Received: from hplms26.hpl.hp.com by opus.hpl.hp.com with ESMTP (1.37.109.18/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA185387301; Wed, 27 Aug 1997 11:41:41 -0700 Return-Path: <robertst@slip.net-DeleteThis> Received: from mole (mole.slip.net) by hplms26.hpl.hp.com with SMTP (1.37.109.16/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1S) id AA120957301; Wed, 27 Aug 1997 11:41:41 -0700 Received: from [206.14.14.168] [206.14.14.168] by mole with esmtp (Exim 1.62 #4) id 0x3n1e-0005qz-00; Wed, 27 Aug 1997 11:41:06 -0700 X-Sender: robertst@pop.slip.net-DeleteThis Message-Id: <l03020905b02a1d5015d2@[207.171.197.209]> In-Reply-To: <01BCB2CE.ACBA7840.michael.sullivan@sybase.com-DeleteThis> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Wed, 27 Aug 1997 11:15:17 -0700 To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis From: Tim Roberts <robertst@slip.net-DeleteThis> Subject: Re: Injury at Berkeley
I have heard a number of bad accident stories relating from careless jibes.
A friend was waterstarting in the delta not long ago and had a guy jibe
into her. His fin went halfway through her board! Can you imagine if that
was her leg or some other body part. Not just in the crowded sailing
areas, but everywhere - even on deserted lakes - it is so important that we
all stay in the good habit of always looking downwind before jibing. Is
there a blindspot in jibing? Not if you really look and stay aware of
other sailors around you. Please look before you jibe, that fin is a knife
moving at very high speeds!
Recently in sailing crowded weekend days at Crissy or the Delta, I have
found certain people to sail real close to each other, with no reason for
it. Like downwind port tack sailors buzzing right below a starboard sailor
who is hard pointing on the wind. Not only is this inconsiderate, but
dangerous. If you have the room to give people about a mast lengths
distance - do so. Bloody necks and missing body parts make for a bad day
of windsurfing.
Tim
>I had an interesting experience yesterday while sailing at Berkeley with my
>girlfriend. She was sailing upwind and behind me. When I turned, I
>couldn't see
>her anymore. As I sailed in her direction, I noticed her down in the water
>with
>another sailor and they were franticly waving at me. When I got to them, I
>saw
>that the guy had a deep, two-inch wide cut on his neck and he was bleeding
>pretty badly. She stayed with him while I sailed in to the Cal Sailing
>Club to
>get help. We came back out in a motorboat and picked him up and the
>paramedics
>took him to Highland. The guy had jibed right in front of my girlfriend and
>they collided. She went through his sail and was fine, although a bit shaken
>up. She talked to him this morning and he is going to be OK. He had surgery
>last night and the doctors said that he was very lucky because he was
>millimeters away from cutting a major artery. You could actually see a large
>purple artery through the cut. We thought he must of gotten the cut from a
>fin,
>but he thinks he cut his neck on his boom. He said that he looked around
>before
>he jibed and didn't see anyone. Has anyone noticed a blind spot while
>sailing?
>Hopefully, this is the closest we will come to an on-the-water injury.
>
>Michael Sullivan
___________________________________
Tim Roberts
Volcanic Adventures
Costa Rican Winidsurf Tours and more...
2737 21st Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.790.0737 (pager)
robertst@slip.net-DeleteThis
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