Short Version:
Sank Kayak due to inability to reach Sump Pump and had to take a 45 minute swim due to my VHF radio being lost and cell phone not working.
Long Version:
Went out yesterday afternoon and when I got out past the reserve buoy realized my bait tank wasn't running on my timer. So after hooking it up directly to the battery (possibly mistake #1) I was off and made some perfect bait but noticed that without the timer the tank was running full....wind became pretty nasty but it was looking pretty fishy and I had a feeling today was the day. I have a mount on my kayak for my VHF radio but I usually clip it to my life jacket. But it is bulky to wear and can get in the way. After thinking about clipping it to my jacket twice on the paddle out I decided to keep it on the mount. (mistake number two) Sitting out near the nothwest corner at about 4:30 I felt a wobble on my kayak, the wobble that I felt when I was on a rental kayak at Rancho Leonero this past September, the wobble that meant I was taking on a ton of water. I opened up the hatch betweeen my legs on my XFActor and it was over half full
the back end of the kayak had a serious sag.....it was so windy that I didn't notice any other indicators that I was taking on water. But I remember that wobble well! From here is the minute count down: so I quickly slid up and opened my front hatch to grab my sump pump and it had slid back into the back of the yak....went back to middle hatch and I couldn't see my sump pump there either......crap it is in the back behind the bait tank (mistake #3).......I always make sure it's in the front....not today....I grabbed my VHF radio, Phone that was in a plastic bag, and unstrapped my paddle and next thing I knew the kayak overturned.....I climbed up on to the yak....and realized the VHF radio was missing....but it is a floating ICOM....but nowwhere to be found with all the chop.....the kayak then went vertical and was gone......man that happenned super fast....maybe a total of two minutes at this point.........so I took my phone out of the plastic bag and tried to make a call to 911.....but dialed k911 and then on my second attempt the phone went dead due to wet hands.....threw the phone away and realized it was time for a swim....realized my waders were on and unclipped those so I would join the XFActor and began my swim north.....man I love the condo on the point! Such a great landmark....ever try to swim with a paddle in one hand? Not easy but well worth it due to the fact it is more visible than a hand....my goal at this point was to try to swim north in order to stay in or near the fishing grounds and if this failed I was going to swim to the kelp and then to shore....there was a party boat and some kayakers over that way......I swam for a good while and was somewhat close to a kayak (maybe 300-400 yds) who couldn't hear me and was turned facing into the wind......at one point the water around me erupted with tons of sealions and dolphins and I'm sure YT, all within 5-25 feet..... then I noticed the party boat began to leave and so I waived my paddle without being noticed.....so I need a new plan.....all the private boats and kayaks to the North and Northwest are heading in that direction.....I spun around and noticed about 1/4 of a mile away two boats to the Southwest.....I figured then I would be with the current but would have to swim a little further out.....I was really wanting a boat ride rather than a two mile swim to shore.....so I started to head in their direction.....as I headed in their direction I saw one guy in the boat bendo and figured that would be keeping him there for a while.....within 200 to 300 yards away....make a couple hoots and waive the paddle and next thing I know the boat is headed my way.....
So jumped on board and saw a beautiful YT and met Charlie and Scott who were all fired up on the YT and boils they just experienced....and plucking a dude out of the water....they lent me a jacket, boots, and a fishing pole and we fished for another 1.5 hours......I was thinking I might deserve a fish after all that. Charlie said that he got a birds nest when trying to cast at a boil and then as he was dealing with that he heard a voice and then saw a paddle being waived.........Thank you Charlie and Scott!
At Dana Landing in Mission Bay I would like to thank the guys who were working last night and hooked me up with hot chocolate and a sweat shirt while waiting for my wife to pick me up....I'll return the sweatshirt this week
My reason for posting this embarrasing story is to make all kayakers on BWE aware that this stuff can happen to you and to have your safety equipment and checks prior to paddling out. Have a VHF radio and wear it on your lifejacket (i did maybe 50% of the time), wear your lifejacket all the time ( I do 100% of the time), have a cell phone (might help unless you call k911), have your sump pump and know exactly where it is before heading out (i do (99.5% of the time), and other safety items like a friend, flare, beacon, whistle.......you never know when you might need it. I'm an experienced waterman who has surfed for over 30 years and have put a lot of time on the water with the kayak the past 2 years.....I feel I take all the safety precautions and yesterday made two serious mistakes...sump pump not readily available and VHF radio not on jacket. I hope this will help prevent others from getting into this situation.
Only thing I can think is that my bait tank was over full and spilling over and leaking into the kayak......I don't think there was a hole in the kayak or bait tank itself.....lost about $4000.00 dollars in gear and looks like I will be setting up my tandem as a single person kayak for awhile.