Hi fellow windsurfers.
I got the shock of my life last Sunday while sailing at Boggy Lake. I was picking up speed, got my front foot into the front foot strap and was about get my back foot into the rear foot-strap but unfortunately I missed the strap and got catapulted to the other-side of the board and ended up under the sail still hooked in. This has happened to me before except this time, for some reason, I couldn't unhook and even though I was only under water for A FEW SECONDS, I was out of breath (I can hold my breath for about 30 seconds...I'm a mild asthmatic ), I guess the impact must have some effect in dramatically reducing the non breathing time. I could not hold my breath any longer and thought I was going to die because of the overwhelming need to inhale. By some miracle however, I actually exhaled because I saw bubbles emerge. Then the next thing I knew I was free from the harness line and frantically swimming in any direction to get away from under the sail. When I surfaced I breathed like never before!

I would be grateful to hear any suggestions on methods / techniques on how to prepare /survive such a situation. About the best reference Ive found so far is this one:

howtowindsurf101.com/being-trapped-under-the-sail-is-harmless/, but I will be doing some trials to test its validity.

Thanks

Firstly a bug-bear of mine so I have to mention it: Your harness needs a windsurfing hook. It should taper toward the end so twisted lines with peel off the end. That's how they were for 30yrs but kite hooks are the opposite - hourglass shaped in some instances - to hold the line in one place. They are dangerous for windsurfing so if you have a kite harness beware!!!! Thye are more padded and look nice but a kite harness used for windsurfing really needs the hook replaced to be safe.

Not saying that is what happened to you but I will tell the above as often as possible if it might save somebody.....

You need to know how the quick release on your harness works and practice getting out of it. Holding breath after lots of workout (sailing) is real hard.....
If no quick release then at least carry a kite knife so u can cut straps if need be

I was once pinned under my sail in about 2ft of water as a wave receded and sail sucked to the bottom, so I know what its like, not real pleasant with a tonne on top of u.... scary sh!t

Is scary when this happens, but I think the best thing you can do is focus on not panicking. As hard as that sounds it gives you the best chance to get out of the predicament as quickly as possible.

Many thanks Mark.
Honestly Pal...I thought I was finished....I wonder if that's the cause of many windsurfers that are found dead (sorry for being negative)?
Yes my harness is Neil Pride, 30yrs ago design.
The knife is interesting idea if you could see the straps...guess I could destroy the sail.
Ill practice the harness release, but I fear could still get tangled when trying to get out of the harness...I guess its a possibility
Dont know what you think of the reference I gave.

I once got cought between the boom and sailI and almost drowned . I own a Mystic Majestic harness and it only comes with a universal hour glass hook.
I don't want to die !
Does anyone know a tapered hook spreader bar that will fit ?

Don't Panic
Feel down your harness and unhook by hand.
Don't Panic
Find mast and pull yourself out (don't swim randomly else you could go the long scenic route up the sail).
Don't Panic

My worst one was coming a cropper on the Safety bay sand bar and getting pinned under the boom in less than knee deep water with the wind pushing the boom down onto me.

I could feel air on the mast, used above method to extract myself, thinking this will be f'ken embarrassing to drown like this.

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elmo said..
Don't Panic
Feel down your harness and unhook by hand.
Don't Panic
Find mast and pull yourself out (don't swim randomly else you could go the long scenic route up the sail).
Don't Panic

My worst one was coming a cropper on the Safety bay sand bar and getting pinned under the boom in less than knee deep water with the wind pushing the boom down onto me.

I could feel air on the mast, used above method to extract myself, thinking this will be f'ken embarrassing to drown like this.

Thanks for the advice Pal.

It sure is a daunting experience.happen to me a few times.like everyone has mention don't panic. It's worse when you are wearing a life jacket.

discus I was talking about kite knife to cut the straps either side of the spreader bar not the sail hahahaa

Elmo, reason I mention that is some harnesses just will not come undone under tension. If twisted thereis no way you will push the line off the hook by hand.

Imax - any windsurf spreader!!!!

So where do you stow the knife?

They come with a pouch it sits on the spreader bar webbing, the knife is velcro'd in so all you do is pull the tab.

So I'm in panic mode, caught under my sail and I am going to calm myself down, find my knife and cut through the harness webbing. I don't think so !

A lot of dingy sailors carry dive knifes.l have seen one euro windsurfer fitted with one.it could be a lifesaver.

could one remove one or both sides of these clip harnesses ? while stuck under sail hooked in ...
easier to cut in any case ...


kiter/windsurfer says he ALWAYS carries a knife
kite lines are dangerous !!
i had one wrapped around my toe :-(
light wind day and still have my toe !!

