The following was received by the team this week from someone they were recently called too.
They asked us to publicise the incident as their situation could have turned out very differently.
The Team were tasked to Studland. My husband was one of the dinghy sailors involved.
He has been sailing for 47 years and holds a yacht master/coastal sailing qualification.
However, one can never be fully experienced and he realises that he could have become a statistic.
Sailing in an area that he didn't know well he came into difficulties.
He failed to realise how an off-shore wind could affect his sailing abilities.
He feels he should have spoken to local dinghy sailors on the beach.
Also he should have worn appropriate clothing and not his sailing shorts, sailing top and life jacket.
And also double checked that his life jacket was fully zipped up and replaced his knife in his jacket after using it during our bbq on the beach the previous evening.
And, attached his whistle to his life jacket. He realised that at 61 he is not a fit dinghy sailor who can right his boat with ease.
In this event after the third capsize he was too exhausted to get back on board. If it had not been for other sailors on the water I dread to think of the consequences.
He had drifted away from the boat by this stage and I could only watch through binoculars from the beach, at one time seeing just his head and his arm waving to get attention.
He intends to use this horrible experience to alert others at his local dinghy sailing club "to prepare and beware" as things can so easily go wrong.
Both of us wish to thank you for helping on the day. THANK YOU.
No comments:
Post a Comment