Lost Gear at Kanaha Maui 8-17

mauipete · Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 10 Location: Maui, Hawaii

Thanks to a rescue by Air One over a mile out there was no injury, but my wife had to abandon her gear. She did everything right after equipment failure, (selfrescue, stay with the board etc) but darkness was approaching, so the decision had to be made to bail.

Numerous sailors passed her and none stopped to help, so she spent almost 3 hours bobbing in the ocean before the Helicopter pulled her out.

I sailed a zig-zag search pattern looking for her myself, but was unsuccessful.

One kitesurfer was attempting to help as the helicopter arrived, so thanks to him, but the rest of you losers out there can bugger off!

Lost:
2006? JP radical wave 69
2008 MauiSails 3.7 Legend (red)
370mm MauiSails rdm mast
Fiberspar posigrip carbon wave boom
Streamlined skinny mast base (europin)
matching universal.
reward for return. Call number on bottom of board or reply via email.

Mahalo,
Pete

actionsportsmaui · Joined: 18 Mar 2004 Posts: 44

Sorry to hear about your wife's ordeal. And it sounds like tragedy was narrowly averted, and glad to hear that there was a happy outcome after all.
I hope other sailors can learn from this situation and help close ranks so no one gets left bobbing for three hours.

On the issue of whether to bail or not, this is what the lifeguards tell us: Never leave your board! Especially as darkness is approaching, all the more reason to stay with the gear.
When you bail, you become a little coconut sized speck in the ocean, and reduce your chances of being seen significantly.
Some windsurfers have stayed with their gear, and been picked up next morning or even days later. But they survived by staying with the gear.
In fairness to the windsurfing community, most often they can and do help each other out all the time. Canoes help windsurfers, kiters help windsurfers. etc. Perhaps they just couldn't see her just floating (as it was getting dark). The fact that you sailed zig zags looking for her and still couldn't see her may be an indication of her low visibility. Anyway, this is why it is a good idea to wear a float jacket. Hopefully the experience does not put her off windsurfing, and she gets back out there and windsurfs here again.
aloha,
David Dorn

P.S. While I was on a windsurf vacation in Tarifa Spain, Three windsurfers died in three months in separate incidents, when they tried to "swim for it" and abandoned their boards.

mauipete · Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 10 Location: Maui, Hawaii

Thanks, Dave.
By deciding to Bail, I meant that she had to accept the rescue and abandon her gear, which I had always lectured her to hang on to at all costs, and as you said, was her safety net and increased her visibility.

She broke down at about 3pm, and was rescued at 6pm, with dark coming at 6:30 (approximately), so visibility was good the entire time she was in the ocean. She managed to sit on the board at times trying to flag down passing sailors, but I can't say for sure that anyone saw her and ignored her.

We live in Kula, and windsurfing is the focal point of our life, so I don't think this will put her off on the sport, but it may reinforce my continued advice to her (and others) "Don't sail out farther than you want to swim back!"

Aloha,
Pete

tstar · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 46

What broke?

Cheap insurance is a candy bar style GO Phone in a water proof pouch. The phones are cheap and you don't need a lot of minutes.

Might also be time for harness makers to build in a small pouch for safety gear. i.e. whistle,flares, strobe etc. stuff is small and can be built into the harness without making it look like a backpack. Even the existing pockets in harness's can hold a whistle which is very effective when sailors are nearby.

keycocker · Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 3598

My wife has a whistle on on a line on her harness. I tried carrying a simulated cell in some different waterproof pouches and all got wet. They are made more for canoers who don't hit the water at 20plus MPH.
There was guy out there whose mast foot came loose today. Rom stopped to help him and three other sailors came to help them when they saw someone down. It was big crowd. Surely you realize that she would have attracted a crowd also if anyone had seen her. You guys are surrounded by friends at that park. We were ready to all go back out for a big search but the cops asked us to let them do their job.