injuries affecting sailing

Originally posted by laser193713 ... however let the professionals get you back on the water safely, not us idiots

Bird breeding season has never fitted in so well, I don't think I would have been as long suffering and calm if everybody else was out sailing and I was watching, amazing the way my recovery and the 1st. May coincides!!!???? Still back to the stretching.

Ha ha Clive.  Even at 67, I'm still far too young for a Troy but points 3,4 & 5 are all very valid, yes I like them.  In fact all those suggestions seem fine to me.  I am hoping to go out this Wednesday for my first sail.  The wind looks like a nice 9-10 knot westerly, so a nice flat sea and some longish reaches sound just fine.  For anyone else interested, my boat in question is a Tasar, so quite light, quite fast, very comfortable and stable.  In fact a Tasar has all the ingredients necessary for a life at Porthpean

You don't say what sort of boat you are sailing.  Most sailing is pretty low risk for your achilles as the impact loads are low and hiking is not stressing it at all.  The only real exception is trapezing and even with this there is less stress on the achilles than running.  However the point above is well made that your major risk in fact will be launching and particularly recovery and that's where I would take care.  The meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal a few years ago which I have continued to quote to my patients ever since was categorical about stretching before exercise being actively harmful and increasing the risk of injury.  The advice is a warm-up and if anything needs stretching to do it when muscles are fully warm and at working length.  HTH

Injuries on the beach or boat park are more common than on the boat IMO, fortunately the beach injuries can be avoided to some degree.

Ask others for help dragging the boat around and with launch and recovery.....If you explain your situation you might even get someone like me who'll do most of the work for you.

I injured my back a couple of years ago helping to launch the safety boat when there wasn't enough people on the job.....never again. If there are not enough folk helping on that particular job then I'll not lift a finger unless someone is in danger.......I'll ask, ask, ask.

I did tear a ligament in my calf a couple of years ago playing hide and seek with my grandkids. Not as bad as your injury granted. When I could walk again it hurt like hell but sailing didn't seem to aggravate it......dragging the boat about did though.

Edited by transient - 07 Apr 14 at 12:46pm