My Yard Sale at Shelter Cove

Damn, I guess I am glad I didn't get to the cove early enough to fish on friday
Glad everyone was OK.
Nice job on all the rescues guys! 

Thanks Tote and everyone for sharing your experiences, this is going to make me rethink some of my safety procedures and the way my gear is setup.

I am glad you're ok Tote and thanks for sharing your ordeal with us so we can all learn how to well prepare for an incident like that.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. i was out there too on Friday and I heard all the radio chatter.

I'm glad Danglin was looking out from shore on Saturday to give us warning on the swells.

With my new 2015 Hobie, the seat being higher definitely made me feel squirrelly and had to find my balance a few times, almost lost it a few times.

Learning to read the swells definitely helps. I agree that get on board first and worry about your stuff later.

Glad everyone is alive and safe.

Glad everyone was OK. It wasn't good Friday or Saturday at times. Saturday nobody went for a swim that I know of and I credit Danglin for that as well as the learnings from Friday. I have been swimming more times than I can count. It's just part of the sport. As you get older, self rescue gets harder. Practice it every year in each of your kayaks. Timing your re-entry with the prevailing swell can make it easier. I run one ama most days and it is extremely stable. I used my adventure hull only extensively in bad conditions before I converted it to an AI. In bad conditions I paddled it with the rudder up and mirage fins against the hull. You can brace and turn quicker using a paddle. This is why I think it is better to own a paddle kayak before owning a Hobie.

Friday was defiantly an experience to say the least. I hooked up with the senior screws just south of ab point, and for the most part was enjoying some great fishing and BSing with the guys. Even managed a couple Lings off the board (longer than the hog trough). As we laughed and enjoyed each others company, in the protection of the cove (we were fishing in close 20-30') we noticed everyone heading in and realized the swell had increased quite a bit. We started our way in, but rounding the point was a real adventure. I thought I was out wide enough on the point, but found myself in what seemed like a monsoon. I felt myself being thrown left and right, quite a different feeling from what I'm used to. The rudder on my OK Ultra 4.7 was nearly useless. Adding the weight of several nice fish made the yak tail heavy, and I was pitched by one wave to the left, than back to the right as it crested under me .... New meaning to pucker power. I was lucky enough to dodge this scenario a few times by also straddling my yak as I paddled. Fortunately I didn't have to swim, although I was ready to.
No shame in admitting defeat, and I thank god that we are all here to share our experiences.
Major lesson learned for me ... Keep a constant eye on mother nature, and don't push your abilities

Eric / Yakhopper
;0)

Friday turned pretty snotty, really fast. It was definitely a washer machine out there with some nice size rollers spaced closely apart. I'm really glad it wasn't Saturday where the dump count would have definitely been higher.

Glad your adventure was a successful one Tote with minimal material loss. I'm sure the diving experience of getting off and on a yak keeps self rescue techniques fresh in your mind. I know it helps me and it is now a routine maneuver.

Even though it was like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride out there I felt in control and confident in my training. I also never felt winded paddling back against the wind. I attribute that to extensive cardio training.

Conditions can change as fast as in the  flip of a light switch and IMO you should be prepared to paddle/peddle against the fan for at least an hour straight without assistance in the ocean.

My approach to kayaking is the same as that to scuba/free diving and abide to this code.

The Code of
The Responsible Diver
As a responsible diver.....
I understand the risks I may encounter while diving.
I will seek experience and knowledge from those with more and will share mine with those who have less.
Superior divers.....
Use their superior knowledge to stay out of situations that would require their superior skills.
Your equipment can be excellent..... But it’s not responsible for you.
Your training can be excellent..... But it’s not responsible for you.
Your buddy can be excellent.....
But they are not responsible for you.
You are responsible for you..... Be excellent. Be smart. Be safe.

Also regardless of how much you practice self rescue in a controlled environment things can go awry when it actually goes down. Even with a clean deck free of leashes you can't control the kelp for instance. "Kelp kills" as a seasoned dive boat deckhand once told me.

Therefor always remember
Rule number one "DON'T PANIC"
Rule number two "DON'T PANIC"
Rule number three......you guessed it "DON'T PANIC"

Once you are level headed your self rescue techniques will kick in.

Thanks to everyone who helped out our fellow brothers out there this past extended weekend. Glad everyone got home safe to their loved ones. 

Antonio

Well, thats nothing a huge cuervo shot wont fix

but I'm really glad you made it out of that OK Mike. It gets spooky fast when those waves come up with the wind behind them.

I headed in relatively early both days, and I actually quite enjoyed the paddle in each time.
It gets to be a bit of a game to get the timing of paddle power and weight distribution right, and I was fortunate to keep things fun rather than capsizing the kayak.

Squirrely is a good description of the ocean Friday & Saturday. Saturday morning the wind gusts were pushing the paddle blade around.

Lots of very good info in this post, so thank you!

In the meantime, this mysterious salty seafaring legend appeared out of nowhere: Raydon tied a rope to the young man's bow and started towing him to safety! Video to come.


