Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

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Barrett
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Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Sure it's cold, but the sun is out & there's wind. Come join Haizar & me at Van Pugh about 2PM to help me hit my 90 Day Goal Windsurfing & Wind-foiling in 2022.

Barrett

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anechets
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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Barrett, I want to go to wing foil today. Will you be there at 2 pm for sure?

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

I'm leaving Decatur in 10 minutes. Arriving about 2PM.

Barrett

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anechets
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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

See you there

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Yea!!! I made my goal of windsurfing/foiling 90 days this year. However, the joy of success was short lived when I discovered that a wing-surfer was blown downwind, with darkness falling and the temperature dropping to 33ºF.

I was joined by Haizar, Chris P., and Alex. This is the first time I met Alex. He arrived in a pickup pulling a waverunner on a trailer. In the back of the pickup he had a foil board & a wing. Today he planned to wing for the first time. Alex explained that he'd already foiled on the board when a friend towed him behind his waverunner. He had a thick, polar wetsuit with insulated gloves and said he was prepared for cold water. We talked about safety. Alex launched his waverunner and anchored off the beach. He explained the controls and asked me to come and get him if he couldn't paddle in.

I headed out on my foil board with the sun shinning and a nice WNW breeze, but as the wind picked up, I saw that Alex was being blown across the Lake. I came in, started the waverunner and gave Alex a ride back to shore. I went back out, both foiling and windsurfing, and around 4:30PM called it a day, and changed out of my wetsuit.

While putting my gear away, I was surprised to see Alex back on the water as the sun was setting. He was being blown downwind again. In no time he disappeared from sight as Haizar started the waverunner and headed back out to look for him. When Haizar returned to shore alone, I called Hall County Rescue. The temperature was dropping fast as darkness fell. Soon two officers arrived in a Sheriff's car, then Hall Co. Police. Just as the blue light of the rescue boat appeared across the water, a car pulled up and Alex jumped out in his wetsuit.

The night watchman at Chestnut Ridge saw Alex and gave him a ride over to Van Pugh, so despite great worry, Alex was safely back at Van Pugh Park. The DNR driver of the rescue boat offered to take Alex across the Lake to retrieve his gear. So a BIG THANKS to the rescue team.

Photo #1 - Day 90 windsurfing/foiling for Barrett
Photo #2 - Alex returns to his truck to warm up after self-rescue and ride back from night watchman at Chestnut Ridge

Barrett

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webguy
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moredownhaul
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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Wow you and Gene have really put some hours in this year, Congratulations to both of you.

They must be filming at Chestnut Ridge can’t see them staffing a closed park.

Alan

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Haizar
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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Eventful day for sure!!! Glad to see Alex coming back safe and super happy to be there with Barret on his 90th windsurfing day this year. Also grateful with Chris P. for joining and windsurfing with me and sharing advice as I gain confidence planing!!

That was probably the last sailable day of this year in Lanier!! Merry Christmas to all of you!!!

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Congratulations, Barrett! I'm sure you have lots of good memories from most, if not just about all, of those sessions. And thanks for sharing yesterdays events.

I hope that yesterday was/is a learning experience for those involved and those reading. I'm glad everything turned out okay. Let's be mindful that the three principal dangers we face on Lanier are 1) collisions with other craft, 2) hypothermia and 3) drowning. The first danger is more common in the warm months when there's more traffic and that traffic often consists of less experienced/knowledgeable power boaters. The second and third exist somewhat together as higher winds, colder air and water, less chance of a passerby all make for the potential of something bad happening.

Our main launches this time of year - VP and Vanns - are side shore launches. If things go wrong, you aren't easily ending up back at home. It might be a small walk, or it might be a car ride. These are not good beginner launches in challenging conditions. The winger did have a plan - bringing a jetski - but that plan depended on someone else being a good sport and doing chase boat duty. I want to emphasize this: generally, we all keep an eye on each other and will do our best if things go wrong. Things happen on the water. Gear breaks, we can get injured, conditions can change somewhat radically. Those are "emergencies" in my mind. They are beyond normal expectation. I've been separated from my gear and found myself in such a situation.

When you are learning, there will be times you get in over your head. Part of learning is pushing the boundaries - in a reasonable way - of what you can do. However, once you've learned where that boundary is, it's time to come in and figure out what went wrong and, if a big swim or rescue is part of that, it's time to call it a day. Especially when that rescue involved others taking part of their sailing day to come get you. Respect that they've invested sometimes an hour or more on the trip up just to get to the lake and they've had to devote some or most of their session helping you get out of the pickle you are in. Sure, you didn't make them come get you but honor their time and good intentions. There's always another day.

