Don't Let This Happen To You

[bigbarrels]

Short Version:
Sank Kayak due to inability to reach Sump Pump and had to take a 45 minute swim due to my VHF radio being lost and cell phone not working.

Long Version:
Went out yesterday afternoon and when I got out past the reserve buoy realized my bait tank wasn't running on my timer. So after hooking it up directly to the battery (possibly mistake #1) I was off and made some perfect bait but noticed that without the timer the tank was running full....wind became pretty nasty but it was looking pretty fishy and I had a feeling today was the day. I have a mount on my kayak for my VHF radio but I usually clip it to my life jacket. But it is bulky to wear and can get in the way. After thinking about clipping it to my jacket twice on the paddle out I decided to keep it on the mount. (mistake number two) Sitting out near the nothwest corner at about 4:30 I felt a wobble on my kayak, the wobble that I felt when I was on a rental kayak at Rancho Leonero this past September, the wobble that meant I was taking on a ton of water. I opened up the hatch betweeen my legs on my XFActor and it was over half full the back end of the kayak had a serious sag.....it was so windy that I didn't notice any other indicators that I was taking on water. But I remember that wobble well! From here is the minute count down: so I quickly slid up and opened my front hatch to grab my sump pump and it had slid back into the back of the yak....went back to middle hatch and I couldn't see my sump pump there either......crap it is in the back behind the bait tank (mistake #3).......I always make sure it's in the front....not today....I grabbed my VHF radio, Phone that was in a plastic bag, and unstrapped my paddle and next thing I knew the kayak overturned.....I climbed up on to the yak....and realized the VHF radio was missing....but it is a floating ICOM....but nowwhere to be found with all the chop.....the kayak then went vertical and was gone......man that happenned super fast....maybe a total of two minutes at this point.........so I took my phone out of the plastic bag and tried to make a call to 911.....but dialed k911 and then on my second attempt the phone went dead due to wet hands.....threw the phone away and realized it was time for a swim....realized my waders were on and unclipped those so I would join the XFActor and began my swim north.....man I love the condo on the point! Such a great landmark....ever try to swim with a paddle in one hand? Not easy but well worth it due to the fact it is more visible than a hand....my goal at this point was to try to swim north in order to stay in or near the fishing grounds and if this failed I was going to swim to the kelp and then to shore....there was a party boat and some kayakers over that way......I swam for a good while and was somewhat close to a kayak (maybe 300-400 yds) who couldn't hear me and was turned facing into the wind......at one point the water around me erupted with tons of sealions and dolphins and I'm sure YT, all within 5-25 feet..... then I noticed the party boat began to leave and so I waived my paddle without being noticed.....so I need a new plan.....all the private boats and kayaks to the North and Northwest are heading in that direction.....I spun around and noticed about 1/4 of a mile away two boats to the Southwest.....I figured then I would be with the current but would have to swim a little further out.....I was really wanting a boat ride rather than a two mile swim to shore.....so I started to head in their direction.....as I headed in their direction I saw one guy in the boat bendo and figured that would be keeping him there for a while.....within 200 to 300 yards away....make a couple hoots and waive the paddle and next thing I know the boat is headed my way.....

So jumped on board and saw a beautiful YT and met Charlie and Scott who were all fired up on the YT and boils they just experienced....and plucking a dude out of the water....they lent me a jacket, boots, and a fishing pole and we fished for another 1.5 hours......I was thinking I might deserve a fish after all that. Charlie said that he got a birds nest when trying to cast at a boil and then as he was dealing with that he heard a voice and then saw a paddle being waived.........Thank you Charlie and Scott!

At Dana Landing in Mission Bay I would like to thank the guys who were working last night and hooked me up with hot chocolate and a sweat shirt while waiting for my wife to pick me up....I'll return the sweatshirt this week

My reason for posting this embarrasing story is to make all kayakers on BWE aware that this stuff can happen to you and to have your safety equipment and checks prior to paddling out. Have a VHF radio and wear it on your lifejacket (i did maybe 50% of the time), wear your lifejacket all the time ( I do 100% of the time), have a cell phone (might help unless you call k911), have your sump pump and know exactly where it is before heading out (i do (99.5% of the time), and other safety items like a friend, flare, beacon, whistle.......you never know when you might need it. I'm an experienced waterman who has surfed for over 30 years and have put a lot of time on the water with the kayak the past 2 years.....I feel I take all the safety precautions and yesterday made two serious mistakes...sump pump not readily available and VHF radio not on jacket. I hope this will help prevent others from getting into this situation.

Only thing I can think is that my bait tank was over full and spilling over and leaking into the kayak......I don't think there was a hole in the kayak or bait tank itself.....lost about $4000.00 dollars in gear and looks like I will be setting up my tandem as a single person kayak for awhile.

[kareem korn]

Boy that sucks. Good thing your a waterman and were able to handle yourself out there.


1) carry a small bucket for bailing.



What bait tank were you using, the one that fits in the rear hatch of the x-factor?

[bigbarrels]

Originally Posted by kareem korn

Boy that sucks. Good thing your a waterman and were able to handle yourself out there.


1) carry a small bucket for bailing.



What bait tank were you using, the one that fits in the rear hatch of the x-factor?

that is the bait tank.....works well on timer but not well when hooked directly to battery and in chop. small bucket is a great suggestion but to be honest I don't think I even had enough time for my sump pump. In the east cape this past fall I had to bail out a hobie with a water bottle that I cut the bottom off of..

