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Self rescue at The Wall/Maryhill
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markl759



Joined: 01 Jul 2004
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 4:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glad you got back.

Where does one carry this "extra" piece of line that is so helpful?
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rhorton1



Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Posts: 88

PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 10:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

markl759 wrote:
Where does one carry this "extra" piece of line that is so helpful?


I took 8' of downhaul line and made a coil that's about 10" long, and then taped it to my spreader bar with electrical tape (above the hook). Its been there for about 2 years now without getting in the way.
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combs



Joined: 01 Apr 1997
Posts: 129

PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I try to always wear one of these when I sail...25 feet of cord available in an emergency:

http://www.survivalstraps.com/men/fish-tail-straps-1/wide-survival-bracelet-fish-tail.html
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AfterDarkMark



Joined: 03 Oct 2011
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 4:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

biffmalibu wrote:


I am surprised you could/did not use at least the bottom panel to "waterstart" drag your way to shore. I would have tried that first, and there should have been plenty of power to drag. It's much faster than swimming. But perhaps you were fatigued from 3 hours. So I get it.


Believe me Biff, I tried that! For at least ten minutes I attempted many various ways of holding the rig up so that the wind could push me across. Right before I started swimming, I even tried sitting on the board and holding the sail up, unattached to the board. My legs in the water gripping the board caused too much drag, and the waves kept knocking me off the board too.

With the rig attached, it seems that with only a bottom third of the sail taunt, the top third vaned downwind and moving around, and the ripped up middle third flapping wildly, it creates substantial aerodynamic instability, to say the least! It made it hard to hold the rig up in any position to catch the wind. The main problem seemed to be the mangled configuration of the sail making it pitch forward, like when you're getting slammed. It was not even possible for me to hold the mast anywhere near vertical for more than a few seconds without my arms giving out. The rig just kept wanting to dive forward. Quite aggravating!

I've had somewhat similar experiences in the past, this being the fifth sail that I've blown out on the water. Each time was different, because of which panel or section was torn up. A couple of times, it was just one panel that was ripped out, so that the sail more or less kept its shape, albeit with a big hole in it. You go from a 5.0 to a 4.0 in a flash! It was hard to slog back, and the sail is unstable, but in that case doable. It all depends on what damage you get, and where of course. We all know how tiny adjustments in outhaul, downhaul, boom height, etc. can effect big changes in how a rig handles; now imagine pieces missing, others flailing, flying off in the wind, making that sad, LOUD sound that windmilling shreds of X-ply makes in it's agony... That's when you know you're in a pickle!

I just now had a thought - a fun concept - what I needed was my 3.0 training kite on board to pull me back to the beach! Wouldn't that be cool - to have a very compact, folded up rescue kite tucked into your rig somewhere that could be deployed to get you back to shore, or to at least not drift down river? Especially for sailing the really wide spots like Three-Mile Canyon. Yep, just thinking about swimming all the way across there or Arlington, etc. makes me tired... Good thing these darn breakdowns are relatively rare.

However, I too carry an extra piece of line with me. I either have it wrapped around my spreader bar, or wrapped around part of the boom tube. Back in my days of sailing huge lakes by myself, I would carry a little fanny pack with me that held a snack bar, Platypus bag of water, whistle, knife, line, bungie, etc. Things that could be very useful in the event of trouble.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

AfterDarkMark wrote:
this being the fifth sail that I've blown out on the water.

34 years now of sailing mostly very heavily powered, crashing alla time fore several reasons, have blown up harnesses, busted booms/masts/boards/knee/ribs/toes/hooks, but I have yet to go through my sail once. The OTHER guy's sail once, head-on, but never my own. Maybe you should figure out why/how that's happening and STOP DOING IT. Very Happy

Mike \m/
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