While the rescue services, DNR and the counties' rescue services are happy to help out in an emergency, let's keep that for real emergencies. (Again, something I've benefited from.) If they are repeatedly called out to rescue us from bad decisions rather than truly unexpected events, don't be surprised if there are limits placed on us. If the Corps decides there are too many rescues for some aspect of windsport to be practiced safely here, I'll be the first to throw the guilty portion under the bus and to maintain my access. I'm just being honest. We've done pretty well here for 45 years. Before anyone thinks I'm being hyperbolic, please know that many of the experienced kiters here operate under stealth mode. They will not post when they are going and don't post about it on social media for fear that a newbie-caused accident gets kiting banned. Because this has happened elsewhere more than a few times. If you want all windsports to be welcomed here by the authorities, do your part to make it a safe activity.

From our disclaimer linked at the bottom of every page on this web site
"Let us be clear on this: Only you and you alone are the final judge of your safety. Not anyone else, whether from this website and club or any other windsurfing resource."
Just because a bunch of us who've been windsporting for twenty or thirty years are going out, doesn't automatically make it a good day for you. Consider your gear, experience and fitness. (And, the rest of the disclaimer is good reading, too.)

We welcome and always will welcome anyone and everyone to join us on the water. We want you very much to have a good time. We will offer guidance, advice and encouragement. This is offered in that spirit. We hope the above mentioned winger comes back when conditions are right and that in a season or two, he's offering tips and encouragement to the next ones taking their first steps.

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Langdon
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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Hear! Hear! We have had good fortune over the years but we really are one bad story away from things being much more difficult. I'm glad that Alex was pretty well prepared... only thing missing was a dedicated jetski pilot for the whole session.

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Speaking of safety

I have a Bare polar heat dry suit XL with the fleece liner for sale if
Anyone is interested, older suit but it has new professionally replaced neck and wrist seals.

$75 obo

Alan

Alan

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Langdon
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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

I will buy it

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.
Langdon wrote:

I will buy it

Sold

Alan

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Ditto on webguy. I would go further:

(1) If you are a beginner/intermediate (= think you might need a rescue) bring a chase boat and a chase boat driver. Don’t depend on others doing water sports. They could have their own problems too. This stuff in the winter can be deadly. Don’t underestimate the elements.

(2) Have a contingency plan. A) Have a marker after which you will swim in. If you don’t like swimming you won’t like Lanier. (B) Learn from your mistakes. Being rescued twice in a day is stupid, unless you have a designated chase boat driver. (C) Within that contingency plan know that swimming with gear can take more than an hour and you need sunlight for that. (D) Make sure your neoprene is thick enough to swim for an hour and not have hypothermia.

(3) If you have doubts talk to those around you. I am sure they can advise you in the right direction.

(4) It is a privilege to be able to do Watersports at Lanier. Please let’s keep it that way. Accidents happen. But this was easily avoidable.

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webguy
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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

I can’t be hard on anyone because I remember that most of us have had to do the walk of shame when we were first learning and some since then.
Things happen and no one should ever hesitate to call rescue in fear of the park being closed, I think a death would close it faster than a rescue would.

I agree with Alex though, Always dress for a worse case situation.

Happy Holidays

Alan

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.
moredownhaul wrote:
...Things happen and no one should ever hesitate to call rescue in fear of the park being closed, I think a death would close it faster than a rescue would.

I agree with Alex though, Always dress for a worse case situation.

Happy Holidays

Absolutely. First priority is safety. Any session that doesn't end with everyone safely back in the parking lot is... less than good. I'm not advocating not calling rescue services, etc. I'm advocating doing what you can ahead of time so that call is reserved for something very unexpected/unlikely.

If my point was confusing, it's this:
- Have a plan A so that you can fail, rinse and repeat without stressing yourself or others. Choose locations and conditions appropriate for your skills and gear.
- Have a plan B for when things go bad, you have a reasonable chance of self-rescue (e.g dress to be wet for a long time).
- If those fail and there's a serious chance of injury or worse, don't hesitate to pull the plug. Likewise, if you see someone in a situation that makes you concerned for their welfare, go ahead and try to render aid if you are capable or call aid if you aren't (definitely don't add to the chaos by going out in conditions you can't handle - leave it to the pros).

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moredownhaul
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gene_mathis
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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

Anybody thinking of sailing Friday, Saturday or Sunday.. . .

Don't!

Gene

Gene Mathis

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

There ought to be some interesting effects at the lake- freezing spray etc. It'd be so cool to see some photos… if only we knew somebody that lived close to Van Pugh that would venture out. ?

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.
FoilDodo wrote:

There ought to be some interesting effects at the lake- freezing spray etc. It'd be so cool to see some photos… if only we knew somebody that lived close to Van Pugh that would venture out. ?

Who could that be? Lol

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.
FoilDodo wrote:

There ought to be some interesting effects at the lake- freezing spray etc. It'd be so cool to see some photos… if only we knew somebody that lived close to Van Pugh that would venture out. ?

You are so right. Here is the water getting colder and releasing heat as it cools off. From 8:15 am.. You don't have to go outside to see it.

https://www.llsc.com/webcam

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

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Re: Sunday - Help Barrett hit 90 Day Goal.

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

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moredownhaul