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Nicholas Cryder
03/03/16 #18699
Sitting in my office and just saw the coast guard patrol boat go zooming up to Marine Park and do some laps. Anyone know what's up? Looks like a nice day out there, wall to wall groomers in the sunshine. Stay safe.
Dean Bumstead
03/03/16 #18700
I’ll try to keep it short – Reivers probably knows more about the aftermath than I do. Deb B had just launched a little before I did and turned before Post Point as a line of wind hit us that I’ve only experienced a few times. I attempted some forward strokes but turned also, not wanting to take any chances in my Spark. White caps were everywhere, even close in and the waves grew instantly. After being pushed on to a couple waves and actually getting rides I saw Deb go over ahead of me directly off of Marine Park. I threw my legs over to watch her climb back in. I was still a good distance from her but drifting towards her fast. Got close enough to talk to her but couldn’t maneuver my boat in the wind to get alongside. We weren't too far off Marine Park so I told her to stay with her boat, and I’m going in to call the Coast Guard. Asked a guy in a parked car to call 911, and for once, I had my radio with me – and it worked. Reivers came back in unawares to what was going on, and then went back out to see what he could do. Meanwhile, a crabbing boat (I think) was heading towards her and Reivers, and eventually got her and her boat on board with the Coast Guard standing by.
DB
Nicholas Cryder
03/03/16 #18701
Nice work guys. Happy to hear Deb is alright! :)
Dale McKinnon
03/03/16 #18702
Good job by the grandpas of whatcompaddlers! Well done, Dean and RD! And get Deb B back on her boat asap and out in the bay….
Reivers Dustin
03/03/16 #18704
Deb is fine. Says she felt a little embarrassed, I tried to explain how she should be more like David S. As we all know he was dropped on his head as a small child and those neurons for embarrassment were destroyed.
When I put in Dean and Duncan were ripping it up way out by the Buoy. Wind seemed steady at 15. Deb just said a quick hello as I launched. I casually told her “yeah, wind steady, tide change at 11:30, wind easing as the day goes on”. Duncan pulled out before I launched. Dean was trying out the Elite S vs the Swordfish in comparable conditions. So he was re-launching. I decided I might go long, maybe Whiskey so I could ride the bigs back in. I had my R and had put a mondo surf rudder on. Felt bullet-proof.
About half-way down the wall I got smacked around by the wind and thought, OK. I'll just ride it to Outfall and grunt back to MP. Extra-ordinary waves. Nose-bleed drop-ins. I'm humming that song about “I am TITANIUM”. Surf rudder is awesome. But like they say, if you notice an erection lasting longer than normal, go to the ER. I went way out and began to notice that I kind of had my hands full doing anything but riding waves. As I went by the dry dock realized this could easily turn into a helicopter run. Next big wave I used to slingshot myself back into the wind and shit-ahoy. It was all I could do to stay into the wind and make slow progress. I was out past the wind line and crawled back to MP. Got on shore and Dean is telling me he's on the radio to the C.G. I never saw Deb in the water until I turned and looked from shore. Crap. Jumped in boat and went back out there. She was just past the wind line and No Way could I get myself alongside or grab her boat. If I could have got a hand on the boat I could have done my favorite thing. I like to grab the big part of the nose of the boat with both hands locked on. I stay in my seat leaned over as far as needed. Then no matter how clumsy the re-entry boats stay upright.
But this would not have worked. Deb's real problem was the foot pedals. The rudder was getting spun past ninety so that the foot pedals were flopped. She had taped them to prevent this, but in the conditions not good enough. In that situation very tricky to get back in your seat, horse the rudder back to center meanwhile deal with broadside to wind and waves. Dean had tried to connect, but had same problem I did, so he told her to stay with the boat and he would call C.G. Deb says thanks to everyone. She tried to swim out of the wind and must have made good progress, but couldn't overcome. So she just steadied down, kept track of her gear and knew things would sort out. The three guys in the Bayliner were fantastic. EMT's were super nice. C.G. escorted the Bayliner to the nearest CG dock. Boat was nicely stashed on grass out of the wind. There's a few scratches on the nose where they docked.
