4-14-08, a good reason for GPS...

[Holy Mackerel]

Got a new kayak, with a rudder... the jury is still out on the rudder... kinda funky... but I can see the advantages in certain situations...
Goes up, and comes down easy enough, so if you dont want to use it, you dont have to.



Fishing Report: Plenty of bait, zero bites.... worked south... 7-12:30pm...

When I landed perfectly sunny skies... by the time I got my truck, and put my kayak on the racks...
An unforgiving fog rolled in... it would have been brutal to be out there without GPS, or a good compass....!
These pics are probably in a 5 minute period...

This first shot was the start, but it was COMPLETELY clear when I went to get my truck...



The snooty La Jolla Club...



Looking towards the point...



Looking towards the pier...



Ave de la playa...

[Shortbite]

I've got two, (handheld and cuda250) peace of mind for sure!

[dgax65]

Gee. I wonder if all of those touristas in the rental yaks had GPS?lol

Did you hear any plaintive cries of despair coming from out on the water?

[steamroll]

Cool pics Chris.

CJ and I worked the kelp line and a current break por nada. Lots of bait, not many birds working.

When I landed, Paul Lebowitz was launching the New Hobie Inflatable Kayak. It seemed to handle today's big surf pretty well

[wavster]

Great pics, Chris. Looks like a nice ride, as well. I guess the only
thing that kayak needs now is some of that red stuff on it's decks.

[dorado50]

Nice ride, looks very sleak and fast! Oops, no gps for me today, glad I was off the water before it rolled in! Very cool pics and report...

[Grego]

Nice look'n yak....I've been eyeing the darker green colors, everyone has been telling me how much faster they are. I just might retire from always having white...MAYBE

[TomTurtle]

Originally Posted by dorado50

Oops, no gps for me today, glad I was off the water before it rolled in!..

I wasn't as fortunate! I launched around 11am and was caught in the thick of it on the water. I ended up anchoring up on some kelp and mellowing out for about an hour just soaking a mac.

About thirty minutes into the fog, a guy and his son cruised up to me in an aluminum skiff asking for help. They launched from mission bay and were fishing the kelp beds but had no idea of their current bearings. I let them know where we were in relation to the shores and the point. They ended up waiting it out right next to me. At one point we discussed the possibility of landing his boat at the shores and calling for a ride to pick up his truck and trailer in Mission Bay. There was no way they were making it back unless the fog broke.

The fog was insane and out of nowhere! I would say visibility was less than 50 yards. I checked weather.com minutes before leaving, no mention of anything besides sunshine in La jolla. I was shocked!

Thanks for snapping the pics!

[PAL]

When I left at 11:30 there was no sign of fog. Unbelievable how quickly that came in.

The inflatable Hobie i12s won't win any races, but for people with no place to store a hard-shell 'yak, it's the bomb. Durable too, it would take a gaff hook to get through its thick skin.

Unfortunately I didn't get this one bloody.

Nice looking ride Chris.

[TXyakker]

You're gonna LOVE that boat! I've got the same one in yellow and it hauls. Whats odd about the rudder that you mentioned? Glad to see another Wilderness guy out here.

[esdees]

I noticed the fog from the 163 S just before I got on the 52. It looked pretty intense even from that far inland. Nice pics Chris (THE wilderness guy).

[steveooo]

Nice Pics Chris.
The New ride looks SICK

[Afran]

Nice sled. Hope you bloody it up soon.

[jscott]

Is that the new ultralight 160? PAL was testing the new 120 today. 38#...amazing!

[Holy Mackerel]

Originally Posted by jscott

Is that the new ultralight 160? PAL was testing the new 120 today. 38#...amazing!

No, it is another T-160i, but they did remove scupper holes near the seat, so it is not as "wet," not that bothered me, I wear breathable waders year round... I just decided to get a rudder this year, I was curious on whether it would help, drifting, and esp during the windy days. I was worried about getting my lines crossed and tangled in the rudder yesterday, but that didnt happen, although it was nice conditions out. It has a slight camo pattern within the mold, kind wish it was more camo, but still looks cool... Thanks to Rik of sdkayaks.com for setting up my flush mounts.... all 6 of them... I saw the new T-120, reminds me of those surf ski's...

chris

[ronbo613]

The fog deal happened to me and my buddy one time as well. Paddled out with clear blue skies, an hour later we could not see ten feet. Of course, being big-time watermen, we both owned GPS's, which were stored safely at home. We did manage to run into another lost kayaker who did have a GPS, unfortunately, he recently received the unit as a gift and did not calibrate the GPS so we all paddled in circles until the fog lifted.

[grey zone]

It's very common for dense fog to form after a warm Santa Ana wind event breaks down. It's easy to get caught off guard because of the dry clear weather prior. This is not a rule but something to keep in mind. Fog formation under these conditions is often fast and can occur at anytime of the day. Stay safe go prepared.

[Earl E. Retire]

Grey Zone is absolutely right. And the time to get prepared is when the weather is clear. Mark waypoints in safe areas to get you back to the launch in good shape. You can use a chart to do this, or can simply paddle a safe route and mark points as you go. One thing that's very cool about GPS is accuracy. You'll be within a few meters of your spots using it. Just remember that other big boaters may be around that aren't as careful as you, and GPS isn't radar. A sounding device (whistle or horn) is important in fog too.

EER

[Siebler]

Pretty crazy, As nate and I got off the water it was all nice and warm. Saw it moving in while I was at Point Loma helping Brent. Pretty thick stuff.

[Shawn]

Great looking kayak mate. Scary pictures of the fog, look how quick it turned, awesome.