Pot Saves Surfer

ricki · #1 10-25-2006, 02:59 PM

well, maybe it was the crab pot marker that did the saving. Next time!

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...home-headlines

Coast Guard finds missing windsurfer clinging to a crab pot off Keys

October 25, 2006, 12:20 PM EDT

BIG PINE KEY – A 55-year-old windsurfer was rescued after 18 hours in the Atlantic clinging to a crab pot about a mile off the Florida Keys, the Coast Guard said in a prepared statement on Wednesday.

Greg Lepock, 55, was reported overdue to the Coast Guard by his wife Cindy Gavin shortly after 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the Coast Guard said.

A helicopter and a rescue boat were launched to search for Lepock. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office marine unit also assisted in the search. Rescue crews searched until 4 this morning when the case was suspended until daylight.

At first light, the search continued. The helicopter located Lepock at approximately 8:24 a.m. and directed the rescue boat to Lepock's location, a tethered crab pot a mile off-shore.

According to Lepock, he had grabbed and held onto the crab pot throughout the night so he would stop drifting.

Within minutes the Coast Guard took the cold and tired Lepock to the Big Pine Fishing Lodge and transferred him to local EMS.
Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

kabo123 · #2 10-26-2006, 10:25 AM

the wind died on him late in the afternoon so he couldn't tach back to the launch. After trying to paddel forever he started cramping up. best thing he could of done was tie off and wait. His body temp had dropped down to 92, pretty cold if you think about it.

Not everyone can ride with a buddy so please take precautions, a small waterproff bag with a cell phone of a vhf radio would of helped us find him alot sooner.
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ricki · #3 10-26-2006, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kabo123

the wind died on him late in the afternoon so he couldn't tach back to the launch. After trying to paddel forever he started cramping up. best thing he could of done was tie off and wait. His body temp had dropped down to 92, pretty cold if you think about it.

Not everyone can ride with a buddy so please take precautions, a small waterproff bag with a cell phone of a vhf radio would of helped us find him alot sooner.

Wow, 92 F he was fortunate. I thought hypothermia over so many hours would have been significant. Did he actually hang on to the pot line all that time or tie off? I could see him easily letting go with fatigue and cramps.

I went through something similar but a lot more benign in 1993. I had just started windsurfing and was all excited about a powerful incoming cold front. Winds were W to NW and offshore at Pompano gusting close to 40 mph. So, I rigged the smallest sail that I had on my trusty newbie 13 ft. Alpha and had at it. Trouble was, aside from my being clueless about what I was getting into, was the wind shifted rapidly over about a 70 degree plus cone with land wind shadow effects. I would uphaul, (couldn't waterstart yet, sigh), get going and the sail would be violently backed into me by a strong shifting gust. This went on for over an hour and a half as I would make small progress upwind back to the beach only to blown off the board every few minutes and then uphauling over and over again. I finally gave up and decided to swim the rig in upwind. So, I side stroked for a good hour but only managed to stay put or gain very slightly on things. Between the wind and the tide, I was at a stalemate. Because the forecasts were so poor there was no boat traffic using Hillsboro Inlet. I figured out plans A and B. "A" consisted of drifting out a ways to the whistle buoy and hanging on until help arrived. There was some line hanging off of it that I was able to use. Within about 45 minutes a waverunner came out from the beach and offered to tow me in. So it ended. Buoys can be good things in many ways. Knowing what to look for in acceptable weather conditions is another.