From: snotty@moenkopi.fps.com (Ed Bustya ext 2859)
Newsgroups: rec.windsurfing
Subject: Re: Contact Lenses, lost items
Date: 9 Apr 92 00:09:25 GMT
Organization: Cray Research Superservers, Beaverton, Oregon


I had a "D" ring sewn on to the back of my 
harness (any Gorge sail repair shop will charge
$3 to $5 to do it). I put my car key on a mini-carabiner that you can
buy at Home Club or Home Depot for $1.50. The biner clips to the D ring.
It's the most reliable method I've found to stash my key. I've done it
this way for 4 or 5 years and have never lost a key, nor have I 
been stabbed in the private parts by a pocketed key. 
Don't buy the cheap key-ring biner that REI used to sell (the kind 
that screws together). They oxidize quickly around the threads, 
especially in salt water, and will eventually break. I get the 1 or
1&1/2-inch spring loaded jobs at Home Club. Usually the biner is too
thick to fit through the hole in the key, so I put the key on a ring
(one that won't break), then hook the biner through the ring. Is all
this clear?

With the D ring on the back
of the harness, the key hangs out of the way. You can perform 
barrel rolls, loops, and double loops in full confidence, knowing that
your car key is happily following wherever you and your harness go.
I can't do any of the aforementioned stunts, but I have found that
the system survives turbo catapults, nukin' slam jibes, helicopter slams,
perling swells at Doug's beach, catching the clew during a duck! jibe, 
3.0 conditions with a 5.2 sail, easterlies at Rooster Rock, and July 4
crowds at the Hatchery.

As far as stashing the key on the vehicle, judging from my observations,
this is what about 90% of the sailors do. Usually, while eating lunch,
I'll spot several people going for the key that they hid on top of the
left front, oops right front, oops right rear, oops it must be 
on top of this last tire. I really hate to see people make it so 
easy for thieves. 

I have never had anything stolen from me while at a sailing site, but
several years ago in Phoenix I had all the equipment stolen off the top
of my car while it was sitting in my own driveway! I had packed on a
Thursday night so that I could leave early Friday morning for a race
at Lake Mead. I came out in the morning to discover a boardless
car. They left everything inside the car (like my camera
equipment), but took the board, booms, and masts off the roof. 
Fortunately, my renter's insurance paid for it, but the
weekend was ruined. My attitude has not been the same since then...
Note, most renter's insurance packages do not cover
watercraft for more than $1000. I use cable locks now, and bought
a watercraft policy (yeah, this is overkill, but when you've been burnt
once...)

Contact lenses: Lost several in my waterskiing years until I learned 
how to not land face first, and gave up waterskiing. I have not lost 
any since (in any water sport).
Last summer, however, I did get slammed by the mast hard enough to 
crack a contact down the middle. One of those outtacontrol 3.0 days.
My SunClouds and my teeth survived it though, and I did not lose the
lens! In this case, I wish the lens had washed out, 'cause it was very 
painful getting it out. Didn't require surgery though, and I sailed
later that day.

Sunglasses: I have lost a couple of pairs of expensive SunCloud sunglasses.
Croakies and similar contraptions cannot withstand the force of a good solid
slam! Both pairs of lost glasses happened because the
croakie contraption broke free of the glasses. So in my most recent pair
of SunClouds, I drilled a small hole in each arm, then threaded a nylon
cord through the hole and then through the croakie thing. This setup 
survived the slam that broke my contact lense! Note: I also wear a
helmet, which helps to keep the croakie from floating up over my
head (yet another good reason, besides the fact that it's a 
good place to store stickers, to wear a helmet). 

I guess I've rambled enough. Sailed squalls at Rowena last Saturday.
T'wasn't great, but they were westerlies, and the water had to be at
least ten degrees warmer than it was two weeks ago! Looking forward to
more Westerlies!

Ed Bustya 
edb@fps.com or snotty@fps.com
From: kirk@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Kirk Lindstrom)
Date: Sat, 4 Apr 1992 14:21:45 GMT
Subject: Re: Board construction
Organization: Shredding the water of SF Bay, HP-OCD