2 sailors drown while kayaking

RIP my fellow kayakers 

http://www.kirotv.com/news/ap/texas/2-nas-whidbey-sailors-drown-while-kayaking/ngDX7/

The deaths are a reminder to be adequately equipped for the waters, Wallace said

RIP fellow yakkers

RIP shipmates

RIP adventurous souls.

We must always be kayakers first, and anglers SECOND. No fish is worth such a tragedy.

I don't know that area of WA very well, but having camped & stayed on Whidby a couple of times without kayaks, I've seen the wind and current there in the afternoons. It has a reputation as being very technical.

They went halibut fishing from kayaks and drowned not far from the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, the Island County sheriff's office said.

The men were in 10-foot, open, lake-style kayaks, one wearing jeans and the other shorts. They wore recreational life vests. Although the air temperature was 70 Saturday afternoon, the water temperature was 52 degrees, and winds were blowing about 20 mph.

Very sad, but avoidable.

Very sad...

Yet another reminder to BE PREPARED for immersion, and know your limits.

70 degrees outside and 52 degrees in the water, with wind up to 20mph...sounds like the CA coast.
Major sad news to hear about these poor guys. Thoughts go out to their families.

RIP to both of them.

This is why we at NCKA emphasize on the safety. DO NOT under estimate the nature. Always dress for immersion. To all those NOOB please if we suggest certain safety things DO IT. Dont debate its all for you.

+1

Unfortunately people can be dumb and get by on land. It is deadly when you are out on the ocean. When doing boat deliveries from the US to the Caribbean I would monitor the radio and the distress calls were most enlightening. The calls were not from people with unexpected hull breaches or mechanical failures or weather but from ignorance. Line of sight sailors that would get into trouble if caught out after dark or in a storm and powerboaters that knew how to start the engine and steer but where clueless about navigation or handling their craft in severe weather.

For quite a while Adventure kayak rentals in Monterey would rent out boats and not provide people with wetsuits the way Monterey Bay Kayak has always done. With a friend I rescued a man and woman and her two children when their boat flipped on Lake Tahoe 200 feet from shore and none of them had life jackets on and none of them knew how to swim. The adults were stupid but the canoe rental firm was criminal in its negligence and deserved to be sued out of existence.

Wondering if there might be a way to direct anyone joining NCKA to this type of safety information, before they are allowed in to post?  Maybe using the "Introductions Board"?

If we were really doing it justice...require them to pass a simple test of mandatory safety steps.

Just a thought.

Wondering if there might be a way to direct anyone joining NCKA to this type of safety information, before they are allowed in to post?  Maybe using the "Introductions Board"?

If we were really doing it justice...require them to pass a simple test of mandatory safety steps.

Just a thought.

It is the first board on top of the page, "Safety First". Anyone can read it, even guests. There are tons of information in there, but you have to take the time to read through it. You ignore it at your own peril.