sailing/ sort of

[makenmend]

yesterday (Fri 13th) decided to sail my trimaran.winds were lite 6/8 mph, had just made new sails and wanted to see how they worked. sailed around for 3 hrs enjoying it all.the gurling water round the hulls,the surge of power in the little puffs, even paddling when the wind quit,[img]http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/rr54/makenmend/outriggers AMAs/Totosailing021.jpg[/img]
then I noticed the ominous clouds so headed back home, did I mention that these were new sails?? with no means of furling/reducing sail (my bad)

well I had the ride of my life very strong gusty winds driving rain thunder ect, completly over powered the boat,every time I got close to a lee shore for shelter a gust would power me offshore, didn't want to go to the windward shore, waves were crashing big time would have broken me up for sure. The boat is more than half full of water my bilge pump (sponge) blew away,I'm worried the birdsmouth mast will break in a gust every time I try to sail for safty I get over powered and water is completly breaking over the boat, Scary

So I did about the only thing I could and hove to in the middle of the lake keeping my head to wind and bailed with my soft sided cooler til the storm passed.not easy putting on a pfd under these conditions

The moral of my stupidity, the watertite compartments and my outriggers kept me afloat and I got home intact, note to self make sails that can be reduced in a blow and put on pfd before I leave shore

MM

 

[islandpiper]

MM.......I always wear my PFD......ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. Never did as a youngster, but it's been a half a century since i was really young. I could probably still swim if i had to, but tired, hungry, cold, stupid, bopped in the noggin with a gunwale? No, I'll just put the PFD on, no matter how hot and sweaty i get, or how stupid it looks. Your experience firms up my resolve to use it every time.

Wait till Kayak Jack checks in. He is the master of new, interesting, automatic PFD's. piper

 

[mike]

I was vaguely aware that automatic PFDs existed. This prompted my curiosity, so I did a Google search using the terms - wait for it - "automatic PFD".

Here is one result of the search, Automatic PFD Review

I think I'll get a couple because it stays so hot here we never put the conventional type on.

Mike

 

[oldsparkey]

Mike....

That is the type that I have , they are great for hot weather areas since you are not wrapped up like a baking potato ready for the fire.
You might want to check around before you get one. The better ones have both a manual inflation along with the automatic inflation. The manual inflation is great back up in case the automatic does not work , as in the little (CO2) bottle to inflate it goes dead on you.

Not sure what they cost today but I got mine , a couple of years ago , from Cabelas when they had a sale on them.

Chuck.

 

[islandpiper]

I think some folks refer to them as WIND BAGS. Funny they'd show up here on the forum. :lol: :lol: :mrgreen: piper

 

[Roger]

I always wear a PFD in open water. lakes and bays etc., but I do admit that I sometimes don't in shallow skinny little backwaters and streams. Mine is a co2 type but not automatic. You have to pull on a red tag to inflate it, or manually blow it up. I figured that you can sometimes get wet in a kayak without the need for the device and then have to pay for a new cartride when it wasn't really necessary. I guess the trade off is that I if I receive a blow to the noggin it wont automatically inflate.
BTW. I have been reading some of the comments on this and other forums lately about the use of paddle floats and have realised just how important this means of self rescue is. I have therefore made it a priority to purchase a float and to fit suitable rigging on my boats.

Roger

 

[islandpiper]

Long, long ago, me and a buddy rolled a Gumman Canoe in water with the remainder of the winter's ice cover on it. I snapped into an instant fetal position, and my knees hit me in the chin. The other fellow turned around as he left the boat and the gunwale came back up under his chin and gave him a heck of an uppercut. Ya, boy. Good day to have that PFD on already. piper

 

[makenmend]

I obviously had become blase to the wearing of my PFD, nothing like a good ol reminder from ma nature to get your attention.

Iv'e had a maually inflating PFD for a few years now and have tested it and replaced the C02 a couple of times, now time to test again and then wear it. !!

MM

 

[catfish]

yep wear mine. geezers wear yours may save your life one day. rather be laughed at and called stopid than not having it on. anything thing can happed.

 

[islandpiper]

(Line of geezers, peering into large, fancy wooden box...) Conversation overheard: "Yup, he sho'nuff looks natural. Ya kin hardy even see the place where the crabs were nibblin' on him."

Heh heh heh Yup, i wear mine. Joey, if you see me breaking this rule you can talk sharp to me. OK? thanks, Piper

 

[Kayak Jack]

My PFD is a SOSpenders brand. Others are available now. I opted to get the manually pulled ripcord rather than an automatic one. Many rivers we paddle are shallow, and I may not want the vest to inflate on its own command.

RE: paddle floats. I advise getting or making one with closed cell foam. One that is already up to size is much easier to deploy and use in high wind and waves than one you still have to struggle to inflate while hanging for dear life to a paddle and a gunnel. No hands left over to grab an inflatable float, and no lung left over while trying to stay alive. Also, tether the float to your boat. If it gets away from you, wind will blow it out of range in the blink of an eye. Also, if you capsize and your paddle and boat are both a bit out of reach, go for the boat first. Paddles will only drift with a current, but they don't blow around in the wind like a boat will.