PC on 8/13

Awesome, thank you!
The only time the sand is really an issue for me, is full high tide. When the water gets all the way up to the soft sand. Looks it won't be high tide when we'll be launching, and likely landing, so I can drive on the sand, and get one other boat in my bed. I have a new set of sand wheels too.

Silver Nissan Frontier, camo Outback, likely launch around sunrise.

Gonna drop my crab trap, then head straight west of the rock to troll for salmon, if fog doesn't prevent it. Hopefully limit on salmon, then rockfish. 

Sounds like a plan. I can't keep up with you pedal yakers in my cobra, but I'll head out that way and catch up.

Sounds like a plan. I can't keep up with you pedal yakers in my cobra, but I'll head out that way and catch up.

I'll also be trailing behind him on my paddle kayak--beige Tarpon 120; white paddle tips. Grey Subaru Forester.

Unless the fog is thick. Then I'll stick closer to the haystack.

Fog looked bad today. Curious how it will be Monday..

No fog forecast on MSW or NOAA so far...

Sounds good.

Just checked Cape Kiwanda RV park's live cam, it's pretty socked in right now.
I'll be bringing my GPS, and one or two of the other guys should have GPS as well.
Anyone going should definitely bring a safety flag and light.

Thanks for heads up. Have GPS, will rig flag. Still 630 launch?

Correction. I have VHS, not GPS. Do have compass.

You have VHS on your kayak?
Time to upgrade to DVD, or at least laserdisc!
Will launch 6-6:30.

All the movies I own are on vhs. I only watch them when the fishing is slow. See you out there.

  Well I arrived at PC on Thursday and sat on the beach and saw how the surf was which was wild, I could now understand MSG a little better, Well with the 13th being the next day and with the amount of warnings I was getting from this forum, (VERY MUCH APPRICATED). I thought there is no way I am going to try it.

Friday rolls around and I head to the beach and wow what a big difference, and after 2-3 hours of watching I am thinking doable, And yet I look around and don't see any other kayakers again I look at the surf and think maybe not. so I just sat there and studying longer.

Saturday rolls around and I go down to the beach and think without a doubt today is the day. I head back to camp get my friend who has a Hobie and off we go. We both get down to the beach and are planning our strategy of how to do this.

I dont have a dry suit but I have chest  waders and a dry top, my friend is just wearing shorts saying he enjoys the temp of the water. So plan was for him to go out first and me to follow. On his first attempt he got sideays and was dumped, 2nd and 3rd also. On his fourth he got out there and the plan was for him to come back in so he would now how or have an idea. Well as he was coming in It looked good and then I saw him slow down and get going again which through his timing of and he got snuck up on and in he goes. I saw him walking back out wondering why and he tells me he lost his flippers the were not strapped dawn and he had forgotten to take them out prior to coming in and thought about it at the last moment, hence his hesitation that I saw. Well that shot the whole thing.

But I had not gone out yet, so as he was getting his stuff together I thought I would try it. Well every time I would walk the kayak out and try to hope in the surf would take me right back in and beach me. I dont have a left side that works well because of a stroke. So we came up with the game plan that he could walk out and hold the kayak and I would get in. Well I hit the throttle instead of paddling and off I went on the third breaker which came in was a 5 footer and whoosh I went right through it with no problem, the grin and excitement on my face was awesome.

On my previous kayak the Rutter was always deployed. On the Old town I need to deploy it. This was only my second trip on this new kayak. That's all of the defense I can give.

As I start turning right and I am not wanting to. I push on the foot pegs for steering and I keep turning right I  look back and I forgot to unstrap the rutter from the bungee cord. by this time I have made a complete circle and am back in the breakers going the wrong way. I jumped out before I fell out and kind of walked back with the kayak but I had not gone under so I was happy but pissed at my owner operator error.

Being the Human that I can be at times thought ok regroup and try it again. so went back to my friend and explained what happened we laughed. we regrouped and I walked the kayak out and as I was doing so I wave came and knocked the kayak into me knocking me down and pinning me underneath it.

  Well let me tell you it did not take very long for water to find its way into the waders. My friend said he turned around and saw me laying there with my head barely above the water wonder what happened. Physically I could not move my legs and as each wave came it would push me to shore. (I thought salt water would have tasted more salty) By the time he got to me I was a mess, It took two guys to pick me up so I could stand and by the time I got to my truck my left side was convulsing very seriously. Well we got dryed up and warmed up got loaded back up and back to camp to rehash our time. and go over check lists.

My friend lost his Mirage drive and broke a fishing pole and I got reminded of Safety and know your equipment. and I lost my eye glasses and did not bring an extra pair.

