Flipped in San Diego bay. - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Fiskadoro · 08-15-2009, 01:45 PM

Now that's an interesting post...

I used to run a 56 Ocean pretty much identical to this one.....

.......out of Marina Del Rey. There is long portion of the channel that had a ten or possibly now eight knot limit between the main harbor and outer breakwall, and since the power lanes are narrow on each side and the kayakers usually stick to the sides this put us in close proximity to kaykers.

Like you we put out a huge wake at certain speeds. I never dumped anyone but there were some close calls, especially with the small sabot fleet that frequents MDR.

What I did is played with my speed and throttle settings until I found the best wake pattern with the least height to it, and then used it coming and going. For us it was around six and a half Knots. I know that seems slow but when your only going a less then a mile there is very little real time ETA difference between 6.5 and 9.5 knots, and it was worth it to us for safety reasons to take the extra time.

Kudos to you for stopping, lots of guys would of just kept going, but your describing a potentially dangerous situation with lots boats in the area, and to me it sounds like you were going to fast.

By law any boat traveling in a harbor is legally responsibility for damage caused by their wake, no matter what speed they are traveling, speed limits in harbors are suggestions but it's the responsibility of the operator to keep his boat at a safe speed in relation to conditions, and others on the water.

Additionally the fact he was not wearing his jacket is irrelevant as far as your actions are concerned, his safety is his business. Lots of Bay yakkers are newbies with little experience but you're the one that's running your boat, and who needs to behave reasonably. If it had been a dog on a surfboard, or even a floating telephone pole out there it's your job to avoid it not the other way around. Not only for your boats protection but also for liability as your boat can do a lot more damage then a kayak, surfboard or even telephone pole.

Trust me I hear where you're coming from, I've been right there.

My pet peeve was outside the harbor where small private boats would pull right directly in front of me and then stop for a halibut drift while I'm cruising at 20 knots on Autopilot.

With sixty thousand pounds of inertia, and my two Detroit's spooled up what could I do?

If I tried to slow down and make a wide turn I'd wake the holy hell out of them. If kept on at speed and just avoided them, I'd have to pass within maybe twenty feet of them at speed, and they'd still get a sizable wake, not to mention just be scared silly.

I finally learned the thing to do was just throttle down to almost nothing, just enough power to keep steerage and coast to almost to a stop.

That lead to some interesting exchanges let me tell you.

When 56 super sport coasts to a stop within twenty feet of your boat... well people take notice.... LOL

My favorite thing to do then was just idle up along side, lean out of the fly bridge and the say: "Don't do that!!!" "That's not very smart!!!" Talk about some sheepish looks... LMAO

Like I said: I hear where you're coming from and Kudos to you for stopping or even having the guts to come on this board to post about it. That said keep in mind that there are a lot of boaters and yakkers out there without that much experience, and they certainly do not know what is involved or understand just how difficult it is to run a boat of your size, and ultimately you're responsible for your boat, it's wake and any damage it causes. If in doubt you should always slow down.

So what are you running in that thing? Twin Detroits, 2X300 gallon tanks? About 2 grand to fill it up?

You might want to consider replacing the guys gear, or at least offer to buy him a rod or two. At less then 10% of your fuel bill it's not going to kill you and will sure do a lot for your rep, and make you look like a stand up guy.

I didn't own the 56 Ocean above nor could I afford the fuel to run it, but just ran it for the owner. If it had been us that's the exact advice I would of given him in the same situation, and if I was at the wheel I'd of then told him to take it out of my pay.

That's just my take.

Jim

Matt · 08-15-2009, 02:32 PM

The fact of the matter is simply this you should never have gone past a paddle powered boat throwing off that much of a wake, you as the motor boat are supposed to give way to the kayak. Check your coast guard regs man....if that kayaker files a complaint with the coast guard you could be in a lot of trouble!

sterling · 08-15-2009, 03:52 PM

It takes two to create a collision or accident. I fish way out in the mouth of the bay on my kayak. I leash my equipment and wear a pfd, and am always watching what the big boats are doing. Let's see cruise liners, aircraft carriers, various military vessels, yachts and ya hoos galore go through there some screaming since it's a ways back to the dock.
The sportfisher said he didn't see the guy, "he popped out from behind a boat." He went back and was so concerned he posted here. Yes he could have been more careful but so could the yaker. Nobody was injured and lessons learned. I think this incident and post should serve as a safety reminder. It sucks for the guy who lost his stuff, but who hasn't lost equipment off a yak. Just the cost of doing business.

dsafety · 08-15-2009, 07:17 PM

It sounds to me that Mr. Tranquility is a stand up guy who has probably learned from this incident. The kayaker is probably really pissed off and that is understandable but I bet he does not understand how lucky he is that people came to his aid. Without a PFD, he could have been toast.

