So I'm sure that all are aware that I intiated a kayak ferry/taxi/shuttle service and a mothership service. That is not recent news. However in my quest to be a great guide, and to familiarize myself with the equipment, I have recently, after forty years, started yaking again.
With some assistance from my local Hobie dealer,www.bluhavenpiers.com I have acquired a demo Outback, to hone my skills.
And today it began. I traveled to St Inigoes State Park at the end of Beachville Rd to the public boat ramp, carrying the Outback in my pickup truck. I didn't carry along fishing gear because my purpose was to practice self-rescue and work out the finer points of pedal drive and sitting on top, something that I'd never experienced before.
I did pack my car keys, wallet and cell phone in sealed tupperware, inside a gallon ziplock bag, and placed that inside the center sealed well.
After I determined that I was in five feet of water, I intentionally rolled out & over the port side and turned turtle with the Outback hull floating completely inverted.
I then learned my first lesson. Even with a PFD on, the clothes that one chooses to wear, is a big deal once in the water. I was wearing cotton denum blue jeans, two tee shirts, socks, slip-on loafers, eyeglasses and a ball cap. My soda drink went floating away, as did my ball cap and a pair of rubber fish gloves. I got entangled in a piece of crab line that had been coiled on the yak and had to turn a few swimming strokes to catch the yak that was trying to drift away. When I caught it, I was in depths over my head and I couldn't flip the yak upright. I tried a couple of ways and then I remembered something I'd seen on snaggedline....using the crabline over the hull tied to a handle , I pushed the gunwale closest to me away and pulled the line flipping the yak upright. By now I was in water where I could barely touch the bottom with my shoes, amazingly still on my feet. So of course, I tried the kip-up onto the side technique and couldn't quite do it. I was able to use an old canoe technique of climbing onto the stern and dragging myself forward straddling the hull , until I could seat myself into the proper position. Then using the paddle, I was able to immediately pickup my floating objects, and I was rescued....sorta.
I pedaled to shore and took everything out of the yak except the paddle, drive system, PFD and went back out into deep water. Bottom line, I struggled and could not perform the self rescue from the side, but I got close several times. I think I'm going to have to practice that.
I'm determined to conquer these techniques for two reasons: I plan to be yak fishing as well as guiding in the immediate future, and second, I think knowing how to operate a kayak is critical to being able to provide a top notch kayak service. And since I am committed to serving kayaks, I'm going to need considerable practice and reliable skills.
I'll keep you informed ; it should be amusing.
With some assistance from my local Hobie dealer,www.bluhavenpiers.com I have acquired a demo Outback, to hone my skills.
And today it began. I traveled to St Inigoes State Park at the end of Beachville Rd to the public boat ramp, carrying the Outback in my pickup truck. I didn't carry along fishing gear because my purpose was to practice self-rescue and work out the finer points of pedal drive and sitting on top, something that I'd never experienced before.
I did pack my car keys, wallet and cell phone in sealed tupperware, inside a gallon ziplock bag, and placed that inside the center sealed well.
After I determined that I was in five feet of water, I intentionally rolled out & over the port side and turned turtle with the Outback hull floating completely inverted.
I then learned my first lesson. Even with a PFD on, the clothes that one chooses to wear, is a big deal once in the water. I was wearing cotton denum blue jeans, two tee shirts, socks, slip-on loafers, eyeglasses and a ball cap. My soda drink went floating away, as did my ball cap and a pair of rubber fish gloves. I got entangled in a piece of crab line that had been coiled on the yak and had to turn a few swimming strokes to catch the yak that was trying to drift away. When I caught it, I was in depths over my head and I couldn't flip the yak upright. I tried a couple of ways and then I remembered something I'd seen on snaggedline....using the crabline over the hull tied to a handle , I pushed the gunwale closest to me away and pulled the line flipping the yak upright. By now I was in water where I could barely touch the bottom with my shoes, amazingly still on my feet. So of course, I tried the kip-up onto the side technique and couldn't quite do it. I was able to use an old canoe technique of climbing onto the stern and dragging myself forward straddling the hull , until I could seat myself into the proper position. Then using the paddle, I was able to immediately pickup my floating objects, and I was rescued....sorta.
I pedaled to shore and took everything out of the yak except the paddle, drive system, PFD and went back out into deep water. Bottom line, I struggled and could not perform the self rescue from the side, but I got close several times. I think I'm going to have to practice that.
I'm determined to conquer these techniques for two reasons: I plan to be yak fishing as well as guiding in the immediate future, and second, I think knowing how to operate a kayak is critical to being able to provide a top notch kayak service. And since I am committed to serving kayaks, I'm going to need considerable practice and reliable skills.
I'll keep you informed ; it should be amusing.
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