HMB Big BUTT report

Finally upgraded my halibut for the AOTY. Rudder broke on the water and I couldn't sail against the wind. AI catches wind like no other kayak at 20-25 mph wind. Should I have taken the sail mast down to pedal against the wind?

Great lessons!  Stoked fo' yo' upgrade!   

Yeah buddy!!!

Way to go! That’s a nice fish and you really suffered it out on the way in.

Great catch and good info on the AI, thanks Moo!

You are right, they catch wind/current like crazy.

One of my first outings I ended up in an area of surprise no wind going against the current (going from Fisherman's Wharf to Pier 52) and it was really rough until the wind picked up.

I see my sail as an important safety feature on my TI.  As long as there is wind, I can use it to keep my speed up.  You can sail through the jaws typically at HMB.  I usually make 4 tacks before I'm full inside.

Now the rudder is a whole other thing.  I also had a rudder problem recently.

Yesterday I had just entered the HMB harbor when my rudder pin broke in stiff wind.  I tried to steer using my paddle while pedaling and I could see the boat launch so how hard could it be?  I made it extremely close to the ramp before the wind took over and there was literally no way I could keep steering into it to make it. 

Then I tried to aim for the beach but that wasn't going to work either.  I realized I had to repair it as I had no way to control the wind drift.  Ended up getting blown into the dredging area while I was making the repair. 

Afterwards the thought did cross my mind of how to repair a broken rudder line.  With the rudder pin it's pretty easy.  But a rudder line could be an issue, especially if you are far and are relying on the sail.  I've seen other people create back up systems which I'm looking to do for my kayak. 

Nice fish Moo 🤙