions on safety and self-rescue.

rec.windsurfing safety & rescue faq
Fifth draft- Posted AUG 94

Disclaimer: The information contained herein was collected by Ed
Cornell at ecornell@cyber.psych.ualberta.ca-DeleteThis I am serving as an editor
of responses to a newsgroup request for contributions to a faq. Some
contributions were anonymous and the credibility of named authors is
unknown. Your interpretations of the applicability of the information
for any particular situation are to be considered entirely your own.
The information is intended only for discussion. I am not responsible
and cannot be held liable if you decide to act in accord with it.

Overview: Here's the latest review of our collective wisdom about
rescue. There are three sections: Prevention, Towing/Paddling, and
Repair Techniques. Sample freely and write to me if you have additional
topics, better ways to say things, or hands-on experiences that can be
used to refine or illustrate our discussion. This is a living faq.
Thanks to all the contributors (especially the South Cooking Lake gang),
and my editor, Jaime Cordera.

Prevention

Hazards and limitations.

Patrick LaValla has summarized the dangers apparent in records of
search and rescue incidents. These are known as retrospective analyses
of actuarial data. The idea is that hindsight can be turned into
foresight. One or more of these factors were common in case histories:

1. Failure to recognize a potential environmental threat; unfamiliar
with area for activity or characteristics of weather.
2. Equipment failure; inspections and replacement neglected.
3. Too ambitious an undertaking for current skill proficiency.
4. Solo activity; itinerary not known to others.
5. Hypothermia (cooling of the body and brain) owing to improper
clothing.
6. Lack of rest (fatigue); poor physical conditioning.
7. Thirst (hypohydration during salt water activities).

Preparation.

There are some things you should know before getting out on the water.
Run through this list:

1. How am I doing? Had a long, exhausting week? Been exercising and
stretching? Had a good long drink of water?
2. What part of my equipment is suspect? What do I tend to break?
3. Determine where you would end up if you are left to drift. Stay
upwind of the launch site or know alternate landing sites.
4. Weather report says what? Anything hairy on the horizon?
5. Tide table says what? What is propelling me when the apparent wind
drops?
6. Local conditions. Where's that shipping lane? Where's that rip
current? Where's that fin eating rip rap? Where's that 3 cm deep reef?
Check with several locals.
7. Where's my buddy?

Once out, take breaks to rest and refresh. Go in to assess the
situation from shore if storm waves, barges, or overpowering gusts are
beginning to appear. Don't sail to exhaustion; always reserve the
strength for a self-rescue.

"""""""""""""""""""""""To the point""""""""""""""""""""

"Offshore winds: just say no. The second closest I saw somebody come to
dying windsurfing was a guy who tried to paddle a 9' board less than 100
yds back to the beach in a 30 knot breeze. When the Coasties picked him
up he was so tired he couldn't get into the boat by himself; dead tired
= plain old dead, in situations like that."--Rolland Waters

"You are flirting with death."--Kirk Lindstrom, on whether a carbon mast
would conduct a lightning strike.

"Big ebb, little wind, big problem."--Chrissy Field maxim.

"Don¦t forget folks, when you¦re sailing on the coast, you are lower on
the food chain."--Bingen Bart.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs).

Decades of actuarial data indicate that people wearing these are more
likely to survive and be rescued following boating accidents. Coast
Guard and water safety agencies consider the issue to be similar to that
of seat belt use by car occupants and helmet use by motorcycle riders.
Certified and maintained safety devices work. The net talk concerning
convenience and freedom of lifestyle choices is often tangential to that
fact.

Coast Guard officials recommend a Type I PFD for high speed water
sports and/or turbulent waters. US Coast Guard certification appears on
a tag sewed to the PFD. State laws requiring windsurfers to wear PFDs
usually specify that the devices must be certified in accord with
federal performance requirements.

Because Type I PFDs are so bulky, most windsurfers who wear approved
PFDs wear Type III. A Type III PFD will provide at least 15 lbs of
buoyancy, enough to maintain the wearer in a vertical or slightly
reclined position at the surface of calm water. Passively buoyed by a
Type III PFD, you may or may not be face up, so it is best to be
semiconscious following your encounter with the mast. There are several
models of Type III PFDs that are appropriate for windsurfers; widely
available are those for waterskiiers and kayakers, who also need freedom
of movement in the arms.

