When you consider the speeds, hard surfaces, and precarious trapezing, we probably "should" be wearing helmets--with face masks--but wouldn't that just suck 99.999% of the time? I don't think I can gauge wind with my earlobes covered, lol.
Sailing injuries on cats that I have witnessed have been mostly during pitch poles. Prindle 19 a crew mate flew out on the wire on a pitch pole and came back to the boat hiting the mast and it broke his neck. He hit the mast hard enough to capsize us and knock the mast off its base.
I think I read about that incident in 'Performance Sailor' magazine in the late 90s... happened in Biscayne Bay? Did that poor guy heal up without permanent disabilities?
PS: How does P-19 stack up to Nacra 5.8???