I do not defend the fact that the sportfisher was probably going too fast for the conditions. I suspect that next time he will dial things down a notch. On the other hand, as someone mentioned, there are cruise ships and Navy boats galore out there and they are not bound by the "yield to unpowered boats" rules. We in the tiny plastic boats need to keep our eyes open. In my mind, kayaking in a busy shipping channel is kind of like riding a motorcycle on a busy freeway.

The bottom line is we all have to turn on our brains before we get out on the water. Kayakers need to be careful and power boaters need to be courteous. As someone said earlier in this post... What goes around, comes around. That is a good thought to live by.

Bob

Gino · 08-15-2009, 07:55 PM

shit happpends

last time a boat got that clsoe and almsot flipped me, he got a free

but he didnt like how he got it!

Be safe out thier folks!

PAL · 08-15-2009, 08:13 PM

That's a stand up post by Tranquility, who got anything but for his trouble. I don't see this so cut and dried. We kayakers have to take personal responsibility too, and limit our exposure.

I'd like to hear the other side of the story, but going from what we have here, Tranquility might be responsible but the fault is not his alone.

It doesn't matter what kind of wake Tranquility throws, anyone out in busy SD Bay channel traffic better be able to ride some steep ones out. Those who can't are best off fishing the edges, or at the very least leashing anything you want to keep. To the unfortunate flipper, if you're reading this and still new to the sport, try somewhere a bit less busy. Tidelands is great, and if you don't mind a bit of fugly water, you'll rack up a great score in the south bay.

Hey Tranquility, thanks for posting - it would have been easier to write the whole thing off and move on. How'd the tuna bite?

steveooo · 08-15-2009, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAL

anyone out in busy SD Bay channel traffic better be able to ride some steep ones out. Those who can't are best off fishing the edges, or at the very least leashing anything you want to keep. To the unfortunate flipper, if you're reading this and still new to the sport, try somewhere a bit less busy. Tidelands is great, and if you don't mind a bit of fugly water, you'll rack up a great score in the south bay.

Hey Tranquility, thanks for posting - it would have been easier to write the whole thing off and move on. How'd the tuna bite?

X2

I've seen yakers do some dumb stuff near PB's, both inside and outside the bay.

Good stand-up post Tranquility.

Be safe out there.

08-15-2009, 01:45 PM	#1
Fiskadoro ....... Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,509	Now that's an interesting post... I used to run a 56 Ocean pretty much identical to this one..... .......out of Marina Del Rey. There is long portion of the channel that had a ten or possibly now eight knot limit between the main harbor and outer breakwall, and since the power lanes are narrow on each side and the kayakers usually stick to the sides this put us in close proximity to kaykers. Like you we put out a huge wake at certain speeds. I never dumped anyone but there were some close calls, especially with the small sabot fleet that frequents MDR. What I did is played with my speed and throttle settings until I found the best wake pattern with the least height to it, and then used it coming and going. For us it was around six and a half Knots. I know that seems slow but when your only going a less then a mile there is very little real time ETA difference between 6.5 and 9.5 knots, and it was worth it to us for safety reasons to take the extra time. Kudos to you for stopping, lots of guys would of just kept going, but your describing a potentially dangerous situation with lots boats in the area, and to me it sounds like you were going to fast. By law any boat traveling in a harbor is legally responsibility for damage caused by their wake, no matter what speed they are traveling, speed limits in harbors are suggestions but it's the responsibility of the operator to keep his boat at a safe speed in relation to conditions, and others on the water. Additionally the fact he was not wearing his jacket is irrelevant as far as your actions are concerned, his safety is his business. Lots of Bay yakkers are newbies with little experience but you're the one that's running your boat, and who needs to behave reasonably. If it had been a dog on a surfboard, or even a floating telephone pole out there it's your job to avoid it not the other way around. Not only for your boats protection but also for liability as your boat can do a lot more damage then a kayak, surfboard or even telephone pole. Trust me I hear where you're coming from, I've been right there. My pet peeve was outside the harbor where small private boats would pull right directly in front of me and then stop for a halibut drift while I'm cruising at 20 knots on Autopilot. With sixty thousand pounds of inertia, and my two Detroit's spooled up what could I do? If I tried to slow down and make a wide turn I'd wake the holy hell out of them. If kept on at speed and just avoided them, I'd have to pass within maybe twenty feet of them at speed, and they'd still get a sizable wake, not to mention just be scared silly. I finally learned the thing to do was just throttle down to almost nothing, just enough power to keep steerage and coast to almost to a stop. That lead to some interesting exchanges let me tell you. When 56 super sport coasts to a stop within twenty feet of your boat... well people take notice.... LOL My favorite thing to do then was just idle up along side, lean out of the fly bridge and the say: "Don't do that!!!" "That's not very smart!!!" Talk about some sheepish looks... LMAO Like I said: I hear where you're coming from and Kudos to you for stopping or even having the guts to come on this board to post about it. That said keep in mind that there are a lot of boaters and yakkers out there without that much experience, and they certainly do not know what is involved or understand just how difficult it is to run a boat of your size, and ultimately you're responsible for your boat, it's wake and any damage it causes. If in doubt you should always slow down. So what are you running in that thing? Twin Detroits, 2X300 gallon tanks? About 2 grand to fill it up? You might want to consider replacing the guys gear, or at least offer to buy him a rod or two. At less then 10% of your fuel bill it's not going to kill you and will sure do a lot for your rep, and make you look like a stand up guy. I didn't own the 56 Ocean above nor could I afford the fuel to run it, but just ran it for the owner. If it had been us that's the exact advice I would of given him in the same situation, and if I was at the wheel I'd of then told him to take it out of my pay. That's just my take. Jim Last edited by Fiskadoro; 08-15-2009 at 07:22 PM.

