Sailing Injuries

I have obtained my first major injury sailing. Yesterday out at lake Thunderbird near Oklahoma City a friend and I managed to flip the nacra and as it went over I got my leg hung under a cable running across the tramp. When it was all said and done I was hanging with a cable digging into my calve. It hurt really bad when it happened but we kept sailing for the rest of the day.

Now the day after I am so sore that I can barely walk. My calve is a nice shade of purple and blue. I guess it could have been alot worse but this sure does hurt.

So what are some other sailing injuries and how might they be avoided, this thread could help some of use stay alive.

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

Most of my serious injuries have occured when my crew failed me and we went trapese flying around the mast while pitchpoling. I have actually found myself tangled in lines under the main. Not a good feeling. The worst injuries I've seen in a while happened to a friend that forgot to pull the boards on a I20 while coming in thru the surf. The crew hit the sidestays and was thrown past the bows and the skipper hit squarely on the mast. No bones were broken but there was blood and bruising. You wouldn't believe how fast that beast stopped when the boards hit bottom. And the boat was not injured, that would have split the Fox in two.

I managed to break a girls toe. It wasn't that windy, and we were just pitchpoling for fun. I was single handed one other time and tipped over while on the wire. The shock cord for the return. I have a picture of my leg but I don't know how to post pics on this forum.[/img]

Somehow I ended up breaking a rib when I first pitchpoled my H16. The worst part of that one was the inital break was only the beginning. I was single handing and had to right the boat solo, sail it back to the launch, get her on teh trailer and drop the mast. I was in a really bad mood the rest of the day.

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Can't understand way.

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