Forums > Windsurfing General

Lucky I wore my helmet today..

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Created by sboardcrazy > 9 months ago, 10 May 2011
elmo
WA, 8712 posts
12 May 2011 4:42PM
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Any helmet (apart from toy ones) are going to offer more protection than not wearing one.

My neck is whiplash stuffed from a headon with a drunk in '85, the weight of the helmet be it Gath or whatever is insignificant compared to the weight of your head or wet hair if you've got long hair.

I will always recommend wearing a helmet, I've smashed 2 of them, one I'm certain saved my life.
I also recommend wearing a PFD, (I wear mine wave sailing as well), got one for Hardies wife to help her waterstart, 3 weeks after getting it she woke up floating in the water.

Neither of these things do any good sitting in your car (lost count of how many people I've spoken to put them on after they've been hurt)

Sh1t happens, not to everybody but it can

barn
WA, 2960 posts
12 May 2011 8:47PM
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Going against the trend of helmet wearers backslapping each other ITT, there are reasons why the rest of us don't wear helmets. So to attempt to explain, I will propose my reasoning.

Its a sophisticated argument drawn from Gene Theory, proposed soon after the discovery of DNA, where it is hypothesised that it is our genes that are the driving factors behind our evolution, and that we are merely vehicles for our own gene survival. And applying this logic, we can conclude helmets are super lame and so are PFD's. And the only people who wear them have resigned themselves to the fact that they have reached their expiry date as useful gene vehicles.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene-centered_view_of_evolution

The same selective pressure that make us altruistic, competitive and ultimately human, have made us natural risk takers. Windsurfing is low risk, and to wear a helmet betrays the helmeted helmeteer as overly concerned with personal safety, severely downgrading tribal status rankings. Slashing the genes chances of replication. This is why Humans who have the potential to spread their genes will not wear a helmet, unless it is Sparta 400BC and the occasion truly merits one.

So why do people start wearing helmets after their gene vehicle 'used by' date is reached? probably because their genes are already invested in future gene vehicles back at the cave, and even in such a low risk environment, genes for keeping safe for the sake of the 'next gene vehicles' makes people suit up in super duper lame armoured attire.

This is my reasoning, another would be that if you don't wear a helmet, fireproofs and 5pt harness while driving to the beach, it would be contradictory to wear a Gath Plastic bowl while windsurfing.

tl;dr helmets while windsurfing in 99% of conditions is super lame.

glideontime
NSW, 206 posts
12 May 2011 11:46PM
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Ian K said...

So you've avoided Surfer's ear Windanza? I hide a pair of surf muffs beneath a Gath helmet. They're even less of a good look.

http://www.troggs.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=11523

How cold was it today? My ears were about the only things that stayed warm.





yes canberra had low low min temp, and you could wear those very extra terres muffs just walking around the LBG, although somewhat bon jovi headband looking, they could be a very usefull accessory in the chill of winter under the gath, and even today for the lagoon hoons at LHI where these obs yeilded a fast harvest for anyone fortunate enough to be winging across the turquoise flats of tango tacker Tim's spot X. thanks for the tip for future reference and purchase. are you signing on for this years tour de LHI in august?
LHI windy point obs 12/03:30pm - - - - - WSW 41 50 22 27 - - - 12/03:00pm - - - - - W 44 54 24 29 - - - 12/02:30pm - - - - - W 39 50 21 27 - - - 12/02:00pm - - - - - WSW 43 54 23 29 - - - 12/01:48pm - - - - - WSW 46 52 25 28 - - - 12/01:45pm - - - - - WSW 65 83 35 45 - - - 12/01:42pm - - - - - W 70 83 38 45 - - - 12/01:40pm - - - - - WSW 52 72 28 39 - - - 12/01:30pm - - - - - SW 54 63 29 34 - - - 12/01:00pm - - - - - WSW 46 56 25 30 - - - 12/12:30pm - - - - - WSW 46 56 25 30 - - - 12/12:22pm - - - - - SW 46 54 25 29 - - - 12/12:00pm - - - - - W 46 54 25 29 - - - 12/11:30am - - - - - W 44 54 24 29 - - - 12/11:16am - - - - - W 37 43 20 23





elmo
WA, 8712 posts
12 May 2011 10:19PM
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barn said...

Going against the trend of helmet wearers backslapping each other ITT, there are reasons why the rest of us don't wear helmets. So to attempt to explain, I will propose my reasoning.