There are also PFDs for windsurfers that are not tested or certified by
safety agencies. Like the certified PFDs, they provide buoyancy during
waterstarting, insulation of body heat, and protection during slams.
They differ in that they are usually less bulky (providing less
flotation) and are cut to allow unencumbered arm and shoulder movement.
They may include features such as:

1. Pockets for keys, spare line, or small tools. A nice feature. Be
careful about what you might fall on.
2. Pockets for packets of lead shot. These are used rarely by
professional racers who know how to leverage 2-5 kg of additional upper
body weight. Not recommended. Always check your position of passive
buoyancy if you do put some of these anchors in your PFD.
3. A loop to place over your harness hook to prevent the PFD from
annoyingly riding up your body in the water. There is a tradeoff here.
In rare emergencies it is vital to have the PFD pushing under your chin.
4. Blue, green and black panels to coordinate with the colors of your
wetsuit and rig. Not recommended--you want to be seen. Day-glo yellow
is definitely a fast color.
5. Pockets to insert sheets of closed cell foam to provide more
flotation. Make sure that the foam is distributed so that the buoyancy
does not put you face down. Try it out.

"""""""""""""""""""""To the point"""""""""""""""""""""""

"The waves kept pumping and crashing, tossing me and my rig about, like
a t-shirt in a washing machine. The wind had increased even more, and
it was difficult to stay on the board. A few times large waves would
pull me into the water, and I realized that I was still crying. Thank
God I was smart enough to wear my life jacket."--Grace Jackson.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Survival Kits.

As with other safety considerations, whether and what you carry
requires consideration of sailing habits. Given the broad goal of soon
returning to land, you may want to make repairs or replacements, you may
want to be detected, and you may want to be towed. Here are some common
ideas about what to carry in a belt pack, PFD, or harness pocket. If
you put any of this stuff on the rig--mast protector pocket, for
example--consider that it might be gone when you make it back to your
board.

1. About 10 meters of 8-10 mm Nylon cord. Strong and stretchy for tow
line use.
2. About 1 meter of 3-5 mm rigging line. Should fit pulleys, masthead,
and boomhead slots. Also used for tying repairs.
3. A fin screw driver that can also be used to dig out knots.
4. A knife. As flat as possible, perhaps with screwdriver accessory.
5. A spare fin. Perhaps cut down and shaped from one with a damaged
tip.
6. Whistle, flares, mirror or submersible strobe light. Check marine
supply outlets.
7. Helmet. Posts indicate that a helmet may be especially warranted in
crowded rigging areas and when attempting high speed or aerial
maneuvers.

"""""""""""""""""""""To the point""""""""""""""""""""""

"1. Remove brain. 2. Go for it."--Response to request for
step-by-step instructions for forward loop.
"3. Carry health care card."--Same thread.
"When I prepare for a day on the water, I first get up and brush
tooth."--Eric Sanford.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Towing/Paddling

Staying with your board is your first priority, notifying somebody of
your plight is your second, and limping in alone is your third. The
international signal for help is to extend and flap both arms up and
down at your sides. With a sinker, this can be done by straddling your
board with your legs in the water. (Insert ASCII animation here).

Another common distress signal is to wave arms overhead and cross them.
This signal may be more visible in heavy swells or chop.

Research by social psychologists indicates that you are more likely to
receive bystander intervention if you direct your overtures to the
closest person rather than to the crowd. It is not unusual for
everybody in a crowd to assume that someone else is going to take care
of the person in need. Once you have a person's attention, try to
maintain eye contact and get them as close as possible. Seek a minimal
commitment first: "Please get help", or if attempting self-rescue,
"Will you watch me 'till I get in?" Barbara Morrow tells of an incident
that led her to hail a pair of sailors. When they slowed, she asked for
a tow, and the one who heard yelled that they were "...having enough
problems handling conditions". They continued on their way, and she
ended up swimming for an hour.

If no one is presently within sight, you should assess the situation to
make a plan of action. Do not derig immediately; the rig may be serving
as a sea anchor (dragging to resist wind that is moving you away from
the shore). Assess your equipment to see what you can use for self
rescue techniques. Assess whether you can be standing upright on the
board if you secure a tow. This may yield the smoothest trip in
instances of a broken fin, broken boom, or mast break above the booms
(see below).

For upright towing, you must have a tow line. Did you remove your
uphaul when you learned how to water start? Some descriptions suggest
that a tow line can be fashioned by tying together your harness lines,
or that the broken top portion of the mast can be used as a tow bar.
These may not be easy solutions. Think solutions through the next time
you inspect your own equipment. Can you slide off the tube on your
harness lines to get enough to tie? Do you know a hitch that would hold
on a tapered mast? Does the tow line allow you to follow in the wake?
You and your buddy could practice sometime in some friendly rollers.

