Rowena rescue

sailon · Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 29

Yesterday afternoon I was having a great time on the water at Rowena when I took a bad fall. I was in or near the barge lane, and I'm not sure what happened. It went very fast. My rig landed ahead of my board with the mast facing upwind, and I came down hard sideways onto it. Any movement of the muscles in my left leg caused excruciating pain. So I hung on and waited for the first good Samaritan who arrived shortly. I think his name was Alec. Someone else joined in. Then one after the other more windsurfers gave their support and assistance. I didn't have to think about anything except trying to remember all their names. It made me ever-so-grateful to be a part of the windsurfing community! Truly amazing! And some even gave up part of their windsurfing session to do it!! A beach neighbor, Sheila, I think, came out at some point on her jet ski with Pete, who sailed my rig in. When I got to the beach and found out that I could put weight on my left leg I knew that I'd be OK. Stu helped me with the long walk to my van after Steve (I think) drove it up front and stowed my gear. Dr Jeannie give me a quick exam, many offered moral support (they knew the critical issue was missing time on the water) and Mike followed me to the Emergency Room (for xrays). I apologize for names I may have confused or left out, but I love you guys!! You were great! Thanks!
P.S. The doctor said windsurfing wouldn't hurt the injury! He must have helped a few windsurfers before me.

sailon · Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 29

Regarding my Rowena rescue post: yesterday was Sat, Aug 21.

jesusjones · Joined: 17 May 2001 Posts: 229

Sounds like you got your ass cracked and panicked. Learn to survive! Wait till your rig breaks and no ones around. Easy swimming babe, with your gear. But ya know, if you prefer to walk without your gear, drive back and get it… ya know. Then you may want to get horny with the old man behind the stickers then. THE STICKERS............OR VISA VERSA!

P.S. > law states no one shall guess nor discriminate against the innocent.

I kow war law

sailon · Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 29

This is not for JJ but to clear up a couple things that were misleading regarding my rescue. I like to know how things go down, and maybe some of you do too. My reference to 'barge lane' was an indicator of the distance I was from the beach. (Alec was concerned that I not stay there long.) And does anyone know how wide the Columbia is at Rowena beach? My relatives in Texas would like to know. Surprisingly, the wind and swell were almost cancelling the effects of the current that day. So I wasn't drifting down-river much at all. Sheila did an excellent job with the jet ski. It wasn't easy with the swell and my being draped over the seat behind her. Because of the rocks at the Rowena beach, she took me to her backyard beach which was a good thing - not so slippery! It didn't make the distance that much further. By 'long' I was referring to the time Stu was willing to sacrifice from his session because I was moving very slowly. And he would have carried me, but the least painful way of going was his supporting my right side. Fortunately that day I was wearing booties (to protect a broken toe on my right foot) and a PFD.

pahtoe · Joined: 31 May 2006 Posts: 21

sailon · Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 29

Thanks, Jeff. Is there a way that I can look up that info on other CRiver beaches?

And in another vein re the ER DR: At first I thought he was trying to make a joke with his unsolicited, one-and-only point on prognosis. I knew that trying to windsurf anytime soon would sure as H___ hurt me. But later, when I was in a more receptive state of mind, it came to me that the doc was seeing an injury - not a person....UNLIKE THE WINDSURFERS!

jesusjones · Joined: 17 May 2001 Posts: 229

sailon · Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 29

bobgatpdx1 · Joined: 13 Oct 2002 Posts: 385

Easy to measure distance using Google Maps:

- Go to area of interest. In this case Rowena, OR.
- Zoom in as needed to get the map where you want it
- Click on "My Maps", select "Start new map"
- Now some tools will pop up, select the "draw a line" tool
- Click to start the line, then as you drag it - the distance is shown.

I got around 3030ft across the river at Rowena.

-BobG

PS: Glad to hear you got off the river in one piece!

sailon · Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 29

[quote="jesusjones"]Then you may want to get horny with the old man behind the stickers then. THE STICKERS............OR VISA VERSA!

His timing was off...the wind was blowing.