Great article Chris...Remember everyone FORCE = VELOCITY squared. That is : as the VELOCITY (knots) doubles the FORCE goes up by a factor of FOUR. EX. 10knots=force of 100...20knots=force400...It's all about respect...Check YOUR safety system by releasing at the end of your session. You will go home feeling secure & you won't have missed any time on the water.

I'd echo the idea of a safety page, perhaps with a mix of links and 'best of' safety posts. I remember a really good one of how to jury rig a broken mast, with a pic of someone sailing in at Jericho (?) in Vancouver that way. Can't remember if it was here. It was just complicated enough you need to re-read it every so often and then mentally go over it.

Chris' note about mentally visualizing what to do in unusual, dangerous sitiuations is great. The most safety-concious heli pilot I flew with was an ex-US Navy Seal. He always said (every flight) to reach out and touch the door handle, and your harness release, and think about what it would feel like to do that upside down underwater. The simple repetition would hugely increase your chances if you ever had to do it. Same with kite releases; I don't think windsurfers have anything quite parallel to that situation.

Here is a general one for windsurfing safety/emergency repair. It would be better with pics.
http://www.iwavesolutions.com/lefebvre/ ... afety.html

Some excellent suggestions on safety gear...thanks! I know I'm going to get some stuff together for windsurfing. I carry lots of stuff out kayaking but nothing windsurfing. That doesn't make much sense. Sailing far out at CB today near dark I had some thoughts about what I'd do if I broke down - 30+ knots, close to dark, very cold... A small strobe and a whistle is a good idea.

Regarding the safety page - maybe someone would like to volunteer to take this on? They don't need web design skills, just some ideas on how to put this together. As an aside, if anyone wants to volunteer to help improve the website in any way that would be great.
dave

I'm in Will try to pull something together in the next couple of months, maybe weeks including sifting through the endless stream of dialogue that followed that poor kiter's incident.

I'm also getting my VHF back into my Van

I PM'd you - willing to help

Thought I would 'bump' this thread: I know cold water season should be over but I just had two incidents and so did Voodmon and it's been freakin cold again! Not to mention Giles' little adventure run covered by the media....and Morb just blew a uni....

I was becalmed in Feb I think it was and barely made it in swimming, then yesterday I lost a fin and had to self-rescue which cancelled the rest of the best SE sailing in a while. (BTW, waterstarting a waveboard without a fin? try it sometime....it ain't like a slalom board which is hard enough, had to use the harness manouvre)

Tim, not sure how you were but both times I was probably mildly or better hypothermic by the time it was done, I recall Giles was.

Kiters, windsurfers of Victoria/Island: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR YOURSELF SINCE THIS THREAD CAME OUT I know Ruskie got some skookum "Maverick" shades and DWD has that fancy new helmet....

At least I can say I have added my reflective stips to the helmet, bought a life jacket (which sat in the van happily when i lost the fin yesterday, ha, what a moron), and put the VHF back in the van. My whistle is on the helmet and I checked all lines and uni's and will be retightening all powerbox fins every hr from here forward.

I' m working on designing and have drafted a safety/tips page but there's just soooo much info to consider (not to mention I know next to dick about kiting safety, anyone wanna help? although I did enjoy the spooning thing, Grant, reason to worry do you think ), at least I have summarized the Connecticut Kiter death thread to a few pages of info and have a good start on the safety gadgets list as well.....

Until I (we) manage to post that, DO SOMETHING at least until the water warms up again.... I think with the awesome website and all the info that permits us to sail way more in cold water/weather season we are perhaps getting a bit overconfident. Again, if anyone has suggestions, send me your stuff by PM. thx.

I use a Pyro in the winter-it has reflective strips. I learn't about self rescue through magazine articles and in the links section through kitesurfing school. This is a Canadian site and talks about cold water.

http://kitesurfingschool.org/safety.htm

I carry a whistle and knife in my harness pocket(both attached with rope thaat is long enough to be practical. The only other thing that I can think of is flares.

otherwise good luck and some common sense prevails.

http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1672 http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1725 http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1574 http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1476 http://www.bigwavedave.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=183

May13 M.E.C. opens in Victoria. Great place for kids Nitinat gear. Put away that wallmart /sears snow suit !
http://www.mec.ca/Products...

http://www.mec.ca/Products...

http://www.shredready.com/products/ahm500.html

I sent mec an e-mail asking if they would stock the 'super scrappy.'
http://www.shredready.com/products/sscrappy.html

Way back in the earliest days of windsurfing I can remember the rule was don't sail in offshore conditions. Period. We can do well to have safety gear but aren't most horror stories the result of some very poor judgement, like sailing offshore? I've sailed for a long time and I'm no athlete so I've had to learn not to be too stupid. At this point in my career (ha!) I've come to value what a "good place to windsurf" is. I don't sail a place unless I know what to do if things go wrong. I like a downwind beach, or rocks, or anything the wind will push you onto when your windsurfer has become quite useless.