X-OldHeader: From KirkLindstrom@ix.netcom.com-DeleteThis.com Wed Sep 18 07:49:31 2002 Return-Path: <KirkLindstrom@ix.netcom.com-DeleteThis.com> Received: from opus.labs.agilent.com (root@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com [130.29.244.179]) by jr.labs.agilent.com (8.9.3 (PHNE_18979)/8.9.3 AgilentLabs Workstation) with ESMTP id HAA25144 for <wind_talk_ls@jr.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com>; Wed, 18 Sep 2002 07:49:31 -0700 (PDT) Received: from msgbas1.net.europe.agilent.com (msgbas1.net.europe.agilent.com [192.25.19.80]) by opus.labs.agilent.com (8.9.3 (PHNE_18979)/8.9.3 AgilentLabs Workstation) with ESMTP id HAA08953 for <wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com>; Wed, 18 Sep 2002 07:49:30 -0700 (PDT) Received: from scaup.mail.pas.earthlink.net (scaup.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.49]) by msgbas1.net.europe.agilent.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3F84F6A9 for <wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com>; Wed, 18 Sep 2002 16:49:29 +0200 (METDST) Received: from user-1121ean.dsl.mindspring.com ([66.32.185.87] helo=ix.netcom.com) by scaup.mail.pas.earthlink.net with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 17rg8t-0006FO-00 for wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com; Wed, 18 Sep 2002 07:49:27 -0700 Message-ID: <3D889291.3080308@ix.netcom.com-DeleteThis.com> Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 07:49:53 -0700 From: Kirk Lindstrom <KirkLindstrom@ix.netcom.com-DeleteThis.com> User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; rv:0.9.4) Gecko/20011128 Netscape6/6.2.1 X-Accept-Language: en-us To: wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com Subject: Re: Ken goes downwind References: <200209180810.BAA15916@zonker.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com>
WOW!
Sounds exciting. Glad you got back OK.
Coyote seems so much safer to me in a flood... easier to hit shore.
but you have plenty of safety gear and rubber protection.
do you have room for a "float" like a childs beach ball you could blow
up and attach to your rig when you have to ditch? Or an inflatable life
vest that you tie to your rig and pull the CO2 inflator... Might save
$1000 or more...
Ken Poulton wrote:
>Thanks to everyone who was watching and helping me today!
>
>Ken
>
>"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
> -- T.S. Eliot
>
>
>
>============= Tue 17 Sep 02 - 3rd - 5.4,4.4/257 (196#) 4:20-8:00
>
>Too much wind for kites as it started gusty and the channel ramped up to
>30 mph! I went out on 5.4 and sailed OPd for the first hour. This was
>great fun - the swell got to 6 feet, very nicely formed, even in the
>flood. But eventually, the wind was too much to handle. I had a Mr
>Toad's Wild Ride back in (whooping all the way) and rigged 4.4.
>
>The 4.4 felt great. I was having a fine time (and thinking a bit
>about how to fix the stripped-out second screw on my fin).
>But when I spun out and fell in near the far edge of the channel,
>I found - oops! - no fin! Nada. Bye, bye. Gone.
>
>This was about 6:00. I tried various drag inducers on the tail of the
>board. Kevin came by and helped for a while, as did another guy. Using
>the uphaul on the tail sort of worked - I could get going, but would
>always spin out after about 30 seconds and have to set up again. I was
>going towards shore, but faster downwind in the flood. I could see I
>would not get to the shore by sunset. Finally, as I passed Mike (who
>was the furthest downwind) I asked him to go in and call the Coast
>Guard. I was lucky to have just replaced my leaky old wetsuit with a
>new 5/3 at the ASD sale. I decided it was time to also put on the
>neoprene hood I carry for emergencies. Having a warm suit was good
>but the hood on my head really warmed me up.
>
>Further cycles of slogging and spinning out left me approaching the
>bridge pier just west of the shipping channel. I decided that the
>westerly wind and flood tide would carry me a very long way before I got
>to shore, so I climbed up onto the pier. Once I was standing in the
>wooden bumpers, I was holding my board with the uphaul, but I had no way
>to deal with the rig. So I detached the rig and bade it goodbye and
>pulled the board up and tied it on. I think it's just above high tide,
>but not above the waves.
>
>The ladder is inside the boat bumpers. I had to climb thru and jump
>back in to get to it. Once I climbed up, there was plenty of dry space
>and a place out of the wind. I took out my radio and called the Coast
>Guard. I also put on my flasher, which Steve reported was visible from
>the launch!
>
>A chopper showed up only 10 or 20 minutes later. I expected to swim
>out to where they could safely approach, but they surveyed the pier
>and placed their basket on the downwind end. The chopper was dead
>steady in the air - very impressive piloting. I climbed in and they
>raised me up as away we went! What a great ride!
>
>They let me off at the San Carlos airport. I called my wife, Kate, for a
>ride:
> "Can you give me ride to 3rd Ave?"
> "Where are you?"
> "San Carlos Airport."
> "San Carlos Airport?"
> "It's where the helicopter left me."
> "The helicopter?"
> "Yeah, they picked me up off the bridge."
> "The bridge?"
> "Yeah, I had a little problem..."
>
>And even before she got there, Steve showed up to give me a ride!
>I later realized I might have passed a message thru the Coast Guard
>radio.
>
>And when we arrived at 3rd around 9:00, Dave had packed up my 5.4 and
>was waiting by my car! What a guy!
>
>So thanks to everyone for all the help! What a great bunch of people.
>
>
>Plusses and minuses for the overly analytical:
>
> -- inadequate maintainance (stripped fin screw)
> + carried hood
> + wore a really warm wetsuit
> + asked for help - at first mostly letting others know I am floundering
> + told Mike to call Coast Guard
> + carried flasher
> ++ carried radio
> - failed to get my 50' line out in time to save my sail
> ++ got myself out of the water
> - but not in the right place
>
-- best regards Kirk Lindstrom Please Try My Online Store: http://home.netcom.com/~kirk_69/Gifts.html
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