Thanks to the windsurfers at Sandy who helped me out late Saturday arvo. Erny, Andrew and Andrew in particular for helping get my car off the beach, watching me and raising the rescue guys.

So how did I get into trouble at Sandy in the inlet?? Well I sailed for over an hour overpowered and somehow expected I could work out how to tame the beast. Heaps of adjustments (e.g. Boom lower, mast further forward, heaps more out-haul). The wind picked up late with around 45 knots gusts and yes was direct offshore W'ly. At this point I had a 5.3 up and was struggling. A couple of nice runs but heaps of stacks. I was only about 20 metres from the shore and thought I'll just sail back and go in. I shouldn't have gone for one more run before that, especially when it is just not working for me and I had already been out there a while. I somehow smacked my hand with the boom/mast water starting, dislocated my left pointer finger which was bent at a major angle to the right. I managed to grab my finger and push the finger as straight as I could. It was pretty saw so I couldn't hold the front hand down to sail back, although I tried several times but the sail just kept getting ripped out of my hands. I tried to signal the shore at this point and a boat quite close who seemed to ignore me but it was howling with rain and even some hail so he may not have heard (benifit of the doubt maybe). Most others had left realising the rushing tide was on its way in. Anyway I was swept across the other side of the inlet as I just hung onto the board and went for the ride. I walked around to the camp reserve and a nice bloke helped me ring my wife and even to help me pack my gear up. I was glad to see the boat come across and pick me up (Waratah Rescue - great guys and glad they were there. Thanks to these guys too and I didn't even know they existed before Saturday but handy if ever needed again by somebody -hopefully not me:-).

So I have at least a couple of weeks off the water but all gear recovered and only a saw finger and a little dent to the pride. Anyway somebody put it in perspective for me "Imagine if Jason Polokow gave up after one of his 100+ injuries on the water". I thought about it and cheered up a bit (Not that I am JP and not that I was surfing Jaws). I have learned my lesson and I'll take my punishment time off the water and look forward to happy days sailing.

Thanks again to those who helped me out!

Great to hear you are OK. The important things to remember out of your experience are, Windsurfers are awsome and we look after each other, Injuries are character building, and NEVER EVER say 1 last run!

Indeed was good to hear you made it out A-Ok.

I was watching you with the binoculars for quite some time and was wondering why you seemed to get up and going but then flop back in. Was good to see you standing on the other side. We were trying to attract the attention of that one last fishing boat - Andrew Niere was even waving a jumper attached to a mast to get their eye, and I was trying to work out what of the 80 channels on my hand held radio the boat would be on. (I now know that channel 16 and a 'pan pan, pan pan, pan pan' should, in theory have got someones attention.)

Spoke briefly with the rescue boys when they arrived, so knew you'd be ok.

This raises the question - anyone know what phone number we should have called? Is there a universal coast guard number that would have fed back to the Sandy Pt rescue guys? Or would 000 have done it? Or is there just a single number to call for the Sandy Point rescue guys? or @sailquicks home number?!! Would be damn handy if we all had the right number in our phone, at Sandy or anywhere else for that matte...

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windjunky said..
Indeed was good to hear you made it out A-Ok.

I was watching you with the binoculars for quite some time and was wondering why you seemed to get up and going but then flop back in. Was good to see you standing on the other side. We were trying to attract the attention of that one last fishing boat - Andrew Niere was even waving a jumper attached to a mast to get their eye, and I was trying to work out what of the 80 channels on my hand held radio the boat would be on. (I now know that channel 16 and a 'pan pan, pan pan, pan pan' should, in theory have got someones attention.)

Spoke briefly with the rescue boys when they arrived, so knew you'd be ok.

This raises the question - anyone know what phone number we should have called? Is there a universal coast guard number that would have fed back to the Sandy Pt rescue guys? Or would 000 have done it? Or is there just a single number to call for the Sandy Point rescue guys? or @sailquicks home number?!! Would be damn handy if we all had the right number in our phone, at Sandy or anywhere else for that matte...

Here you go windjunky. I've taken this directly from the Coast Guard website.

IN A BOATING EMERGENCY – Radio for help on: Channel 16 on VHF (distress and calling channel)
or Channel 88 (27.880 MHz) on a 27 MHz radio or Call 000.

Also remember that although you had an 80 channel hand held radio, unless it's a 27MHz one, it won't get in contact with a boat. 80 channel would be UHF for cars/ trucks.

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moondo said..
>> Also remember that although you had an 80 channel hand held radio, unless it's a 27MHz one, it won't get in contact with a boat. 80 channel would be UHF for cars/ trucks.

I think you're right there... did a test on channel 67 today listening for weather reports, and never heard a thing.

Thanks Moondo. Good advice.

Good point about who to call windjunky but very glad you stayed and was watching me (thanks again), even if your radio may have only raised some truckers .

Maybe marine hand held radio's (VHF) as small as possible is an option to carry windsurfing? A friend uses one for kayak fishing. The mobile reception was very fluky so you cannot rely on that, although if I called 000 it probably would have worked fine. My biggest concern was wondering if I could contact anyone.

Glad you're ok Cameron - Based on the layout of shallow inlet is it only ever good sailing when it's offshore like sat / sun? I sailed on Sunday but didn't want to end up in the news for getting blown away so I stuck to the 145 I had with centre board so I could get upwind... Started in the area near where you drive onto the beach but it was gusty and awful so glad I drifted down to where the dunes drop away. Amazing to drive to the end of the earth, then drive a little bit further on the beach & round the corner and see the explosion of sails up - glad I visited an hope I didn't get in too many peoples way.

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ginno said..
Glad you're ok Cameron - Based on the layout of shallow inlet is it only ever good sailing when it's offshore like sat / sun? I sailed on Sunday but didn't want to end up in the news for getting blown away so I stuck to the 145 I had with centre board so I could get upwind... Started in the area near where you drive onto the beach but it was gusty and awful so glad I drifted down to where the dunes drop away. Amazing to drive to the end of the earth, then drive a little bit further on the beach & round the corner and see the explosion of sails up - glad I visited an hope I didn't get in too many peoples way.

Ginno, Shallow inlet or "The Pit" as we call it works best on a SW wind which is still a bit off shore but from what I heard the wind had heaps of West in it. still OK to sail the main run but from experience it just makes it a bit harder to get back up to the carparking/rigging area.

The Pit also works OK on an Easterly but I haven't sailed that direction in a while.

Thanks Ginno. My hand is recovering and swelling is all but gone, though still too sore for windsurfing I am also really noticing those great days we have been having the last nearly 1 week 4 days and 5 hours (especially the Sunday), but who is counting.

Don't let me put you off "The Pit". Still one of my favourite places for flat water blasting. Excellent for learning cave gybes. By the way there were some excellent sailors down at Sandy on the weekend and great just to watch some of their effortless gybes. The W direction seems trickier than WSW-S as is more common with seabreezes or following fronts. On Saturday the wind really picked up late and was super gusty and W and the tide was rushing in a lot more than I have ever seen there (though locals tell me you ain't seen nothin), but timing is everything. There is a wind shadow near the big dunes down to the trees even in SW as it seems you may have found out, Once you get past the tress to the small dunes it gets much cleaner heading down the inlet. With the pit "oval" shape you are nearly always heading towards bank and have to bear away a bit and eventually turn around so unlikely to get too far away in that direction.