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Posted by Ted on 12:24:21 01/02/03
In Reply to: ted's and all of our crazy adventures posted by Cax
Cliff,
We were way beyond the factory preformance curve of any of the boats out there. The wind was the great equalizer and made all kayaks equal. The 4 of us who made the beach were in 2 Scupper Pro TWs, a Drifter and and Scrambler XT. The other 4 kayaks were a Scrambler XT, 2 Scupper Pros (not TWs) and a WS Tarpon. The only reason Dennis, Rich, Lou and Jack got really stuck is that Rich's kayak was submerged.
I didn't take my Pro2 Tandem, because the surf report was up and I wanted a little more punch in the surf zone as the rocks are exposed at County Line. I launched my tandem there last Saturday when conditions were far different and had no problems.
When I ride my tandem solo, the ride is very high. The wind made it impossible to stow my gear, so my profile would have been big for padling in that kind of wind. I most likely would not have capsized, but the paddle would have been harder.
I knew that I could always use my radio and try to secure myself on the kelp, but the wind was blowing so hard that I kept thinking what if the wind increases. The wind was racing down the side of the mountain and right across the water.
The point is when the wind is bowing that hard, a lower profile is probably better and a feather position (something I forgot to do) on the paddle will make a difference. That is about it. The profile of our boats were different enough and 5 out of 8 of us went in the water that you really cannot say any one boat out preformed the others.
The kayak that got swamped was a Scrambler XT. There is a warning on the OK website about the very problem that occured yesterday with that boat. Something happened with the center hatch and the boat filled up with water. The hatch was not a factory hatch, but the hatch installed was far superior to the Gaspachi offered by OK. This was a freak wind that hit us so fast that no one had time to react. Eventhough the Scrambler XT had a problem, under ordinary conditions this would not have happened. Most of us don't put ourselves in this situation and the most important thing I learned is that no matter what brand of kayak you fish out of, don't fish alone. When conditions turn on you, you don't want to be alone.
With 8 of us out there we were able to assist each other and help give important information to the lifeguards about the rest of our group.
If you get a chance go over to Spike's board and read through the posts on yesterday.
-Ted
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