Phil
Like your maths, BUT dont like your source......
Check..... www.bom.gov.au/products/IDV60901/IDV60901.94854.shtml
it gives hourly recorded maximums from AVALON on that day.
I see a 46 gust.

Hey PS this was a direct print from BOM before the wind strengthened and it was gusting to 43kn at 8.50am.

Avg kph Gust kph
Avalon 11/08:50am WNW 50 78

Fawkner Beacon 11/08:46am W 48 67

Melbourne Forecast

IDV10450

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Victoria
Melbourne Forecast

Issued at 5:15 am EST on Sunday 11 April 2010
for the period until midnight EST Saturday 17 April 2010.
Warning Summary at issue time

C'mon DJ, You must be having withdrawals from not posting on the breeze! Glad to hear all are safe. How where you rescued from the shipping bouy? Where did the Naish end up? Pretty difficult conditions to paddle in, or perform a rescue.

jenkz said...

I just love the fact that DJ knew he was in the poo but still decided to take a picture..

Well as someone said earlier - pics, or it never happened.

I asked the guys in the Port Security boat that picked me up how strong was the wind and they said it got to about 55 knots.

DJ

Good on you guys for having a crack.

Glad you're safe DJ, that type of incident would have scared the living bejesus out of my so much I would probably quit DW's altogether.

IMO...2 lessons learnt.
- In downwinders always stay together/or re-group REGULARLY (It's not a race!)
- Don't modify good working equipment/or don't test out modified equipment during paddles like this

DJ, make sure you call me next time we get epic conditions like this. I'm in!
(I'll be straping a beacon, flare and Mars bars to my PFD though)

Cammo/DJ, How'd the 17'ers go? I wouldn't think it would be the ideal board for 50+knots?

Just finished reading DJ's story on the other thread. Wow!

To add to the safety discussion here:

Probably a better wetsuit for the day would have been appropriate. I was kiting in a 3/2 sealed seam steamer with rashie and was comfortable. The cold from all the falls you get in a big downwinder would sap your strength quickly. You could ride with the zip open to erduce overheating.

The PFD would reduce the drowning risk but hypothermia was the greatest risk to DJ's life so a decent wetsuit is an essential survival aid.

I work in the rail industry and we are not permitted on the track in red or green because it is the same colour as the signals. DJ had trouble being seen by the rescue chopper because his yellow PFD was the same colour as the boating marker. Perhaps orange would be a better colour for PFDs.

Light booties would improve grip on the board, reduce the risk of foot damage (from general bumping about, fins and paddle chops), and assist in climbing up onto big yellow boating markers. Maybe DJ should have had his Crocs on. Safety orange of course.

It must have been terrible for the other guys to paddle on wondering what had happened to DJ. Maybe a couple of condoms around the phone inside the bag would be useful.

BTW. The wind was a steady 30-35 knots while the sun was out. I was well powered on a 7m kite rigged for minimum power. The peak gust at Fawkner Beacon was 54 knots at 10:30 (before I was kiting). A front came through at 2:30 with gusts to 41 knots while I was kiting. It's not every day you get waves with pitching lips on the bay.

That's very interesting Goatman. I would agree, the rescue guys would get a certain amount of job satisfaction by saving people, and actually putting their training to good use.

Phill & I briefly discussed the PFD colour... and I know about not wearing red & green in the rail corridor... I think the PFD colour is not of major importance, but the PFD is.

I think DJ has an iPhone hard case (???)... The soft pouches look the go... ?? Any suggestions ??

This weeks shopping list;
- PFD
- EPIRB
- phone pouch


PS - I think a few people will double check their legrope connection to the board in future !!
Also - the Ocean & Earth legropes have the nylon chord stitched onto the rail saver. Many other brands just give you a chord that you tie a knot in.... if your 'boy scout' knots are not up to scratch, this is a potential failure point.

I seems at the time DJ's board said good by 1:30pm the wind strength recorded at the nearby Fawkner beacon was only 30 to 35knts.
How would the situation be if the earler squall of 51 knts at hit the paddlers?
Wind force at 51 knts is almost 3 times as powerfull than 30 knts.
A 17' board flying around on the end of a legrope in 50 knts would have to put some unusual loads on the attachment point.....the plugs......or maybe you would come ashore with a limp

AA said...

I think the rescue guys would have been mighty impressed with how well prepared DJ actually was. S***t happens and his preparation (PFD) saved him for sure along with the proximity of the bouys.

He made a mistake - we all do.

