Just thought I'd share today's experience. I went for a sail off Sandy Bay this morning. There was a nice 15-20 knot Northerly. I hit the water, did two or three 1km runs. Just when I was starting to think about a river crossing.....crrraaack.
my rig imploded! My mast had snapped a foot above the boom. I was about a K off Sandy Bay Point upwind a bit.
Not good; browned wetsuit and unsailable gear. Wind freshening there was no way I could paddle or tow my gear across the wind to my launch point. I realised I'd have to paddle cross down wind to get ashore. Boom inserted through the front straps, longest bit of mast clamped into swivelled boom clamp. Harness through rear strap holding rolled up sail and short bit of mast, lose bits tied down; I started paddling....It took me an hour and a half to paddle ashore. Any further and I wouldn't have made it without help....which would have arrived eventually in the river. Better to self rescue though. Next time I'll have my phone in a waterproof case with me.
Today worked out fine. It could have been much worse if I didn't know what to do or got skewered by a piece of carbon fibre. I hope this shows how badly things can go wrong very quickly. Lesson....KNOW YOUR LIMITS and what to do if it all turns to S()!+

Great self rescue, de rigging in the deep isn't easy.
WD great see you made it back.

Also a good reason to sail with a group, they can at least bring the car around to the next bay u landed in.

Isn't that right Ant

Good effort Relic GLAD YOU'RE ALIVE

The surf-ski guys always carry a phone, my son in law Wazza is one of them, only last night he told me of similar story when on Monday in that strong northerly a group of paddlers set off for a down winder from Sandy Bay to Tinderbox two of them not very experienced wind picked up to 35kts ground swell hit the windswell off Kingston turned into a 2m washing machine overturned and they were history. Luckily for them they had mobiles in waterproof cases and rang for help both had hypothermia taken to hospital but were Ok.
Wazza showed me the case it's pretty neat and can be used under water you can get then from anaconda and I assume any outdoor shop.

You're right though KNOW YOUR LIMITS................................... then TAKE IT OVER THE EDGE!!

Sure push the limits...just know the limits can push back!

Good thing about the river is that there are always eyes on you. Good save!! If you get saved by a boat there is always damage I was going to join you but decided on a late Dorans but had to use the 10 metre.

yeah Al.
i remember getting saved by a boat.
choice was , small damage or drown!!!

your gear can be replaced any day.

Sounds like a good save Relic.

Sometimes it isn't about knowing your limits but the limits of the gear you are running. Or just bloody bad luck. I think I would take a Derwent swim over out the back of BOL any day.

Sometimes it is then all about turning that bad luck into good luck. Like bring able to strap all your gear to your board and swim. Nice effort, that is hard work.

Well Grevill I don't think anyone could top your swim at BOL.
For those who didn't hear a couple of years ago Grevill decided his first sail at Back of Lighthouse would be in 5-6m swell and 35knots but worse than that just as he built up the courage and went for it a 50knot gust hit us, his gear was blown to smitherines he lost the lot luckily was smart enough to swim out drifted up the coast and body surfed into the next bay missing the "death zone"
Meanwhile the rest of us ****ting ourselves were searching the area with no Grevill in sight till finally we saw a lone figure walking up a ridge in the distance.

Anyone else got any crazy lucky close shaves

Houston BOL, say no more Sorry hadn't seen it for a while haha

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Jezstrt said...
Houston BOL, say no more Sorry hadn't seen it for a while haha

Looking at all the carnage it is time to get on the sewing machine Damo, and start knocking up some of those super tough wave sail sails you used to make back in the day which featured fully layered clew,head and tack patches and reinforced batten pockets .
Its about time a real sail maker took charge down in Tassie.

I had some of Jay Sals' custom made indestructibles. I set one up when my kids were toddlers to use as a trampoline! I fact I still have the 3.5 waiting for a 55 knot gale! I gave the 5.5 back to Damo as a Wally museum piece.

