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Wind Tales
RESCUE AT SEA
Dec 09, 1995
For those of you that may be wind-listers that were at
Damon Pt. Sunday, I did get back to shore safely with the
help of the Coast Guard, but had a flat tire when I got
back. I blasted around in the morning on a 3.4, 8'6"
board, 175 lb., but around 13:00 PST, it felt a little
weaker so we came off the water. Garth of
Marysville and two guys in a van were also sailing. I put
on a 4.1, although the weather radio and the guys on the
beach said it was going to hit 70 knots at any time. I
took off at about 14:00, confident that
the tide was now turned so it would bring me back up
wind. I made four or five tacks with some nice blasts and
jumps, but I was losing ground downwind. I sailed one
more tack to downwind of Damon Pt. and laid it down to
let the current carry me back to a position where I could
slog downwind to the
parking lot. I might have been able at this point to
continue to slog west until I hit land at Ocean Shores,
but I didn't want to walk back from the airport. I knew
there were two problems with this plan 1) the current was
not well developed yet, and 2) someone on the beach might
think I was in trouble and call the Coast Guard.
I floated around for a hour or more, occasionally sailing
a promising puff, and was finally making some progress
drifting upwind, when the CG showed up. I was up and
sailing when they pulled along side. We were cruising
along, rail to rail, as I tried to explain what I was
trying to do.
They couldn't hear the details, so I had to lay it down
and swim over. Initially they said they could take me
aboard, screw the rig, so I tried to explain that my
situation was not life threatening, just a matter of
avoiding a long walk, not something to lose the rig over,
so I'd handle it. I swam back to the rig and took off.
The CG pulled along side again. They were real concerned
that if I wasn't the guy in trouble, where was he? They
said my buddy had used my cell phone to call in so there
must be another guy out here somewhere. I said I didn't
think anyone could get in my truck to use my phone, but I
was the only one out. I had to board again for another
conference. The CG are great but it was clear that they
thought the problem was too much wind. Their training is
with small craft and that wind and waves are a problem,
while wind and waves are our friends. And they were real
concerned that the 70 knot winds were coming. I tried to
explain to them that 40 knots would be welcomed and all I
needed to get home. As we know now, the morning
winds were just a frontal wave and the real winds didn't
come back until late in the night. The CG guys decided
that they *could* tow my rig this time, so I agreed to
ride. I had to jump in to tie it on though. I asked
if they could just tow we over to the east end of Damon
Pt. and I'd swim in from there, but they said we had to
go to the marina because that's where my buddy was
waiting. No buddy, just the OS police, who gave me
a lift back to my truck where I discovered the flat tire.
Paul Huffman - President-for-Life,
Moclips Surf Club
Sparc Driver
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