GizzieNZ said...
we've all heard DJ's "legrope attached to board by rubber band" lol
...as absolute beginner towards even the whole concept of downwinding was wondering what kind of safety devices are you using
Being a little scared of floating birds that look like shark fins I would say pfd & personal locator beacon & maybe a cell phone?
I think i would like a flare or two also :)
I looked into a personal locator beacon but decided a marine radio was a better option for our conditions. We don't go out into open ocean so it's not quite the same as being lost at sea. I also prefer the idea of being able to call for the specific level of help needed. An EPIRB basically has the entire world looking for you in a presumed life and death emergency, when you may just have an equipment failure and an inconvenient long paddle home.
I don't use the marine radio on our regular bayside coastal run. I only bring it on the more challenging run that brought DJ to grief. He would have been fine if he'd had one of those. Cell phones are fine if you're close to the coast but we all know how coverage can be dodgy at the best of times. And again, in DJ's situation, he had a phone but the case leaked and destroyed the phone so you can't rely on it.
Other than leg rope, I always take some form of PFD, either inflatable bumbag or regular. It's mandatory for us and also just sensible. The last safety item is clothing. You might think it's a tough guy move to resist the wetsuit in cold-ish water but hypothermia is a bitch and it can hit you real quick. Finally, most important safety item is plenty of fluids.
