Safety Gear Is Like AMEX..Don't Leave Home without ALL OF IT!

[GBF]

Had a bad experience tonight. While kind of embarrassing, it might help someone in the future so I'm going to share my experence that just happen tonight.

I got married about 3 weeks ago. I introduced my wife to kayaking about 6 months ago and she loved it. In the beginning I put her in a Tarpon 140 and that's what she learned on. She's had 6 or 7 trips under her belt all in the harbor and she had gained a great deal of confidence. I purchased her a Tarpon 140 and she fell in love with it and kayaking as well. She's not a great swimmer but we booked a refresher course for her and purchased the best PFD available for her. I took her on a gondola ride last week and the bay looked like a lake. I also booked a trip with THE DARKHORSE for Sunday and spent the last week preparing. I mentioned going to the bay to fine tune my bait tank and re-acquaint myself with my Calstar J10 and Newell 332. After testing my bait tank and ripping off a few casts we settled into a nice cadence enjoying the bay. I didn’t bring a rod leash nor a life jacket because we were not going to be out long and I just wanted to work on my gear and paddle with my wife. She was about 30 yards away from me and the next thing I heard was a big splash and when I looked over the kayak was upside down and I did not see her. Immediately, I was in the water trying to get to her as fast as I could. I'm a strong swimmer and after I hit the water I saw her. I got to her very quickly and she was freaked out big time. I tried to calm her down, which took about 30 to 45 seconds. After she calmed down I wanted to get to her kayak as quickly as possible and tried to get her in by holding the other side while she entered the kayak from the opposite side. She was getting in and lost her balance again but this time, and her and the kayak flipped over on top of me. I got hit with the inside corner of the kayak where my neck curves into my shoulder and I was in big time pain. The current was moving pretty good and when I turned around my upside down kayak was not in sight. I thought, "My bait tank and Jig Stick with reel were gone"......The next second I was just happy that she was ok and that we were safe and the situation would work it self out in short order. I got her back into her kayak with paddle in hand. It was about that time that a guy pulled up in a small whaler. I could not get my arm over my head much less pull myself up. They got us on board, tied her kayak to their boat and we then went looking for and found my kayak and found it. When we flipped the kayak over the rod was still in the holder!!!.......Bait tank was gone but, I still had my jig stick!!! (Happy Days…No Mini Yard Sale”).....Then I noticed my Camano Paddle was gone. My kayak has paddle holders on both sides and I let my guard down for one second and I got bit!!. The guy in the whaler gave us a ride back to the beach with kayaks in tow. After thanking them we went about putting the kayak's back on the car, which was the most pain I had experienced in my life. During the ride home I remembered one thing I did not do with her that I will do on our very next outing. HELP HER GET TO KNOW HER KAYAK!! I know better........stuff like How to enter and exit the kayak in deep water, letting her move all around her kayak in shallow water (as I had done when I got started) so she could learning how far she can lean without flipping. Letting her pull equipment out of the front hatch and moving all the way to the back of her kayak to know it's limitations and her limitations as well.

We are home and showered and I cannot believe the pain I’m in. She says she's ready to get back into the kayak. I just hope I did not injure myself too bad. I am in so much pain I know I need to go to the Doctor but I'm going to wait until morning. Lesson learned. I’m going to order another paddle in the morning and get to my Dr as soon as his doors open. The lesson........Don't ever get in the water without every last piece of safety gear. Including but not limited to, paddle leash and PFD. If you are taking a new person out, let the first few trips be "Getting to know your kayak trips in waist deep water!!"

Hope everyone's next trip out is a safe one!! Don’t take any chances or let your guard down….Not even for a minute!!

See you all out on the water,


GBF

[jorluivil]

Sounds like you're a little bruised but OK nonetheless. When I bought my kayak the first thing my buddy and I practiced was tipping and boarding the kayak(s) and it wasn't in knee deep water. I can assure you that I know how hard it is to get back on that thing. We did the tip and board thing three times each, when I got home I was drained. I couldn't believe how much energy it took just to get back on.

Anyway, hope you're OK!!!

[Gino]

I got married about 3 weeks ago.

