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My grabber stick turned into a hazard during a windy cleanup at Crystal Cove
I've been doing beach cleanups for about 4 months now, mostly at Crystal Cove on weekends. Last Saturday, I brought my new 36-inch grabber stick, the kind with the rubber tips, thinking it would save my back. Turns out, when the marine layer kicked in and the wind picked up around 11am, that thing caught air like a sail. I nearly whacked a volunteer next to me in the head trying to wrestle it back down. I ended up switching to my old bucket and gloves for the rest of the morning, which was slower but way safer. I learned that in windy conditions, a long grabber just becomes a liability. Has anyone else had a tool backfire on them during a cleanup, or do you have a trick for keeping yours steady?
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paul23315d ago
Did you get any flak from the other volunteers after that close call? I had a similar scare with a PVC pipe scraper on a windy day at Bolsa Chica, it nearly took out someone's sunglasses when I set it down for one second. Now I only bring the long tools when the forecast stays under 10 mph, otherwise it's just not worth the stress of watching everyone around me step back like I'm swinging a sword.
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