Sunday seabreeze, sunny day/blue skies, all work finished, no responsibilities so decided to dust off the gear and go for a wrap.
Recon drive with the dog in the ute to do a final sail size check. "The Pond" was way too busy so cruised the coastline and decided that next to the bottlo had to be by far the best place to launch. Back home to ditch the dog and grab the gear (this is not my girl by the way, 4 legged furry friend who likes walks at any time of the day and finds rapidly moving tennis balls endlessly amusing).
10mins later back at the rigging area, bit of a gear carry through soft sand, but the fact that the fresh water tap is close to the vehicle AND have remembered to put a hose with a univeral fitting attached in the back makes it worthwhile.
Planing straight off the beach and heading straight for seal is. Snappy duck gybe just short of the boating prohibited marker of the island and am wondering what the uneducated are up to today.
Short work getting upwind to the sandbar, a couple of runs to the seaward side of penguin island with a few jumps in the ocean swell thrown in have me more than happy with trying to work my way upwind in the gusty conditions in the lee of the island. Board and Sail and Idiot working in harmony.
Quick breather at the beach, then another run out on the northern side of the sandbar in kiterville (which is a friendly place, got more than a few friendly nods and waves as I transited thier area), then across the sandbar and into the sound.
Crystal clear water, consistant seabreeze and low flying pelicans. Before I know it, I am at the sand island (it was an island once, but more of a pennisula now). Thought about going into the pond for a couple of laps, but seeing the congestion just made me realise how nice it was being clear of the joint. No point going across the sound to warnbro as all the fun is to be had back where I came from, and a nice carve gybe puts me onto the correct course.
Heart in mouth as I shoot across the sandbar (ended up in hospital once before for headbutting this navigation hazard) on a very broad reach. Back out behind the island for a couple of jumps and then a long downwind run for the carpark.
Walking up the beach with a huge smile, am thinking that the only thing wrong with today was that my choice in putting on the steamer rather than the short wetsuit was a bad one.
After rehydrating, there was only one thing for it. More of the same!!! I followed another sailor out past the islands and stacked it after a good jump so sailed back inside of the islands and gybed. On my next run out into the Indian Ocean noticed that the bloke I had followed out on the first run was miles out to sea. I thought to myself "gee if he has a problem with his gear then its a long paddle home." At this thought I start to get pysched up for a gybe
As if Karma and lightning required a focal point, my mast snaps. I fall ungraciously into the drink and after the usual "maybe I'll be able to just get going with it" self lies, and required adapted waterstarts, I realise that I am in a precarious situation.
I start work on the self rescue stuff, trying to remove the boken piece so that I can reverse the section and put the taper back into the stump to make it home. This does not work, as even though it has broken just bellow the ferule, the shards of carbon have come through the cloth of the mastsleeve at downhaul pre-load pressure and without a knife I have no chance of getting the top half out of the sleeve. To compound problems, the mast keeps filling up with water and sinking.
No chance of rescue as no one knows I am out here (nor cares), all the boaties have gone home due to the wind, and too far out from the beach for onlookers to see any distress.
Okay, it is time to ditch the rig. Manage to salvage the boom, undid the downhaul and slipped the mast off the extension. True to form, the heavy top section of the rig came straight to the surface as the bottom of the mast slipped away from the board. It then had the audacitiy to stand up vertically and then sink into the ocean like the f#*kin stern section of the titanic.
Now I just want to explain to those who think this is littering, I was really in trouble at this point. When I go out in my tinnie, I am the sort person who stops to pick plastic bags out of the water. I performed this jettisoning of the rig because of my situation and will try salvage it tomorrow.
I have a rough estimation of its whereabouts because I took some transit bearings of my initial position when this happened. Firstly I tried to paddle back to my starting point but due to the wind and the current, ended up heading for point peron.
Some time (2hrs) later washed ashore at the beach, knackered & sunburnt, and managed to convince a bunch of pommy tourists to lend me thier phone to call for my dear mother to come pick me and my now incomplete set of windsurfing equipment up. When I got home I used my transit bearings to calculate that I paddled (very uncomfortably) just under 2 nautical miles (or 3.6km).
Lessons learnt:
1. Very glad that I am able to tell this story.
2. Had a great sailing session and a story worthy of posting. At the end of the day am still smiling and that is what it is meant to be all about
3. That even though my wetsuit was overkill for sailing, it was a good choice for the situation that I found myself in. By the time I reached shore, my hands and feet were cold.
4. $1000 replacement on the gear lost is well worth it for a day like today.
5. Cant complain about equipment, was my favourite rig and had served me more than well prior to this event.
6. Did look at the mast before use but didn't see any obvious problems. Carbon by nature is like this, no indication before a catastrophic failure.
7. Kiter dudes in Shoalwater bay are a pleasure to sail around.
Happy Sailing...

