Comments for A Tale of Two F%*# - ups at http://www.surfski.info , comment 0 to 1 out of 1 comments http://www.surfski.info Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:31:34 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/704/220/#pc_2341 I can relate to this article completley. We started doing down wind runs this year off Margaret River in Western Australia. On one of our first downwind runs we had three single ski paddlers stopping every 15 minutes to check that everyone was in touch. On our third break we lost our third paddler with no trace. With 3-4m swells and 30k wind blowing it was a white out. We turned and beat into the wind looking for him but we could make very little headway. Neither of us wanted to make the decision to turn and run but daylight was closing in and we eventually turned around with just enough time to make it in to a sheltered bay. Much to our relief the third paddler had gone under us without us noticing. It certainly brings home what can happen. Later in the season my paddling partner broke a cable 3km offshore and we could not jam the rudder. I again had to turn and run for the bay and leave my friend to get in on an inaccesible coastline with a broken rudder fortunatley on one of our mildest weather runs. Unfortunatley we have no mobile coverage in this area so a flare is our only hope of survival. A bomby off the sheltered bay holds the biggest wave in Australia ever surfed giving an idea of the conditions we paddle in. Safety Safety and Safety. Ski Paddling can become life threatning very very quickly if there are no safety nets. - Craig Fisher Wed, 14 May 2008 14:18:16 +0100