Didnt get a full sentence in and i saw your first mistake


Glad you and your Lady are alright. you musta got hurt pretty bad. hopefully its just some swelling. Its alwasy pretty important to get to know your kayak before you even take it out into open ocean. You guys were just in the bay. If the kayak the right fit for her? I know Tarpons have alot fo side to side give, but a strong secondary stability, So you cant lean over to much.

Glad it all went ok.

[bigbarrels]

glad you're only bruised up and your wife is ok as well! Being prepared is crucial on the water and some of us learn this from our experiences OTW and hopefully others will learn from this by reading your post. Thanks

[WahooUSMA]

I had a Tarpon 160i once and the first time I went out in it, I was upside down. I still think Premo and Kent tipped me over, but that's a whole other story.

The daughters boyfriend was using my Revo and I had the Tarpon as an extra yak. He had never been on a kayak before and I had never used the Tarpon. I made sure he had everything leashed, PDF, etc. I was going to be 'OK' since I thought I was an experienced kayaker. LMAO because the kid got hooked up with a nice T and fought it for what seemed to be too long. Anyway, we all caught up to him, Premo, Kent and I and the next thing I know is that someones line (mine) got wrapped around my rudder as the kid was bringing the T to the side of the Revo. Not to mention seeing the boy get tail slapped by the T in the process. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

Long story short - as we are unhooking the T and the wrapped fly-line line from around my rudder, I looked over my shoulder to see what was going on and the next thing you know, I was upside down with the Thresher. Its amazing how quickly my fat ass righted that yak and got back in. I lost a nice Avet and Seeker combo, pliers, and some other small stuff. Did manage to keep one rod and reel since that was the one that was wrapped around the rudder.

[Jzo]

Thx for sharing, learned a lot, great that you've made out ok.

[JoeBeck]

Thanks for the write up. These stories are important to share especially for those who are just getting into the sport browsing the web for info. Always wear your PFD should be the lesson learned here, you can always buy new gear but not your life back. Even in the bay where it is calm you have inexperienced boaters to worry about. I can not tell you how many close calls I have had with sail boats almost hitting me and 1 which did kayaking the big bay. Lot less scary when your in the water floating vs not.

Also a hand-held bilge pump has saved myself on an occasion where I forgot to put my drain-plug back in and my wife another time out at Catalina when here kayak got a hole in it. If you don't have one you should get one, they are cheap. Doesn't hurt to carry an extra paddle as well, you are not the 1st to lose your paddle on the water.

Glad you two are safe and congrats on the marriage!!!

[GBF]

Dr. Says deep tissue brusing and a little whip lash................Vicoden sucks so traded it in for 800mg Moltin. It might work for someone else but it made me dizzy and did nothing for the pain. Can't get the arm over the head though and the Dr says it's gonna get worse before it gets better. Thanks guys. I've gotten good reminders on this sight for a numner of years. Hope my experence helps.

GBF

[tagyak]

thanks for the story. i guess the lesson learned is even when you feel confident in your own skills, you should always remain cautious and prepare for the worst case scenario.
glad to hear that you and your wife are safe.
you should also try some pain relief patches, like Salonpas. it really gets into the muscle for relief.

[Hunters Pa]

If one person is saved from this post then ANY embarrassment was worth it. I think it is safe to say that we will all end up in the water at one point or another. Everyone has their own tolerance for risk. For me, I have a 4 year old daughter & 7 year old son counting on me coming home. My PFD is on from before I step off the sand until I step back on. That's just me,

Good lessons learned and thank you for posting about them.

And congrats on getting married. Probably the best decision I ever made. Most likely would not have survived this long had she not come along

[Whizz Bang]

OK, so I have been lurking on this site hoping there is not a killer bite going on while I am stuck in afghanistan, and I gotta weigh in on this one. I took a girl out to LJ about a month ago who actually posted her fish on the forum. She had kayaked maybe a couple of times before, like two times. No ocean experience.
I felt completely comfortable because she was in great shape and a strong swimmer. The first thing we did past the sets was to show her how to enter exit the kayak. Considering she must have a small bladder and she drinks a lot of water, it is a good thing. I swear she jumped in at least 14 or 15 times during the course of the day to pee. PFDs, have em, hell wear em if you want, whatever. But the must have is a comfort level in water and getting back on the yak, because if you spend enough time on it, you will end up in it.