Learnings: 1) double-check your equipment: Deb says her rear-attached leash was fantastic. She wished she had the paddle on a leash. The radio has panic button, but she couldn't get the safety off the panic button (hands got cold). She got banged by the boat a few times after failed re-entries. But the waist-to-rearboat leash worked fantastic. 2) Stay with the boat. 3) Deb got cold. Core temp in low 90's. The EMT's would not leave her without someone responsible in observation. Core temp continued to drop even a couple of hours later while she's sitting next to gas-stove drinking hot tea. Weird. EMT's were ok with Deb's friend (retired RN) staying with her. Watch for lowering blood sugar, lowering BP, lowering core temp. Monitor level of consciousness. No naps because difficult to monitor. Deb's hand temperatures felt fine to me. She was fully alert. She remembered all the EMT's names and stuff. I'm surprised at how insidious the cold can be.
If you pull the Locus Beach wind chart you'll see that heavy ten minute spike around 11:30. Just all you paddlers stay sharp for your brother and sister paddlers. This is how we grow up kids.
rd
David Scherrer
03/03/16 #18705
Actually it was a well……..but very happy to hear Deb is doing OK. You guys did a great job helping her out in a very tough situation. Strange winds we've been having.
David S.
Dale McKinnon
03/04/16 #18711
I remember when Sean Mansfield and Gunther Frank died in 2009 in the sailboat “accident” between Chuckanut and Marine Park. The wind gusts that came up and swamped/capsized their overloaded sailboat were specifically predicted in the Forecast Discussion, which anyone can access at the bottom of every online NWS forecast. A majority of the seemingly “out of the blue” wind gusts that slam Bellingham Bay, particularly in the Fall and Spring months are forecasted events, although only with an ETA.
However, the sharp gusts that came up yesterday were NOT called out in any of yesterday's updates to the Forecast Discussion. Weather prediction is still an inexact science (Duncan, do you have comments to add?)… but, perhaps when thunderstorm activity is a possibility in our area it might be prudent to often check surface water conditions south of us. One can actually see surface anomaly of the water 1 mile south with an approaching wind gust. It will be a higher, buzzsaw horizon, or downright frothing in a 50mph gust. Unfortunately, or fortunately, as a rower I get to look behind me. As paddlers your focus are the 180 degrees beside and in front of you as you run with the wind and waves. So, you won't see anything coming to bite from the south, except perhaps when you loop back downwind for another run.
RD's recap also points out that not every body responds the same way to hypothermia. Recovery depends on how long/low core body temp goes, body fat content and insulation under the drysuit.
Kudos to you all. You did just what you were supposed to do in handling the situation, and anyone that goes out with the old timers of whatcompaddlers needs to understand they have your back, big time. For those of you relatively new to bumpy stuff on the Bay, listen to your elders. They've been there and know what the consequences are for poor preparation, skill sets, and reactions. And RD's advice of embarrassment is spot on… although I didn't know David S was dropped on his head. It explains a lot. Get back out there, Deb!
Dale
Coasties
lori & beau whitehead
03/04/16 #18712
Just a quick thanks to you guys for giving my co-workers at the Fairhaven fire station something to do… Thats the quietest station in the city and I don't want them getting too complacent.
Alan and I did the Wildcat to Squalicum Beach run and passed by Marine at about 9:45-10ish… Nothing crazy was hitting at that time, although there was that evil easterly component starting to show itself as we approached the yellow can.
Here's a one minute video of our rides…
https://vimeo.com/157745846
Beau Whitehead
njcooksey@ymail.com
03/04/16 #18713
Jeff Renner's book 'Northwest Marine Weather' has some great info for DIY forecasters. He specifically talks about the how and why of 'out of the blue' sudden winds and how they can demast a sailboat. Spring thunderstorms or an approaching cold front/low in the forecast are a good red flag as they are often preceded by sudden downdraft winds.