I remember getting rescued by a fishing boat in the Derwent once. I went for my first sail on my door board I'd just purchased and a 9 M KA sail I bought off Dave M. the wind was cruisey when I first went out then just kept picking up, got trashed and was so bugged I couldn't even uphaul any more. An old fishing boat came passed and I managed to wave him down. He stopped his boat upwind of the gear and it drifted straight over the sail and sliced it in half. Getting the big door board onto his boat was another mission and ended up with dings and scratches all over it. Oh well had to be done though or else it would have been hyperthermia for me and the sail was easily sewn back together.
Ant can you put a picture of the waterproof case up, be great to get one for the distance missions.

Depending on your phone there are some great options.
Lifeproof.com make a great case for iPhone and some galaxies. Lifeproof.com.
Sedio make some as well but I haven't tested them.
Besides that it's the waterproof case like for your gps

After recovering from my little mishap were I broke my leg a kilometre off shore and sailing by myself, I never went out again without a mobile phone. Religiously for over a year + my little Nokia was always with me in a waterproof pouch. Eventually the pouch gave way and as yet I have not replaced it. This is a friendly reminder on how complacent one can get - I will buying a new one ready for sailing after my little winter break. See you in Spring.

Long Reef Beach - Sydney

A couple of km offshore (the horizon was vanishing) in a 25 knot southerly - alone - long floaty jumps off the swell. Landed a bit too nose first and swept the rig straight off the board - snapped uni joint (no webbing backup).

I came up to find my rig right there, and my board surfing the swells downwind - no point hanging onto a rig out there so left that and swam, and swam, and swam after the board, that just kept picking up rollers every time I got close - eventually caught it, and paddled it back up wind to try to find my rig - it would have been a MONSTER paddle back to shore on my 225cm super-sinker.

I eventually found the rig just below the surface - mast protector floating it (how I managed to find this in the ocean is beyond me...). I pulled the rig up to see what I could do. I had enough extra downhaul rope on the rig to tie the rig off to the board. I also found that there was enough clearance under the uni-joint screw to thread the excess under the base and tie it off. I managed, eventually, to sail the dodgy combination back to land, with the base of the mast bouncing off the deck of the board near the leeward rail.

The whole time I was swimming and re-rigging I wasn't thinking about all the White Pointers that frequent those reefs.....MUCH!!!!

Retrospectively, I was lucky I had a small, light weight harness - there is no way I would have caught the board with my current bulky Naish harness - I am amazed at how much drag they produce. I would have had to ditch the harness - the floaty thing - in order to catch the board...or...

Since then they have included webbing as a back up on the uni joints. I have broken two in the past couple of years, neither has broken at the flex joint, so the webbing has been absolutely no use. False sense of security perhaps.

EPIRB's? Another option. Kayakers are supposed to carry them now if they're going 200 + metres off shore....I think.

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Gclark1 said...
Long Reef Beach - Sydney

A couple of km offshore (the horizon was vanishing) in a 25 knot southerly - alone - long floaty jumps off the swell. Landed a bit too nose first and swept the rig straight off the board - snapped uni joint (no webbing backup).

I came up to find my rig right there, and my board surfing the swells downwind - no point hanging onto a rig out there so left that and swam, and swam, and swam after the board, that just kept picking up rollers every time I got close - eventually caught it, and paddled it back up wind to try to find my rig - it would have been a MONSTER paddle back to shore on my 225cm super-sinker.

I eventually found the rig just below the surface - mast protector floating it (how I managed to find this in the ocean is beyond me...). I pulled the rig up to see what I could do. I had enough extra downhaul rope on the rig to tie the rig off to the board. I also found that there was enough clearance under the uni-joint screw to thread the excess under the base and tie it off. I managed, eventually, to sail the dodgy combination back to land, with the base of the mast bouncing off the deck of the board near the leeward rail.

The whole time I was swimming and re-rigging I wasn't thinking about all the White Pointers that frequent those reefs.....MUCH!!!!

Retrospectively, I was lucky I had a small, light weight harness - there is no way I would have caught the board with my current bulky Naish harness - I am amazed at how much drag they produce. I would have had to ditch the harness - the floaty thing - in order to catch the board...or...

