Flipped in San Diego bay.

[Tranquility]

I felt bad about this. We run a 52 foot sportfisher in San Diego. We were returning to port yesterday afternoon through the bay. We were at our cruise speed of 9.5 kts. My boat throws a substantial wake at this speed. As we all know that bay can be a crazy place on a nice day and there were boats every where. Room to manuever can be limited for a larger boat.

We past a kayak that I saw a little late. He popped up from behind another boat. However I thought that he had enough room to put himself in a reasonable position to cross our wake. As I watched him cross our wake sure enough he flipped. We turned around to assist him and also another boat came to help. The other boat took the yak in tow and he climbed aboard the other boat. We pulled up beside them and he was obviously upset. " You flipped me", " I lost all my fishing gear". I asked him if he was injured.

I am sympathetic to the fact that he flipped and lost his gear. My bigger concern at the time was if he was injured or not. He was not wearing any flotation. I repeat, no flotation.

I have never fished in a kayak, however I do regularly fish the bay in a smaller boat. 12 ft. aluminum. I keep to the area's of slow traffic in the marina's. Why? Because I feel that the bay is to dangerous and rough when its busy. With mixed traffic and no speed limits the opportunity for disaster is high.

I try to be considerate to all the users of the bay and I like the idea of fishing off a kayak. I often lurk on this website and have considered buying a kayak to fish the bay. I am not a kayak hater.

I guess I am posting this to point out the obvious. Some of us in larger boats are trying to look out for you guys. Sometimes you have to know where the limits are. San Diego bay is not a good choice for a kayak when its busy. This guy was way out in the middle of the bay along way from where he had launched and the bay was really busy. Our wake was one of many that he was having to contend with and I would not have been comfortable on a kayak or even in my small boat in the bay at that time.

Please wear flotation gear when you are out there. It could save your life.

Anytime we enter the realm of the ocean whether it be the open ocean or the bay's, careful consideration must be taken to ensure your own safety. Please be careful out there guy's.

[mrJB]

You were at fault. If you purchase a kayak, or even venture out in your skiff, please mark the vessel with some identification and we will have a talk.
The local waters are full of people like you - too much money and not enough respect for other people. If you were half a man you would have found the 'yaker and at least paid for his lost equipment, not to mention offering an apology.
Remember, "what goes 'round, comes around". See you on the water

[JrBasser]

could you have by chance, i don't know... slowed down? You know your boat puts off a large wake, and you were trying to maneuver through boats... so why not slow down to a safer, and non wake throwing speed?

[Fiskadoro]

Now that's an interesting post...

I used to run a 56 Ocean pretty much identical to this one.....


.......out of Marina Del Rey. There is long portion of the channel that had a ten or possibly now eight knot limit between the main harbor and outer breakwall, and since the power lanes are narrow on each side and the kayakers usually stick to the sides this put us in close proximity to kaykers.

Like you we put out a huge wake at certain speeds. I never dumped anyone but there were some close calls, especially with the small sabot fleet that frequents MDR.

What I did is played with my speed and throttle settings until I found the best wake pattern with the least height to it, and then used it coming and going. For us it was around six and a half Knots. I know that seems slow but when your only going a less then a mile there is very little real time ETA difference between 6.5 and 9.5 knots, and it was worth it to us for safety reasons to take the extra time.

Kudos to you for stopping, lots of guys would of just kept going, but your describing a potentially dangerous situation with lots boats in the area, and to me it sounds like you were going to fast.

By law any boat traveling in a harbor is legally responsibility for damage caused by their wake, no matter what speed they are traveling, speed limits in harbors are suggestions but it's the responsibility of the operator to keep his boat at a safe speed in relation to conditions, and others on the water.

Additionally the fact he was not wearing his jacket is irrelevant as far as your actions are concerned, his safety is his business. Lots of Bay yakkers are newbies with little experience but you're the one that's running your boat, and who needs to behave reasonably. If it had been a dog on a surfboard, or even a floating telephone pole out there it's your job to avoid it not the other way around. Not only for your boats protection but also for liability as your boat can do a lot more damage then a kayak, surfboard or even telephone pole.