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BTB said..
So I'm in panic mode, caught under my sail and I am going to calm myself down, find my knife and cut through the harness webbing. I don't think so !

The knife is on the webbing. There is no"finding it"



If your harness has no fast release,and you are in panic mode, what's your plan...?

Hi Discus,
This happens often to me at Boggy Lake. Generally when I hit carp it's a slow catapult, can't release hook, rotate over the front sometimes landing on top of my gear and rarely under the sail.
How-ever if I'm under the sail (because this isn't new to me) I try to quickly pull myself towards the boom to release the hook tension and unhitch with my hand and then swim/kick out. I also wear a buoyancy vest so it makes life interesting if the mast skewers into the water at an angle to increase the hook/harness line tension!
Anyway I'm still alive:-) Key point is take a breath before you hit the drink.

Cheers Peter (aka PJ)

" Honestly Pal...I thought I was finished....I wonder if that's the cause of many windsurfers that are found dead"

Discus...
First of all, finding windsurfers dead is a very, very, rare occurrence, so that removes one paranoia.

Just follow the previous advice, and relax... or just don't panic. It's a rare happening for most sailors.

Think of all the things that you can do in 30 seconds.
For example...
Make a cup of instant coffee.
Open a bottle of wine, pour a glass, and have a drink.
Have a pee... etc.
Unhooking is relatively simple... even under water, just take your time.
Cheers.

Had that happened to me a couple of times. After the first one I got a Prolimit harness with a quick release feature for myself and my wife. This feature saved my life a couple times since. The worst one was in a shallow (knee deep) spot on Bonaire of all places. Strong wind pressing on the sail from above, nowhere to dive... Scary. My algorithm is: 1. do not panic 2. release the harness. 3. always go toward the mast as it is the shortest distance. 4. Always keep your eyes open- it helps to find where you actually are in relation to the rig and the board.

Agree with sl55.
Prolimit harness with quick release feature. Tie a small tail with outhaul line to the loop feature for easy access.
Try not to panic & push your hips toward the boom to ease tension.

Friends,
Thank you for much great advice. I like the cup of coffee suggestion as well!
I just wanted to emphasize that I possibly had only15 seconds before I uncontrollably and inexplicably exhaled. not much time at all.

so strategies are:

1 find the boom.
2 Pull towards the boom and try to release the hook with hand
3 If cant release the hook, operate harness quick release.
4 see if I can find the mast side of the boom to pull my self from under sail to get a breath.

If im sandwiched underwater between sail and boom with twisted harness line:
1 get out of the harness
2 find the mast end of the boom and move towards it.

I think that I need to artificially practice the mentioned escape strategies including getting out from a twisted harness lines situation to gain some confidence that they work so that i can enjoy the sport again. Hopefully with a windsurfing buddy as a safe guard.

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Mark _australia said..

BTB said..
So I'm in panic mode, caught under my sail and I am going to calm myself down, find my knife and cut through the harness webbing. I don't think so !

The knife is on the webbing. There is no"finding it"



If your harness has no fast release,and you are in panic mode, what's your plan...?

Push yourhips up towards the boom to release the pressure, twist one way then the other, or release by hand. I haven't drowned yet.

OK I'm fumbling around getting the knife of the webbing. What if you drop it. You have used up valuable time.

Any way what ever makes you feel safe.

1. DONT PANIC. But to not panic in this unfamiliar situation... do #2.
2. PRACTICE this situation and rehearse your self rescue. This is easy... dry-land practice removing your harness (work out easiest way) several times, then several times with your eyes closed. Then, next time you are in waist deep water with a mate nearby, go under the sail and practice removing your harness several times. This will give you a rehearsed plan so that WHEN you get trapped hooked-in and under the sail, you won't panic and will instinctively follow your self-rescue plan.
I coach another water sport, and this idea of a rehearsed self-rescue plan is taught in early lessons and practiced, as a brush-up, every couple of months. That minute or two practice will pay off when you need it.

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joe windsurf said..
could one remove one or both sides of these clip harnesses ? while stuck under sail hooked in ...
easier to cut in any case ...


kiter/windsurfer says he ALWAYS carries a knife
kite lines are dangerous !!
i had one wrapped around my toe :-(
light wind day and still have my toe !!

Too fiddly, you'll drown before you manage to undo the clips.

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Imax1 said..
I once got cought between the boom and sailI and almost drowned . I own a Mystic Majestic harness and it only comes with a universal hour glass hook.
I don't want to die !
Does anyone know a tapered hook spreader bar that will fit ?

The Mystic Majestic bar is quick release... but I think the quick release works best with kites i.e. you have a runaway kite which has enough power to rip the the harness off you once the bar is released.

