Bodega Surf Launch Fail

The wind and swells were predicted to be low today so this afternoon I went to Bodega Bay for crab.  I haven't been getting many recently in the area where I usually put my traps, near the jetty, so I thought I would try the area farther south toward Estero Americano.  I decided to try to launch closer to my destination so I parked in one of the lots just past the Doran entry kiosk.  I loaded two Danielson wire traps on top of a Promar circular collapsible trap an a hoop trap in front of the cockpit, with the rest of the gear in the tank well.  The tide had recently started to ebb and the swells varied from 2 to 3 feet.  The swell period was fairly short.  I waited for a lull in the breakers then started paddling out.  The taller swells were breaking over the bow of my X-Factor and progress was slow.  When I was almost beyond the breakers two of the taller ones came very close together.  The first one turned me slightly sideways and the second one dumped me and capsized the yak.  I had a hard time righting it with the traps as well as the weight of the other gear.  I figured that the problem had been the high center of gravity but I also noticed that the yak had taken on a substantial amount of water.  I pumped it out and put one of the Danielson traps in the tank well to lessen the weight on the bow and lower the center of gravity.  I paddled out again but still took waves over the bow and eventually dumped again.  This time righting the yak was a little easier but it still had taken on a substantial amount of water.  After pumping again I tried once more but I was getting tired and when the waves turned me sideways I called it a day before getting dumped a third time.  I am concerned that a lot of water seemed to be getting through the forward hatch on the X-Factor.  Has anyone else had this problem and found a solution for it?  From now on I think that I will launch near the jetty where it is more protected.  The beautiful sunset was a nice ending to the outing.

My wife's first launch there (from near near the gull campground) was an instant and total yard sale. Our solution was to launch closer to the jetty.

I've done it once in my X-factor, but that's another story.
The front seal(weatherstrip) needs ton be siliconed at the seam, and I redid the straps so it was tighter. That helped the leak.
I was wondering if there were crabs over there?...
I'm going out next sat  south of seal rock in 50-60ft. I can only hope

For surf launch crabbing I use promar 102's and standard rings. The traps are in the tankwell strapped down tight with a game clip and rope attached in case they break loose. Danielsons are not the best choice for surf launch. The ropes, buoy and bait are stored in the hull. By doing this, your COG remains essentially unchanged.

If you hit the waves at a 90 degree angle and have forward momentum, your boat won't be turned sideways. As the wave approaches start paddling hard, point the bow right at the wave and keep paddling until the wave is behind you. Don't stop paddling when you are on the crest like a lot of people do.

For surf launch crabbing I use promar 102's and standard rings. The traps are in the tankwell strapped down tight with a game clip and rope attached in case they break loose. Danielsons are not the best choice for surf launch. The ropes, buoy and bait are stored in the hull. By doing this, your COG remains essentially unchanged.

If you hit the waves at a 90 degree angle and have forward momentum, your boat won't be turned sideways. As the wave approaches start paddling hard, point the bow right at the wave and keep paddling until the wave is behind you. Don't stop paddling when you are on the crest like a lot of people do.

I tried to do that but the backwash from previous waves hit me from behind and somehow turned the kayak enough to be capsized by the next wave.

I've done it once in my X-factor, but that's another story.
The front seal(weatherstrip) needs ton be siliconed at the seam, and I redid the straps so it was tighter. That helped the leak.
I was wondering if there were crabs over there?...
I'm going out next sat  south of seal rock in 50-60ft. I can only hope

Thanks for the tip.  Good luck on Saturday.