duzzi said..
Might be old age more than creeping in, but last time I was out I crashed twice banging my shin on the side of the board. The second crash, at the entrance of a jibe, on my slalom board, was pretty bad, and resulted in a small but deep impact wound that eventually got infected (is taking more than ten days to clear ).

I can't remember crashing like that, full speed, out of the harness, holding the boom at the entrance of the jibe, and it has been many years since I had a catapult, so I realized that I don't know what to do when you fall at full speed. Do you hang on the boom (foil like), or let go and try to part ways from the board? What do you do?

Unhook, but keep hold of the boom (if you can) hanging onto the boom limits the area of the gear you can fall on, or have fall on you. Generally it helps keep you away from the pointy bit of the board too. In some scenarios you can also slow the crash down hanging onto the boom.


Admittedly I've had near crashes where I've seen it coming in time and unhooked/let the gear go, knowing it's the best case scenario. Trying to hang on would've hurt more.


thats what I try to do.

I do this:

Subsonic said..


Was i the only one?

No, that was my thought too. There's generally just no time to think about it as it happens. If you fall often, you could work on your reflexes but you might be overthinking this and just had bad luck with those two crashes. Although it's a good idea to have wound cleaner in your car.

Just fall less is probably a better strategy. Either switch gear, work on technique, or don't push as hard, or... be willing to crash and get injured.

Unless jumping high, it's generally best to hold on to the boom fwiw.

Subsonic said..
Ok, i've got say it. When i first saw the title of the thread, the first thing that came to mind was get back up again.

Was i the only one?

I was singing Tubthumping.

duzzi said..
Might be old age more than creeping in, but last time I was out I crashed twice banging my shin on the side of the board. The second crash, at the entrance of a jibe, on my slalom board, was pretty bad, and resulted in a small but deep impact wound that eventually got infected (is taking more than ten days to clear ).

I can't remember crashing like that, full speed, out of the harness, holding the boom at the entrance of the jibe, and it has been many years since I had a catapult, so I realized that I don't know what to do when you fall at full speed. Do you hang on the boom (foil like), or let go and try to part ways from the board? What do you do?

I very rarely have any chance to unhook in a high speed bingle. It's all over before I can do much thinking. I tend to just tuck up knees, tuck in my head, and let the padding on the back of impact vest, and helmet do their thing.

Crashing is a funny thing...
It's a bit like the drink driver that has the least damage when crashing.
I have done more damage to myself when twisting oddly, trying to save a dodgy jibe than getting catapulted through my sail at full speed because of an unseen sand bank.

remery said..
I'd like to unhook before I crash, but for some reason I just hang onto the boom. Unpleasant when I end up under the sail with no idea which way out.

Unhooking before crashing .?? Really ???
I don't have time to close my mouth before hitting the water.
Who has time unhooking while crashing.?
At no time ever , while crashing , I've had the pleasure of having the time of thinking about unhooking.
I'm in for the ride baby.
**** , I've accidentally Re hooked mid jybe and it's taken me for six. More than once. And at no stage I got any say in it.

I try not push and fall off, because sharks.
But when i do, i try to make it such a big one that i'm confident it's scared the sharks away.
Usually i don't notice any pain, injury or kit damage because i was just happy to have not gotten chomped.

If i push this season, good to know what to do when it goes pear shaped.

duzzi said..

remery said..
I'd like to unhook before I crash, but for some reason I just hang onto the boom. Unpleasant when I end up under the sail with no idea which way out.

It looks like everybody is hanging on the boom, I was just wandering if I forgot something. The crash that made me wonder about ... crashing technique, was not a catapult. I was entering a jibe, and I was already holding on the boom, unhooked ... I just don't get how I managed to hit the front leg shim against the side of the board with enough force to get a deep cut in it.

Anyway ... yes @Subsonic after you fell I think you are supposed to get back up, if you can

I had a crash like that in the waves. Felt a hard impact on my shin, shook it off, and kept sailing a bit. I got back to the beach and I was bleeding down my leg and had a deep cut.

Didn't realize what happened until I got back and saw hair sticking out of the board. I had hit the rail with my shin and the carbon top layer cut my shin and took a patch of skin with it before popping back into place. Just a small spot on the board that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise that needed a quick repair.

With speed sailing you don't generally have much of a choice how you dismount, a lot of the time you barely have enough time to go "O...." and after you resurface "h sh1t this could hurt".

Catapults I'm happy to have a bit of air time and swim back to the kit, more than happy to feel the harness lines go "plink": as you reach take off velocity and in the micro second where it doesn't go "plink" know it's going to be really bad when takeoff velocity suddenly become slam into the water velocity with a lot of hard bits chasing you into your impact crater.

Gps's are wonderfull things with telling you after the event from what speed you suddenly stopped, how far you flew or cart wheeled. The hospital will tell you how bad it really was.

elmo said..
With speed sailing you don't generally have much of a choice how you dismount, a lot of the time you barely have enough time to go "O...." and after you resurface "h sh1t this could hurt".

Catapults I'm happy to have a bit of air time and swim back to the kit, more than happy to feel the harness lines go "plink": as you reach take off velocity and in the micro second where it doesn't go "plink" know it's going to be really bad when takeoff velocity suddenly become slam into the water velocity with a lot of hard bits chasing you into your impact crater.

Gps's are wonderfull things with telling you after the event from what speed you suddenly stopped, how far you flew or cart wheeled. The hospital will tell you how bad it really was.

Example

"

Subsonic said..
Windsurfing is one of those wonderful sports where the better you get, the more falling off hurts

That's my excuse is it?
I thought it was old age..

ouch ouch.
I think i might be ok with sticking to slow speed sailing where crashes are funny without having to go to hospital.

Maybe best to skip the next clip if you still have GPS speedsurfing ambitions.


-wSbD5bDNlFsY

mathew said..

elmo said..
With speed sailing you don't generally have much of a choice how you dismount, a lot of the time you barely have enough time to go "O...." and after you resurface "h sh1t this could hurt".

Obligatory ...

mathew said..

elmo said..
With speed sailing you don't generally have much of a choice how you dismount, a lot of the time you barely have enough time to go "O...." and after you resurface "h sh1t this could hurt".

Obligatory ...

He was lucky to skip along the top . Did he break anything?