Re: Safety Fin

From: Jim Murdy (Jim.Murdy@xilinx.com-DeleteThis.com)
Date: Wed Sep 18 2002 - 12:58:44 PDT


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Message-ID: <3D88DAF4.6335595A@xilinx.com-DeleteThis.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 12:58:44 -0700
From: "Jim Murdy" <Jim.Murdy@xilinx.com-DeleteThis.com>
Organization: Xilinx, Inc.
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To: wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com
Subject: Re: Safety Fin
References: <3D88D652.6070901@ix.netcom.com-DeleteThis.com>
X-BigFish: v

I know I've seen all the suggestions...drag the down haul, tie the
harness to the tail for emergency fin fixes.....and have never
gotten good enough to have to use them, but....

The thought just hit me that some thing like a drag chute or sea
anchor might work...... say a small ring of plastic ( to keep
opening open) with a swivil/velcro leash to attach to board and then
a small parachute like thing attached to the plastic ring....even
with embelishments like a bit of foam to float it and a weight on
the bottom to position it (keeping ring vertical in water to make
the chute open easily) a rig like this could be pretty small and
foldable.

Jim Murdy

Kirk Lindstrom wrote:

> I wonder if we could make a "safety fin" to carry in a pack or
inside > our mast or strapped to the boom? > what if > get a 1 ft
long by 1" round piece of plastic that you put a fin screw into? >
Then if you bust a fin, you put this rod into the fin box and screw
it > in from the top > It would not be a great fin, but it would be
resistance > It would ALSO fit inside the water (camel back) bag I
often carry... > > It would be fun to try this "safety fin" out for
a test.... > > Kirk (I get full rights if we patent this!) out > >
Manuel Paunet wrote: > > >glad to hear you made it safe > > > >it
seems to me a good thing to do when this kind of problem occurs >
>is to ask someone to get you a new fin. > >even if the fin box is
damaged, a wobbly fin would do the trick better. > >(good to know
what fin box your board is using) > > > >aloha > > > >manu > > > > >
> > >-----Original Message----- > >From: Ken Poulton
[mailto:poulton@zonker.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com] > >Sent: Wednesday,
September 18, 2002 1:13 AM > >To: Multiple recipients of list
WIND_TALK > >Subject: Ken goes downwind > > > > > > > >Thanks to
everyone who was watching and helping me today! > > > >Ken > > >
>"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far
one can > >go." > > -- T.S. Eliot > > > > > > > >============= Tue
17 Sep 02 - 3rd - 5.4,4.4/257 (196#) 4:20-8:00 > > > >Too much wind
for kites as it started gusty and the channel ramped up to > >30
mph! I went out on 5.4 and sailed OPd for the first hour. This was
> >great fun - the swell got to 6 feet, very nicely formed, even in
the > >flood. But eventually, the wind was too much to handle. I
had a Mr > >Toad's Wild Ride back in (whooping all the way) and
rigged 4.4. > > > >The 4.4 felt great. I was having a fine time
(and thinking a bit > >about how to fix the stripped-out second
screw on my fin). > >But when I spun out and fell in near the far
edge of the channel, > >I found - oops! - no fin! Nada. Bye, bye.
Gone. > > > >This was about 6:00. I tried various drag inducers on
the tail of the > >board. Kevin came by and helped for a while, as
did another guy. Using > >the uphaul on the tail sort of worked - I
could get going, but would > >always spin out after about 30 seconds
and have to set up again. I was > >going towards shore, but faster
downwind in the flood. I could see I > >would not get to the shore
by sunset. Finally, as I passed Mike (who > >was the furthest
downwind) I asked him to go in and call the Coast > >Guard. I was
lucky to have just replaced my leaky old wetsuit with a > >new 5/3
at the ASD sale. I decided it was time to also put on the >
>neoprene hood I carry for emergencies. Having a warm suit was good
> >but the hood on my head really warmed me up. > > > >Further
cycles of slogging and spinning out left me approaching the >
>bridge pier just west of the shipping channel. I decided that the
> >westerly wind and flood tide would carry me a very long way
before I got > >to shore, so I climbed up onto the pier. Once I was
standing in the > >wooden bumpers, I was holding my board with the
uphaul, but I had no way > >to deal with the rig. So I detached the
rig and bade it goodbye and > >pulled the board up and tied it on.
I think it's just above high tide, > >but not above the waves. > >
> >The ladder is inside the boat bumpers. I had to climb thru and
jump > >back in to get to it. Once I climbed up, there was plenty
of dry space > >and a place out of the wind. I took out my radio
and called the Coast > >Guard. I also put on my flasher, which
Steve reported was visible from > >the launch! > > > >A chopper
showed up only 10 or 20 minutes later. I expected to swim > >out to
where they could safely approach, but they surveyed the pier > >and
placed their basket on the downwind end. The chopper was dead >
>steady in the air - very impressive piloting. I climbed in and
they > >raised me up as away we went! What a great ride! > > >
>They let me off at the San Carlos airport. I called my wife, Kate,
for a > >ride: > > "Can you give me ride to 3rd Ave?" > > "Where
are you?" > > "San Carlos Airport." > > "San Carlos Airport?" > >
"It's where the helicopter left me." > > "The helicopter?" > >
"Yeah, they picked me up off the bridge." > > "The bridge?" > >
"Yeah, I had a little problem..." > > > >And even before she got
there, Steve showed up to give me a ride! > >I later realized I
might have passed a message thru the Coast Guard > >radio. > > >
>And when we arrived at 3rd around 9:00, Dave had packed up my 5.4
and > >was waiting by my car! What a guy! > > > >So thanks to
everyone for all the help! What a great bunch of people. > > > > >
>Plusses and minuses for the overly analytical: > > > > --
inadequate maintainance (stripped fin screw) > > + carried hood > >
+ wore a really warm wetsuit > > + asked for help - at first mostly
letting others know I am floundering > > + told Mike to call Coast
Guard > > + carried flasher > > ++ carried radio > > - failed to get
my 50' line out in time to save my sail > > ++ got myself out of the
water > > - but not in the right place > > > > -- > best regards >
Kirk Lindstrom > Please Try My Online Store:
http://home.netcom.com/~kirk_69/Gifts.html

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