Since then they have included webbing as a back up on the uni joints. I have broken two in the past couple of years, neither has broken at the flex joint, so the webbing has been absolutely no use. False sense of security perhaps.

Ive been out off Sandringham on my RSX 9.5, and broken an extension just above the blocks. I had no downhaul tension and the broken, sharp aluminium had punched a hole in my board. I didnt want to uphaul again incase I did more damage to my board. I had to de-rig (completely ruining my BRAND NEW sail) and paddle almost straight upwind to get back to the club. I had it all laid on my board and I was struggling to even keep it together let alone make any progress!! Fortunately another RSX out training saw me, and then towed me home with all of my ropes taken off and tied to together to make a make-shift towrope. Would have been in trouble if he hadnt seen me! Took ages to get all the water out of my board once ashore and its still heavy compared to what it used to be, but Im pretty sure it would have sunk.... Cant be too careful with washing your gear and maintaining it to make sure it's in tip-top condition!!

Good Effort Relic!! Agree with all prior comments. I will be taking phone from now on!

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SBTAS said...
Good Effort Relic!! Agree with all prior comments. I will be taking phone from now on!

Telstra landline more reliable than mobile

This is another good reason to sail at Dorans. When you break gear you just walk to the phone box at the end of the canal. From there you can call the police and they will either send a car or helicopter in to save you and take you back to the carpark. If they send a boat you will have to walk back out past the launching area(at this point you can drop your gear off) so the boat has enough water to pick up and drop you at the jetty, then its a short walk back to the car.

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FoS said...
Depending on your phone there are some great options.
Lifeproof.com make a great case for iPhone and some galaxies. Lifeproof.com.
Sedio make some as well but I haven't tested them.
Besides that it's the waterproof case like for your gps

I have the Lifeproof case for iPhone. It is no good. Leaked from day one when I tested it without phone inside. Boy too robust either. Casing broke after minor drops....saved phone though.

Might go the Aquapac I think, my GPS is always kept dry, as long as it doesn't slide off my arm or a shark eats the arm I have it on.

That looks alright, for extra water security I think I'd put it in that case then in the Aquapac.
Oww the pink ones the most expensive, boring blacks the cheapest.

Got One

Hello my name is Ant earlier today i got barrelled on a mast and half wave at Bol and lost my gear i am phoning from 10nautical miles nw of cape grim swimming east 5km per hour is there a police rescue boat handy ? Dam it no signal better swim towards King island

Yes name is ANT as well ( sorry Ant, we have to take the piss as you love doing so as well!!!)
anyway, i am at Cremorne lagoon and i want to open my pouch and ring veitz so he can bring me another beer out to the sandbar!!!, perhaps we could all sms each other while sailing


you bunch of softies with your soft pouches , back 10 years ago we all just drowned!!!

Grow some balls,
Hey Clarkie, do you carry a mobile on your sky dive/ chute in case she does not open!!!

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houston said...
Got One




DELETE DELETE DELETE DELEITE DILITE DIELIET F$$^%$ YO'RE A BUNCH A BAST%^DS

Got this one. One available for iphone 5 too

Oh forgot to mention. The in Depth case has a bottle opener optional accessory! That makes it a must have!

I have to confess I have been on the phone 'under canopy', but resisted the urge in 'free-fall'. I mean, what if Telstra phoned, you would be in free-fall for ever waiting for some dude speaking with a Hindi accent to slow down so that you could say - LOSE THIS NUMBER!!!!!

A thought, for all those recently safety obsessed bods who are fattening Gerry Harvey's bank account - don't you think that you should get a stylus, and a 'floaty' too? I know that in the depths of winter off Bellbuoy I am doing well to feel either the boom or the board, let alone dextrously removing my phone from some cunning pocket in my wetsuit, whilst getting hammered by whitewash, and dialling meaningful or useful numbers.

I can see a whole lot of perfectly watertight pouches containing fully charged phones going straight to the bottom, to join all of those GoPros.

If it really is that bad, and you do manage to 'phone a friend', are they not just going to try to call the people who respond to EPIRBs anyway? Why not cut out the middle man?