Two kayakers perished this week....RIP

[Mark]

I went out yesterday. It was 50 degrees and the winds were moderate.

The water was indeed very cold when I dipped my fingers in it.

I did my very best make sure I stayed upright and dry.

This photo from yesterday is illustrative of my cold-water fishing:

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Close to shore…protected from the wind…no waves…shallow…daylight…and although not seen in the photo I shared the water with another kayaker.

Am I still taking a risk? Of course, I am. The dangers of cold water immersion are well known. Not only that, I could bump my head on the gunnel while falling overboard and knock myself unconscious. My buddy may be around the bend out of sight at the precise moment I need him. Also I'm old enough to get most senior discounts offered in the marketplace so I’m not spry and would certainly have a hell of time crawling back into my boat. My first inclination would be to head to shore. That’s the major reason I don’t venture far from it in the cold – or even in warm water. Lastly, if conditions suggested I should tie myself to my kayak, I definitely would not leave the launch.

We each have our own tolerances for risk and our own ideas for what we believe is acceptable risk.

I’m sure neither of the unfortunate people who are the subject of this thread foresaw circumstances that caused their deaths. And neither can we foresee or prepare for every eventuality that may happen in our kayaks. Hence the 100% discussion above which is so true.

But we can manage our own risk and rely on our common sense and experience. Certainly, be prepared. But don’t put yourself in situations that are likely to exceed your preparations to handle them, especially at this time of year.

By the way, my outing was a bust. I remain fishless for 2017.

[AintMisBehavin]

I went out yesterday. It was 50 degrees and the winds were moderate.

The water was indeed very cold when I dipped my fingers in it.

I did my very best make sure I stayed upright and dry.

This photo from yesterday is illustrative of my cold-water fishing:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]20709[/ATTACH]

Close to shore…protected from the wind…no waves…shallow…daylight…and although not seen in the photo I shared the water with another kayaker.

Am I still taking a risk? Of course, I am. The dangers of cold water immersion are well known. Not only that, I could bump my head on the gunnel while falling overboard and knock myself unconscious. My buddy may be around the bend out of sight at the precise moment I need him. Also I'm old enough to get most senior discounts offered in the marketplace so I’m not spry and would certainly have a hell of time crawling back into my boat. My first inclination would be to head to shore. That’s the major reason I don’t venture far from it in the cold – or even in warm water. Lastly, if conditions suggested I should tie myself to my kayak, I definitely would not leave the launch.

We each have our own tolerances for risk and our own ideas for what we believe is acceptable risk.

I’m sure neither of the unfortunate people who are the subject of this thread foresaw circumstances that caused their deaths. And neither can we foresee or prepare for every eventuality that may happen in our kayaks. Hence the 100% discussion above which is so true.

But we can manage our own risk and rely on our common sense and experience. Certainly, be prepared. But don’t put yourself in situations that are likely to exceed your preparations to handle them, especially at this time of year.

By the way, my outing was a bust. I remain fishless for 2017.

Well written Mark. Risk management is a deliberate action in almost everything we do in our personal and professional lives. We should be just as deliberate when we brave the wind and the waves in our tiny little fishing vessels. I bought a drysuit, safety light, vhf radio and a full size PFD not to save me but to increase my chances of survival in the case of unforeseen circumstances. Between all of us Yakkers we know a lot of stuff that should keep us safe, but it's not what we know that gets us into trouble... it's what we think we know and are wrong about!

Gregory

[J. Rentch]

Was a nice day, but as you wrote the water was very cold. People simply should common sense


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[DonV]

Was a nice day, but as you wrote the water was very cold. People simply should common sense
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I think many peoples common sense doesn't quite grasp the reality of very cold water. It's not something that many people have experienced and a very uncommon experience to most . I'd imagine most would be quite shocked at how quickly the effects on motor function come into play. Thank god I have never had the experience but I have done enough reading to realize how quickly catastrophic immersion in cold water can become. Even after reading extensively on the subject I'd think if the reality happens it will be quite different than what I imagine or think.

