Always thinking

Hyperthermia

Windsurfing is fun, indeed, getting stuck in the choppy ocean and washed ashore in 50F is not. For the first time, I deeply understood what nature is and so much about human limits. When the water gets choppy, wind blowing more than 20 miles a hour, it's time to take a rest: I could not uphaul the 500 sail, not on 148 liters board. In the cold water, I was completely rootless, no where to stand stable, no where to swim. The only hope is to surrender: getting rescue. Even though I was exhausted, I was in an OK condition while Peter pulled off the rescue boat near me, by the time I managed to climbed onto the boat, I started to feel the fear: hyperthermia that people talked about, warned about, or joked about. It took unusually long time for peter to get around the anchor he set up, by the time he managed to start the engine, I was trembling so bad that I started to think I was going to die if not returning to a warm room quickly. I couldn't move my leg: I tried and it cramped, I couldn't move my arm or finger, they are numb, and cramped. I couldn't open my eyes, I heard the wind wistling near my ear, the engine sounded weak, I heard Peter said:"the first thing I wanted you to do is to get in the hot shower". I did not expect a hot shower, although I was in an extreme dizzy condition, hot shower did show some magic and I began to think it's possible that I will manage somehow to the hot shower. Club house was close, the light on the bank was close, they have never been more intimate, close to me than now. It looked like my little home with lover waiting:soothing. Ken stepped up to me with a thick jacket, my entire body was in an cramp condition that my brain also lost control of them, somehow I managed to walk with the help from Ken. I knew I made it, the hot shower was 100 feet away, Ken was extremely nervous about my condition and he tried to help me dodge the traffic while we were crossing the bay view avenue, by the time I hit the hot shower, my body started to react to my brain, my eyes opened and things started to get clear in front of them, no more coldness, no more trembling. If it were not Peter, Ken, and David, three old, bald, white and friendly cal sailers, I don't know what will happen. Hot shower was definetely unexpected, but nice enough.

posted by Road less travelled @ 11:27 PM