[peguinpower]

Check you home owners insurance. They could be covered. I had my kayaks covered since they are stored outdoors. Ive heard people say that it covers loss too.

/bing

[mo2vation]

As OK as someone who just went through that can be, I mean.

WOW.

What a great lesson - I'm going to leash my pump. I'm sure if my boat took on a lot of water and started listing or tipping, my pump (which floats) would just float to the highest point - likely way, WAY out of reach. I want to pull off the hatch, pull the cord and bring the pump to me.

Wow.

Good thinking taking the paddle as a signal device. Makes me think about how invisible my black paddle would be.

Huge ups to Charlie and Scott.

What a lesson. Thanks for sharing, and I'm glad you're alright.

-Ken

[Lets_Fish]

Dang that sucks, but valuable information for the novice yaker that I am. I went out of La Jolla for the first time on Saturday and took two waves to the chest and ended up with a few inches of water inside. I spent 5-10 minutes bailing water out (and no I did not have a pump on board, but it's on the list of purchases prior to my next outing). I do wear my PFD and carry a whistle and place my cell in a baggy. Won't carry a phone in a bag anymore as the bag can get a hole very easy. My phone and camera took water and don't work now (will use a waterproof case next time).

Anyone have any suggections as to drying out a cell phone and camera? Been told to place them in a container with rice for a few days to absorb the moisture (does this work)?

[lterrero]

Thanks for the post & sorry for the losses, that is heads up for everybody.

[bluesquids]

MAN! Glad you're all right. Must of been COLD. Major bummer, but at least you live to fish another day.
Reminds me to check inside my yak after I launch, like I use to.
I have lots of rats in the yard and I know they're gonna nibble on some leftover fish juice someday. They already did it to an inflatable I had.

I keep the bilge pump bungied upside down inside the X-factor right down the middle center cockpit area. It fits perfect in there. I used matching deck loops on the inside of the yak paired to ones on the outside. You need nuts and bolts though not rivets.

Also, I stuff the inside around the tankwell with the fat pool noodles, thats wasted space anyways. I think 4-5 of them only weighed a pound.

[Dan]

wow. glad you are OK. it was saucy out there last night with all that chop.

I like the pool noodle suggestion. I often put a pair of Churchills in my kayak in case of an emergency swim.

[mo2vation]

BTW - you gotta love that dude hopped onto another boat (doubtless straddling the tank well or the bow hatch), put on some clothes his rescuer had in a bag, grabbed a rod and fished for another 90 minutes.

THAT is the best part of the story.



Plucked from the sea. Cold, wet, breathless... "oh look, bait's running. Can I borrow a lid, some shoes, your jig stick and some Grey Poupon?"


Friggen Kayak fisherman are FHC, man.


-Ken

[Gino]

Once your start to get water in.. that angled back hatch just sucks in more and more water... It only sits maybe 2 inches off the middle of the scupper holes. bait tank doesnt really even matter If your a heavier paddler in an X-factor, you get wind chop or boat wake from beind it spashes water up onto that back hatch and as the kayak flexes it sucks water in like a spongue. If you had an older style x-factor it is even worse.

X-factor is a great kayak, But I would never get one with that back angled hatch again. Im 6'1 300lbs so a smaller guy wouldnt have a problem. Im now in an Extreme with a drop in bait tank...and i love it. And will be buying another one in a couple months!

[THE DARKHORSE]

Good thing you're a true waterman, most anglers would probably panic. And I would have picked you up yesterday, but those damn Yellowtail were going the other way.


You can barrow my X-Factor anytime, Tom. I'm right by the launch.

[ronbo613]

I've got my bait tank rigged so I can yank the pump and inlet hose off the tank and use it as a bilge pump.
As everyone already knows; you don't fool around in the ocean, always be prepared for a "worst case" scenario, because it will be worse than you think.
Sorry about losing your gear, but you're alive and you can buy more stuff.

[surfnutnj]

Tom, Patty called us last night and told us what happened. I just glad that you're ok. I know that does not make you feel much better after losing all your stuff. You can borrow my yak any time if you want since I only get to go once in a while these days.

Good thing you surf and spend so much time on the water and had enough sense not to panic.

Let me know if you need anything! BTW did you end up catching anything on those guys' boat?

[lamb]

WOW

I'm very glad to hear it all ended well.

Thanks for sharing your story with all of us. We can never have enough reminders - it's an open ocean, it's a dangerous game. It's amazing how the problems on the water have a way of compounding themselves - once something goes wrong, the chances are - there will be 3 more things that will go bad right after.

[WahooUSMA]

Glad your OK!

[Iceman]

Tom, sorry to hear of your ordeal, glad you came out of it physically unscathed. If you decide to replace the X Factor let me know. You dropped a bundle the first time around, I'll get you one at cost.

I had a similar experience with an overflowing Kayatank on my Extreme, not made to run without a timer switch. I was able to pump it out with a hand bilge. I too have had mine slide toward the stern out of reach, attach it somehow!

[sandydiego]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I'm happy to know that there are a great bunch of guys out there willing to help when in need. Hang in there. I moved my bilge pump to the pouch behind the seat after realizing the dam thing slides up and down the kayak.

[dos ballenas]

any numbers on the new artificial reef, kidding... glad your alive... Im always amazed at the amount of $ people spend on outfitting their yaks... $ 4 g's can get you a nice little skiff

[ful-rac]

Glad you are Ok. Sorry about your yak and gear but it can and will be replaced. Your right, I hope everyone has their safety gear together and easily accessible. Even just a simple .99 cent whistle could save your life. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, it's given me alot to think about.