Windsurfer Helicopter rescue after dark-- safety gear.

[Riptide]

The report I have is an over 60 years old, no wind, broken mast. gear found adrift, he had yelled for help. 911 called.

Raw video from CHP helicopter, wrongly being refereed to as a kite boarder, which rescue services frequently use windsurfer and kite boarder in the same rescue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMCcAmGgi_c&fbclid=IwAR3FZZKtG88p1iPdra5tcftNiHnzaZhqAjuaaaxdfYNnqKxjnqmjJHN3LH0&app=desktop

[isobars]

Looks like his backup plan -- presuming it was a plan -- was going to the nearest shore and getting help. That's a valid plan, usually readily available in populated areas with accessible shorelines. A guy in the Gorge who sailed ancient gear alone always carried sufficient cash to pay for the 120-mile highway round trip from Arlington to Roosevelt, and it finally paid off for him. In that big NM lake I mentioned I carried minimalist booties and some matches and filed a "flight pan" with my buds in case I had to spend the night on the isolated far shore.

As long as we plan for the conditions and the threat is nuisance level rather than one's life (e.g., the landlord, being swept out to sea, a waterfall over a dam in NM), the bottom line is usually planning for and expecting the worst and deciding whether the benefit warrants the risks.
In this case, even if the Coast Guard had not gotten involved, the sailor probably knew there was enough civilization on the far shore to assist in an emergency. Often simply thinking Plans A, B, and C through in advance can lead to a decision we can live with.

[dvCali]

[Goodwind]

Just in case my board /rig got ripped off my hands, I've been wearing Neil Pryde ELITE Buoyancy Vest for years. Kinda peace of mind in addition to making waterstart effortless.

https://www.coastwatersports.com/neil-pryde-elite-buoyancy-aid-vest-black-p-3522.html?currency=USD&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoaz3BRDnARIsAF1RfLdyjk2Qn58LdEsp5xcOdwFdqQUxGJwxgn4AZWVifHfFwVGicborN9oaAn4_EALw_wcB

[U2U2U2]

We don’t know he left his board.
Like others said it may have been ripped from his hands.

[WNDZRFR]

Goodwind That video would have been way more informative if after putting on the vest he would have jumped in the water right behind him and floated to show it's buoyancy! NP marketing fail.