If you must derig alone, try to do so while straddling the board and
squeezing it with your legs. You can periodically scan the horizon and
blow your whistle in this position. Some work may be easier to
accomplish in the water; consider lashing the mast base to your harness
hook before entering. If staying on the board, remove the rig from the
mastbase and work the rig around as it lays across the board in front of
the mastbase. Remove and shorten the booms and place lengthwise on the
board. Loosen the downhaul and use it to lash the mast extension to the
mast so that the extension does not work out. Loosen the cambers and
remove the mast from the luff sleeve. Roll the sail around the mast so
that the battens are parallel to the mast, and place the roll on top of
the booms. Use outhaul line to hold the roll and secure to the booms.
Position your belly on the lumpy mass and begin steady paddling. Keep
looking for a tow.

If you have lost your rig and have no tow line, it is possible to hold
on to the back footstrap of a towing board. Minimize resistance for
your tower: Shift your body to keep your board streamlined and keep the
nose up.

Your tower may also be able to take portions of your rig. If your boom
is dragging in the water, slip it over the top of your tower's sail to
rest on the boom. A boomless rig can also be carried. Slip your sail in
the gap between your tower¦s sail and boom, and tie the two masts
together. The bottom of your mast can be tied with the downhaul
remaining after the cleat, and you can also fasten your mast near the
booms with your inhaul. It may add stability to tie your clew near the
boom end with any remaining outhaul.

Tow line tie points.

The board being towed should be tied near the nose. Look for an
embedded cleat or shove the mast base forward and use it. The towing
board can be tied at the back footstrap or to the tower¦s spreader bar.
There is some suggestion that tying to the spreader bar makes it easier
to control the towing board. Use a slip knot on the spreader bar in
case the tower has to disengage quickly. One post suggested that it is
not difficult to tow from the harness hook while hooked in. The tower
should keep knees bent and weight low to prepare for some sudden give
and take.

When paddling or towing, it may be effortful to approach a current head
on. Assume a bearing tangential to the current or follow the current to
a weak point, then head in. Weak points in the current may be
associated with relatively shallow water, broad water, or where there
are no turns in its course.

"""""""""""""""""""""To the point""""""""""""""""""""""""
"Another option is to sit on your board and use your mast (or mast
remnants) as if it were a kayak paddle. I have done this and was
surprised to learn that my progress was faster and less fatiguing than
if I were hand paddling. This option is only applicable if the seas are
relatively calm and your board is relatively floaty."--Timothy Dierauf.

"It is customary in the windsurfing subcultures of the west coast that
soon after arrival on shore the towee will offer liquid refreshments to
the tower."--Rightback Johnson.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Repair Techniques

Broken fin.

Three solutions here. The first only works for A-box and E-box boards.
If you only collided with a soft rock, perhaps the screw tab is broken
off and the fin is dangling from the back of the box. Slide it out,
turn it tip forward, and slide it all the way back into the finbox. Get
on your board smoothly. If you keep moving forward consistently, the
resistance of the water should keep the fin pushed into place until you
make it back.

Second solution. Consider the function of the broken part. It
provides resistance in the water that prevents lateral movement of the
board. Strap your harness to the tail of the board. Put the harness
spreader-bar-up through the rear footstraps and tighten the straps so
that the back of your harness is smooth on the underside of the board.
This will provide lotsa drag. Walt Z. suggests a smoother alternative,
but you will still have to hold on without your harness. Walt towed his
spreader bar tied to the uphaul line tied to the back footstrap.

Third solution. Sail it in. This is difficult and your efforts will
be considerably easier if you have stayed well upwind of your planned
landing site (see section on Preparation under Prevention). Waterstart
by placing your feet very close to the mast. You may find you can best
control the board by placing one foot in front of the mast while
sailing. You will be unable to hook in and you will find yourself
sliding on a slight broad reach back to shore. This solution can be
practiced by sailing your board backwards (fin first). It is easiest to
begin practicing from a beach start with a floaty board. The maneuver
is challenging, looks cool, and becomes part of the safety repertoire of
a skilled sailor.

Broken mast.

Two solutions involve rerigging the sail on a shorter mast. If the
mast has broken above where the booms attach, completely derig the sail.
Take the top half of the mast out of the upper luff sleeve. Turn the
top half upside down and stick the point of the mast far into the open
broken end of the bottom half. Rerig the sail without cranking the
downhaul. Fold the sail over the top of the makeshift mast. You can
tie a hitch that chokes the sail around the top of the mast, or if you
have a masthead line, tie it to the boom to minimize flapping as you
head into shore. Watch that you don't pop off the hitch choking the new
top of your sail as you apply downhaul.

