Received: from hplms26.hpl.hp.com by opus.hpl.hp.com with SMTP (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA17229; Tue, 4 Apr 1995 12:32:25 -0700 Return-Path: <jackg@cache.crc.ricoh.com-DeleteThis> Received: from cache.crc.ricoh.com by hplms26.hpl.hp.com with SMTP ($Revision: 1.36.108.11 $/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1S) id AA087922621; Tue, 4 Apr 1995 12:10:36 -0700 Received: by cache.crc.ricoh.com (5.57/Ultrix3.0-C) id AA23220; Tue, 4 Apr 95 12:03:48 -0700 Received: from localhost by downhaul.crc.ricoh.com.crc.ricoh.com (4.1/SMI-4.1) id AA02387; Tue, 4 Apr 95 12:12:51 PDT Message-Id: <9504041912.AA02387@downhaul.crc.ricoh.com.crc.ricoh.com-DeleteThis> To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis Subject: [rec.windsurfing] Rescue on SF Bay or Don't Forget Your Uphaul Reply-To: jackg@cache.crc.ricoh.com-DeleteThis Date: Tue, 04 Apr 1995 12:12:51 -0700 From: Jack Greenbaum <jackg@cache.crc.ricoh.com-DeleteThis>
From: willlt@aol.com-DeleteThis (WilllT)
Newsgroups: rec.windsurfing
Subject: Rescue on SF Bay or Don't Forget Your Uphaul
Date: 3 Apr 1995 21:22:40 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: willlt@aol.com-DeleteThis (WilllT)
NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com
The sailing season started officially in the Bay Area this weekend with
two full days of classic Chrissy conditions in the 4.7-6.2 range. It was
sunny, the hills of Marin were greener than I've ever seen them, and
everyone was in a good mood.
The tides are stonger this year due to increased run-off from the heavy
rains, making better ramps on the ebb tides, but this also means you have
to be even more on your toes than usual in rigging the right sail and
watching the wind for signs of it backing off. I was coming in for the
afternoon when I spotted an uphaul-less windsurfer on a 5.0 sail and a
floaty board trying to waterstart about 50 yards downwind from me. We were
in the middle of the Bay, at least four-hundred yards out and about to hit
the flood tide line, so I kept an eye on him as I slogged by, knowing that
only a prayer and a lucky gust would be sufficient to get the guy going.
By the time I got in, the fellow had given up trying to waterstart and was
attempting to swim his rig in. 400 yards is too far to let anyone swim,
friend or foe, even without a powerful flood tide, so I fetched an uphaul
from Larry Russo and slogged back out to the downed windsurfer in winds
that were by now in the 1-2 knot range, taxing slogging even on my 6.2 and
course slalom board. When I got to him the windsurfer told me that he had
pulled a hamstring and this was why he couldn't waterstart. Fair enough,
(though, oddly, I never saw evidence of this back on shore-he walked
completely normal.) I gave him the uphaul and with some difficulty, he
uphauled and we sailed back in together, just making land at Last Ditch
Beach, downwind of the Golden Gate Yacht Club a little after sunset.
Every rescue has a moral: the moral of this one is "Don't forget your
uphaul." This was obvious to me and every sailor I subsequently talked
to. The only person who didn't come to this conclusion was the downed
windsurfer (we'll call him "Igor"). Granted Igor's pride was wounded for
having to be rescued, but this still should not have prevented him from
seeing that an uphaul is a necessity, no matter the size of the board on
the SF Bay. His argument that his hand gets caught on it when he makes his
jibe doesn't work for me, nor does size of board or sailors expert
waterstarting ability. Everybody on the Bay (and anywhere the wind shuts
down quickly) should have an uphaul and know how to use it, no mater how
small their board is. We have enough rescues and complaints from the Coast
Guard as it is.
Okay, I'm off my pedestal now.
Will Triggs (San Francisco)
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