RE: Ken goes downwind - when do you call the coasties??

From: Brad James (bjames@exponent.com-DeleteThis.com)
Date: Wed Sep 18 2002 - 16:47:11 PDT


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From: Brad James <bjames@exponent.com-DeleteThis.com>
To: "'wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com'" <wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com>
Subject: RE: Ken goes downwind - when do you call the coasties??
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 16:47:11 -0700
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19)


Ken and all-
I'm interested whether most people think that your situation yesterday
necessitated a call to the Coast Guard...

Maybe I'm extra bull-headed (and I wasn't in your booties yesterday so I
can't say for sure what I would do), but I'm not sure that being in a nice
warm wetsuit, with your sailboard, without any injuries, at the west end of
the 3rd Ave channel, near dusk in mid September (fairly warm air/water) is
really a situation the necessitates calling the Coasties.

Did you try a tow? I've had great luck towing disabled sailors in,
especially when it's really windy like yesterday. Sounds like you had
plenty of tow line...

Sounds like you didn't try breaking down your gear (and maybe getting other
sailors to sail your rolled sail, boom and mast in) then get towed or paddle
in surfboard style. This has also worked at 3rd under similar conditions.
It's amazing how much progress you can make paddling in surfing-style.

I'm all for using the Coasties in dangerous situations (injuries, lost
boards, etc) but do I think we need to be careful to not use them as a taxi
service in place of self-rescue.

Ken, please don't take this as negative criticism, I guess the real question
is whether you think you could have self rescued yourself. If you don't
think you could have easily self rescued yourself, then you absolutely did
the right thing.

Brad



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