Did I just let that happen? Costly mistakes on the water

I've been very fortunate.  Only have lost a few things.  A rod and reel at a beach landing gone wrong at Bean.  Lost my trusty original Hog Trough when it washed out of my tankwell at ARW last year, (has my name on it if you find it). 

The worst was a camera.  I was seasick, puking all over myself at Bean Hollow.  Told Adam I was heading in, but before heading in I tossed him my camera because he had forgotten his.  First mistake there was tossing the camera to begin with, (I was pukey and didn't want to get too close), second mistake was using a a cut piece of pool noodle that had a slice thru it as a float because I had forgotten my usual float.  Of course the sliced area moved to the lanyard when it hit the water and we both watched it sink in disbelief.  Adam, trooper he is, fished for it for awhile but I knew it was gone.

Such a small price to pay for all the fun on the water so far.

Most recent, since my memory is so poor, was at the crabfest this year.  On the beach, I was getting ready; putting PFD, stowing gear, turn on VHF radio, etc.  Got on the water and was thinking; haven't heard any radio chatter.  WHAT??!!  Where's my radio??  I thought back and didn't recall actually clipping it and it's leash to my vest.  Later, Rider found it and turned it over to VWool.  Thanks guys!!!

 
  Lexington reservoir, Shortly after I got my 12' alum Gregor boat.  I purchased a scotty lake troller down rigger and had the 4Lb torpedo weight on the DR line and went to mount the unit on the boats gunnel. I was smart enough to attach a leash to the downrigger, but the smarts was negated by forgetting to attach the leash to the boat!  lifted the downrigger into place over it's scotty mounting hole, and then the weight slipped over the rail and yanked the downrigger out of my hand.
  Slow motion now, I watch the little downrigger slip into the lake water. It was 45' deep at the spot.  I made a mental note from the bank (Maybe 20yards off it) and started trolling back & forth over the area with my 150lb grab magnet on the bottom. 
  With no luck snagging the thing with the magnet, I gave up, and trolled the old fashioned way for a few hours.
   Got home, and designed a grapple hook!  Built a triangular frame out of 3/8"stainless steel tubing and swag-lok fittings, 4 or 5  5" long treble hooks out of steel wire and attached them to the frame.  I made a "Drag"  and went back to the lake, and into the first cove where I had lost the downrigger and spent a few hours  dragging that contraption all over the lake floor.  Pulled up a lot of tree branches but no lake troller.
  Every time I look at my current lake troller for my OB, I'm reminded of that memory of seeing my first one disappearing beneath the surface in slo-mo and I then immediately attach its leash to the yak!

It was mid-November last year during our first real cold snap.  My cousin was out from Tennessee and wanted to take a float down a small local stream where I have done some decent bass fishing in the past.  My brother came also and it was the first time in a yak for both of them.  I figured we were pretty safe since the river is about 2 feet deep most of the way and I required life vests anyway.  Needless to say they both tipped a few times on the way down.  No gear, phones, keys or anything else lost at this point.  However, both of them were shirtless and nearly pantless by the end since the sun was out and it was warmer than wearing their wet clothes. 

At the end of the run there is a short stretch of what I will exaggerate and call rapids.  They both felt up to it and made the run down.  Needless to say, one flipped on the way down (not unexpected) and the other got caught under a tree branch (nearly impossible to do, I still don't get it) then flipped trying to free himself.  They stood up, walked to shore and let out some screams of excitement about the ride.  The only thing they forgot was that their shirt and pants were sun drying on the back deck of the kayaks.  Down stream they went (along with virtually all of the bass tackle that my brother owned) never to be seen again.  It was kind of funny watching two shirtless guys, one in his skivies loading kayaks on a cold November afternoon.  Some lessons learned, but mostly a good time had by all.