RBCII The Day After!!!

Get your noodles.   

Holy $hit you guys!!! That was an intense read. I'm so glad you guys made it back OK. That was some scary stuff. Lessons learned about safety and what to do when you get in a hairy situation.

I have a couple questions:

What time was it and how far were you from shore when you discovered you were screwed and would have to take one yak back to shore? Also, when you got back to shore what time was it? Just curious how long it took you to make the trek and how long you were exposed.

Thank god you were wearing a 7mm wetsuit Sledge. Had you not been there or had you not been wearing such a thick suit, one of even both of you might have perished from exposure.

Thank you for posting up your experience so others can learn from this. I hope all the newbs are reading this thread.

-FF

Eric your posts are full of little nugs of information and I love reading/watching them because I always learn a little more each time I do!!!  Not funny how near tragedy brings these things (noodles/7mm/drysuit) to the fore front of our awerness!!!

Thanks for bringing them!!! In a large part that vid conviced me on noodles!!!  I figured If (Abking) does it........

Holy $hit you guys!!! That was an intense read. I'm so glad you guys made it back OK. That was some scary stuff. Lessons learned about safety and what to do when you get in a hairy situation.

I have a couple questions:

What time was it and how far were you from shore when you discovered you were screwed and would have to take one yak back to shore? Also, when you got back to shore what time was it? Just curious how long it took you to make the trek and how long you were exposed.

didn't have a watch but it was late afternoon...and by the time we got on TERRA FIRMA I'm guessing 8:30ish going on 9pm...  time was sort of on hold...I'm guessing 2.5 hrs in the water...  I peed several times in my suit   and felt all warm and fuzzy for a few each time

Joe might have a better grasp of time line...I just know it was tooooo freaking Loooooonnnnnnggggg!!!  and I will say it again SaltyDogs remarks on a privous post had a lot to do with me wearing my 7mm suit...does anyone know that thread??? should be linked to this so peeps can reread the controversy!!!

HolyShit!!

That was some scary shiznit guys. As others have stated, it had me on the edge of my seat just reading into it and I'm thinking ahead "how and the he'll are they going to get outta this one?" glad to hear that you two made it back to terra firma with your lives! Good lesson for us all here..."be prepared for the worst" or as we said in the USCG "semper paratus" always prepared!
I'll chip in, checks on the way.
Don

Get your noodles.   

Great video clip Eric!  Thanks for sharing...

Sledge,

How far of a paddle would you estimate?

-FF

Sledge,

How far of a paddle would you estimate?

-FF

don't know...figure out from the rocks on the north end of Ft Ross  way out with an out going tide with lots of kelp...don't know the distace didn't have my FF/gps rigged up yet... but at times I'm looking at our progress and we were moving "not at all" with joe paddling as hard as he could...to the point he was pucking between breaths!!!  So I imagine there was a lot of time where unaware we were stuck...after I noticed "that" I started kicking for all I was worth, actually shoveing the yak forward...  Joe says he is still coming to grips with this...so am I!!!  I just know unless peeps got proper cold water gear on and floation in there yak... I will pass on joining them OTW

Distance was not why it took so long...hypothermia/tide/kelp/and a whole lot more played into the "time line"  just don't do what we did...I could peddle that distance on my revo in 10 mins  I'm guessing maybe longer but put my chunky butt behind it...

Don't know what your asking but maybe this answers it!!!

Fish Flogger, I am guessing but I tried paddling through kelp once and forgot my stringer in the water.  I was barely moving.  Figure Sledge is a tad bigger than my stringer that day.  The drag must have been intense.

the next time shark_bait and I are out in the kelp, I'll have him dive in and see how hard it is to tow him through kelp.  I am guessing I cant do it well.  Joe is an animal

  Joe is an animal

 

That's exactly what I was asking for...thanks buddy.

Sorry for the 3rd degree. I'm not trying to grill you or Joe in any way.   

I'm just really trying to wrap my head around what happened and get an idea of how quickly and how bad things can turn against you in the salt.  It's a real eye opener.

I'm just glad I'm writing messages back and forth with you instead of writing messages about you.

Glad you're still with us my friend.

-FF

I'm glad if my video helps anyone.

I admit that before NCKA (I joined on 12/31/04) I was guilty of many Noob ingnorances:

- no PFD a mile out on the ocean;
- no flotation;
- no VHF;
- no extra paddle;
- no flares;
- no whistle;
- no GPS...etc.

We had rods, tackle, beer and a wetsuit.  I can smile at that because we lived.  I've learned alot about being prepared since my early days of yakfishing on the ocean.  The tournament that I put on at Shelter Cove has become a good place for me to review and revise my policies regarding how I want to approach fishing from a kayak on the ocean.  I require teams, a VHF, dress for immersion (this means you will NOT get hypothermia if you're in the water for a few hours), and I encourage and enjoy what now exists on its own at any NCKA event:  common sense and group collaboration regarding safety.

If we treat this sport like it's just a bunch of individuals who are solely responsible for their own choices regarding safety, we will either end up responsible for someone's misfortune or we will end up fishing alone.  In other words, I feel that we should NOT treat this sport like it's just a bunch of individuals who are solely responsible for their own choices regarding safety.  This means, if I yak with you I will expect to be allowed to know of your safety choices, and I'll expect to not only have input on your choices, but that you will have input on mine.  This is an individual sport where working together as a group will lead to the very best experiences for all of us.

If I paddle umpteen miles, catch a huge ass fish, post a killer video and get my pic on a magazine should anyone really admire me if I was out there without at least the basic safety precautions?

In my kayak life these have become basics on the ocean:

- dress for immersion;
- flotation in my boat;
- compass and GPS;
- VHF;
- extra paddle;
- flares;
- water.

These are the main perils, in my eyes:

- weather;
- ocean conditions;
- gear failure;
- body failure;
- wild animals.

Don't make your list longer with

- "Not being prepared"

That's exactly what I was asking for...thanks buddy.

Sorry for the 3rd degree. I'm not trying to grill you or Joe in any way.   

I'm just really trying to wrap my head around what happened and get an idea of how quickly and how bad things can turn against you in the salt.  It's a real eye opener.

I'm just glad I'm writing messages back and forth with you instead of writing messages about you.

Glad you're still with us my friend.

-FF

   Yeah things can go bad in a hurry...I've had a few moments in the last yr...getting knocked off my yak a mile (Albion) out by a seal, by myself I was prepped that time...but snapped paddle in Willapa Bay WA month ago was not ...did not have my 7mm suit on was pulled in by a PB but that could've been nasty...had my VHF in every sernerio on a strap around my neck is where I wear it...  Thanks for all THE concern from you and EVERYONE ELSE its good to know theres others doing what were doing and that can be there when you NEED IT!!!  that's if your doing the buddy thing

PS plug for Mendo 7/7 today!!! doing the camp thing with Sandbag he's headed this way from Sac as I'm typing will be there fishing this afternoon and tomorrow maybe sunday too... Have to be at BigJ's mon 11am for a dive hookup!!! Hope to see some of you there!!!  come on along... and "Get Some"

I think I know the rocks your speaking of, but not sure.  Here is a quick Google Earth pic with the distance to the rocks that I have been to on the north side of the Fort.  Distance is 1.16 Miles, but i'm sure it felt like 100