Trust me I hear where you're coming from, I've been right there.

My pet peeve was outside the harbor where small private boats would pull right directly in front of me and then stop for a halibut drift while I'm cruising at 20 knots on Autopilot.

With sixty thousand pounds of inertia, and my two Detroit's spooled up what could I do?

If I tried to slow down and make a wide turn I'd wake the holy hell out of them. If kept on at speed and just avoided them, I'd have to pass within maybe twenty feet of them at speed, and they'd still get a sizable wake, not to mention just be scared silly.

I finally learned the thing to do was just throttle down to almost nothing, just enough power to keep steerage and coast to almost to a stop.

That lead to some interesting exchanges let me tell you.

When 56 super sport coasts to a stop within twenty feet of your boat... well people take notice.... LOL

My favorite thing to do then was just idle up along side, lean out of the fly bridge and the say: "Don't do that!!!" "That's not very smart!!!" Talk about some sheepish looks... LMAO

Like I said: I hear where you're coming from and Kudos to you for stopping or even having the guts to come on this board to post about it. That said keep in mind that there are a lot of boaters and yakkers out there without that much experience, and they certainly do not know what is involved or understand just how difficult it is to run a boat of your size, and ultimately you're responsible for your boat, it's wake and any damage it causes. If in doubt you should always slow down.

So what are you running in that thing? Twin Detroits, 2X300 gallon tanks? About 2 grand to fill it up?

You might want to consider replacing the guys gear, or at least offer to buy him a rod or two. At less then 10% of your fuel bill it's not going to kill you and will sure do a lot for your rep, and make you look like a stand up guy.

I didn't own the 56 Ocean above nor could I afford the fuel to run it, but just ran it for the owner. If it had been us that's the exact advice I would of given him in the same situation, and if I was at the wheel I'd of then told him to take it out of my pay.

That's just my take.

Jim

[Matt]

The fact of the matter is simply this you should never have gone past a paddle powered boat throwing off that much of a wake, you as the motor boat are supposed to give way to the kayak. Check your coast guard regs man....if that kayaker files a complaint with the coast guard you could be in a lot of trouble!

[sterling]

It takes two to create a collision or accident. I fish way out in the mouth of the bay on my kayak. I leash my equipment and wear a pfd, and am always watching what the big boats are doing. Let's see cruise liners, aircraft carriers, various military vessels, yachts and ya hoos galore go through there some screaming since it's a ways back to the dock.
The sportfisher said he didn't see the guy, "he popped out from behind a boat." He went back and was so concerned he posted here. Yes he could have been more careful but so could the yaker. Nobody was injured and lessons learned. I think this incident and post should serve as a safety reminder. It sucks for the guy who lost his stuff, but who hasn't lost equipment off a yak. Just the cost of doing business.

[dsafety]

It sounds to me that Mr. Tranquility is a stand up guy who has probably learned from this incident. The kayaker is probably really pissed off and that is understandable but I bet he does not understand how lucky he is that people came to his aid. Without a PFD, he could have been toast.

I do not defend the fact that the sportfisher was probably going too fast for the conditions. I suspect that next time he will dial things down a notch. On the other hand, as someone mentioned, there are cruise ships and Navy boats galore out there and they are not bound by the "yield to unpowered boats" rules. We in the tiny plastic boats need to keep our eyes open. In my mind, kayaking in a busy shipping channel is kind of like riding a motorcycle on a busy freeway.

The bottom line is we all have to turn on our brains before we get out on the water. Kayakers need to be careful and power boaters need to be courteous. As someone said earlier in this post... What goes around, comes around. That is a good thought to live by.

Bob

[Gino]

shit happpends


last time a boat got that clsoe and almsot flipped me, he got a free



but he didnt like how he got it!

Be safe out thier folks!

