When I first got my Hobie 20, I had a young lady show up to crew for me at a regatta. When putting our gear on, I noticed that she put on a pair of field hockey shin guards. That was when I found out the jib turning blocks are pretty notorious for scaring one's shins. Not the fashion accessory a young woman wants to sport around.

I had another gal who crewed for me that went for a sail with another skipper on a Hobie 20 (he was trying to bird dog her away from me). He probably had a good chance since he (and she) were single and I'm an old married guy (with a very understanding wife). Anyway, he goes ripping off, trying to impress her, and runs aground, thereby quickly stopping the boat. In racing, we used to say it wasn't the crashing that hurt you, it was the sudden deceleration. Same problem here. She went flying and tore some tendons in her wrist. That was 2 years ago and she hasn't raced for me or anyone else since. Two surgeries later, she hopes she will get back the use of her wrist/hand. On the positive side, she is getting married this summer to a guy (not the same one) whom she met while crewing for me.

DavidN
H20 781