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Kayak camping: after the capsize


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Here's a picture that tells a whole story: exhausted paddler, sleeping pad attached to aft deck, paddle float deployed, paddler too tired and weak to get back into the boat.

The Coast Guard shows up to help.

This one's from Gulfport, Mississippi. The guy was okay,used his vhf to call for help.

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Interesting. So he couldn't cut the bag off the foredeck and ditch it? Maybe shove it into the cockpit, reenter and roll?

Looks like the conditions were very bad but at least he should have tried before calling the CG for rescue.

He has a blog, you can follow his trip:

http://kayakworldtraveler.blogspot.com/

He had a big deck bag that filled with water, preventing him from righting the kayak. Liz

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The last time Emilie and I went kayak camping, we took our tandem and did some rolls with it fully loaded while near shore. Everything stayed in its place in the boat, including the paddlers. ;)

In our favor was that we were packed for only a single night.

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i am about to try attaching a suction cup camera mount on my foredeck. I will sure be rolling with it before I go anywhere.

The last time Emilie and I went kayak camping, we took our tandem and did some rolls with it fully loaded while near shore. Everything stayed in its place in the boat, including the paddlers. ;)

In our favor was that we were packed for only a single night.

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i am about to try attaching a suction cup camera mount on my foredeck. I will sure be rolling with it before I go anywhere.

Be sure to tether it, or someday you will lose it. ...but they can be fun! :)
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That was me out there that day.Probably should have waited for better condition but the winds have been strong and steady around here for 2 months(unusual)Did not know the bag had filled with water.It had less then 1 pound of gear in it & a waterproof inner bag that should have been holding air not water....mainly used to transport gear to campsite.I have gotten rid of it.Skeg broke which is why I went over in the first place.Brass grommet had come off,cable came free & allowed water to enter which wasn't helping matters.Had I not had the VHF or was unable to use it I certainly would have cut everything off the deck (and then been able to reenter)Weather kicked up something fierce on that last mile...wind tripled as well as waves.Have upgrade to better gear,epirb,flare gun,better gps.Still looking for gear that can handle the condition as most gear doesn't.Been a rough 3 weeks but as soon as my leg heals :) I'll be back at it!

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Good luck to you and thanks for chiming in. I second the choice of EPIRB. I am in awe of your upcoming adventures. P.S. Hurricane season officially started today. Maybe the wind that picked your kayak airborne was a prequel. Stay safe.

That was me out there that day.Probably should have waited for better condition but the winds have been strong and steady around here for 2 months(unusual)Did not know the bag had filled with water.It had less then 1 pound of gear in it & a waterproof inner bag that should have been holding air not water....mainly used to transport gear to campsite.I have gotten rid of it.Skeg broke which is why I went over in the first place.Brass grommet had come off,cable came free & allowed water to enter which wasn't helping matters.Had I not had the VHF or was unable to use it I certainly would have cut everything off the deck (and then been able to reenter)Weather kicked up something fierce on that last mile...wind tripled as well as waves.Have upgrade to better gear,epirb,flare gun,better gps.Still looking for gear that can handle the condition as most gear doesn't.Been a rough 3 weeks but as soon as my leg heals :) I'll be back at it!

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What was that like, having the CG show up? I was surprised to see in the photo that they placed you between the rescue boat and your kayak.

Did they haul your kayak aboard and take you ashore?

I'd love to hear what the rest of the rescue was like: the details of what happened once the CG picked you up and you were in their boat.

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What was that like, having the CG show up? I was surprised to see in the photo that they placed you between the rescue boat and your kayak.

Did they haul your kayak aboard and take you ashore?

I'd love to hear what the rest of the rescue was like: the details of what happened once the CG picked you up and you were in their boat.

It was quite amazing.3 boats & a helicopter converged on me at the same time.Helicopter went right over me and did not see the 18' of white hull.My GPS was not waterproof enough & could not be "viewed" from inside a protective case so I did not have my exact location.I told them 4 miles SW of Cat Island which was almost exactly correct.They did haul my kayak on board.I have an electric bilge pump which helped a lot as it was so heavy they could only hold it up & wait for it to drain.

Not only did they take me ashore but they treated me like an ole friend.They even dry dock stored my kayak for a few days while I regrouped & re-geared.I'll probably add the USCG to my will in some way as I've never found a more deserving organization!