1, Drysuit
2. stick with boat docks until dry suit

I am very thankful I got these episodes now when I can correct them.

Will I go out again? without a doubt

 

Yikes. Glad you're both still with us. RIP your buddy's wallet--those mirage drives are not cheap. General motto I hear is tether down everything you don't want to lose; consider anything not tethered down as a pending gift to Poseidon.

I have a drysuit, but I kind of wish I bought a semidrysuit instead. That SOB is a bear to take off after a long day of getting choked out. Could be that I just need to size the gaskets better. Or it could be that's just how they all are, but I'm just not that into it. 

Wow.....That sounds like quite the adventure.

I am not an expert but a (semi) drysuit (or wetsuit) is indeed the way to go for the ice-cold ocean (only 47 F when i was out a few weeks ago). Waders have a clear disadvantage with currents, waves or cold water and simply going in shorts is probably even more dangerous. It doesn't take long to go from "enjoying the temp of the water" to being in deep trouble. 

It really sucks for the lost gear that your friend experienced.

For my understanding: did he take out the mirage drive seconds before he flipped, or was it still locked in the mirage opening and did he loose it that way?
I had a friend loose his mirage drive in PC on his first ocean trip a few years ago. He also flipped in the surf coming back in. He had the drive taken out and leashed but the leash wasn't strong enough and snapped. Obviously a very costly lesson....
I always leave the mirage drive in when i beach on the ocean with the fins as much as possible up against the kayak. So the drive gets to see some sand and the fins get a little beating when i hit the beach but at least the risk of loosing it when flipping seems minimal....unless someone lost it with the drive still installed when he flipped....in that case i may need to change my approach.

Wow, I had a bit of a similar day, luckily my day included fish!

Yard sale-d for first time ever going out. My favorite salmon/rockfish rod got broken in the process, despite being strapped down horizontally. Almost flipped the second time too, leaving my crab trap hanging over the side. I was still in the surf zone, so just had to keep paddling my awkward rig to get past, which I did, only to discover my rudder was jammed. It was almost impossible to keep from going in circles, which would put me right back into the breakers. I just peddled as hard as I could, while keeping my paddle dug in hard, to stay straight. Not efficient, but it got me past the breakers.

Reed (my life saver for the day!) came over, and was able to get the rudder unstuck. Figuring the worst was behind me, we went and set our traps, in 30' of water, at almost peak high tide.
We then turned to trolling, meeting up with Rudy. Both of the other guys got their two hatchery fish right away. But not me...

I got 3 wild fish in a row, and lost two at the boat (had one jump out of the net!), before I got my first hatchery. Reed and I repeatedly would get these hard single bumps. We surmised that it was our gear bumping into the myriad jellyfish, but I jokingly commented that the salmon must be attacking the flashers. 15 mins later, I was bringing in my gear, to clear off the jelly, and watch a large salmon, it's nose to the flasher, follow it right up to the boat, all the while ignoring the cut plug behind it!

I caught one more wild, and lost two more at the boat, one of which I'm quite certain, was my first kayak chinook, a big and strong fish. By this time it was about noon, and I was tired of being laughed at by salmon, so we began to target rockfish n lings. I got an 18" cabby, my first since their season opened, so I was happy I'd finally get to taste one of them. Minutes after cutting it's gills, I caught one twice as big, and dutifully released him. Then got a chunky china, my first ever, also released. Had some probable lings on, but lost em. Picked up a couple big blacks. Saw a samll shark cruising, and a large mola mola basking, always fun.

At this point, I had been on the water a lot longer than planned, just trying to get a limit of something! I had been peddling almost the entire day, was tired, decided to call it quites. So I said goodbye to Reed and went to where we set our traps, a couple miles South. Only, my trap wasn't there. I couldn't get Reed, who had set a waypoint in his GPS, on the radio. So I went all the way back to Reed, who still was determined to get a ling.

His navigation took us straight to his trap, but mine was still not anywhere to be found. SO either a person or the sea claimed my brand new McKay. As a result of being fatigued and wanting the day to be over, I poorly timed my landing, and had my second yard sale.

The tide was at peak, and we were at the very end of the beach, I had my doubts if my 2 wheel drive truck with street tires, could make it to the yak from the parking lot, without getting stuck. Reed was kind enough to let me put my boat on his trailer, and take it most of the way to the lot. I grabbed my newly constructed and thoroughly tested sand wheels from my truck, put em under my boat, and travelled all of two feet before the pvc broke....

Despite all the misfortunes, I did enjoy most of the day, the smooth seas (past the breakers, at least) and the good company, and came home with a decent amount of sea meat.