knowing your limits

From: Chad McDaniel (chadm@sgi.com-DeleteThis)
Date: Wed Jul 15 1998 - 19:06:01 PDT

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Sender: chadm@unhinged.engr.sgi.com-DeleteThis
To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
Subject: knowing your limits
From: Chad McDaniel <chadm@sgi.com-DeleteThis>
Date: 15 Jul 1998 19:06:01 -0700
Message-Id: <x1jn2aalfcm.fsf@unhinged.engr.sgi.com-DeleteThis>
Lines: 86

Knowing Your Limits (or: ebb tide and offshore wind bad for working on
your waterstarting)

I should have known it was a bad day windsurfing after my boom broke
open the tip of the Astro Rock.

Last Sunday, Martin convinced me to join him and Darin at Flying
Tigers. He described the smooth water and how it would be great for me
to work on my waterstarting. It sounded good to me so we meet up there
to find a nice, steady 5.3 wind and rather calm water. I was also
surprised by how vacant the place was; there were probably no more
than five other people there. I rigged up a 5.3 sale for the Astro Rock
and wadded out far enough that I couldn't rely on the muddy ground to hold
me up. After a few attempts I got up, sailed a little ,then loosed
control and fell. I'm having a fine time until, on one attempt, I
boom-slam the nose of the board. The boom was just high (low - I'm
5'6") enough to put enough pressure on the tip to break open the
seam. It looked repairable, but I definitely wasn't going to continue
sailing it so I wade in to swap boards. The only one we had left
(Martin, Darin, and I share equipment) was a ~ 11' longboard that we
keep strapped to the top of the van for just such a situation (and
because we don't have anywhere else to put it.) I position the Astro
Rock so it can drain and get back on the water.

this is were the problem starts

I had noticed when I was wading in that the water level had dropped
quite a bit with the tide and that there was a noticeable off-shore
current. Apparently I didn't connect this with the fact that Flying
Tigers had an off-shore wind and that those two together are a bad
combination for someone who can't reliably waterstart. In my state of
blissful ignorance I was loving how easy it was to waterstart with the
longboard. At least, on a starboard tack (towards the airport) it was
easy. About half-way across, I try the port tack. It may have been a
problem with my wind judgment in relation to shore or simple fatigue,
but I could not get up successfully and the chop made it impossible to
up-haul. One watchful windsurfer even came by to ask me if I was okay,
but I was still confident (another form of stupidity in this case) and
waved him on. A few minutes later I realized how far I had drifted out
and mild panic set in. I first lowered the centerboard hoping the
stability would help my start, but by this time so many unsuccessful
waterstarts had drained much of my short-term energy. I could see the
rock out-cropping and pier on the north shore and knew that if I
drifted past them I would be in serious trouble. So I sat up on the
board and started to wave. After about a minute or two of full-blown
panic, Martin sails up and realizes that I need help. After making
sure that I can stay afloat (with a board like that, who couldn't?) he
tells me that he's going to beach his rig and swim out to me. After a
moment of doubt ("you're going to _what_?") I agree and he sails off
for shore. Whiles Martin is swimming back, another sailor comes up and
asks me if I want him to call in for help. I tell him that I have a
friend that's going to try to help me while pointing to the bobbing
figure making steady progress towards me. He says that he'll keep an
eye on us and call in if it looks like we need it. I thank him and he
sails off. Martin reaches me shortly after.

Martin's plan is for me to hold onto the back footstrap while he
attempts to sail in. I position myself as he positions the sail which
results in the boom narrowly missing my head. I guess people generally
don't watch out for where the clew-end is falling when flipping a
sail. He waterstarts at the first attempt with me dragging behind. The
wind is strong enough, but as he said when he shouted back to me: "The
pull that you're feeling in your arms is coming directly from my
arms." He then dropped back into the water. After a few more tries
(and a few more boom near-misses and one clonk on my head) we neared
the rock out-cropping that people fish off of. He got within 20 feet
when I let go and swam. It was an easy swim and it felt rather surreal
to climb up the rocks in my wetsuit and walk through the group of
people who were fishing. I was very happy and almost giddy at that
point as I watched Martin tack his way back. I was safe and sound and
shortly after Martin picked me up in the van and we went back to the
launch site to de-rig. The thought going through my head: "Martin
Frankel, you are my hero."

So I treated him to Pizza Chicago afterwards and am trying to aim my
biting sarcasm, which is normally aimed directly at him, slightly off
target in the future. I'd also like to thank the other two
windersurfers who stopped to check on me.

The experience did scare me and I definitely have the dangers of an
outgoing tide and an offshore breeze burned into my brain. I'll keep
at it, though, and look forward to when I'll be sailing Flying Tigers
with confidence.

-- 
-chad

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