I agree with Casso, JB and others. We are all into this for the sense of freedom and adventure. The boys were doing what we all would love to do. They gave it their best shot and prepared to the best of their ability. You try and cover every contingency, but sometimes s**t just happens.

We all take risks every day - calculated risks when we drive our cars. S**t still happens.

There are pioneers in every new endeavor and we all learn from them.
The boys were pioneering and breaking new ground. With that comes risk.

Thank God some people are prepared to take those risks to advance the sport and expand the knowledge base (the fact that so many people are reading these threads in itself is a positive).

Thumbs up to them and thank god it had a happy ending!

PS: Goatman there can be a downside to rescuing your friends - they can come back and beat you in the club rounds!

Thanks AA and well said..

In a way I'm glad this all happened so we can all learn from it.

If I had not lost my board I'm sure I would have got to Sandy right behind the other guys if not right alongside them and it would all be good and smiles alround.

I've had 35 yrs of windsurfing in almost every red alert and gale warning day and I often venture way out near the shipping channels because that's where the good waves are.. I've rescued heaps of guys in the past that have broken gear out there on days like this.. I broke a mast way out there a few years ago by myself and had a hell of a long swim in but still having the board makes a big difference.. I'm very used to these wild conditions and I was never really concerned even though maybe I should have been.. I think because it's a bay and not the ocean it gives me a much bigger sense of security.. even though it is a hell of a big bay.

Thanks again for everyone's kind words and personal PM's.

DJ

Spot trackers are very popular in the paragliding and general adventuring world.

http://au.findmespot.com/downloads/SPOT2_Spec_sheet_update3_2_10_lores.pdf

It's not waterproof but it is water resistant. It would survive very well inside a waterproof pouch.

You buy the unit then pay a $100 per year subscription fee.

You turn it on when you are out doing stuff and your friends can track you on the web site in near real time.

In an emergency you press the SOS button and it sends your location to your friends who can organise your rescue.

Theres another button for "I'm ok" for when you finish.

The advantage over an EPIRB for general use is that you get to use it all the time. It's kind of demoralising carrying around an EPIRB for years and never being quite sure it is going to work.

The disadvantage is that the response time can be kind of slow at times and the $100 fee is a bit steep.

Here in NSW - the BOM MAX wind gust should be measured over a 3 second average and the mean over a 10 min average.

Thats from my work colleague who is a wind engineer.

These water proof soft pouches for iPhones seem to be a bit of a concern in these high impact conditions. Now we've seen the EWA product fail, and I had the OB version fail. Not sure what brand Phill was using.

I'm now using the h-2-o product that straps around your arm. It's endorsed by Michael Phelps and Laird Hamilton and costs about $120 along with another $80 or so for the headphones. Quite a bit more expensive than the soft pouches and I'm not sure yet whether I'm paying for Laird and Phelps' approval or higher quality, but it does appear to be more robust. Time will tell.

One other question though for the experienced watermen... is there adequate mobile phone coverage for all major phone carriers out to Fawkner Beacon?

PTWoody said...

These water proof soft pouches for iPhones seem to be a bit of a concern in these high impact conditions. Now we've seen the EWA product fail, and I had the OB version fail. Not sure what brand Phill was using.

I'm now using the h-2-o product that straps around your arm. It's endorsed by Michael Phelps and Laird Hamilton and costs about $120 along with another $80 or so for the headphones. Quite a bit more expensive than the soft pouches and I'm not sure yet whether I'm paying for Laird and Phelps' approval or higher quality, but it does appear to be more robust. Time will tell.

One other question though for the experienced watermen... is there adequate mobile phone coverage for all major phone carriers out to Fawkner Beacon?

Yes, all carriers have coverage in the bay. I've travelled on the Spirit Of Tasmania with Telstra, Vodafone and 3 and all had coverage until we were about 20 minute past the heads. If 3 has coverage it's safe to say every carrier would be fine.

PTWoody said...

These water proof soft pouches for iPhones seem to be a bit of a concern in these high impact conditions. Now we've seen the EWA product fail, and I had the OB version fail. Not sure what brand Phill was using.

I'm now using the h-2-o product that straps around your arm. It's endorsed by Michael Phelps and Laird Hamilton and costs about $120 along with another $80 or so for the headphones. Quite a bit more expensive than the soft pouches and I'm not sure yet whether I'm paying for Laird and Phelps' approval or higher quality, but it does appear to be more robust. Time will tell.

One other question though for the experienced watermen... is there adequate mobile phone coverage for all major phone carriers out to Fawkner Beacon?

Leave your iphone in the car and take some old phone that is charged, without a sim card it if you have to. They are more robust than the newer things and you can still call 000 on them if you need to.