Good Story mate didn't end too badly, cheers for sharing
Happy shopping for new kit btw.

Yeah Jaymac, would of have been around 3 pm when things went pear shaped. Seeing you guys sailing across the area at about 5pm from the top of the hill at point peron just added insult to injury.
As for thinking that you may have to do it yourself one day, cannot reccomend it. Woke up this morning with sore arms and a painful ribcage where I had been lying atop of the footstraps whilst paddling.
New mast tomorrow so may see you out there again. Lightning never strikes twice. And your daughters are safe, have hormonal pregnant wife who I am more scared of than...well anything.

Yes, remember the incident. Dude was sailing at crystals (when it was good) drifted through the horseshoe bridge with the broken gear but was reluctant to jettison and self rescue because of the cost. He rode out the situation until he found himself hard up against the side of a tanker at the BP refinery. It was only cause the deck watchman on the tanker doing cargo operations was paying attention that the cries of help were answered.
Heard this story from 2 sides. My uncle was at the time was a dead keen sailor st the time but wasnt out that day and my father who heard it from the blokes at the wharf.
I must of been about 12 years old at the time now that I think about it. I was keen on dingy sailing but when my uncle rolled up to my folks house with a tyronsea 280 strapped to the top of his comodore wagon, I was captivated and wanted to know how to make it go.
In those days, boards were indestructable and so were the men that sailed them. Thats how I managed to get a go on thier storm 10'-9'-8'.
Can remember going into the store formally known as a windsurfing shop and seeing what can only be described as the caveman version of this forum, 3-8 blokes standing around an analogue wind guage telling each other how great they were and making excuses as to why they couldn't go for a sail. At the time, the store owner was smiling hard. Still see him occasionally but dont see the smile anymore (must come from fiting surfer chick bikini's to the "average" woman). Stress anybody out!!!
Well that is a good an indication as to when I became educated to the sport. Would love to drop round for a cold one.
We know each other by sight I am sure, just a case of forum "who am I." Used to live just 20 doors north of you and sail from the front yard.

Hey Fearsome,
That kiter group at Pengo's you sailed through were mainly us, a bunch of girls from WACK!; WestAussieChickKiters! We are a nice crew dont you think?
We are all out there to make the most of the water and the wind and in nice conditions kiters and windsurfers actually have a lot in common to be happy about, thus the smiles and waves all round!
I did see you sailing through but sorry I didnt see you in trouble out deep or we would have tried to help out.

I dont fancy that kind of swim without a nice big floaty board.....or with one for that matter! Glad you are basically ok.

Nic

Yep, I am newish to this and dont really understand why there is angst- some big egos getting in the way of the happy co-existance of the rest of the windsports community?
Also a bit of the fear of the unknown e.g. not properly understanding in a technical sense how the other sport works?
We can just all try to do the right thing and be friendly out there, 'cause what goes around comes around, eventually

evlPanda said...

Can you provide a Google Map location, as the way you describe it I imagine islands and sand bars everywhere and it all sounds too good to be true? The map I've doodled looks a bit like something from a "Famous Five" book (I added "here be dragons" to the South West)

EVLP, Here is a link to the bay he was in. The girls/ladys kiters waved to him on his way out
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=43339
From that you can sort of work location

Nope, but a kiting friend of mine was just about killed by a out of control windsurfer. That didnt make me hate all windsufers, just inspired me to to try and find out how windsurfing works, recognise that accidents happen, and to do everything I can to prevent them .

Hey Fearsome, great story, thanks for posting.

I can relate...a few years ago I snapped a mast about two kays offshore at Seal Island north of Hillaries. Happened at around 6pm (in the days before DLS) and I was paddling for three hours before I made landfall.

I also ended up ditching most of my rig (salvaged boom and extension) cos it was slowing me down and paddling in the dark was starting to freak me out!

It ain't fun. I ended up with massive rash on the inside of my arms from where the non-skid on the board was rubbing as I paddled.

BTW, was it a skinny or SDM? These days I use a skinny and hope that they're as good (and strong) as everyone claims.

Evil Panda, not sure how to do it but will work it out when I find time, but if you'd like to centre your map system on LAT:32 18'.20S and LONG:115 41'.80E you will be where the WACK were sailing.