-Nick
Lbussinger <lbussinger@…>
03/04/16 #18718
Dale, i have never seen the forecast discussion before. Thanks
Larry Bussinger
bill
03/04/16 #18720
Glad Deb is ok…
I'm interested to hear what she was using for immersion protection and how long she was in the water?
Bill
saltspringken
03/04/16 #18729
Glad to hear Deb is ok!! Reading Reivers description of the event I thought of my VHF with DSC that I bought a couple of years ago. Playing with it shortly after buying it I relalized that the silicone rubber cap over then “PANIC” button would be impossible to lift up with cold fingers or with gloves on. I took a needle and made a small hole in the rubber and threaded some very light line through it which is then taped to the side of the radio. I think of it as a rip cord in an emergency. Worth checking on your radio. Can't imagine how bad you would feel having a rescue device that you can't use.
Ken
Reivers Dustin
03/04/16 #18730
Thinking of putting a string-pull on my radio also. Great discussions.
The old Mocke vest holds my large radio well. There's a loop in front that I use to secure a tie-line between the radio and vest. Note the discussions about having bulky objects on your front. This can be an impact to your remount. If you are tired and have a boat that requires high-lift to get your center over the mid-line make sure you think this through. LB has created a system so he can mount his radio on back, but still retrieve it easily if needed.
The zipper on my old PFD froze up long ago so I've sewn it closed and use as a pull-over. Need to look at a new pfd soon.
Deb was well dressed: farmer john neoprene with additional neoprene top. Also full PFD, good booties and heavy stocking cap (that miraculously stayed on). Dean should confirm this, but I think he said about 15 to 20 minutes in the water.
One thing I've noticed is the heavy work done when you dump and do re-entries. It's exhausting. This is one area where doing a lot of re-entries has sort of an acclimatization factor. I remember early years having jack-hammering heart and extreme anaerobic work load. But as I got the adrenaline under control and learned to give myself some time to organize, I got better control. And then there was the time I dumped about a dozen times. I finally put some major energy budget into focus on staying in the seat. It worked, mostly.
rd
bill
03/04/16 #18732
Thanks ..
I have a Think PFD that I like for some reasons and not for others. I have practiced with my radio in the front pocket and it make things more difficult but still doable. It can do a number on the antenna though. I'm not sure how it would rest I got a Mocke PFD so I'm not sure if it would be harder or not. I would love to hear or see what the rear mount is like.
I will post something I have been writing here soon about safety and such but I will bring up again just how much warmer a full wetsuit is over any two piece, it's night and day. Plus with the stretchiness of neoprene theses days is much more flexible that a farmer John and neoprene top over it. Something to think about if anyone is thinking of buying a suit or a two piece set up.
Bill
brown.deb88
03/10/16 #18758
Profound gratitude, and lessons learned on 3-3-16.
First–Huge thanks to my two heroes: Dean for noticing my dilemma, calmly asking “how are you doing?”, to which I replied, “not so good”. Dean then urged me to stay with my ski, and announced that he would paddle in and call the Coast Guard. Reivers, ashore, learning from Dean what was up, paddled back into the maelstrom to attempt to assist (not possible) but then stayed with me until I was safe. My deepest gratitude to both awesome paddlers from the bottom of my heart (way better than the bottom of the bay!)
Second–lessons learned (most of you know these, but if I can help any newbies):
1. The wind and weather forecasts are guides, but can totally miss freak wind events.
2. Do not paddle unless all your equipment is functioning at 100%. The biggest challenge I faced was a completely flopped and jammed left foot pedal, which I could not unstick with feet or hands. So with each attempt at a remount, my ski turned hard to port, broadside to the waves and wind, and the ski and I instantly became a rotisserie.
3. The stern leash system with a sliding O ring attached to my waist leash performed beautifully, and was a definite factor in my good outcome.
4. Attempting to swim a ski to shore, with a rudder turning the ski out to sea, has extremely low odds of success. I then flipped my ski onto its deck, and continued to try to swim to shore, but the wind and waves overwhelmed that attempt as well.
5. When swimming ashore is not working, try to haul as much of your upper body onto the ski, and out of the water, if at all possible.