My blog has a pretty good detailed account of that day.....it is listed earlier in this post.

Thanks to everyone for there support.Hopefully I will be well prepared before I hit the Mexico boarder.

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Electric bilge pumps: I remember when NSPN first started that several members experimented with electric bilge pumps. David Lewis brought one to Mystic Lake to test. No one really knew what to make of the idea. But then again, none of us really knew what we were doing, and everything was an experiment.

Hand bilge pumps always struck me as dicey on a solo trip. Capsize in rough conditions when you're solo and the drill is, if you can't roll, wet-exit, get the kayak upright and re-enter. Allright, done. But then you're still in the conditions that capsized you, and now you have to use two hands to run the hand pump.

Meanwhile, you can't use your paddle to brace in the swell or chop or wind or breaking waves that dumped you. Both hands are fully occupied. Always a scenario that has unnerved me to think about. Moreover, your skirt is either fully open or partially so. So even while you're bailing, you're getting swamped.

Rule bilge pumps, by the way, are made in Gloucester up on Kondelin Road in West Gloucester. Boat bilge pums use a float switch. Once water rises in the bilge, the float switch activates the pump.

That's why at docks you see often see unmanned boats at abruptly burping water from their blige ports above the water line.

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Hand bilge pumps always struck me as dicey on a solo trip. Capsize in rough conditions when you're solo and the drill is, if you can't roll, wet-exit, get the kayak upright and re-enter. Allright, done. But then you're still in the conditions that capsized you, and now you have to use two hands to run the hand pump.

Meanwhile, you can't use your paddle to brace in the swell or chop or wind or breaking waves that dumped you. Both hands are fully occupied. Always a scenario that has unnerved me to think about. Moreover, your skirt is either fully open or partially so. So even while you're bailing, you're getting swamped.

I'd love to see a well done foot pump that is easily installed.

Ty

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I'd love to see a well done foot pump that is easily installed.

Ty

Mine is actually wired to a switch outside a pelican case attached in front of my seat to floor with heavy velcro.two holes drilled in case but marine sealant keeps it dry inside.Wires are glued to floor running up to front of cockpit.Easy reach in,flip the switch to empty cockpit.Nice for rough landings where water gets in too.

BTW pelican case holds 12V battery,12 AA batteries charging & dc outlet.All hooked to 12v solar panel.Also have an ac/dc converter for those non AA battery items like camera/cellphone.Can even charge my HP mini laptop.

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  • 6 years later...
On 6/1/2011 at 6:17 AM, adambolonsky said:

What was that like, having the CG show up? I was surprised to see in the photo that they placed you between the rescue boat and your kayak.

Did they haul your kayak aboard and take you ashore?

I'd love to hear what the rest of the rescue was like: the details of what happened once the CG picked you up and you were in their boat.

https://www.amazon.com/YOURE-CRAZY-KAYAKING-GULF-CARIBBEAN-ebook/dp/B01EKWYYLY

 

 

Still alive and back in Oregon. It took me 5 years to write my book on that trip. I'm told it is quite entertaining. I get "rescued" in Chapters 1 , 5 & 8. Working on a  set of educational childrens books, historic Genaology book and plan on traveling down the Oregon/CA. coastline and completing a book mainly of photos. Excited about that one as I look at taking pictures in a whole another way and they are sure to be amazing,beautiful and original.

 

On 6/1/2011 at 4:12 AM, brambor said:

Good luck to you and thanks for chiming in. I second the choice of EPIRB. I am in awe of your upcoming adventures. P.S. Hurricane season officially started today. Maybe the wind that picked your kayak airborne was a prequel. Stay safe.

 

 

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https://www.amazon.com/YOURE-CRAZY-KAYAKING-GULF-CARIBBEAN-ebook/dp/B01EKWYYLY

 

https://kdp.amazon.com/amazon-dp-action/us/dualbookshelf.marketplacelink/1520929099

Still alive and back in Oregon. It took me 5 years to write my book on that trip. I'm told it is quite entertaining. I get "rescued" in Chapters 1 , 5 & 8. Working on a  set of educational childrens books, historic Genaology book and plan on traveling down the Oregon/CA. coastline and completing a book mainly of photos. Excited about that one as I look at taking pictures in a whole another way and they are sure to be amazing,beautiful and original.

 

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