Bean Hollow 10/19/06- Two big fish C & R

P.S
 To  Bill ,
I still think a safety topic  is a great(er) idea.

The" Crow Eater" aka  Frankfishing

Frank,

Again I apologize for mis-labeling you as an "expert".  That wasn't what I meant.  I just thought of you as an expert because of the way you carry yourself.  That was my second time fishing Bean Hollow.  Second time real surf launching experience.  I looked to you for direction since you learned it the proper way through taking lesson with Allen.  I learned alot and was very impressed by the way you handled emergency situation.  You were very calm through the whole ordeal, I think I was the frantic one on the inside while trying to remain calm outside. 

For anyone who is reading this, I was not trying to make light of what had happen by any means.  That was serious stuff.  I wrote it with the intention that someone out there might learn from what we've gone through.  If you're a newbie like me, the ocean is no joke.  I think Mooch said the best "A stringer of fish is not worth losing your life for."

Eugene

All in all, calling for help was the right thing to do. Good job fellas.

Glad it turned out all right for everyone. everyone got home safe and that is objective number one, fish are secondary. 

Bean Hollow is not s simple launch and landing. The North Pacific is a serious body of water and these are rather calm conditions. If these kinds of lessons are to be learned, better to have them in ideal conditions. If things are sketchy or the crew less-seasoned, just go to one of the easy launches--Montery State Beach (Del Monte) HMB, Santa Cruz, Stillwater, etc. There are pently of fish out there--its a big ocean. No shame in that.

I use waders in the lakes even the Forebay, but its a wet suit or dry suit for me in the ocean. Period. Less comfortable, yes, safer, certainly. My chances of dumping in the Forebay are slim, in the ocean one never knows--Scott and I almsot got caught by a rogue Friday at HMB comign in between the reef and the jetty. You never know when a surpise wave can send you for a swim. Alan's idea of a wet suit under the waders is interesting and might be a good compromise for some, but not me.

I had a kayak sink under me offshore once long ago. I was alone, without a wetsuit and when I finally got ashore my muscles were beginning to failing to respond. I had to crawl up the beach, I couldn't stand. It was a very scary experience.

The importance of a good wetsuit, pfd, bilge pump, and self rescue experience cannot be overstated.

Also regarding safety: IMHO pool noodles promote a false sense of security and short of stuffing 2 dozen of them in your hull they are likely meaningless in actual use. A controlled test of the effectiveness of noodles in real world conditions (swells) should be made. I would hate to hear that someone got hurt relying on questionable advice from this site.

Apparently, Frank's kayak (Hobie) had a leak in it.  Factory defect.  It started taking H2O fast not too long after they paddle out that's why they could not climb back up on board.

  It's too bad that the leak wasn't discovered before launching into such challenging conditions. I've had a kayak that had a similar problem as this Hobie, but I discovered the problem close to the beach in Drake's Bay on a calm day. Consequently, all I got out of the experience was a very mushy ride into shore. However, I was intentionally testing my boat to find any problems (like the one I found!). I think it's a good idea to test out boats and PFDs before going into dangerous conditions. Paul.

I think pool noodles are of little help and give a false sense of security. The key to flaotation is not just to provide some amount of minmal bouyancy, but to reduce the amoutn of water that enters the hull so there is: 1) less to pump out and 2) less los of  control of a water-logged kayak. Pool noodle don't take up enough space in the hull to do either.

There are inflatable wedge-shaped floats designed for recreational kayaks without bulkheads which could be used for Sit-on Top kayaks. They are not perfectly reliable (inflatable devices can leak, get punctured, etc), have to be kept inflated, and cut down on cargo space. But its probably the best avaialble for Sit-on-top kayaks right now. I have a couple but have been lazy about figuring out how to get them in the boat and secure them at the bow and stern. I really should do it.

Crazy story, very glad you gus all made it out, thought you had a sit inside yak at first. Loaded kayaks(Fishfinder, battery, food, tackle) SINK when full of water. I squirted 4 cans of foam (Great stuff) in both ends of mine, inside top, if you know what I mean, that way if I get a leak or even a hole it will float upright. Even if it gets bit in half it will float, not pretty, but it will float. And 4 cans weigh less than an under sized ling. Just a thought. Again, very glad it was a good ending.
I might even put a few more cans in mine as an afterthought.

Glad you guys made it OK.  We should all give a collective nod to the Coast Guard.  In some ways, sports like this wouldn't be possible without them.  They're the real deal.

good to hear everybody's okay.

maybe they should have something like floatation foam in these kayaks? 

What the floatation foam or 4 cans of foams look like? This is good advice.

Guitarzan,

You have swamped your boat and found the foam kept it afloat?

this is a very interesting and new topic, this flotation foam and pool noodle thing!

tell us all about it, 

I got 24 foam copper pipe insulation installed in my Yak.  That is why everything I carry is tie to the top of my Yak.  Ocean fishing I will carry my cart with wheel in the hull or at HMB I just do not need the cart.

I have the blow up air things.  But, decide against that because of having to control the pressure during hot day or cold days. And, remembering to let out some air after fishing.

Ken kickfish

this is a very interesting and new topic, this flotation foam and pool noodle thing!

tell us all about it, 

 

MolBasser

I'm gonna go out an swamp my yak so I can get a ride on that helicopter basket

I'm pretty sure that it wasn't free.....

MolBasser