08-15-2009, 02:32 PM	#2
Matt Support your local pangas Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Lj Posts: 976	The fact of the matter is simply this you should never have gone past a paddle powered boat throwing off that much of a wake, you as the motor boat are supposed to give way to the kayak. Check your coast guard regs man....if that kayaker files a complaint with the coast guard you could be in a lot of trouble! __________________ Thanks Matt F.

08-15-2009, 07:17 PM	#4
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,122	It sounds to me that Mr. Tranquility is a stand up guy who has probably learned from this incident. The kayaker is probably really pissed off and that is understandable but I bet he does not understand how lucky he is that people came to his aid. Without a PFD, he could have been toast. I do not defend the fact that the sportfisher was probably going too fast for the conditions. I suspect that next time he will dial things down a notch. On the other hand, as someone mentioned, there are cruise ships and Navy boats galore out there and they are not bound by the "yield to unpowered boats" rules. We in the tiny plastic boats need to keep our eyes open. In my mind, kayaking in a busy shipping channel is kind of like riding a motorcycle on a busy freeway. The bottom line is we all have to turn on our brains before we get out on the water. Kayakers need to be careful and power boaters need to be courteous. As someone said earlier in this post... What goes around, comes around. That is a good thought to live by. Bob Last edited by dsafety; 08-16-2009 at 09:05 AM.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

08-15-2009, 03:52 PM	#3
sterling Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 118	It takes two to create a collision or accident. I fish way out in the mouth of the bay on my kayak. I leash my equipment and wear a pfd, and am always watching what the big boats are doing. Let's see cruise liners, aircraft carriers, various military vessels, yachts and ya hoos galore go through there some screaming since it's a ways back to the dock. The sportfisher said he didn't see the guy, "he popped out from behind a boat." He went back and was so concerned he posted here. Yes he could have been more careful but so could the yaker. Nobody was injured and lessons learned. I think this incident and post should serve as a safety reminder. It sucks for the guy who lost his stuff, but who hasn't lost equipment off a yak. Just the cost of doing business.

08-15-2009, 07:55 PM	#5
Gino Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 520	shit happpends last time a boat got that clsoe and almsot flipped me, he got a free but he didnt like how he got it! Be safe out thier folks!

08-15-2009, 08:13 PM	#6
PAL Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 754	That's a stand up post by Tranquility, who got anything but for his trouble. I don't see this so cut and dried. We kayakers have to take personal responsibility too, and limit our exposure. I'd like to hear the other side of the story, but going from what we have here, Tranquility might be responsible but the fault is not his alone. It doesn't matter what kind of wake Tranquility throws, anyone out in busy SD Bay channel traffic better be able to ride some steep ones out. Those who can't are best off fishing the edges, or at the very least leashing anything you want to keep. To the unfortunate flipper, if you're reading this and still new to the sport, try somewhere a bit less busy. Tidelands is great, and if you don't mind a bit of fugly water, you'll rack up a great score in the south bay. Hey Tranquility, thanks for posting - it would have been easier to write the whole thing off and move on. How'd the tuna bite?