[deepdvr]

Originally Posted by Whizz Bang

Considering she must have a small bladder and she drinks a lot of water, it is a good thing. I swear she jumped in at least 14 or 15 times during the course of the day to pee.

I'm glad that I'm still the only one who has pissed all over that yak.

[GregAndrew]

Some really good points here that cannot be stressed enough. Always carry at least a PFD, pump, paddle leash and I would add VHF radio for the situations you can't get yourself out of. And, you do not have to plan on the worst scenarios, but you should plan for them. Meaning, that you don't need to go out with 6 layers of waterproof clothing on, and a 20 pound first aid kit, etc. but you should have the necessary equipment with you to deal with reasonably different conditions than you expect. Even in bays and lakes, you get morons that don't know how to operate their boats, or worse intentionally try to swamp you. And who has ever met a weather man that has got the wind speed correct, let alone the direction? A sudden 25mph wind can stop many yakkers in their tracks. Too often we get complacent about safety concerns because we have not been reminded of their consequences recently or assume the conditions will remain the same. Posts like yours are what keep many folks from getting into the same or worse situations. Thanks, and get better soon.

[THE DARKHORSE]

The good news is you and your wife are safe. We'll get out there when the time's right, Lenard. La Jolla and I aren't going anywhere.

Not to mention, with heavy bruising and muscle strains in your neck---the last thing you want is sore arms, too

[Whizz Bang]

Originally Posted by deepdvr

I'm glad that I'm still the only one who has pissed all over that yak.

Yeah but I think that she is still the only one who has got it bloody

[bellcon]

Is this the same Lenard from baytubers?
Thanks for sharing your story big guy... people can benefit from it!

I took my daughter out awhile back
she has been yakking many times, but this time was a little farther than most her trips

I was constantly checking on her
one time I looked back and she was in the water...
I started to paddle towards her
Like Whizz Bangs story, she was just taking a pee
It made me feel a whole lot better knowing that she could get in and out of the yak with such ease... probably better than most of us...


Now she ask when she gets to go fishing with that DARKHORSE guy...
she thinks catching bass etc. is fun, but wants one of those big fish in LJ

I guess she has out grown me and wants a "Real Guide"

[GBF]

Yup....................I'm a Baytuber also....Don't tell Kiyo. His kids think I'm SHAQ!!

GBF

[BT]

Been a while since I have posted but saw this and figured I would share my experience.

My last yak I had I was to big for and twice found myself upside down. Once in the calm bay hooping early lobster season, and once in LJ. Got back in fine in the bay (light clothing, warm night), but the time in LJ it was winter time, and I had on layers and waders. I had a hell of a time trying to get back in my yak. A guy came over and told me to get on from the bow. Basically push the nose down and shimmy on back to the seat. Worked like a charm. Dont have to worry about tipping back over, just any accessories you have that may get in the way that you may want to remove prior to boarding.

I now paddle an X-Factor which is much more stable than my last yak.

And on the paddle losing note, I always use a leash, especially since I spent good money on a Werner. There is actually a guy on this board (who will remain nameless to protect the innocent), who when one night we were hooping the big bay I hear him yell his paddle floated off while pulling up a hoop. We searched for a bit, and he actually found the black paddle at night. lucky man!

BT

[Gigafish]

Take it slow. Kayaking can be brutal. I am suprised I haven't heard of a report of a kayaker being struck by a boat as so many things can go wrong in open water. Stay safe.

[cowboybill]

Glad your wife actually wants to get back on that horse! Just that attitude is awesome!

I took a dunk once, and what surprised me was how hard it was to right the yak with 3 poles, bait tank, etc... When I practiced, my yak was empty, and it flipped easy...but all the rods and crap added water drag to righting the boat!

My biggest fear is boats....I once shared about a lobster boat coming at me in the fog....

Best wishes in the future!

Cowboybill