............then I spotted the Jackpot! A floating medicine container bobbed in the swell and looked like it was possibly stuffed full of Humboldt greenery hahaha...I called it out and we raced to snatch it up. Only to discover it was full of hooks & line...booooo!

Raydons the man!!!!

  Tote told me about you finding his medicine container 
That was one of his many empty Prozac bottles 

Im glad everyone got in safely with minimal gear loss!

I feel very lucky to be a part of this group. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge, experiences, and for keeping a lookout for fellow ncka brothers and sistas.

I am probably newest to the sport that has commented here, but have grown up on and around the ocean and have noted a few key points that others have brought up.

RacinRob said: I got ahead of a BIG roller and my Tarpon started to surf in front of the roller. it started to turn left quickly so I hit full right rudder and braced hard on the paddle to the right. I slowed enough and turned right to save  the flip.

Very good point. It is safer to paddle slower and let the rollers pass under you, which is very counter intuitive when the seas are up and all we want is to be on dry land. Slow and in control is the way to go. If you do start to surf a swell, it is important to know how to steer your boat, with your rudder and your paddle. Having a paddle out is much more reliable as far as stability in rough seas because it helps distribute weight making the boat a more stable platform, and like Scott said, you can brace and turn quicker with a paddle.

Also a good point to practice surfing and steering. This helps understand what your boat wants to do (turn sharply to broadside, then flip) and how to control it (use your paddle like a rudder. hold shaft in both hands, top hand facing your chest, bottom hand away from you with blade buried in the water at your hip, perpendicular to the boat, on the side you want the boat to turn.)


Another other key point that stood out was from Cen Coast:

 In the past, I've remedied the situation by straping the mirage pedal forward so the fins are flush against the hull, then paddling while straddling the hull...I don't put my feet completely int he water; just have my heels on the edge off the gunnels. It provides more stability, for me at least.

Having the peddles flush against the boat does the same as having the rudder up. It means that you have more control over the direction the boat will go with your paddle, and less for swells to push against.

Putting heels on the gunnels spreads your weight and makes the boat much more stable. Combine that with having a paddle out, rudder up and peddles flush, and the boat will be more to safely get to shore in angry seas.

Last thing that stood out was personal safety over gear. You can replace gear. Stay safe out there.


Aloha,

Isao

In the meantime, this mysterious salty seafaring legend appeared out of nowhere: Raydon tied a rope to the young man's bow and started towing him to safety! Video to come.


............then I spotted the Jackpot! A floating medicine container bobbed in the swell and looked like it was possibly stuffed full of Humboldt greenery hahaha...I called it out and we raced to snatch it up. Only to discover it was full of hooks & line...booooo!

Raydons the man!!!!

  Tote told me about you finding his medicine container 
That was one of his many empty Prozac bottles 

LOL!!

I saw the billge pump flaoting by inshore from PK and pointed it out...then we saw the bottle and were like "F the pump, get the goodies!" 

By the time we got the bottle the pump was behind us and no way were we gonna back track and try and find it!

The big take home message for me, and one that I pounded into young Chatty Matty over the rest of the weekend, is that if paddling out multiple miles to dive in a 7mm freedive suit...TAKE YOUR TOP OFF!! Or at least make sure to splash water on your head etc if you start feeling like you are overheating...

He totally overheated and started dryheaving...as soon as I was done diving and PK and Raydon told me he wasnt doing well I paddled over, made him take his top off, put his banks board on my yak to lighten his load, and after 5 minutes of being towed by superhero Raydon he was talking again and so we knew he was felling better.

 

Later on when he got creamed by the BIG wave he made the smart instant decision to ditch his weightbelt that he had on (another lesson learned, keep that belt off and secure inside yak or in tankwell), and was able to hold onto his fins and wetsuit top for a second until I got to him, grabbed his gear and flipped his yak back over for him. 

But yeah...it was a tough paddle in for sure.

Made the cold beer at the beach that much more awesome though.

 

Special thanks again to Raydon for being such a stud and to PK for fishing in the area of my yak until I got back to it safely.

Love you guys!!

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I'll echo what the others have noticed about the Revo 13 and trailing seas. Its the reason I prefer my T13 when big swell is forecast (as long as the wind isn't severe).  When very large trailing sets come upon me, I stop pedaling and drape my legs overboard to stabilize as the larger sets pass through, then get back on the gas and GTFO.

Tote,

You mentioned in your post you only had 2 things leashed, bait jug and game clip. You also mentioned that the rods were in the rod holders making it hard to flip the kayak back over.  Do you have leashes on your rods?  If not how do you keep them in place? 

Tote,

You mentioned in your post you only had 2 things leashed, bait jug and game clip. You also mentioned that the rods were in the rod holders making it hard to flip the kayak back over.  Do you have leashes on your rods?  If not how do you keep them in place?

Locking Rod Holders?

Way to use experience and skill to get to safety, everybody.

Great thread.