Question from a newb about to set out on first Sailboard in over 25 years....On friday I will hopefully be in posession of a 2nd hand JP Funster.

Thinking to Christen her would be a place inside Port Hacking called Darook Park. This would be a bit easier for me at this stage than Botany Bay but if I went out in BB I would most likely launch from Kurnell rather than Kyeemah to avoid some of the less desirable potential conflicts with Jetskis I have been reading so much about.

Was reading posts related to dumped rigs etc....got me thinking...in a worse case scenario...what would you do, how do you get out of it....my thinking is to collapse sail, detatch boom, tie all together with the downhall (or whatever you call it..sorry see how new I am), paddle craft back to land.

Is this too simplistic an approach and what leads to having to dump a rig? I know that in a worse situation I can swim 5km and probably paddle 20km (not that I am even venturing offshore for some time yet) but was wanting to know from others their approach when all hell breaks loose....I have had that in sailing and just basically drop all sails and stay with dinghy until help arrives...but in Windsurfing you could be on your pat malone.

Cheers all.

beatlloydy, when learning you must always sail in onshore breezes, and always sail up wind from where you launch

If your in danger just ditch the rig and paddle your board back. If you in the open ocean a long way from anywhere you really should have an epirb or something similar. In this case don't ditch anything, just stay with your kit and activate your beacon any wait for help, the sail is a lot easier to see from the air. If you not in any danger you can try derigging at sea but its harder then you think, especially if its rough. With the bigger learner boards or ones that float you can often just raise your boom up high then lay the sail back over the tail of your board, You can then just lay on top of your board and paddle back with you whole rig still attached. Always stay with your board, I've seen people swim after rigs first only to find that their board has blown well beyond their reach, The board will keep you floating but the rig won't.

Have a plan but don't dwell on it, go and have fun and If something does go wrong just make a decision and act fast.

Cheers.

Good advice above. It would be very hard to derig in the water if its windy and the water is rough. Don't leave the board as it will move faster than you can swim when its windy. So if you are seperating the board and sail be very careful.

Some people take a spare length of rope when sailing.

On Sunday I helped out a windsurfer who lost their fin out in Botany Bay. We tried to put in another fin. It was a very cumbersome job and unfortunately the bolt was too short for the fin. So he sailed back slowly with his harness dragging from the back of the board to give a bit of direction.

All good advice. I'd like to add, don't sail anywhere you can't walk back from until you're confident with tacking etc. Then, once you can tack and know you're getting back to shore ok, then don't sail anywhere you can't swim / paddle back from. And naturally stick with the onshore plan.

I am new to windsurfing as well. I agree with the above, I just drop the rig as soon as I feel I am out of control, luckily where I sail it is only shallow and only fight with local stingrays if I have to paddle back.

I try not to sail to far from yelling distance as well. I'm on an old 20+ year old Wayler that is really heavy. so the rig just sinks. I have popped out and de rigged once to see how easy it was, I think I was more exhausted from trying to fight getting the rig on the board.

I found out the hard way that if the board & rig separate there is not much hope of catching the board if its blowing hard..No way I could stay with my board as I couldn't catch it!
You shouldn't have this problem unless your uni joint is faulty. Always double check that the extension is securely clipped into the base! It looked ok on Monday although I had an instinct that it wasn't.. should have double checked..

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sboardcrazy said...
I found out the hard way that if the board & rig separate there is not much hope of catching the board if its blowing hard..No way I could stay with my board as I couldn't catch it!
You shouldn't have this problem unless your uni joint is faulty. Always double check that the extension is securely clipped into the base! It looked ok on Monday although I had an instinct that it wasn't.. should have double checked..

did you get your board back in the end?

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deejay8204 said...

sboardcrazy said...
I found out the hard way that if the board & rig separate there is not much hope of catching the board if its blowing hard..No way I could stay with my board as I couldn't catch it!
You shouldn't have this problem unless your uni joint is faulty. Always double check that the extension is securely clipped into the base! It looked ok on Monday although I had an instinct that it wasn't.. should have double checked..

did you get your board back in the end?

Luckily it happened only 200m from a boat ramp and another sailor got a lift in a speedboat that was launching.They found it about 5kms downwind! It was moving fast as it was angled dead downwind..It had a lovely time! They said it was hard to see - its blue which isn't a good colour to find on the water ..

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keef said...
beatlloydy, when learning you must always sail in onshore breezes, and always sail up wind from where you launch

Good Tip....will remember that one....so If its a light noreaster Kurnell should be fine on Friday?

BTW...I dont intend going offshore for some time and def not on a beginners outfit