It was 25 gusting to 45 with 5-7 foot swell in the North Race mogul field, water temp 40 degrees with swirling currents on Friday the 13th. What could go wrong?
Scott, Frank and John vanderWolf had been tearing it north of Robins Island at New Suffolk, sailing 3.7-4.2 with big gusts and lulls. But after Scott hadn’t seen the Wolf in an hour he called 911 (“I’d have called earlier but he hates being rescued”) and now Scott was listening to the radio conversation between the search helicopter and police. “We see a sail floating in the South Race,” the helicopter reported, “but no body.”
This was bad. The Wolf’s rig was drifting halfway around Robins Island, and the Wolf nowhere to be seen? Scott tells me he was imagining calling John’s wife and telling her they didn’t know where he was, when suddenly he spotted what looked like someone standing on the North Race sand spit. The police called the helicopter, the ‘copter came up north and took a look, and Lo it was The Wolf, knee deep in strong current, trying to make his way onto the island. The Bay Constable boat headed over, “a strong guy reached over, grabbed me by my harness and pulled me on board,” says the Wolf, and the population of Eastern Long Island Wind Chimps and Puffins was officially noted to have not decreased by one.
What happened? “The waves were beautiful…the biggest I’ve ever seen it there,” the Wolf tells The Peconic Puffin. Not long into the session his headcap came off the top of his mast, and unable to get it back together bobbing in the mogul field he attempted to derig the sail and tie it all up on his board (readers not familiar with New Suffolk and North Race bump sailing note: the waves/chop is very tightly spaced and steep, and multidirectional.) Almost succeeded, until a wave yanked his gear away from him and out of reach. So there he was, bobbing and spinning in 5-7’ waves, trying to swim somewhere in 40 degree water.
Did I mention that the Wolf is 67?
It took him much of an hour, but he made it to the Robins Island sand bar while the current was dragging his gear half a mile south. At high tide the sand bar was submerged under 2 feet of current. “I figured I’d make my way to the island and find someone to give me a ride. My feet were getting numb, and then all of a sudden there was a helicopter overhead."
When the Constable dropped John off on shore EMS workers insisted on checking him out. His body temperature was recorded at 93. Peconic Jeff tells us that “according to hypothermia charts, 93F is borderline between "You start to move slowly and feel week and confused" and "You fall over when you try to walk around, and have trouble using your hands".
The Wolf says he felt fine.
The Wolf has people over at his place every Friday night, and there being nothing special about this Friday he kept to his custom. I'll bet the fire felt particularly warm, though.
(Thank you Scott for risking the Wolf's wrath and calling it in. Thanks to the following for being involved in the response. The Wolf is worth it:
Southampton Police
Southold Police
Suffolk County Police Helicopter unit
Cutchogue Fire Department Ambulance team
Peconic Bay Constable
U.S. Coast Guard.
Photos by Scott Kielt)
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