There has been a lively discussion going on about the Santana 22 which was rolled by waves when the crew attempted to sail between the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and Ft. Point. The following was taken from the San Francisco Sailing Group on Yahoo. Dan Brazelton recounts what happened.
Hi,
I was the crew on the boat. So I can answer a few questions. Before you ask about decisions that were made, I was not the skipper and I was not at the helm. Out of respect for him, I am not going to speak for his decisions.
I have 1 year of sailing experience myself.I knew that fort point was hazardous, but had been near before, but as close. I had never seen conditions like Saturday before.
The boat was recovered by a salvager and is floating, sans rigging.
Both the skipper and I are ok.
Going thru the posts I saw discussion about the rough seas out the gate. I didn't think it was too rough for the bay area. It was a solid breeze though. Rough seas were not an issue. Surf was the issue. It was actually very mellow.
From the back side of the surf, it didn't look like they were breaking.
Lifeline: I was caught in the rigging and dragged under for some time. I would like to see video to see how long. I wouldn't have wanted to be on a lifeline in that situation, unless it was easy to detach. Unless I was not in the bay - then I would rather get dragged and pummeled than separated from the only solid object for miles around.
Thanks very much for this discussion. I feel privileged to be alive and learn.
Dan
Soapbox: What a lucky, lucky guy! Lesson: Pay Attention, be aware of what is around you. This goes for you landlubbers as well. The next time you are out on the trail look around, is there a Mountain Lion lurking by? Do you look for tracks? Nature gives us signs, it's our job to pay attention.