I cannot count the number of times In which I have hear the horror story of how someone fell in and ended up with the sail on top of them so that they were trapped under it and were this close to drowning, groping around and finding nothing but foil. You dont know where to swim because it all feels the same and any direction you choose seems to go on for ever as if you were swimming from the mastfoot to the top. Sure, I had that moment myself when I was a kid but never since then. The main thing that has changed is my realization that by staying calm, the oxygen we have in our lungs lasts longer and we can use that oxygen for something better than wasting energy. For example, to think and to find a way to get to the surface. I think I can make you feel calmer by giving you this piece of information: follow the battens.
The sail has a number of batons across it spaced at no more than maybe 80 cm apart from each other. Each of these batons goes from the mast all the way to the leech, meaning that if you find one (less than a second of groping with your eyes closed is enough for that) then all you have to do is propel yourself along the baton in either direction until the end of it.
And if you have the boom at hand then I probably dont have to mention that the same thing goes, apart from the advantage that you can pull yourself along it rather than having to swim.
I have also heard so many times from people that they dont hook into the harness for fear of getting trapped under the sail underwater.
To me this is completely unreasonable.
“But how am I supposed to get away from under the sail if I can’t move?” I hear you say. Well here is my answer:
You don’t have to go anywhere! All you have to do is twist your body so that it is in line with the boom and poke your head out and then calmly get unhooked. The distance from your shoulders to the hook of your harness plus the length of the harness lines is greater than the distance from the mast to the location of the harness lines on the boom. Problem solved.
Thanks for this article, I did have a scary moment under the sail when I was unable to unhook from the harness for a while. I didn’t have too much air in lungs as I hit the water quite hard and I panicked for a little while. Luckily I managed to unhook in the end and get out, but it wasn’t nice.
It doesn’t keep me from surfing on though, it is an experience and I know what to do next time this happens. It is important to calm down and unhook slowly…
Hi this is a google forms about creating a quick release device for more amateur windsurfers to increase safety and make the windsurfers feel safer as well as for my A level Dt project could you possibly fill it in?
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RQeKPtUC-GmyxIEkLgQgbPMqzG2p-_Sjt1qhu6uS42I/edit
I had few times stuck under the sail and could not release myself from the harness. I looked at many different kinds of harnesses with quick release system. Prolimit harnesses has the best pin release bar system which is better than other systems since you could easily pull out the pin as opposed to push down and out as offered by other systems. I highly recommend this system. Those using a large sail bigger than 7 m, cambered sails also provides airpocket that could provide some air most of the times. Hence I have a combination of prolimit waist harness and cambered sails
Hi this is a google forms about creating a quick release device for more amateur windsurfers to increase safety and make the windsurfers feel safer as well as for my A level Dt project could you possibly fill it in?
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RQeKPtUC-GmyxIEkLgQgbPMqzG2p-_Sjt1qhu6uS42I/edit
Hi, thank you for the valuable tips from this article and many of your other articles on your website
While the harness is definitely a must-have moving on to higher levels in the discipline and is generally safe to use, the fear of getting trapped while underwater, especially after personal close-calls, is valid. Avoidance of hooking in after traumatic experiences is not completely unreasonable.
There have been cases where those around me, myself included, have been in close-call situations where we inhaled seawater and almost could not get out of.
Do you have any tips on getting out while hooked in and trapped underwater when:
1. The sail is not floating on the surface on the water but jutting downwards, perpendicular to the surface of the water
2. The harness line is twisted and you are unable to unhook (Is bringing a marine/diving knife the best bet)
And:
Would it be better or worse to be wearing a PFD in the situation where you’re hooked in and trapped under the sail?
Thanks!
HI Alex, thanks for the kind words. Regarding your questions, here are my opinions:
1. If the sail is perpendicular downwards it is a litle more dificult but in essence it is the same concept as when wanting to unhook during regular sailing: pull yourself close to the boom and the harness lines will come out on their own.
2. In my experience, if the harness lines are twisted it is usualy because you catapulted and made a flip of sorts on top of the sail. I is HIGHLY unlikely that this situation occurs under the sail. In such a situation, I don’t have any generic advice other than, get out however you can. I personally have never found myself under the sail with twisted lines, and I have sailed primarily in waves where this would be more likely.
In any case, both of these scenarios are very unlikely for people who are starting off with the harness. For the sail to point downwards you have to either be in an area of high currents or in waves. If you are sailing in such conditions, you should already have a good feeling for gettinbg out of the harness.
Regarding your question of brining a PFT or a knife with you:
Knife: No. Unless you are making an ocean crossing, you do not need a knife in windsurfing.
PFD: Personally I dont recommend them for windsurfing as I have found them to be more of a hinderance. Of course they are safer and situations where you definitely should (big waves surfing, etc.) and there are spots where they are mandatory. I have however found that both for sailing and swimming there are more of a hassle than a help. Naturally one can argue that if you get hit on the head they save your life. That is true but not what we are talking about here 🙂
All the best.
Arne
SInce my earlier response that described the quick release harness, I noted that Point 7 company made a very efficient quick release system. Now I have changed all of my lines to Point7 harness lines which eliminates being stuck under the sail. Once quickly released from harness lines, it is easy to grab the mast and pull body to surface for reaching out for air.