sunday was blowing pretty crazy down my local. i'd misjudged the forecast and left my smaller board at home. riding over serious chop on my 120lt very powered up on a 5.8 i did one of the most violent catapults in memory.

i'm not quite sure how it happened, but i was really cranking just off the wind when suddenly the mast was scything down just to windward of the nose. i was pulled from the straps and swung by the harness lines in a screaming arc. i hit hard facing backwards, like dropping onto floorboards on my back from a story high...the impact winded me pretty seriously and rattled my noggin. i was glad to be wearing a boyancy vest which must have soaked up a bit of the strike.

coming up my board and sail looked fine but the boom was now bent upwards inbetween the harness lines. reluctant to get in the harness lines on the ride back to shore in case it completely broke and damaged my fave sail, so i rode home on arms alone.

that sapped any energy i had left so practically crawling onto shore and sucking air hard for twenty-minutes i began to ponder whether i should take another look at a helmets...after i buy a new boom of course...

Trousers said...

sunday was blowing pretty crazy down my local. i'd misjudged the forecast and left my smaller board at home. riding over serious chop on my 120lt very powered up on a 5.8 i did one of the most violent catapults in memory.

i'm not quite sure how it happened, but i was really cranking just off the wind when suddenly the mast was scything down just to windward of the nose. i was pulled from the straps and swung by the harness lines in a screaming arc. i hit hard facing backwards, like dropping onto floorboards on my back from a story high...the impact winded me pretty seriously and rattled my noggin. i was glad to be wearing a boyancy vest which must have soaked up a bit of the strike.

coming up my board and sail looked fine but the boom was now bent upwards inbetween the harness lines. reluctant to get in the harness lines on the ride back to shore in case it completely broke and damaged my fave sail, so i rode home on arms alone.

that sapped any energy i had left so practically crawling onto shore and sucking air hard for twenty-minutes i began to ponder whether i should take another look at a helmets...after i buy a new boom of course...

Pretty hard on the body this sport..

Must be something in the water, I am considering it for the windier days. I guess my motivation is witnessing a friend crack a helmet on the mast during a catapult.... Can't help thinking about what the crack in his head might have looked like if he had not been wearing one!

I had a good catapult as well. I thought the water was deep enough to get a 16 cm fin over. I was wrong. Its OK though as my head took most of the impact on the sand bar. Could be time to invest in a helmet.

they used to make foam helmets like this one under the Gradz or Aruba names, which were lighter.

www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=109927192364997

I have the Gath Surf, which I'd recommend.

I think small is more important than light. The bigger the helmet, the more water resistance on impact so the more strain on the neck. I think extra whiplash due to weight only occurs if the body stops but the head keeps going. I think it's more likely in a catapult, the head hits first and stops, and the body keeps going.
So yes gaths are the smallest I've seen, so that's what I wear, they're not that heavy either.

i've tried on helmets in the shop before, and it just doesn't feel right to me (a bit like booties). but i think i need to persevere now. after windsurfing for over a decade i rarely catapult these days, usually I 'feel' it going before the crisis point and can get out of it.

but sunday's 'pult happened so blindingly fast, and at such speed i had no chance. factor of trying to hold down the power on a too-big sail with a too-big board over angry chop. i was trying a smaller fin and found it kept losing grip on the down wind runs over the back of chop. to compensate i was keeping my weight forward and off the fin which is counter to what i'd usually do heading down wind.

now looking back on it i think that the fin spun-out, i caught a rail, and with my weight already teetering forward, there was only one outcome.

so now i'll look into gath, a lot of sailors i know rate them.

I have a black Gath with a tinted visor. Used it for over 10 years. Got it as a safety item and can say it does work (speaking from experience).

Use it all the time in the surf but only when in overpowered conditions on flat water. The helmet has saved my head from injury a number of times in the surf. A knock to the head by a mast or a boom without a helmet would have resulted in a cut or maybe being dazed. Not good when in the surf.