If the bottom half of your mast has pinched shut, you might consider
the second method. Ease up on the downhaul and outhaul and remove the
top half of the mast from the luff sleeve above the booms. See if you
can slide the top half of the mast fat end down through the luff sleeve
opening below the booms. Tighten the downhaul slightly. Attach the fat
part of the top half of the mast next to the fat part of the bottom half
by looping both with your sail tack strap. If you can only loop one,
make it the fat part of the top half of the mast and reinforce this
attachment with the extra line dangling from your cleated downhaul.
Next, use one harness line (the one you won¦t need heading back to
shore) to lash the skinny parts of the two masts together as close under
the booms as possible. Slide the top half of the sail over the portion
of the mast that sticks up the furthest. You may have to push the sail
down toward the boom to contract the boom tie luff opening. Fold the
top of the sail over the top of the makeshift mast, and tie as described
above.

Broken boom.

There are two solutions if only one side of the boom is broken. How
good is your clew first sailing? The second solution takes a bit
longer. Untie the boom and retie it with the good half on the side that
allows you to hang on while heading to the shore.

If the entire boom breaks, you can make a rope boom from harness,
inhaul, and outhaul lines. The rope boom should be the length of the
sail with the fattest lines positioned to be the ones you will be
holding. Tie one end to the mast where the boom head used to be. Tie
the other end to the clew of the sail. Spread your arms; you will soon
discover why rigid booms are important. This solution seems applicable
when being towed or when the rig may be uphauled; I would like to hear
how anyone has waterstarted using a rope boom.

Broken universal joint.

When is the last time you took a close look at yours? Check for cracks
in the rubber. Peer around that webbing. Check the integrity of the
backup webbing. Make certain that the bolt holding the universal
together is tight. Was a locktight preparation used?

Depending on the break, you can try to hold together the universal by
taking what is left of your downhaul line after the cleat and tying it
to the remaining pieces. Before you tie, loop a sturdy hitch around the
lower mast with the leftover downhaul so that it doesn¦t rip out of the
cleat. Look to see what is left on the board. If the plate of the
universal base is still in the mast well, run the downhaul line around
it and then tie it off above the cleat on the mast. This arrangement
may chew portions of your board; you might want to put a bootie on the
bottom of the mast before tying off.

Another course of action involves even more balancing of the rig, and I
have little information about how a water start might be accomplished.
Take off a bootie or your mast pad and attach it to the mast base. Get
the rig out of the water, perhaps by bracing the edge of the mast base
against the mast track or against your foot. If you can do this, you
are probably talented enough to sail by pushing the booms down and
toward you to hold the mast on the board braced against your front foot.

Knots.

A good knot is both easy to tie and easy to untie. The following four
should be in every sailor's repertoire. Illustrated dictionaries or the
Boy Scout Manual provide pictures.

1. Bowline. A bowline provides a non-slipping loop. A bowline could be
used on the tower's end of a towline so that it can be quickly pulled
off the harness hook.
2. Sheet bend. Tie this knot to join two different lines together. It
is much more reliable then a square knot and
also works well when the diameter of each line is different.
3. Clove hitch. Used to secure a line around a round object
such as a mast or boom. Practice tugging back on each loop to get it
tight.
4. Figure eight. This knot is used as a stopper (i.e. at the fixed end
of your downhaul). Better than an overhand knot.

When to jettison and when to roll it up.

Shattered equipment with sharp edges should be deep sixed after
removing any useable lines or parts. As compensation, you must pick up
a garbage bag of trash along the beach when you are ultimately safe and
rested. If you are drifting... drifting... drifting... while attempting
to piece together your rig, or your jury-rig is not working well,
consider whether you would be better off paddling. And if you are not
making good progress paddling with your rig on your board, consider
ditching the rig. You are irreplaceable.

""""""""""""""""""""""""To the point""""""""""""""""""""""

"Lifeguarding in high surf areas as I did teaches you some basic
survival rules. You learn that panic is your worst enemy. When you
panic, you lose your body heat faster, you tire faster from increased
heart rate, you don't think straight, and without decisions there is
often no action at all. In one incident, the downed sailer had started
to panic. For him, the hassle in high seas to break down everything
properly was not on the menu. I made the call to unclip his rig and let
it go. We just towed the guy in on his board--simple! He kissed the sand
when he landed."--Barry Keane.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

References:

Pace, T. & Montague, D. (1989). Self-rescue techniques. *Windrider*,
8, 60-64.

Royal Yachting Association video: Starting point. (Details of reference
sought).

------- End of forwarded message -------

Justin

-----------------------------
Justin Gordon
email: justin@mcm.com-DeleteThis _/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/
Mellon Capital Management _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/
San Francisco, CA 94123 _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/
_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/ _/ _/

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