[PAL]

That's a stand up post by Tranquility, who got anything but for his trouble. I don't see this so cut and dried. We kayakers have to take personal responsibility too, and limit our exposure.

I'd like to hear the other side of the story, but going from what we have here, Tranquility might be responsible but the fault is not his alone.

It doesn't matter what kind of wake Tranquility throws, anyone out in busy SD Bay channel traffic better be able to ride some steep ones out. Those who can't are best off fishing the edges, or at the very least leashing anything you want to keep. To the unfortunate flipper, if you're reading this and still new to the sport, try somewhere a bit less busy. Tidelands is great, and if you don't mind a bit of fugly water, you'll rack up a great score in the south bay.

Hey Tranquility, thanks for posting - it would have been easier to write the whole thing off and move on. How'd the tuna bite?

[steveooo]

Originally Posted by PAL

anyone out in busy SD Bay channel traffic better be able to ride some steep ones out. Those who can't are best off fishing the edges, or at the very least leashing anything you want to keep. To the unfortunate flipper, if you're reading this and still new to the sport, try somewhere a bit less busy. Tidelands is great, and if you don't mind a bit of fugly water, you'll rack up a great score in the south bay.

Hey Tranquility, thanks for posting - it would have been easier to write the whole thing off and move on. How'd the tuna bite?

X2

I've seen yakers do some dumb stuff near PB's, both inside and outside the bay.

Good stand-up post Tranquility.

Be safe out there.

[kareem korn]

Maybe like a flag we put on our sand toys in glamis would be a good thing on a kayak. If the kayaker was seen there probably wouldn't have been an incident.

[habanero]

Strap on your PFD and lock down your gear folks! If you think the bay is congested now, wait until they close la Jolla! Kayak's skiff's of all skill levels, will increase to much more dangerous levels and seeing them much farther out will become a common sight. We all love the ocean and will do what it takes to enjoy it in what ever water craft we can manage. Perhaps after we see a few deaths or serois injury due to lak of save kayak access, we can expect new laws that further restrict our small minority.

[CurtyL]

The guy is being straight up here. Thanks. Was it in the channel? My only beef with the prop and screw gang in the big bay is that outside the channels some of them don't really know the difference. Anything in the channel is fair game in my opinion. Cross at your own risk. Outside the green and the red, don't be a dickhead. We're all getting along doing our drift thang, then Joe Motor Boat who is in such a hurry to land those 2Lb calcs and 22" flatties out on the Point that he could care less about yaks, skiffs, sunfish or whatever. All I know is you have to park your boat someplace. And if you piss me off enough, there is no length I will not go to to find it. What would you do if someone sank you? All I'm saying is if you want to haul ass then by all means do so - just do it in the channel... PS the bay is a huge place. It is not dangerous. LJ is ten times worse on a small day. Tranquility, the more a read you post the more BS I find in it, you were cutting corners trying to save gas. Don't kid a kidder MF'er.

[comrad_zeelaagee]

tranquility-

good on ya' for posting and manning up. it certainly seems that you are regretful and a RESPONSIBLE individual. you did the right thing by stopping which is what many people would not have done. and without as many words- your apology was expressed.

there are risks inherrent with all activities and the kayaker that travels into the middle of the channel should know this- newb or not- it's common sense. we can easily flip in our yaks and loose a lot of gear in the surf or even trying to take a leak out the side of the yak. chit happens if you neglect to secure your gear.

i disagree with those that are so eager to chastise you for what has clearly been expressed as an unintentional incident. you, if things happened as stated, were clearly within the limits of the law.

[punchjamesarnol]

I was out a few weeks ago and one of the cattle boats from seaforth came in hauling ass a good 100 ft away from me while i was making bait. I just put my bow into the wake and held on. I was pissed that the captain didnt show any reguard. There will always be retards, people that dont know any better and people that just dont care. F#@k them!

[Tranquility]

Some of you guy's are pretty funny. I posted here as a sign of good faith and now there are those here who want to hunt me down.

