Kayaker rescued close to Kipto...

[ronaultmtd]

You don't go out at night alone in cold water- end of story- safety in numbers-
This time of year I don't go alone at all- no time, no where

[medicyaker]

Sketchy indead. His Kayak washed up in NC on the outer banks??? Thats strange as well

[ronaultmtd]

The kayak washing up there is understandable based on Ocean currents and the flow of tidal waters from the major river systems in the Bay...what is hard to understand is anyone launching a kayak at night without a partner in winter in the area around Kiptopeake- seems a bit foolhardy and highly risky to me- I could understand doing that in warm waters or if you were wearing a full exposure suit, but even wearing a dry top and waders, I won't go out without a kayaking partner.

[Memory Maker]

Yeah ..... we met the guy ...... he said he took off his wet suit because it was just a 1 1/2 mile paddle to fisherman's island and he didn't think he needed it .......... He said the yak filled up with water and sank and he made it to shore. The coast guard was dispatched but didn't find him. Some Marine Police was monitoring the police channel and was near by and went to look. Some other fishermen told the police guy that they heard someone yelling and pointed the direction out. He was found with extreme hypothermia and taken to the hospital. I asked why he was out there alone withoput a dyrsuit or at least a drytop. He said he does it all the time and will do it again then asked how much out PA's were because he was in the market for another Yak. ........... so much for natural selection ......... the guy is crazy .......

[surfdog]

his story is full of holes. anyone ever see a kayak flip end for end? can keep his cell phone but cant grab his yak. fishy!

[ronaultmtd]

Typical of hypothermia, though- confusion, lapse of memory, etc. He is extremely lucky to be alive- Fifty degree water can kill you in a short time and it was colder than that- his survival is miraculous- a medical oddity-

[Southerly]

i have no idea what happened. his description of it shifting around uses unexpected terms but is more or less consistent with yak having increasing amount of water in it.

might be describing an example of the free surface effect. the cg of the water in the yak is able to move all around, and the center of bouyancy of the yak moves all around too, and the righting moment you're used to is basically gone.

i practiced reentry in my SINK. piece of cake when the yak is dry, worthless when it's filled with water. the problem as i see it with the SINK is that if chop was bad enough to get a bunch of water in it in the 1st place, probly little chance of getting enough water out to regain stability.

a crack in a SOT. i guess it's not supposed to happen but what can you do?

be prepared for spending time in water, don't panic. hopefully don't put yourself in a situation you can't get out of. i think the buddy system is probably best piece of safety gear.

[medicyaker]

I read or saw on the net that his cell was on or in his PFD. Thank god he had that on. Like I posted a few back, Its a good thing he had that on. I'd like to see us as a group on a summer M&G, ALL do a recovery drill prior to getting way out on the water so nobody looses any gear I'm wondering how or why he thinks his yak sank when in fact it didn't. I'm willing to bet he fell out and was perhaps under the influence or something like that. Just speculation on my part but like many of you have stated... Things just don't make sense. Stranger stuff has happened and at least it wasn't one of our guys!! You will NEVER see me without a PFD!!! asa Medic and Rescue Diver, I have recovered too many poeple from the waters and tribs of the CB without them and they were all DEAD!!! ALWAYS wear the PFD!!! There is no reason not too. There are so many styles on the market that are comfortable that there is NO REASON NOT TOO WEAR A PFD!!!
I'm done preaching now. LOL Thanks

[Southerly]

my SINK has flotation in it but when it's full of water, you cannot sit in it w/o it rolling. you could hang onto it to make being spotted easier, but it would be faster to swim, than hang onto it and kick. i imagine it would be similar situation if a SOT filled with water. more like waterlogged than sank.

swimming out of his pants and boots sounds like his pants and boots were loose fitting type and full of water?

[ronaultmtd]

Does anyone know what brand or model sit on top Kayak he had or if it really was a sit on top yak? Some hybrid yaks don't have scupper drains and sealed hulls and are easily filled with water in choppy conditions-

[CB kayak 02]

He had a Heritage Redfish 12

[ronaultmtd]

Wow! High-quality SOT, standard fishing kayak...that does make this a very strange incident-

[chex]

http://www.snaggedline.com/showthread.php?t=2257

maybe he lit a fire in the yak

[J.A. Veil]

Last summer I had a hairline crack next to a scupper hole on my Manta Ray. During a 2-hour trip I could accumulate a gallon of water in the hull.

I had a pencil-diameter-sized hole in the rear of the keel on my OK Drifter 3 years ago caused by dragging across concrete. It allowed 5-10 gallons of water to accumulate during a 1-hour trip.

In both of these cases, I was paddling in calm waters not too far from a ramp. If the kayaker in the story had a similar or larger hole and was paddling in rough water, he could have taken on enough water to make the boat too heavy and unmanageable.

[Memory Maker]

He said he used it in white water the last time out and he thinks he cracked it ........... story didn't seem to add up when we talked to him .......

I definitely wouldn't sell him life insurance