Kayaking Fog and current

I was thinking maybe Willbd radio was maybe set to low power tx.

No it was on HI power. I could hear everyone loud and clear. There was a group that was fishing fishing just north of the condos. They walked over Allen a couple of times.

Willbd, were you able to hear the CG when I was relaying?

-Allen

Yes.

So I really think your radio needs to be checked.  You were within 5 miles of them and their transmissions were reaching you.  Your transmissions should have been able to reach them.

In addition to not being able to reach the CG, your transmissions were very weak in general.  I must admit that by the sounds of them, I thought perhaps you were seasick.  That's one of the reasons I jumped on the radio and was pushing that it was time to call the Coast Guard.

-Allen

I keep ruminating on this. Bryan had my MMSI in his HX851 so I assume he had others programmed in as well as the NWKA Group MMSI. Bryan sent me a Pos Request which gave him my location (since my VHF was set to Auto reply). Had he sent this Pos Request to someone closer to the buoy it would have given him Range and Bearing data that would have been more useful in navigating home.

I made it clear that I didn't know how to use the DSC/GPS/NAV features of my unit. Had Bryan sent a Pos Report to me and someone who knew how to operate the HX851 given me a few instructions I would have been able to get Bryan's position on my VHF and likely been able to rendezvous with him. I accept full responsibility for my lack of preparation in using this vital tool.

Now that I have studied all the features of the HX851 if, in the future, I hear a similar exchange I think I could help get the two parties to see their relative positions. I would like to practice this next time I'm around some folks with DSC VHF radios.

I had never tried using the DSC before. If I did a group call do you think anyone out that day would have know what to do with the DSC message? I did not know how to use this but some how I did make it work.

So I really think your radio needs to be checked.  You were within 5 miles of them and their transmission were reaching you.  Your transmission should have been able to reach them.

In addition to not being able to reach the CG, your transmissions were very weak in general.  I must admit that by the sounds of them, I though perhaps you were seasick.  That's one of the reasons I jumped on the radio and was pushing that it was time to call the Coast Guard.

-Allen

I was feeling fine. I felt safe. I believe that I was more disoriented than lost.
yes I will get my HX851 checked out.

willbd

I was feeling fine. I felt safe. I believe that I was more disoriented than lost.

Yes, I know that after the fact.  Just stating my observations on the "sound" of your transmissions.

-Allen

First off, WOW, that was kinda hairy and I'm thrilled that nobody got dead or hurt. Y'all really handled up! 
Wonderfully useful thread!

I might be wrong but I don't feel it was hairy at all. I called early to inform the group i was having issues. Allen did one hell of a job in taken the lead and Ihop made tried to locate me.  I did learn a lot that day and more every day. I do have a better understanding about current and what I could have done to improve the outcome of this event.

I am not proud of using the Coast Guard to get me back to the dock.
I am proud that I can learn from this and did not wait to call for assistance. waiting could have put more resources into play and risk other peoples  lives.
willbd

Willbd, you should be proud that you called the CG with what turned out good and positive.  There is always the possibility that waiting too long to call or not calling could have been deadly for you and horrible for family, friends and all those involved.  Hold your head up high knowing that you made the right decision at the right time.  Kudos to you, Allen, Ihopp and everyone involved.  It turned into a positive event for all of us.  Be proud that the actions you took may save one of us in the future.  Again my hat's off to you and everyone involved......Jimbo

How does one attain that level of enlightened preparedness? I dunno
How does one get from the bunny slopes to heli-skiing?
(Actually, that's a useful analogy because to go heli-sking all you'd need is a pair of ski's and to pay somebody to drop you from their helicopter.

FFTW - It would be a better comparison between kayak fishing and heli-skiing if the skiers that descended down the mountain knew they had to climb back up to the drop off point to catch the helo home.

" A superior pilot uses superior judgement so as not to have to use his superior skill."

How does one attain that level of enlightened preparedness? I dunno
How does one get from the bunny slopes to heli-skiing?

One of the age old questions - how do you become skilled at anything except by doing? And by doing increasing more challenging things. The trick is challenging yourself without injuring or killing yourself or someone else.

Judgement can be learned and applied from other experiences, or to some extent, from observation of others. For example, we are learning from willbd's experiences, and can use that information in making judgements for ourselves. But skill? We can read & write about this event until the cows come home, but only by navigating in the fog can we get skilled at it. (You can get skilled at using your GPS and compass without the fog, but it can't reproduce the psychological aspects, such as hearing breaking surf but not seeing it, etc.). I believe you only become really skilled by taking some risk and going outside your comfort zone - but use your good judgement in mitigating the risks - safety gear, float plans, going with a buddy, etc.

" A superior pilot uses superior judgement so as not to have to use his superior skill."

How does one attain that level of enlightened preparedness? I dunno
How does one get from the bunny slopes to heli-skiing?

One of the age old questions - how do you become skilled at anything except by doing? And by doing increasing more challenging things. The trick is challenging yourself without injuring or killing yourself or someone else.

Judgement can be learned and applied from other experiences, or to some extent, from observation of others. For example, we are learning from willbd's experiences, and can use that information in making judgements for ourselves. But skill? We can read & write about this event until the cows come home, but only by navigating in the fog can we get skilled at it. (You can get skilled at using your GPS and compass without the fog, but it can't reproduce the psychological aspects, such as hearing breaking surf but not seeing it, etc.). I believe you only become really skilled by taking some risk and going outside your comfort zone - but use your good judgement in mitigating the risks - safety gear, float plans, going with a buddy, etc.

Spot on Sherman.

I might be wrong but I don't feel it was hairy at all. I called early to inform the group i was having issues.
willbd

Hairy is relative.

 You sound like you kept your head about you and clearly demonstrated self-sufficiency. Although you may not have been able to get back to the port you launched from, I'd hazard a guess that you could have made it in on your own before you crossed the state line.
 It's also possibly to cross the Columbia bar with the tide running out, but that does not make it a good idea.

 IMHO, given the potentially life threatening situation and tools at hand, calling the CG was the best decision that could have been made. Calling it before it gets too hairy is waaay better for all involved than calling late.
Congratulations! You just had a good shot of "time and practice" A heartfelt thanks for loaning some of it to the rest of us.

Hairy for Allen is whole nuther thing. As an organizer and more importantly, just a guy who truly gives a shit, his sphincter tightened at the first call and didn't loosen till he knew you were on the ride home. But I'm sure that's true for anybody who's the middle man in almost any rescue.



 Just to try to add some useful content to my post (as opposed to me just blathering on as I have*) here's a horn that's extremely loud and works as long as you can breath. It's 100% louder than any airhorn with an empty canister.



http://www.amazon.com/Unified-Marine-50074062-Safety-Blaster/dp/B0019LY8HK/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

It is manual, but if I'm not breathing there's less of a rush to find me anyway.







*This time its a tub in Dublin.