As an older sailor who mainly sails by myself in offshore conditions, I thought I would share some thoughts on being prepared to self rescue.

Without doubt the main thing is to avoid the need to ever have to self rescue by considering:

1/ knowing when your body has had enough (Ie getting tired, or cramps)

2/ avoiding weather and water conditions that are potentially a problem

3/ making sure your gear is in good shape

4/ making sure your have backups

DISCLAIMER - If you are a wave sailor or high wind sailor some of these thoughts and ideas may not apply as you are already in a hazardous environment.

Unlike when I was 18 and could sail all day in any conditions, these days I find that after about an hour and a half Im starting to get a little tired or even start to get the odd cramp. 

For the last 2 years I  have really been focussed on making sure I get back to the beach in good shape with a smile on my face - by not overdoing it !!! If I start to cramp up or get out of breath I head home or at least make sure I can step off and relax on a sandbar

It takes some self control because I have had some amazing days where I just wanted to keep going but in the end I do listen to my body and that has meant I have been able to sail every single day that I have wanted to without injury. Keep your ego in check and get to sail a lot more !

There is a lot to say here and its always a tough call to decide what is safe and what is not. Sure, floating around in 5 knots is pretty safe (and fun) if you have a big board. In fact thats what I did for the first year after getting back into the sport after a break of 35 years. I enjoyed the beach and the gentle exercise. But as your skills (and fitness) return you might decide you want to get into things a bit more intense.

Consider:

1/ wind strength

2/ wind direction

3/ waves - current

4/ launch and return area

5/ water depth

Okay, so I would always recommend sailing with someone else and potentially avoiding offshore conditions (especially if you are by yourself). In my case I have to compromise because both of those things are what I am faced with most days. I could indeed sail somewhere else, but I sacrifice on the wind direction because: a/ with offshore conditions I get a wonderful flat drag strip b/ the area where the wind is offshore is very shallow such that I can always see the bottom and in most cases have several sandbars that I can plan my turns on, making it easy to beach-start if I fall in rather than water-starting or even uphauling.

When it comes to waves, current and having a good launch area - there is not much to say other than ensuring the conditions are something you can handle. Surf and waves are inheritly more dangerous than flat water in the same way that lakes are safer than the ocean. But sometimes we dont have a choice and other times we might seek more challenging conditions.

Water depth - this is one of those things that matters to everyone in different ways and depends on a multitude of things. If you are lucky to sail in the shallows - enjoy ! (unless you have modern gear and one of those boards with the gigantic fins!...LOL) most of you reading this page however wont have that problem because our old school gear typically has fins of 12 inches or less. (Advertising plug here for the Mistral TakeOff - love those rotating back fins and mini centreboard - I can literally sail in 6 inches of water).  One thing I consider in the area where I sail, If I feel like Im pushing things I always stay between the shore and the most distant sandbar that I can step off on. If I go beyond that furthest sandbar then I consider things like how far can I paddle to get back to that sandbar if I have to.

Finally - gear selection can play a part in what is safe. Ive foolishly gone out in marginal conditions on a short board and spent 10-15 mins floating in scary dark water waiting for the wind. These days its not a problem because all my boards are uphaulable. I also tend to choose sails that are on the smaller side because I prefer having the additional manouverability and handling over maxed out top speed (and I dont have any dependance on waterstarting)

Okay so we  are sailing on 40 year of stuff...what could possibly go wrong?

Sails - even a torn sail can get you home - water-starting might be a problem if you have to do that; but generally a damaged sail still works (the only real problem I can think of is a torn clew eyelet such that the clew is no longer connected to the boom end.

Mast - broken masts can be tough, if it breaks above the boom you might be able to sail home (I havent actually had this happen on the water). A mast break for me probably means de-rigging and paddling home.

Board - broken fins (at least on a longboard - I can tell you that you can still sail - especailly if you have a centreboard). I actually broke a wave board in half but the bottom of the hull stayed in one piece so I was able to limp home.

Boom - check the condition of your boom - Ive never broken one, but if I did I would either de-rig and paddle home or potentially reverse the boom and use the side that is still operational (depending where the break is)

Universal Joint - Of course this is where most problems occur - you should always check your UJ before going out. I actually carry a spare mechanical one with a europin that I can replace on the water if I have to because it can be easily bent more than 90 degress to reconnect into the mast while I am sitting on the board with the sail in the water.

Mast track car - I put this on the list because for us Mistral fanatics the old mast track car that the UJ connects to is a common point of failure and you can't really tell when it will go. Solution - carry a spare UJ and board plate that you can easily install on the water. The plate can be slotted into the mast track (providing you get one (or make one) that you can insert at an angle and then just screw your replacement mast base/UJ combination into.

MOBILE PHONE / SMART WATCH - having a mobile phone and smart watch with you is an awesome saftey feature so you can call someone if you have a problem. I test mine regularily on the water every few trips by calling my wife. She can also see where I am by having the 'Find My' feature available on her phone and computer.

ROPE - its always a good idea to have a couple of metres of rope in case you break your outhaul; or if you have to de-rig and paddle; you can use it to tie your rig pieces together. It can also be used for towing if you happen to get picked up by another sailor or boat.

SPARE UJ - I carry a spare UJ with correct mast base pin and a board insert that I can put in place while sitting on the board in the water. This way if I break my UJ or the mast track carrier - I have about a 2 minute job to install a new one (enough to get me home) - SEE VIDEO BELOW

UPHAUL - Can you uphaul ? If you are sailing longboards you are good if the wind drops out. Im 90kgs and can easily uphaul my Mistral Take-Off which is the shortest board I own. In fact I almost always uphaul unless I happen to fall in with everything in the right spot. I can get back on my board and have my sail up and be gone while other sailors are still swimming around trying to flip their sails etc. 

LIFEJACKET - Where I sail (Port Phillip Bay, Victoria) - lifejackets are mandatory although I see few windsurfers actually wear them. Apart from the piece of mind and compliance with the law - wearing a lifejacket (Neil Pryde high hook vest) makes it easier to waterstart when I choose to. 

SAFETY LINE - A bungee cord that connects your board to your rig is a good safety feature to protect you in instances where your rig separates from your board. I've had one experience (before I started being safety conscience) when my rig disconnected and I fell backwards and kicked the board forward (it was already going pretty fast). It was actually quite scary seeing it shoot off in the distance while I was struggling in the water with my rig. Not something I want to repeat!