6. I made an excellent choice in ski color, bright canary yellow, and life jacket, and watch cap, all screaming yellow. The next set of heroes, Captain Larry H., Steve and Jeremy in the 27 ft. Sea Ray, heading back in from Eliza, spotted my ski, noticed it was empty, and headed over immediately to investigate.
7. Attempting to hold your paddle vertically to signal is rather challenging in that amount of wind! Add a paddle leash in rough weather.
8. Luck certainly was a major factor–Larry is a skilled pilot, knew how to maneuver and drift to me so I could scamper up the 12 inch swim step to safety. The Coast Guard arrived as Larry and crew had secured my ski on board, so the Coasties accompanied us back to their dock. As we passed M.P. I noticed flashing red lights, fire truck, ambulance, and slowly it dawned on me that this was all for me. Oi ve!
9. Our first responders rock! Climbing out of the Sea Ray I was met by at least 8 Coasties and then 3 Paramedics. I was escorted up the dock to the ambulance, where Christian, Brian and Ryan tried 3 different thermometers to try to get a reading, finally got something around 93 degrees, and falling. 95 is hypothermia. One of them called their doc to ask why I was still apparently coherent and actually intelligent. I said, “thank you!” They transported me home in the ambulance, where one of them broke into my house so I could go in and put on warm dry clothes and huddle by my gas stove and chug hot tea. It is important to warm your core, not your extremities, which would draw warmth out of your core and vital organs.
10. Thanks again to Reivers who along with a medic retrieved my van and my ski and stowed it carefully. And thanks to Reivers and Hilde (fabulous magic protein muffins–yum!) who stayed with me until my R.N. friend, Mary M. arrived to watch me.
11. Bill is correct: a full wetsuit is a far superior choice to the farmer john and neoprene top I was wearing.
11. The protective cover over the mayday button on the radio requires a thumb nail and warm hand dexterity, so follow Ken's excellent suggestion to modify. My fingers and teeth failed.
11. Thanks to Dale for encouraging me to get back in the saddle, I did yesterday on Padden, and to Simon for your words of wisdom, “Always paddle with a buddy, especially in the winter”.
12. The Bellingham paddling community and first responders are the best! Thank you all!
Deb B.
David Scherrer
03/10/16 #18759
Nicely stated Deb. Spoken like a true water person.
By the way Deb will be conducting the Whatcom Chorale and Sinfonia this Sunday if you would like to take in some Brahms and Schubert at the First Congregational Church -3 pm.
http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=e4c3329ab2eb19424d73a8979&id=93fba45d1c&e=08064f63e2
David.
Ted Scherrer
03/10/16 #18760
Well done Debbie! well done
Jerome Truran
03/10/16 #18761
Bravo Deb
I don't know you, but thanks for the best lesson in surfski safety I've ever read
jeff.hegedus@…
03/11/16 #18763
Thanks Deb, and thanks to all that assisted. I am glad that you are OK. And, I think that you just set the standard for how to write a post-incident report that everyone can learn from, nicely done!
Dale McKinnon
03/11/16 #18765
Good grief. Core temp at 93F and you remember the EMTs' first names? You are truly one, cool customer for B'ham Bay! Excellent recap and someday, soon, I'll be at MP and get a chance to meet you. Well done!
“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world
and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
― E. B. White ―
David Hooper
03/11/16 #18770
Thanks for the write-up, Deb. Very useful! Do you or others have a picture of your stern leash with the sliding O-ring? I’m curious about that approach.
Dave H.
Coasties
Nicholas Cryder
03/11/16 #18771
Hey David, here are some pics of a set-up that Bill Cirino uses on his surfski (scroll down).
http://www.fasterfarther.com/training/2015/9/21/a-curious-furious-fall
Larry Bussinger <lbussinger@…>
03/12/16 #18773
An important thing about the leash is that it or the belt be able to rotate around your waist so that as you get turned and/or rotated you don’t get the leash wound up around you. I keep my belt fairly loose.
Larry B
