Shallow Doug's and a broken toe

advgeek · Joined: 30 Jun 2000 Posts: 83

The river was really low on Sunday and I learned my lesson about sailing Doug's when it's so shallow. You could only sail right in the channel and it was hard to judge where it got shallow on either side. I was coming in a little fast and suddenly realized I was over the shallows and like an idiot decided that getting off my board rather than run aground was the best thing to do. Well it turned out it was only 6" deep not 3' like I was expecting and I jammed by left leg into the sand hard and broke my little toe and sprained 2 others.

Anyway, I'm not quite ready to pack it in for the season, anyone sailed with a broken toe before? Problems?

charleegirl · Joined: 14 Oct 2006 Posts: 7

Just have really good aim getting into your footstraps. You may want to tape your toes together with duct tape, that's what I did. Speedy recovery!

markandmonique · Joined: 04 Aug 2001 Posts: 35

I guess you should be lucky you didn't go over the bars a break your neck...

elliot · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 15

Broke my toe at the beginning of one season. Sailed all summer but kept on breaking the same toe over and over at least 4 or 5 times. Foot strapes and rocks seem to attract broken toes. Mad

WMP · Joined: 30 May 2000 Posts: 671

Good news about water levels being so low is the opportunity to clear out obstacles that are normally underwater. I pulled out a big tree trunk yesterday from the Home Valley launch area... that thing nearly broke my ankle last June.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

When my little toe kept rebreaking, the doc said sailing before it was fully healed could leave me permanently lame from arthritis. Cost me half a Gorge season.

One guy did break his neck on that sandbar a few years ago.

\m/

advgeek · Joined: 30 Jun 2000 Posts: 83

andymc4610 · Joined: 19 May 2000 Posts: 684

I sliced the whole length of my big toe in baja on a razor clam? put duct tape on and continued to sail, not smart. got infected not to mention a little blood in the ocean is like an open invite to big fish. the things we'll do not to miss out.

bobgatpdx1 · Joined: 13 Oct 2002 Posts: 385

I jammed my big toe last year - really hurt. I got some "waterproof foam" medical tape at Fred Meyer's and wrapped it really well. It provides a lot of extra support for the toe but you still have to be careful with the footstraps. Also, I use booties.
bobg

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935