The following story is as told to me from Larry in New Jersey. Larry has been in a Hobie Pro Angler for several years and might have become a little too comfortable. The following is his account of a really bad day on the water that reminds us all that preparing for the inevitable, as far fetched as it may seem, can save a life, save money, and a lot of heartache. Having a false sense of security can be costly.
As I noticed the wind picking up and a lull in the fishing I figured it was the best time to take a break during a long hot day of fishing. I leaned forward past my drives to get into my front hatch to grab my water bottle. I undid the bungee cords and reached in it and grabbed what I needed and secured the hatch. I was in a lake that I was very familiar with and fish often. I was out in the open and thought it was a safe time to relax.
No time is safe in mother nature’s world. I let my guard down thinking nothing could happen. With the summer drought the water level and its obstructions had changed. Drifting in the wind I was blindsided by a sunken tree that I had never seen before. As I was going back from the leaning forward position to getting back into the Hobie seat I took a hit to the side and it launched me out. As I was exiting to one side the Pro Angler dipped and flipped over to the other side.
I was in about 14 feet of water and knew I couldn’t touch bottom. I immediately inflated my PFD that almost popped my head off on inflation and I composed myself. Ok ok ok — the PA upside down– myself lounging in 82 degrees of water with my vest on and safe . What next ? Let’s get this titanic upright. The anchor line is dropped, BlackPak hanging from the back bungees, VisiCarbon Pole and rods sticking down.Not great..
First thing was to try and get it upright, so I tried to just man handle it, to no avail. I went around and took the anchor rope and pulled over the hull bottom and used the hand rail as a foot rest to press down while I pulled. It worked ! Now that I had it upright , I got back in and it was filled with water. Wow did it fill fast! Being heavy myself and with all the water in it I knew it wasn’t in any shape to make it back to the ramp. I tried to paddle a bit but it was really top heavy. I was close to land so I hopped out and just swam it to shore.
Once on land I got it up on a fallen stump and was able to open the back drain plugs. While it was draining I opened the hatch and the liner was filled. Being on land taking the liner out wasn’t bad and trying to empty the water out and not dumping its contents out was a bit of a task but it was done. After the water was out, I was good to go. I looked around and it looked like a 747 plane had crashed with all my zip lock bags and planos floating. I tried my best to retrieve my stuff but I lost so much.
As best as I can recall I lost:
3 All Pro Rods with Lews reels
St Croix Rod with Lews reel
IPhone 6 plus
Wasp video camera
60 spinnerbaits
Soft plastics.
Moral of the story ; I am safe, still alive for my love and my children. If you play close to water sooner or later you get wet. I know what I did wrong and will always remember to keep my hull straight and never take any time on the water for granted. My main mistake was not doing what a veteran kayaker told me and it was words I lived by until I got complicit. To quote Al Stillman, “… if you love it, leash it.” Even though you are in a PA you can still flip. I am just happy it was warm.
5 thoughts on “False Sense of Security”
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60 spinnerbaits you only brought half I know you had at least 80
I did this twice in the last two weeks. both my fault entirely. you could say I was asking for it. lost a lot of gear and the first thing I did was go buy flotation devices and tethers for EVERYTHING. it also taught me to bring a select amount of gear out for that day’s trip. that way i don’t lose EVERYTHING i have if I turtle again. it isn’t so bad when the water is 80 degrees though 😀
Been there, done that….except was 2 miles offshore. VHF radio got lost, and thankfully drifted to the shore before getting rescued by the EPIRB. Nothing is 100%, and when something goes wrong your will be thankful for all your safety precautions.
Congratulations on not panicking and saving yourself. I had the same experience about 4 months ago from getting a little too comfortable…wont happen again…at least not for that reason! BTW it is amazing to me how many kayakers i see who have no PFD in sight and are certainly not wearing one. If they have happen to them what we did that will change…if they dont drown! Tight lines.
Thanks for posting this. I’m only one month into owning a PA and still figuring how to use it all. I need to get a floating VHF radio and work out how to keep everything secured. I saw no need to carry my hand pump. Now it will just be stowed in the hull. I’ll also fill my unused dry bags with air and keep them loose in the hull. They add no weight but will help flotation and recovery in a situation like you describe. Thanks again for posting this.