Near cheap someone towed in an exhausted sailor +karma point

westender · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 1288 Location: Portland / Gorge

The human tow line works great.

The highest speed rescue I've seen is where one guy towed the person laying on the board holding a rope, and right behind them was another guy towing in the rig at about 25 mph with the sail flying. Hook a rope to the Boge and have the clew down wind. Never saw it done before or since.

Then there was the guy about 100' from shore sitting on his huge board drifting downstream waving and screaming for help. His boom might have slid down a few inches and he panicked. Since he didn't appear to be injured I figured once he got tired of waving and hollering he could easily paddle to shore. Rolling Eyes

Rumsfeld · Joined: 05 Jun 2009 Posts: 24

[Virtually NOTHING is the only way to do anything, and if the person with the problem is dressed correctly, the extra time in the water is no biggie.

Mike[/quote]

Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Mulekick84 · Joined: 18 Mar 2006 Posts: 407

As Rummy will agree, we don't see our failures as failures, but rather as future successes as yet unachieved.

Condi Rice - Bush policymaker and spokesman

gwandsh · Joined: 02 Aug 2016 Posts: 39

I recall a great day at Rowena (well, Doug's West) a few years back. It is my habit to launch at Rowena and take several long reaches down to "no sailor's land" mid-way between Row and Doug's.

I was having a wonderful time, and managed to ignore what I soon realized was the creak of a mast/boom connection failure. The failure took the form of the mast snapping during a particulary nice and floaty jump - gets higher each time I remember it Wink

After I splashed and realized the damage to sail and sailor was minimal, I shifted the boom down, dragged the limp sail onto the tail of the board, and swam. It was a long way across the river and (luckily) down current.

After what seemed like a long time, I got to the relatively crowded waters near Rowena. Several sailors saw me and cruised by to ask if I was OK. Since I was, I said so. But oddly enough, none of them asked if I needed help or if I wanted a tow (which by this time I really did). I was plenty tuckered by the time I finally got in. Could barely get the cap off an apres-swim beer.

I am sure I could have asked most of them for a ride, and they would have been happy to comply. It was really a nice steady day, and you kinda feel bad about imposing on someone's good nature like that. But I now make sure that if I see a sailor down on two successive reaches, I ask if A) they are OK, and B) do they need help in any way.

ps. That reminds me to add a length of old line as a wrap around the tail of my new boom. Gave the last one away to a sailor who was binding up his sail for a paddle to shore...

jota · Joined: 28 Feb 2001 Posts: 205

I brought a lost kiteboard to shore yesterday - I thought it would be easy but it's not. Try waterstarting one-handed with a wakeboard in your other hand. Finally tied it off on my downhaul line but it kept going under my board/fin. I might not have bothered if I knew what was involved.

But there was a phone number, and a cute girl came for it and gave me a hug and we went out to dinner . . . oh wait, that was imaginary. But there was a happy guy who brought me a six-pack and his gratitude.

Someone brought in my kiteboard in La Ventana last winter so I was happy to spread the karma, and get a six-pack no less.