Account from one of the swamped La Jolla Kayakers

Pretty gripping

http://forum.kayak4fish.com/viewtopic.php?t=12448


... I lost sight of Josh. I don’t know where he was after he brought Rick back to his kayak. (I learned later that Josh capsized and lost his paddle and floated away from us.) I told Rick to swim to my boat. He left his boat and swam over to me. I had broken free from his line and his boat separated away from us. He seemed very exhausted and disoriented. I was able to pull him onto my deck with his face towards my lap and his feet towards the bow. I told him not to move and to try to relax. We were ok for a few minutes. There was no way I was gong to turn the boat around in those seas with Rick on my lap. We floated and were blown backwards for several minutes. As we were floating, we were swamped by a wave and both of us went in to the water. We turned my boat over and I was able to climb back on. Rick was holding on and I was waiting for it to drain out before I pulled him back on. I tried to pull him back on and we went over again. I decided that should just hold on to my kayak and do our best. My boat was filling with water and I was sure that there was no way in that wind and swell that I could right it and pump it out. ...

WOW... now that leaves a lot to digest.

Thanks for posting this.

Ben

It appears that the writer was Matt,  

Good that he took the time to put their experience up for all to see and learn from.

It would be easy to second guess their decision making, or skills but I wasn't there and don't know them, and who hasn't been blown off the water. In most cases it just isn't quite so serious.

The only point I'd make is one I recommend to all, if you're going to go out on the ocean, wear a wetsuit, dress for longterm immersion, cause if things really go to hell you could end up spending allot of time in the water. Also I don't think, at least for me, that a 3mil is good enough.

Good post Thanks for the info.
 

Yeah, that's good for all of us to see and learn from.  The Mayday was definitely justified.  Going out in the dark in what another yakker described as winds so heavy he turned around and drove home seems questionable in terms of judgment.  I'm glad they came out OK.

Sounds like the rudderless T15 was a liability in those conditions. I have never been out in conditions that bad on my yak. Does a rudder become crucial when it gets that nasty? I am glad these guys made it back o.k. after launching into marginal conditions. Was the one guy only wearing waders with no wetsuit at all? Brrrr! jim

Does a rudder become crucial when it gets that nasty?

A rudder is handy in wind and currents. When it's that nasty, it would probably be helpful getting the hell back to shore.

Ben

nathan and I were paddling in a strong wind and found it really hard to paddle with the wind hitting us broadside.  Both tridents.  The seas were not big so we were able to tack our way in but had the swell been steep, that would have been a problem.  When I got home I ordered the rudders.  Scott Thornley posted some useful tips on paddling in wind in the following thread


http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,20635.0.html

Thanks to the Socal guys for posting this. My only comment would be that he shouldn't have hauled the guy onto his boat. Unstable in the best of conditions; nearly impossible to stay stable in those conditions. His buddy should have held onto the deck right behind the cockpit, without putting his weight on the boat, to maintain the boat's balance point. If the guy in the water was already cold, the radio call should have gone out at that time.

In longer boats, a rudder is extremely helpful in high winds and rough waves. I have a 17 foot SIK with a deployable skeg. My favorite touring boat, but I won't take it out in really rough conditions. My SOT's are 15 and 16 feet, both with rudders. Couldn't imagine dealing with really rough conditions without the rudder. When I was caught in a gale off Maui, the rudder was both the problem and the solution. After getting knocked down by a wave, the rudder was jammed in the fully turned position:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,6573.0.html