I remember when I was sailing mid 80s. Got flung around with the harness lines twisting around the harness hook. I was then pinned under the sail underwater. Thought I was going to drown that day. First 20 seconds just panicked then got it together. Cannot remember exactly how I got out but probably wouldn't have if I hadn't calmed myself and thought things through. Have to say my biggest fear when my son started sailing was him getting stuck in the harness lines under water.

Fellow windsurfers,
I was fortunate enough to get some confidence back by doing some practice in a friends swimming pool.
You would believe that no matter how hard I tried I could not simulate a "locked in" situation. I also verified that there is enough length from the hook to my neck (when hooked-in) to be able to get my head above the sail once I found the mast side of the boom as described by article:
howtowindsurf101.com/being-trapped-under-the-sail-is-harmless.
This may perhaps be a good strategy to for all of us to practice.

Another low likelihood but high consequence thing to look out for is your harness hook clipping over your boom. I had this happen once in the 80's when I cranked into a barrel roll (showing my age!!). The harness hook spacing was just the right size to clip over the boom under force. Luckily I over-rotated and landed on top of the rig, outside the break. Could not unclip at all, had to get fully out of harness before the next sets. Would've been ugly had I been under the rig or in the break. Got a seat harness the next week with a different hook arrangement.

If my memory serves me correctly Detlev, you had one of those Wild Winds double off-set hook spreaders at the time- was that before or after this event?

They were a nice design- but twice the chance of getting tangled up I suppose.

They were the days....when you were the King of Windang.

Clarence

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clarence said..
If my memory serves me correctly Detlev, you had one of those Wild Winds double off-set hook spreaders at the time- was that before or after this event?

They were a nice design- but twice the chance of getting tangled up I suppose.

They were the days....when you were the King of Windang.

Clarence

Geez you've got a good memory . I'm pretty sure it was single hook on a waist + seat attachment at the time and I changed to that double hook on a full seat harness. I'd forgotten all about that double hook setup, really liked it at the time.

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evlPanda said..
Getting caught under sail in shallow water, as others above have described, is much scarier. You don't have to be hooked in.
Happened to me once while I was standing in knee-deep water and simply flipping the sail. Wind sheer - BAM! - You're stuck!. Scary ****.
Embarrassing too.

That's it.. I'm taking up knitting...

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sboardcrazy said..

evlPanda said..
Getting caught under sail in shallow water, as others above have described, is much scarier. You don't have to be hooked in.
Happened to me once while I was standing in knee-deep water and simply flipping the sail. Wind sheer - BAM! - You're stuck!. Scary ****.
Embarrassing too.

That's it.. I'm taking up knitting...

UMMM No your not.