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Mark _australia said..
discus I was talking about kite knife to cut the straps either side of the spreader bar not the sail hahahaa

Elmo, reason I mention that is some harnesses just will not come undone under tension. If twisted thereis no way you will push the line off the hook by hand.

Imax - any windsurf spreader!!!!

G'day Mark
I should have clarified

Feel down to the harness hook and unhook by hand (I've used both hands), do-able even with twists (been there). I can be done even with.

I would never again try to undo harness or spreader as takes longer and has a greater potential for further entanglement, but everyone to their own. Tried once, never again.

Best suggestion is that if this is an issue for some people then 10min of practice before a session (without the board attached) of trapping yourself under the sail (takes out the shock of the initial stack) and practicing escape methods (including twisted harness lines) quickly makes you realize it isn't all that difficult to extract yourself and allows yourself to be prepared for next time.

I wouldn't recommend my learning method which involved LOTS of crashes and rag dolling at speed.

Select to expand quote

elmo said..

Mark _australia said..
discus I was talking about kite knife to cut the straps either side of the spreader bar not the sail hahahaa

Elmo, reason I mention that is some harnesses just will not come undone under tension. If twisted thereis no way you will push the line off the hook by hand.

Imax - any windsurf spreader!!!!

G'day Mark
I should have clarified

Feel down to the harness hook and unhook by hand (I've used both hands), do-able even with twists (been there). I can be done even with.

I would never again try to undo harness or spreader as takes longer and has a greater potential for further entanglement, but everyone to their own. Tried once, never again.

Best suggestion is that if this is an issue for some people then 10min of practice before a session (without the board attached) of trapping yourself under the sail (takes out the shock of the initial stack) and practicing escape methods (including twisted harness lines) quickly makes you realize it isn't all that difficult to extract yourself and allows yourself to be prepared for next time.

I wouldn't recommend my learning method which involved LOTS of crashes and rag dolling at speed.

Elmo helped me get over my major fear of drowning and panic lst time I got caught under the sail hooked in. He came to my place where I have a pool, we rigged up a sail, and then got me to twist the harness line around the hook, jump into the pool, and calmly rescure myself about 10 times, making it slightly more difficult each time, greatly helps when you have rehearsed rescuing yourself, go and try it in shallow water with friend on standby......

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Mark _australia said..
Firstly a bug-bear of mine so I have to mention it: Your harness needs a windsurfing hook. It should taper toward the end so twisted lines with peel off the end. That's how they were for 30yrs but kite hooks are the opposite - hourglass shaped in some instances - to hold the line in one place. They are dangerous for windsurfing so if you have a kite harness beware!!!! Thye are more padded and look nice but a kite harness used for windsurfing really needs the hook replaced to be safe.

Not saying that is what happened to you but I will tell the above as often as possible if it might save somebody.....

You need to know how the quick release on your harness works and practice getting out of it. Holding breath after lots of workout (sailing) is real hard.....
If no quick release then at least carry a kite knife so u can cut straps if need be

I was once pinned under my sail in about 2ft of water as a wave receded and sail sucked to the bottom, so I know what its like, not real pleasant with a tonne on top of u.... scary sh!t

I bought a kite harness because it was the only one that was comfortable but I bought a windsurf hook to swap on it.. Great!

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firerock said..
Agree with sl55.
Prolimit harness with quick release feature. Tie a small tail with outhaul line to the loop feature for easy access.
Try not to panic & push your hips toward the boom to ease tension.

Mm I've got as prolimit spreader bar on a kite harness..whats the quick release look like?

Acknowledging that sometimes you will get caught under the sail and rehearsing what you'll do next time is probably the best action. First few times it happened to me fkn freaked me out. These days I have better situational awareness, I know where I am and what to do, so it's no big deal.

Find a friend like Elmo, or do something like these guys.

Here in the states we call those kiting harness hooks "knuckle head" hooks, EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR WINDSURFING for reasons stated above, they should come with a warning tag on them about that.
The next time that happens to you, it will be better, even if you twisted around 180 degrees, you can still pry the harness line off the hook with your fingers once you get some slack in the harness line.

Wait until you get vacu-formed under your sail in less than knee deep water, with waves going over the top of the sail, that's really fun, even w/o being hooked in, you can't breath, and you can't push the sail off of you. Don't panic, just slide your body out from underneath it sideways. When you finally come out from underneath, spitting sand, your friends are standing there looking down at you, and one will ask, was that fun for you? Your answer may vary.

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sboardcrazy said..

firerock said..
Agree with sl55.
Prolimit harness with quick release feature. Tie a small tail with outhaul line to the loop feature for easy access.
Try not to panic & push your hips toward the boom to ease tension.

Mm I've got as prolimit spreader bar on a kite harness..whats the quick release look like?

Its the read tag where the bar attaches to the harness, See photo below