Hi All,
After all the rain the past week I was eager to go out for a paddle in my kayak the other day.
Well I decided to take my Yak up the Gorge just north of Victoria harbour. I paddled up from around Esquimalt and it took me an hour to get there. http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=48.446 ... 0Bridge___
I saw some paddlers in an outrigger canoe going around in circles in and out of the current and they asked me if I was going through, I said "Sure I'll give it a try"-my first mistake.
opcorn:
So as the water was moving kinda fast and I have no kayaking experience in fast moving water or strong currents, in anything other than an inner tube or a motorized raft, I thought (2nd mistake) that I would come in from the left side instead of trying to fight the current all the way through. I came in from the pool on the left into the rushing waters and tried to paddle against the current seeing as I only had twenty feet to go through and then their'd be smooth sailing after that :roll:
So as I entered the current all ideas of going upstream left me and I thought ok, I'll just let the current take me back down to the smoother waters. Well no sooner had I begun that thought I was sideways and then up side down almost as fast as I took my last breath. :shock: For about one millionth of a second I thought I might try the Eskimo roll but again that thought left me as my paddle was torn from my hands and I was reefed out of my Yak With Authority! With my drysuit on and my new PFD I wasn't under water for more than 2 seconds it seemed but my leg was caught in my kayak and I had to struggle to get free. It occurred to me about two seconds after that, that that's the only reason my kayak wasn't in Seattle while I was bobbing around the inlet. It was over before it began and I really only did one thing wrong,... EVERYTHING...
The guide in the outrigger canoe asked if I was alright and I told him I was ok, just going to paddle to shore and climb back in the yak. when I got to shore about ten min later their was only barnacles to try to stand on as they stuck out 1/4 of an inch from the sheer rock face. I decided to take to the water again and paddle/swim to some other rocks that looked like a bit of shallows maybe not even 18 feet away. You know its difficult to swim a distance in a drysuit and PFD pulling a waterlogged kayak...? Another 5 min for that. I stood, or tried to on some rolling rocks in about two feet of water but wasn't having much luck. The guide in the outrigger canoe was backing in over to me and asked me if I wanted some help getting back in my kayak, all my life I always turned down offers of assistance and the words almost came out of my mouth "No I'll be alright" but instead I said "well if you don't mind, sure I'd like some help". So after he hauled my kayak up on to his canoe and dumped the water out he held it so I could get back in, good thing cause those legs of mine that I have so much trouble with weren't going to take much more and I could hardly stand.
I was warm and dry, though out of breath for the first ten min after the capsize and I was still having fun even though my legs were going to quit so easily on me. But after what I put them through I still constantly ask more of them than they can deliver and they were about to rebel and entirely let me down.
So anyway this guide, Corey is his name, complemented me on having all the right gear and told me I am welcome to come paddling the outrigger canoe on Wed nights or Sun afternoons. Really great guy. :big_thumb He told me of a few people and places I could learn some skills and we talked about kayak instruction for a few min, he was friendly without criticizing my lack of abilities.
I never felt I was in any real danger, wasn't frightening or anything and I was quite relaxed and did have some fun.
(Years ago white water rafting down the Fraser and Thompson rivers was pretty unsafe I thought at the time as the raft folded in half and I flew over everybody's heads and luckily landed back in the raft).
But this was no big deal, just another learning experience. I sure am glad I have a drysuit and that is a fact! I did realize I need to learn to do a self rescue. And when classes start up in the spring I'll somehow find the money to go.
All and all it was a good day.
I hope everyone has fun out on the water this year.
Tiger Tsunami.
After all the rain the past week I was eager to go out for a paddle in my kayak the other day.
Well I decided to take my Yak up the Gorge just north of Victoria harbour. I paddled up from around Esquimalt and it took me an hour to get there. http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=48.446 ... 0Bridge___
I saw some paddlers in an outrigger canoe going around in circles in and out of the current and they asked me if I was going through, I said "Sure I'll give it a try"-my first mistake.
opcorn: So as the water was moving kinda fast and I have no kayaking experience in fast moving water or strong currents, in anything other than an inner tube or a motorized raft, I thought (2nd mistake) that I would come in from the left side instead of trying to fight the current all the way through. I came in from the pool on the left into the rushing waters and tried to paddle against the current seeing as I only had twenty feet to go through and then their'd be smooth sailing after that :roll:
So as I entered the current all ideas of going upstream left me and I thought ok, I'll just let the current take me back down to the smoother waters. Well no sooner had I begun that thought I was sideways and then up side down almost as fast as I took my last breath. :shock: For about one millionth of a second I thought I might try the Eskimo roll but again that thought left me as my paddle was torn from my hands and I was reefed out of my Yak With Authority! With my drysuit on and my new PFD I wasn't under water for more than 2 seconds it seemed but my leg was caught in my kayak and I had to struggle to get free. It occurred to me about two seconds after that, that that's the only reason my kayak wasn't in Seattle while I was bobbing around the inlet. It was over before it began and I really only did one thing wrong,... EVERYTHING...
The guide in the outrigger canoe asked if I was alright and I told him I was ok, just going to paddle to shore and climb back in the yak. when I got to shore about ten min later their was only barnacles to try to stand on as they stuck out 1/4 of an inch from the sheer rock face. I decided to take to the water again and paddle/swim to some other rocks that looked like a bit of shallows maybe not even 18 feet away. You know its difficult to swim a distance in a drysuit and PFD pulling a waterlogged kayak...? Another 5 min for that. I stood, or tried to on some rolling rocks in about two feet of water but wasn't having much luck. The guide in the outrigger canoe was backing in over to me and asked me if I wanted some help getting back in my kayak, all my life I always turned down offers of assistance and the words almost came out of my mouth "No I'll be alright" but instead I said "well if you don't mind, sure I'd like some help". So after he hauled my kayak up on to his canoe and dumped the water out he held it so I could get back in, good thing cause those legs of mine that I have so much trouble with weren't going to take much more and I could hardly stand.
I was warm and dry, though out of breath for the first ten min after the capsize and I was still having fun even though my legs were going to quit so easily on me. But after what I put them through I still constantly ask more of them than they can deliver and they were about to rebel and entirely let me down.
So anyway this guide, Corey is his name, complemented me on having all the right gear and told me I am welcome to come paddling the outrigger canoe on Wed nights or Sun afternoons. Really great guy. :big_thumb He told me of a few people and places I could learn some skills and we talked about kayak instruction for a few min, he was friendly without criticizing my lack of abilities.
I never felt I was in any real danger, wasn't frightening or anything and I was quite relaxed and did have some fun.
(Years ago white water rafting down the Fraser and Thompson rivers was pretty unsafe I thought at the time as the raft folded in half and I flew over everybody's heads and luckily landed back in the raft).
But this was no big deal, just another learning experience. I sure am glad I have a drysuit and that is a fact! I did realize I need to learn to do a self rescue. And when classes start up in the spring I'll somehow find the money to go.
All and all it was a good day.
I hope everyone has fun out on the water this year.
Tiger Tsunami.
