LSD said...
DJ, What sort of safety gear do you carry on your down winders?
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On the last downwinder I wore a hydration pack and had some fruit and a mobile in a waterproof pack.
It was winter and I had a full-on wettie with a hat. The wettie is probably the prime survival aid. It's bouyant and I could probably survive a night adrift sitting on a board.
The other survival aid is over 30 years of experience in bobbing around in the sea in extreme conditions. We monitored the situation the whole time and adapted to conditions well before anything became a problem. I stayed with my mate, Paul. Oliver paddled well inshore at the appropriate places. Only DJ and Haro went out to sea at all and they knew exactly what they were doing.
There was a fair bit of discussion after a later downwinder where a newbie was chasing every runner he could get and was heading off into the sunset. Mainly about the responsibility of the rest of the crew for strays and add-ons to the group.
Apart from offering timely advice all you can really do is call in a rescue. I guess at the peak of altruism you could keep the errant person company while waiting for rescue. Unless you're super dude there's no way you could paddle way downwind to retrieve someone.
You are absolutely correct. It's hard enough to get a SUP to go crosswind in 45 knots let alone paddle into wind. The wind and swells firmly push the nose downwind as soon as you turn the board.