Its a sophisticated argument drawn from Gene Theory, proposed soon after the discovery of DNA, where it is hypothesised that it is our genes that are the driving factors behind our evolution, and that we are merely vehicles for our own gene survival. And applying this logic, we can conclude helmets are super lame and so are PFD's. And the only people who wear them have resigned themselves to the fact that they have reached their expiry date as useful gene vehicles.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene-centered_view_of_evolution

The same selective pressure that make us altruistic, competitive and ultimately human, have made us natural risk takers. Windsurfing is low risk, and to wear a helmet betrays the helmeted helmeteer as overly concerned with personal safety, severely downgrading tribal status rankings. Slashing the genes chances of replication. This is why Humans who have the potential to spread their genes will not wear a helmet, unless it is Sparta 400BC and the occasion truly merits one.

So why do people start wearing helmets after their gene vehicle 'used by' date is reached? probably because their genes are already invested in future gene vehicles back at the cave, and even in such a low risk environment, genes for keeping safe for the sake of the 'next gene vehicles' makes people suit up in super duper lame armoured attire.

This is my reasoning, another would be that if you don't wear a helmet, fireproofs and 5pt harness while driving to the beach, it would be contradictory to wear a Gath Plastic bowl while windsurfing.

tl;dr helmets while windsurfing in 99% of conditions is super lame.


Myself I've had enough "accidents" in my life as well as having seen firsthand how quickly we can be snuffed out. So I like to back the odds in my favor a bit.

The way you sail may be low risk, the way I sail is not

If you don't want to wear safety gear you don't have too, it's all your prerogative.

Myself I'll keep recommending them.

Just remember to be effective in the gene pool your swimmer's need to get out of the tissues

Windxtasy
WA, 4014 posts
12 May 2011 10:36PM
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Barn, I think looking cool by not wearing a helmet may increase your chances of reproducing, but once the reproduction has occurred those progeny have a much greater chance of reaching maturity (and furthering the spread of their genes) if their parent looks after him/herself, by what ever means are available.

pierrec45
NSW, 2005 posts
13 May 2011 7:14AM
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Hey Barn, that was cute.

One could posit the very converse to be true, and that not wearing a helmet is sign of Lamarckian evolution.

It goes as follows: you had too many hits on the head. That may impair your judgment and what not, but does not affect your physical capability to reproduce. So you have kids.

However, the judgment is impaired, so when your mongrels start windsurfing, you do not tell them to wear headgear. So they suffer their own bevy of concussions, but they can still reproduce. And so on.

Ergo an acquired trait has been passed on down the generations.

This is all in good jest mate, I don't wear one and won't.

FormulaNova
WA, 14418 posts
13 May 2011 6:36AM
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barn said...

Going against the trend of helmet wearers backslapping each other ITT, there are reasons why the rest of us don't wear helmets. So to attempt to explain, I will propose my reasoning.

<snip>

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene-centered_view_of_evolution

The same selective pressure that make us altruistic, competitive and ultimately human, have made us natural risk takers. Windsurfing is low risk, and to wear a helmet betrays the helmeted helmeteer as overly concerned with personal safety, severely downgrading tribal status rankings. Slashing the genes chances of replication. This is why Humans who have the potential to spread their genes will not wear a helmet, unless it is Sparta 400BC and the occasion truly merits one.

So why do people start wearing helmets after their gene vehicle 'used by' date is reached? probably because their genes are already invested in future gene vehicles back at the cave, and even in such a low risk environment, genes for keeping safe for the sake of the 'next gene vehicles' makes people suit up in super duper lame armoured attire.

<snip>



Ah, but for a population of risk takers, if a single risk-event took them all out, who would be left if their population was only made up of risk takers?

Evolution history seems to suggest that we aren't all risk takers or have varying degrees of risk tolerance.

This is probably caused over history as on various occasions the risk takers all died out while riding elephants without helmets, leaving the helmet-wearing-risk-reducers to wildly go about their creation of more helmet-wearing-risk-reducers, as there were no risk takers to compete with.

Having a mix of risk takers and risk reducers seems to suggest that tribal status is not that much use if you are not alive and thus not able to reproduce.




kato
VIC, 3371 posts
13 May 2011 9:21AM
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With Barn,s looks his chances of passing on his dna is .........
I wear the helmet cos the visor keeps the sand out of my eyes and the sun off my head (Hair challenged). Head protection is just a bonus.
Wear whatever makes you happy

red
VIC, 738 posts
13 May 2011 10:03AM
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kato said...

