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Swimming, Towing Your Board Home
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outcast



Joined: 04 May 2004
Posts: 2724

PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 7:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

To the OP,

I carry 25 feet of thin cord in my harness pouch. I have used it to tow several other sailors in over the years including 2 from Uppers Kanaha (one way outside)....it weighs nothing and is like 1"x3" wrapped

I would never tie myself to a board and try to swim...too much windage/potential for wrap etc.....and it's just drag

Nor would i abandon the board ....rig? yes..

Paddling a windsurfer is painful due to the non-skid and rocker, but it's your best bet, and i would rather arrive at the beach with raw underarms, than not arrive. Use it as a boogieboard/kickboard..or philodog style (it does work) whatever....but the board is your float

Nor would i try to arrive at the same beach i left from...at survival time, it's just land.....any land...downwind so that you don't have to paddle cross chop and cross wind which is very unstable....giving up 15 degrees makes a huge difference. Kahalui Harbor has welcomed more than one sailor over the years

Paddling a surfboard in the "off season" will give you much improved skill set.... and make you comfortable in the conditions that made you uncomfortable. try it in cross chop and wind after a bit

When Peahi was opening up, some top sailors would sail with swim fins Churchills clipped to their waist..or use the mitts

And there is HUGE benefit to having the sail up out of the water in terms of visibility....so clew first or reversed boom/shitty boom....IF there are people watching they can at least see the struggle...on two tow-ins, Guards did come out as we looked "funny". Maui County lifeguards deserve huge credit
for what they do.

This is a great thread...lots of advice...mostly all good

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techno900



Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 4161

PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 9:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Towing another downed windsurfer isn't easy. A buddy broke a mast on his formula board and I had some line, enough to tie to his mast base and to my back strap (On a formula board too, both with big sails). The wind was around 15+ mph, but progress was painfully slow with the huge drag of the rig behind.

We had about 1/2 mile to shore on a beam reach, but the curved shoreline downwind was only about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of a mile away. We decided to let him drift downwind to shore, and I sailed in, got my car and drove to pick him up.

Towing was jerky and not smooth, and it was somewhat difficult to stay balanced on the towing board. Swimming in a formula rig would be a BIG challenge. It was a warm summer day with no perceived risk accept loss of sailing time.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why would a broken mast cause a Formula sailor to take a tow?
Formula, you derig the sail, stuff the base inside a rear strap, sit on the boom and sail, use the good part of the mast to SUP back home, a mile is easy, even in 13-23 mph winds at Berkeley.
My G/F did it once, Sup'ed from Ashby back to the third dock in less than half an hour while windsurfer's were zooming by on freeride and slalom kit.
If you can't balance, SIT on your sail and mast, atop a 40" wide board, and paddle home.
I"ve towed well over 12 guys back to shore at Crissy, including Rick Voss at 215 lbs. THREE times. I weighed around 140 back then. Was easy, took 20 minutes max.
Steve Yong, at 116 lbs., is credited with over 25 tow homes at Crissy. If a 116 lbs'er can do it, perhaps you can too.
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techno900



Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 4161

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2016 9:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zirtaeb,

When I came upon my friend with the broken mast, he had already tried to de- rig, but the mast was splintered and he couldn't get the mast out of the sail. With more time and effort, I am sure he could have freed his mast from the sail and could have padded in as you suggest, but I came along and offered a tow.

As I recall, it was my first time trying to tow someone in and while it would have worked, the drift to shore seemed to be the best solution with the least stress. As I recall, it took about 20 minutes for the drift and pick up.

My only long distance self rescue was at Padre Island about 3/4 of a mile out where my mast broke. I de-rigged, tossed the mast and paddled in on my 105L board. It was between waist and chest deep, so I alternated slow walking and paddling to get in. I had to walk to give the arms a break. As I recall, it took about 45 minutes to get in. Deep water would have been doable, but swimming some would have been a likely option. Laying on a small board with a boom and sail on the deck is not great for paddling.

These discussion are great to share ideas and solutions when things go wrong.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Next time.....
To rescue a rider on a bigger board than yours, switch boards. You tow with the bigger board, he lies on your smaller board, and in your case, dragging the sail, as much up on the board as possible.
To self rescue in chest to waist deep water, you load everything atop your board, you push off the bottom and glide alongside the back of your board for 7', then slowly allow your feet to drop toi the bottom, to push off again for another 7' or so, taking as much as 10 seconds between each push, giving you lots of rest time, and saving of energy. It's faster than either just paddling or just walking, and saves much more energy. Like a surfer going out at Pipe or Wiamea, you drive off the bottom, then get on your board, or in your case, just lie flat on the water alongside your board. That streamlining is enough for you to glide for 3 steps, saving energy.
The only really bad break is if a slug breaks in your uni, or if the lower bolt snaps in half off the uni. That one, you toss what you can't save.
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loopless



Joined: 30 Jun 1997
Posts: 426

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 11:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I rescued a friend in PSC who broke a mast( outside bombora set!) as follows. 4.7 conditions.

As we drifted towards Cabo, He was able to de-rig and roll up his rig and lay it on his board. We looped the boom outhaul around the back footstrap and cleated it off. He lay on his board holding the boom near the head. This had two advantages - it keeps the nose up of his board as it is being towed , and he had something solid to hold onto with both hands.
It worked brilliantly, I swear we nearly planed at one point and we made it back to shore in a jiffy.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 1:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good stuff!
Streamline the package, get the sailor aboard.
Wave sailors are usually a bit more athletic than the average flat water sailor, so can stay ON the board holding another's footstrap while being atop the rig.
I always wondered how a 118 lbs Steve Yong could tow all those sailors back to shore at Crissy, when his normal board was a floaty 90 liters.
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