SZihn
Paddler
I got "knocked off the horse" today for the 1st time.
My Wife Anna and I left this morning to go out on Boysen Resivour for a day of kayaking and had great fun. In the late afternoon we went to where the causeway crossed the lake and the wind came up, dropping over the horizon of the mountains and bringing the white caps along. We were about 300 yards from the west shore and about 7/8 of a mile from the place we launched this morning, so we started going back. We got about halfway and the chop was getting rough enough to be a problem. Well ----one took me over. My first capsize that was not my choice. With chop about 1.5 to 2 feet high and curling white caps, the waves should not have been a big problem but my bow got turned and before I could straighten it out, I got knocked over.
Today I was glad I have practiced the drill every time I have gone out from the 1st day I ever got into a kayak, which was not all that long ago. It's something all the folks I talked to and corresponded with on line emphasized over and over.. Learn to reenter! As soon as you own the boat!
I did! Never once did I go out kayaking without doing the drill a few times. I am SO glad to took their advise. It was just one more drill.
In this case because Anna was so close we did the team rescue. Anna came up along side and held my paddle and I use a rope to right the boat. She had a 1 gallon bailing bucket so fairly quickly she had the cockpit's water level down to about 2-3 inches. I took the paddle back from her and set it over my rear deck and Anna held it "clamped" to her deck ,so it was like having a paddle float outrigger, but we didn't even take the time to put the float on. I put a leg over the paddle and slid into the boat, but all this was going on during the ride up and down and rolling on the choppy water. I was pleased in how well it came together, and how quickly. About 1 minute with the bildge pump and I was ready to go again. We then continued to bow-rudder with our paddles and grab water as much as we could, and came into our little bay where the truck was in about 5-7 more minutes. I was pleased how well it went and very thankful Anna was right there. Once she thought she might go over too, but managed to stay upright and we got back to shore.
And of course the wind storm was like so many here, dropping down from the mountains before you can get out of the way. The weather service will tell you about the weather forecast as generalities, but these short strong winds often don't have much area in square miles and don't last long. Because there are no towns nearby the weather service don't address them until they are in progress. But when they hit they can be strong and sudden. We were back on land maybe 10 minutes and the wind died down to about 10-15 MPH and the chop only about 8" high. (of course....Murphy's Law, right)
Mountains do that kind of thing some times, and often there is little or no warning. I was told about 50 times; "Best to learn how to do this kind of drill well BEFORE you actually need to."
God bless those folks that told me that so many times.
My Wife Anna and I left this morning to go out on Boysen Resivour for a day of kayaking and had great fun. In the late afternoon we went to where the causeway crossed the lake and the wind came up, dropping over the horizon of the mountains and bringing the white caps along. We were about 300 yards from the west shore and about 7/8 of a mile from the place we launched this morning, so we started going back. We got about halfway and the chop was getting rough enough to be a problem. Well ----one took me over. My first capsize that was not my choice. With chop about 1.5 to 2 feet high and curling white caps, the waves should not have been a big problem but my bow got turned and before I could straighten it out, I got knocked over.
Today I was glad I have practiced the drill every time I have gone out from the 1st day I ever got into a kayak, which was not all that long ago. It's something all the folks I talked to and corresponded with on line emphasized over and over.. Learn to reenter! As soon as you own the boat!
I did! Never once did I go out kayaking without doing the drill a few times. I am SO glad to took their advise. It was just one more drill.
In this case because Anna was so close we did the team rescue. Anna came up along side and held my paddle and I use a rope to right the boat. She had a 1 gallon bailing bucket so fairly quickly she had the cockpit's water level down to about 2-3 inches. I took the paddle back from her and set it over my rear deck and Anna held it "clamped" to her deck ,so it was like having a paddle float outrigger, but we didn't even take the time to put the float on. I put a leg over the paddle and slid into the boat, but all this was going on during the ride up and down and rolling on the choppy water. I was pleased in how well it came together, and how quickly. About 1 minute with the bildge pump and I was ready to go again. We then continued to bow-rudder with our paddles and grab water as much as we could, and came into our little bay where the truck was in about 5-7 more minutes. I was pleased how well it went and very thankful Anna was right there. Once she thought she might go over too, but managed to stay upright and we got back to shore.
And of course the wind storm was like so many here, dropping down from the mountains before you can get out of the way. The weather service will tell you about the weather forecast as generalities, but these short strong winds often don't have much area in square miles and don't last long. Because there are no towns nearby the weather service don't address them until they are in progress. But when they hit they can be strong and sudden. We were back on land maybe 10 minutes and the wind died down to about 10-15 MPH and the chop only about 8" high. (of course....Murphy's Law, right)
Mountains do that kind of thing some times, and often there is little or no warning. I was told about 50 times; "Best to learn how to do this kind of drill well BEFORE you actually need to."
God bless those folks that told me that so many times.
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