self rescue story

This is both a little scary and exciting at the same time



INCIDENT:
I capsized my Hobie Outback in Jamaica Bay during a kayak fishing tournament. I was approximately 2 � miles from the mainland launch site. (Floyd Bennett Field)

Some of the things I did wrong were:
� Waterproof VHF was not charged�
o If you don�t have one buy one that floats. (Icom makes one)
� Didn�t have my dry top on. (discussed later)
� Didn�t have a kayak bilge pump on board.
� Didn�t have battery ready for rollover.
� Didn�t have camera in a quality Waterproof bag.
� Don�t go out alone.
� Didn�t have a kayak pump (cups and sponger are of little use)
o Scotty & Beckson make them.

Some things I have read in this form that would have greatly helped me:
� Think about carrying a flare kit and fins

Some of the things that helped me during my self-rescue
� Practiced self rescue every year in my yak
o Train like you fight - Fight like you train.
� Stayed focused on what do to now
o Don�t dwell on how you got there � Its How are you going to get out that will save you.
� Don�t panic, draw on your life�s experiences and the resources on hand.
� If a step in your self-recovery doesn�t work out, focus on what you should do next.
� Do not reflect on your life or loved ones. Focus on the current step of your recovery.
� I frequent the gym to get a good cardio workout, especially during the off season.
� Knowing that I could do this� (Think Positive)

During this event I learned several things. I think one of the most important is anything I had stored inside my kayak would have been useless during this event, until I made land� Boy did that water taste good!

Note to readers: I have tried to not leave anything out of this. If you don�t have much time or don�t want the details this is as far as you need to read.

This is the chain of events that happened at Jamaica Bay.
For those of you that haven�t been there it is as wide as Fishers Island sound.
� Saturday weather was wind form the East at 15-20 knots, forecast to drop to 5-12 by mid morning.
� Sea conditions were relatively flat with small choppy waves.
� I launched at 6:20 am and headed out towards the spot in the bay I had selected (3 hour peddle).
� My partner had an equipment problem that delayed him; we agreed to meet up in the selected fishing grounds.
� DON�T GO OUT ALONE!
� After 1-� hours I stopped and caught a small fish. I didn�t notice any thing different about the handling of the Outback. I resumed my course to the fishing grounds (Directly into the Wind and Waves)
� Had I been using bait VS. plastic, I would have opened my hatch and seen excessive water in the hull.
� ALL SAILORS SHOULD DO HOURLY CHECKS OF THE BILGE.
� I noticed waves splashing over my bow and around my FWD hatch, then draining into the wet well. Wave frequency was every 4 seconds, or so.
� I didn�t hear any unusual sounds, but the wind was blowing and my hood was up.
� I wasn�t worried because my Outback had seen much rougher seas and wind.
� I altered my course 15� to the left to head for the tip of an Island (p-call)
� Shortly after the course change I noticed that my Kayak wanted to tilt to the left twice
� This had never happened before.
� DON�T IGNORE CHANGES IN HOW YOUR YAK HANDLES
� I wasn�t sure why it did this but I decided to make a direct course to the closest part of the island (15� more to the left)
� Now 30 �off the seas, the first small wave that hit me capsizing my Kayak.
� I remember saying to my self, �This can�t be happening, my yak is 34� wide�
� When I got back to the surface (Thank you PFD) I said to myself �What is the next step?� I turned my yak over. This was the easiest part of this self-rescue.
� PRACTICE THIS EVERY YEAR IN DEEP WATER
� After righting my Kayak I went to clime back into the cockpit (I snorkel often from my YAK) and noticed the draft was low
� Looking into the cockpit I noticed the water level in the wet well was at the bottom of the upper decal (in-front of the drive). This is about an inch higher than when I am sitting in the YAK. (estimated 35-40 gallons of water.
� DON�T DISPARE WHEN THINGS DON�T WORK OUT, SELECT A NEW STEP IN THE PLAN.
� At this point I realized that I was not going to be able to de-water with the small sponge I had onboard.
� ALWAYS CARRY A KAYAK PUMP.
� (Dude has done this for a long time)
� At this point I started swimming (towing my outback) to the Island that I was heading for. (58� water temp). Current was flowing out carrying me to the left.
� SWIM WITH OR ACROSS THE CURRENT
� I remember that from Boy Scouts!
� As I swam I noticed that I was being set to the left, at one point I remember reminding my self to stay focused on my swimming as not to miss the island.
� STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR CURRENT STEP OF RECOVERY!
� As I approached the Island I saw a kayaker fishing along the shore of the Island. I tried to signal with my emergency whistle, then I remembered the small air horn in my PFD. NO SUCCESS�
� After a 45 Min swim I landed on the Abandoned Island of Canarsie Pol, cold tired and a Outback full of water.
� I quickly realized my next step was to empty my waiters.
� I was wearing breathable waiters, which were not a problem until I tried to get out of the water.
� WEAR A WADER BELT
� They combined with my sexy black silk tights kept my legs in good shape.
� I emptied the water out of each leg, while sitting on the bow of the yak. After each leg of the waders were drained my leg went right back in
� Getting fully dressed including PFD was the next step
� PRESERVE YOUR BODY HEAT
� I can�t tell you how much I love the ball cap and hood of my sweatshirt I was wearing�
Note: I chose not to wear my dry-top because I would have overheated. I should have had a wader belt and lighter weight dry top � I did have multiple layers, Silk T, long sleeve T, Hooded sweatshirt, and a wind/splash breaker. This with my hat and conventional PFD really helped me to preserve the body heat.
I found an excellent article on Cold Weather Kayak Wear http://kayakfishings...ayak_Articles=9
� This Island was so deserted I knew that my self-rescue was not over. It was a simple phone call away. I hadn�t been able to use my phone, as it was safely stored in the waterproof pouch in my waders.
� ALWAYS THINK OF HOW YOU WILL USE YOUR EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT WHILE IN THE WATER.
� (DON�T HAVE IT STORED IN YOUR YAK)
� If its important have it in a waterproof bag in your PFD pockets
� If your PFD doesn�t have pockets, YOU NEED A NEW ONE!
� I retrieved my phone from the waterproof pouch. The lied it was wet.
� FOCUS ON WHAT THE NEXT STEP SHOULD BE.
� I emptied the water from the yak by rolling it over in the water, pushing the bow to shore and raising stern.
� Before leaving the uninhabited Island I dried out the inside of the Yak and inspected for leaks. � None found.
� I re-hydrated with the bottles of water stored inside my yak. The water bottles I had on top were long gone.
� I then paddled 1 hr 20 min with the wind and seas astern to return to the launch.
� I then inspected the inside and found very little water (Normal condition)

I thought this would not happen to me� It can happen to anyone. I hope this will help you all to be safer kayakers.
PS: Nils I can�t wait to get back out there� with a buddy.
Thanks for all the well wishes
Tim



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