With Barn,s looks his chances of passing on his dna is .........
I wear the helmet cos the visor keeps the sand out of my eyes and the sun off my head (Hair challenged). Head protection is just a bonus.
Wear whatever makes you happy


and with the visor down we don't need to see your ugly mug

FormulaNova
WA, 14418 posts
13 May 2011 10:35AM
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I thought Kato wears a helmet so that he can deny he ever saw you as he slices up your sail.

Then again, maybe he just doesn't see anyone at all when he sails.

Maybe the night sailing thing to him is the same and he doesn't even realise the sun has gone down...

KenHo
NSW, 1353 posts
13 May 2011 1:36PM
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Barn knows tone !!

Waiting4wind
NSW, 1871 posts
13 May 2011 7:29PM
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We make protective head gear mandatory at our sailing spot, especially when there is a race meet on.



actiomax
NSW, 1575 posts
13 May 2011 10:17PM
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Ive got a steel vikings helmet doesnt have horns does have a nice steel nassal bar got a couple of roman helmets too. One is bronze spun dome type & a cast bronze celtic helmet that must weigh at least 4kg . Cant see myself using them . I will have to get a 21st century helmet to go with my collection

barn
WA, 2960 posts
13 May 2011 11:44PM
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Thought of another reason!.. Say the elephant riding is not really that dangerous, so you would be advantaged to give the impression it is more heroic by wearing the protective gear. A bluff.. I'll call it the Evil PsuedoKenevial factor..

"I'm doing this extraordinary feat, it may not look dangerous, but it is!, its so dangerous I need all this extra armour"

Perhaps this is really why Kato wears the black sphere of mystery, to make sailing down the little kiddie pool look a little more impressive.. Or, another hypothesis why Kato wears the visored dome is he thinks he is the long lost Power Ranger..

Kato Ranger fits right in!


....
I would like to point out the obvious in my previous post, which is we do not, not wear helmets so we can pass on our genes, its just the only genes left in the gene pool are for the risk takers.

And yes I understand the extent of risk takers in a population varies, if we could measure windsurfers opinion on personal safety we would get a nice normal distribution.

Lamarckism would see people who sustain multiple head traumas produce kids with thick skulls..

Protective gear mandatory? all those upturned fins should be mandatorily in the sand, for beach safety!.. Also are the Santa hats mandatory? I've never seen that Old Fart with the grey DK harness celebrate Christmas..

Waiting4wind
NSW, 1871 posts
14 May 2011 10:22AM
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barn said...

Lamarckism would see people who sustain multiple head traumas produce kids with thick skulls..

Protective gear mandatory? all those upturned fins should be mandatorily in the sand, for beach safety!.. Also are the Santa hats mandatory? I've never seen that Old Fart with the grey DK harness celebrate Christmas..



Wearing protective head head does have it's side effects, don't even need to wait a generation for the gene contamination!






Carantoc
WA, 6499 posts
14 May 2011 10:05AM
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Personally I always carry a condom for protection.

Just in case a cougar drives past and likes what she sees

ginger pom
VIC, 1745 posts
15 May 2011 9:26AM
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My head after a crash in 2007.



I still don't always wear one.

Barn: I'm not sure I buy the evolution argument. Do we really want to breed a human race with very thick skulls? Is that the future of humanity?

sboardcrazy
NSW, 7957 posts
15 May 2011 9:31AM
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Waiting4wind
NSW, 1871 posts
15 May 2011 11:37AM
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My dog is very safety conscious, allways wears his PFD but just can find a helment to fit!

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
15 May 2011 9:26PM
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Is there anywhere that sells the protecs in WA? every time I try a helmet it is uncomfy due to my long skinny skull, and i would like to get a lighter one than the MC helmet i use

elmo
WA, 8712 posts
15 May 2011 9:55PM
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landyacht said...

Is there anywhere that sells the protecs in WA? every time I try a helmet it is uncomfy due to my long skinny skull, and i would like to get a lighter one than the MC helmet i use


Canoeing shops, Main peak in Cotesloe had the as well as shops in Perth

Bondalucci
QLD, 1579 posts
15 May 2011 11:57PM
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ginger pom said...

My head after a crash in 2007.



I still don't always wear one.

Barn: I'm not sure I buy the evolution argument. Do we really want to breed a human race with very thick skulls? Is that the future of humanity?



Crimson Pom !!

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
16 May 2011 8:59PM
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elmo said...

landyacht said...

Is there anywhere that sells the protecs in WA? every time I try a helmet it is uncomfy due to my long skinny skull, and i would like to get a lighter one than the MC helmet i use


Canoeing shops, Main peak in Cotesloe had the as well as shops in Perth

thanks, annother thing to do next trip to the coast



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"Lucky I wore my helmet today.." started by sboardcrazy