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

Thank God (and I don't use that term lightly) that you're all safe!

here is a big day in carmel:

http://www.surfersvillage.com/news.asp?Id_news=16215

3rd photo down: O )

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

They charge you for that?

They had the helicopters in formation and boats out looking for me one night up off of Stinson

No fault of mine, somebody saw flares and assumed it was the guy offshore on a blue kayak The only thing I'm gonna use my flare gun for is if the landlord gets too nosy

Lifeguards at Stinson took me up in the tower and called cg Spectacular view with lightning show

I guess if they picked me up I'd be bankrupt

I'm not positive, but I always had heard there is at least some sort of fee.

MolBasser

You can buy this stuff called Great Stuff at Home Depot, its for insulating, filling big voids, sound proofing. Its comes in a can and you just squirt it in a small drilled hole that you fill afterfor the stern, the bow you can hit the hatch. You must do both ends!. Watch out, it EXPANDS big time, may be able too distort a yak, I know it will bow out a door frame if you use too much. I flipped it over so the foam sticks to the top so I can still stow thing in the hatch.
Untested, but want to give it a shot.
I would love a basket ride.

Make sure you don't have anything like rudder cables running through the stern because you'll have very little control of how and where the foam will expand.    You will never get them freed up if it touches them.  It is too viscous to just level out like a fluid under the influence of gravity.  If the leading edge starts to thicken it will just start to heap up where ever it is free to move.

Kayakers in Australia and New Zealand, fill unused space in the cockpits of their closed-deck boats with some kind of foam--less volume to fill with water and then pump out.

If done prudently, seems liek a good idea however, you'll lose that space for storage forever. Might be betterto fill the ends with soeme dry bags (blown up) or inflatable floatation. the kye it anchor inside so it doesn;t shift around once the kayak takes on water. Your floatation won't help much if it all drifts to one end 

The foam can be a bitch to work if your not used to it, they now have "minimally expansive foam" but it still takes over like the blob on steroids. I dont think you want it on the bottom of the hull but rather the bottom of the deck, that way you can still store stuff in the hatch no problem, and draining is unincumbered too. I cant even see the foam in mine unless I stick my head inside the hatch, and theres a LOT of it.
Experienced sea-kayakers (sit - insiders) always have internal floatation at both ends, most deaths occur because of lack of floatation in BOTH ends and lack of wetsuit and cold water. And LOTS of people die doing this, not to scare anyone, I just would not like for us(ncka) to have a memorial derby for any of our freinds. A kayak bobbing vertically is no help at all, but a floundering horizontal one at least you can get on and make some peace with your maker while waiting for a basket ride or the landlord or morning.
I hope everyone carries hand flares($20), a submersible VHF,($150), Safety signal light, ($20)Signal whistle and a used CD-signal mirror - scallens idea. Carry these in your PFD.
I also bring an emergency silvery blanket, super thin, you know the kind. I use it a lot when my wetsuit starts getting cold and clammy just put it over your legs and instant warmth. If you ever get stuck out there at night, it woulb be worth a lot more than the 2 bucks it cost.
OH, and if you see the landlord, you can do 2 things, first punch him in the mouth as hard as you can, but if that doesnt work, try to confuse him with all the blood in the water and poke his eyes out with your stump.

some foam I put in the bow came loose. not much sticks to that plastic.

It needs to stay in the bow and stern. What Guitarzan said about floatation is right on. And about SOT kayak fatalities iwht one additon: inadequate floatationand not dressed for immersion are correct but there is another--failure to stay in contact with teh boat and or paddle. SOTers have died having become separated from perfectly seaworthy SOTs. they can shoot accross teh water faster than you can swim and ofteh skitter out from under you a several feet way as a head start when you tip. I don't liek the practice of putting the paddle on a clip to the side--I fish with it in my lap and I use a leash to tehter it to the kayak. A lot safer.

You can make foam anchors with goop or I use marine grade 3m caulk/ sealant for full sized caulking gun- its cheaper and sticks to almost anything.  Embed anything plastic iwith a loop in it and then when it sets use peices of strap, nylon rope, anything. And then attach them to each other, netlike. Then squirt foam around them  Once the foam sets around it, its home. You should be drunk and put on your Sunday best before you attemt this.

I swamped once in a triple but since it had outriggers we were able to paddle in a half mile with the boat submerged and water up to our midriffs.  Perhaps a better option than filling the inside of the boat enough that it's paddleable full of water would be to attach a pair of paddle floats to the spare paddle and bungie it to the deck so that it acts like an outrigger.  Actually, I think a small inflatable would be a great piece of safety gear - here's a little boat for $10 http://www.poolcenter.com/pooltoys_inflatable_boats_pool_rafts.htm that'll carry a couple guys to safety in a pinch.


I read a helicopter rescue account on bask or someplace similar and they said it was around a 5-$10,000 bill for a helicopter ride.   Whatever it cost, I'd like to know so I can make a cost benefit analysis when future mishaps occur.

Also, unless one has been menacing you or there is considerable blood in the water from a dead whale or something - fear of sharks should play absolutely no role in judgement out there because the odds of one bothering you are extremly tiny - even at BH.   

. Whatever it cost, I'd like to know so I can make a cost benefit analysis when future mishaps occur.

 

I'll let you know when the when and if the bill arrives.

Also, unless one has been menacing you or there is considerable blood in the water from a dead whale or something - fear of sharks should play absolutely no role in judgement out there because the odds of one bothering you are extremly tiny - even at BH.   

While everyone has to use their own judgment and make their own choice sicne they are the one 'on the sharp end' as we used to say in climbing (meaning the end of the climbing rope and the one to take the screaming leader fall should the plan fail), I think statistics bear out p-Sparks statement. The odds of a shark attack are miniscule compared to the chance of a hypothermia fatality--focus on getting people in and safe ASAP and don't worry about a GWS. the fatalieis from hypothermia and exposure outnumber shark attacks a million to 1 or even more.

very well sayed Surfing Marmot

f#%k the gws thank about saveing your a@#

Glad everyone's ok. Chalk this all up as experience and from now on when you see sketchy conditions you'll either find a safer place to fish or do something else. Glad you guys had the right equip and kept your heads on!!

The safety section sounds like a great idea FrankF. I've been surfing Nor Cal waters all my life and know how bitchy momma nature gets. Would be happy to help with anything I can about wave and tide knowledge.

Z