hrmm... hairy stuff. having a shark show up like that just adds a bit of spice to the equation.

In my eyes the owner needs to take a hefty amount of responsibility for leaving the cat on the beach and giving us all permission to use it.

Well, maybe yes, but then, I prefer to think individuals should be more responsible for their actions. He has himself to blame for losing a cat, yes. But b1 and B2 have them selves to blame for getting themselves in the shit.

I too had an interesting safety-related incident on Friday, which I've neglected to mention until now. I went out at Woody head on Friday, in conditions I knew might get tough - especially given the bearing I went out in.

A guy I know followed me out, knowing I was there. he arrived 2 hours later than me, but saw my car, headed to where he saw the sail and gave no other thought to what he was doing. This being his second go on an AI in the ocean (many river trips prior). No PFD. No radio. Not much water, no snacks, no safety kit whatsoever.

By the time he reaches me (3km to the north) southerlies are blowing hard. I tell him there and then that I'm making my way back in, and he agrees to do the same. I explain that the sth wind is picking up, and could soon cause problems. So true to word, slowly but surely I head in. I keep diverting left and right to investigate fish, but my constant path is sthwards... while I still can.

he too got distracted, but he allowed himself to get distracted back to the nth a few times. One of those times right when the wind picked up behind him. before we knew it, there was at least 2km separating us, and I knew (because I was struggling a little) that he'd be struggling a lot. And he was.

So now I have no way to contact him, and I know he's a nooby in rather challenging conditions. It took a while to decide what to do, but in the end I came in, observed with binocs and kept an eye on him from shore. Eventually I was able to discern that he was making progress (albeit slight) and there was no real need to panic.

But, had the winds got even just a little bit stronger by a knot or two, I'm unsure how it would have played out. For a moment there I was somewhat annoyed at myself for even allowing him to get so distracted off course. But in the end, I reminded myself that it was his decision to hit the water without a single solitary safety device, and his decision to follow me out there. Had I known he was thinking of heading out, knowing the weather predictions I would have asked him to reconsider, or at least start out heading in a sth direction, so as to make his trip back a breeze, instead of a nightmare.

This is almost the same situation H found himself in (for different reasons) at the Woody head bash recently. Difference was that H had all the safety gear he needed, including comms, and had logged enough ocean hours to be dealing with those conditions.

josh wrote:
hrmmm...

my thoughts exactly...

Have elaborated on my hrmming above

josh wrote:
Have elaborated on my hrmming above

nothing like a detailed hrmmming to get the juices flowing...

as for these experiences, it really should hit home to anyone reading these accounts that water ain't safe...especially the big salty stuff...wise up people

yeah B1 and B2 were left in no doubt about my feelings on the situation...and using b1 b2 was simply to avoid the use of offence language like dickhead1...

In my eyes the owner needs to take a hefty amount of responsibility for leaving the cat on the beach and giving us all permission to use it.

had he not left it then none of this would have happened...but yeah the B's hold the majority of the responsibility for the situation

Yep, sounds familiar. Woody offers luckily enough other landing spots if the southerly blows too hard to reach the boatramp. Behind that landspit should be some sheltered water, otherwise go with the southerly towards Evens and (crash ? ) land somewhere along there on the beach. Better than being blown out to sea..

Was the cat finally found?

Holger wrote:
Was the cat finally found?

nup...but will keep you updated if it ever is...i thought it would hit just north of where we released it but we searched land and sea for nix...

Yep, sounds familiar. Woody offers luckily enough other landing spots if the southerly blows too hard to reach the boatramp. Behind that landspit should be some sheltered water, otherwise go with the southerly towards Evens and (crash ? ) land somewhere along there on the beach. Better than being blown out to sea..
Thats very true H - its only truly scary in a stiff westerly. A strong sth gives a great west-bound reach. beach not far away if you hang within the very grey boundaries of the very broad bay.

Either way, comms make the scenario so much better, and would have eliminated any un-warranted concerns I may have had. This is precisely why I recently said I'd only go yakking out there with guys who have radios. I do not like the feeling of being out there worried about the safety of others. Lack of comms is a sure way to bring that shit on.

You can make contact, make sure all is well, make plans (ie: backup beach exit) and arrange rendevous. He was the only boat in the ocean by the time I landed. Every other boat had retreated. So he truly was out there alone. And without the kind of kit he needed to be out there alone. You know what that area gets like when it gets up. Not for the faint at heart, or rank novice. A bommie could collect him a km from the distant nth shores (easy) and he'd have been screwed without anyone watching. Out there, in that muck, no comms, no safety kit, no genuine experience, you're a statistic waiting to happen. He's just lucky that it didn't get any worse when it would have mattered, and that I was watching him making sure he wasn't in serious danger.

Mate, thanks for the lesson's in safety. I am a bit stupid myself and down grade "safety gear" (of all things) when I'm closer to shore. Thanks for the read and real life experience.