Yes your hearing is affected, so be aware of that. Takes a bit of getting used to. May be a problem for some. BUT Helmet safety outweighs hearing loss IMO.

The movable visor is useful as it stops a lot of the sun and can be pulled down to act as a shade for your eyes. Find is quite helpful when sailing in the afternoon and looking into a setting sun. It does not fog up.

Nothing bad to say about the Gath Helmet. I think the visor model is better for sailors and the non-visor version for surfers. Worth every $

You can get a Gath surf convertable which has removable ear protectors (I have one) and you can also get shades with it.

http://www.cleanlinesurf.com/gath-surf-convertible.html#large

I think helmets would be improved if they had heaps of perforations to let the water through, like some impact vests. Let the air through too to keep you cool.

As for violent catapults, its been said before - look back, sheet in and hold on. You just fly around in a circle and avoid all those nasty impacts, or at least scythe into the water more or less gracefully (mostly less). You have to practice it though so it happens automatically. Its fun. :)

How do the Protec helmets stack up against gath? Are their weights similar?

NotWal said...

I think helmets would be improved if they had heaps of perforations to let the water through, like some impact vests. Let the air through too to keep you cool.

As for violent catapults, its been said before - look back, sheet in and hold on. You just fly around in a circle and avoid all those nasty impacts, or at least scythe into the water more or less gracefully (mostly less). You have to practice it though so it happens automatically. Its fun. :)

Notwal,
Totally agree - my Gath gets way too hot to wear up here in the tropics and if sailing for over an hour the helmet seems to exert pressure on one point of my skull that becomes unbearable. Unless you're falling in every 5 minutes it's hard to dissipate the heat build-up. Don't wear it much anymore unless conditions are really ballistic although have a gopro on order so maybe I'll wear it more often.

sausage said...

NotWal said...

I think helmets would be improved if they had heaps of perforations to let the water through, like some impact vests. Let the air through too to keep you cool.

As for violent catapults, its been said before - look back, sheet in and hold on. You just fly around in a circle and avoid all those nasty impacts, or at least scythe into the water more or less gracefully (mostly less). You have to practice it though so it happens automatically. Its fun. :)

Notwal,
Totally agree - my Gath gets way too hot to wear up here in the tropics and if sailing for over an hour the helmet seems to exert pressure on one point of my skull that becomes unbearable. Unless you're falling in every 5 minutes it's hard to dissipate the heat build-up. Don't wear it much anymore unless conditions are really ballistic although have a gopro on order so maybe I'll wear it more often.

I have the same issue with my gath exerting a couple of pressure points on my head that become unbearable after a while and result in headaches also. I measured myself up for it correctly, but assume the shape of my head is not quite matched to the shaped of the helmet. As a result I rarely use mine also, but I certainly feel that I should be. Early on a sea breeze day I normally rationalise that the wind is not strong enough to worry about serious crashes, and then when it kicks in I am too busy to go and get it, but if it was more comfortable I would be happy to wear it all the time. Has anyone resolved the issue and car to share how to? Do the helmets wear in over time with the foams deforming to suit your head shape? Or can I identify the pressure points and modify the foams to reduce them?

I must say that I rarely have a bad crash these days (like maybe once a whole season), but when I do I would prefer to have been wearing a helmet. Also, I would probably go a bit harder and learn some new things if I was more confident in not injuring myself as badly or knocking myself out and drowning.

-- Adrian

Hi Vosadrian,
My Gedi was tight in a few places and so I cut out part of the 10mm foam and put 5mm in its place.
It is only at the back and so it hasn't realy compromised my safety but I can now wear it all day without noticing its on.

post photo or didnt happen !!!! i love my gaff!

I couldn't find a Gath I liked. They look great but not so nice to wear. I got a Gecko and its heaps better, cool and comfy, just don't look in the mirror.
I don't wear boardies over my wettie tho so I guess I'm not cool anyway .