I generally think of myself as sensible guy but then just out the blue I can just go and do something incredibly stupid. One of those "DUH" moments. Most instances are very small day to day type stuff and are more of an annoyance than anything. Some small similar mistake or miss move in a kayak in cold water it could end up way more than an annoyance.

[ComeOnFish]

I fish alone most of the time and I am 100% confident in being able to get back in the kayak fast but have debated in my mind about tethering myself to the kayak because I worry about being tangled in the tether. I think this is a good idea and I'll probably make one before I go out again. It would really suck for the wind or current to take the kayak faster than I could swim to get it

http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26817#p283240

rwh,
Like you I fish alone.
I tether myself at the pilings near the 1st Island, regardless the water temp. The current is very strong and the waves are high there as you know. I need to grab the kayak immediately if I got overboard there. it's very hard to predict what can happens (location of me and kayak) at those pilings because of the combination of the current, whirlpool behind the bridge column, and the wind at those pilings.

I use a home made coiled seed whacker line for the leash. it is about a foot long and stretched to about 8'. I practiced multiple times - turtled kayak starboard and port sides. No tangling issues with the line. The ends of the leash are Stainless Steel Round Fixed Eye Boat Snap links. So I can easily remove the leash from my PFD strap and the seat strap.

Also, i mentioned this few times before.
Tethering rods are also very important. I learned this. I got turtled in 12-15' of the water where the sand bar was. Water was churning because of the sand bar where I caught many stripers at around 23-25". When I got turtled, I was wrapped with 30# test braided line around PFD and leg and a fish is on. I had tandem hooks on the rig. One of the hooks caught the bottom I thought. Because of the churning water and I was stuck (a 25" striper pulled hard), the water was up to my nose. I couldn't see nothing below my chin. There was no way I could feel and cut the 30# test braided line with bare hands. Luckily the rod was tethered to the kayak. I pulled the kayak to me and hooked the grab line with my elbow. That time I had two hands free and I could breath. After that, I up-righted the kayak and found a knife in the tackle bag. The tackled bag was also tethered. After hooked the grab line with my elbow, with two free hands, I cut the braided line. The kayak was a 12' perception SOT. the entry was difficult because of a lot of water in the kayak that time. The kayak was too small for the Ocean.

I remember a description of a drowned kayaker by a bridge fisherman years ago. He said the kayaker's head came up twice after he got overboard. The kayaker was found later. I thought the kayaker was wrapped by fishing line and his bottom rig was stuck when there was good current.

Anyway I thether every thing for the self rescue. I have a cutter leashed to the kayak also.

Good sized kayak VS under sized Kayak (Good brand VS not-so good brand)
i tested my Hobie Revo once for water intrusion when capsized.

i capsized the Revo and waited for 5 minutes in calm water. About a gallon of water got in mainly through the rudder cable holes. That is acceptable.
i drained the Revo, capsized the Revo again. This time I put 10 LB weight on the stern to excellerate the water intrusion. I used cooler and anchor to put 10# pressure because I carry about 15 LB behind the seat.

First two minutes, I have about 1.5 -2 gallons. After 2 minutes, the water intrusion excellerated exponentially. After 5 minutes the Revo did not sustain adequate buoyancy for the entry. This was the extreme test. Anyway, I knew, i don't have to up-right my Revo immediately, I have about 5 minutes in normal conditions.

Joe

[mike o]

Thanks for all the insight, I had not considered tethering myself to the kayak.

[Fishtank]

What a shame. RIP. I wish their families peace.

When alone I tether myself at times as well. The pros and cons of this act are debatable. When I weigh the outcomes of either (A) the kayak getting away from me or (B) getting tangled, I opt for the tether. In my opinion the probability to tangle is higher with plain rope and I don’t use it. I use a paddle board or long surfboard leash.