Fact is that this was an unfortunate incident. We were positioned to the right of mid channel but well within the limits of the bouy's. It's not like I charge around with no regard for the little guy. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. I've been witness to the mayhem a large boat can cause and we operate accordingly. That's why I posted here in the first place.

For those that took my post as it was intended. Thank you. For those that took it as an opportunity to point the finger of blame and scorn, so be it. Rational conversation tends to solve more problems than throwing the iron at someone.

Think what you want about the guy's in the big boat but remember that some of us are on your side.

[MalibuJohnny]

Originally Posted by Tranquility

Some of you guy's are pretty funny. I posted here as a sign of good faith and now there are those here who want to hunt me down.

Fact is that this was an unfortunate incident. We were positioned to the right of mid channel but well within the limits of the bouy's. It's not like I charge around with no regard for the little guy. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. I've been witness to the mayhem a large boat can cause and we operate accordingly. That's why I posted here in the first place.

For those that took my post as it was intended. Thank you. For those that took it as an opportunity to point the finger of blame and scorn, so be it. Rational conversation tends to solve more problems than throwing the iron at someone.

Think what you want about the guy's in the big boat but remember that some of us are on your side.

Some vessels have certain rights of way, sail boats and non-motorized vessels have special right of way because they are not powered by an engine.

In any congested inlet, harbor or channel, why would you want to stay and fish in harms way to begin with? You are taking yourself a putting yourself in harms way. Powerboats especially at that size cannot stop, or even turn on a dime, so why venture out there to begin with?

Its like these numbskulls that think that there is a lane between the HOV and fast lane…buzzing past you, scaring the crap out of you going 80 mph. And when they do get it! It not their fault.

What are you thinking? No PFD? Out in the middle of a cattle drive…I think the yakker was very lucky just to have lost “fishing” gear and not his neck!
An way to go on coming about to check his welfare!

[Norm222]

Originally Posted by punchjamesarnol

I was out a few weeks ago and one of the cattle boats from seaforth came in hauling ass a good 100 ft away from me while i was making bait. I just put my bow into the wake and held on. I was pissed that the captain didnt show any reguard. There will always be retards, people that dont know any better and people that just dont care. F#@k them!

I think I was on that boat. That was f**ked up. Were you in a red kayak? I was fishing with some of my non-kayak fishing friends from work. I was telling them that if I were that kayaker, I'd be pissed off. I hate when boaters come too close and going too fast.

[lamb]

funny how the web works, huh?

It's unfortunate, but incidents like that happen. We all share responsibility for each other's safety out there. If the caring and conscientious person gets in accident like this, you can all imagine the danger from an inexperienced boater who knows nothing about kayak fishermen. It's real, and we have to be very careful. Not wearing PFD is personal choice, but the irresponsible one. Big Bay is a busy place.

Good one on you Tranquility, glad it all ended well.

[Gino]

Originally Posted by Tranquility

Some of you guy's are pretty funny. I posted here as a sign of good faith and now there are those here who want to hunt me down.

Fact is that this was an unfortunate incident. We were positioned to the right of mid channel but well within the limits of the bouy's. It's not like I charge around with no regard for the little guy. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. I've been witness to the mayhem a large boat can cause and we operate accordingly. That's why I posted here in the first place.

For those that took my post as it was intended. Thank you. For those that took it as an opportunity to point the finger of blame and scorn, so be it. Rational conversation tends to solve more problems than throwing the iron at someone.

Think what you want about the guy's in the big boat but remember that some of us are on your side.

i do apreciate you comming on hgere posting for whatever attention you were looking for. Truthfully it does show good character that you stopped nd helped the guy out. i acually owe my life to a private boater who was kind enough to stop and fish me out of the water before hypo set in. he went above and beyond. i thank him everytime on out thier on a nice day.

Ive almsot been smashed to many times into the bait barges at newport becuase a boater didnt care, or would try and skate by me like im going to take all his scoops. And when i have given them some choice words, they drive off an dleave me in a wake, no apology no care. Thats when the comes out. dont even get me started on jet skiers!