Separation from my boat, what if?

My point was that if you fall off your yak and immediately bob to the surface you're not going to see your  kayak sitting 100ft away.  Most likely it will be less than a kayak length away.

Your right! But even though it may be one length away initially, it's still moving away and if its wind driven, it's probably still accelerating. I got your 10' to 20' sprint, but my problem is what the boat is doing while I'm working on my butterfly. The leashed paddle may be enuf, but I ain't taken no bets.

This sounds like the makings of another great event for ORC! Catching your boat in the wind! If you win, you get to continue to fish (with your barbie pole)! If not, you swim home.    
Seriously though (well, at least semi-seriously) y'all might want to try that since you'll have properly dressed, seasoned paddlers and close assistance. Assuming you have a little wind, dump, wait a few seconds and see if you can catch the boat. Try to see how long you can wait until the boat is out of reach.  (says the man on the other side of the country where the water is 80 degrees) 

My point was that if you fall off your yak and immediately bob to the surface you're not going to see your  kayak sitting 100ft away.  Most likely it will be less than a kayak length away.

Your right! But even though it may be one length away initially, it's still moving away and if its wind driven, it's probably still accelerating. I got your 10' to 20' sprint, but my problem is what the boat is doing while I'm working on my butterfly. The leashed paddle may be enuf, but I ain't taken no bets.

This sounds like the makings of another great event for ORC! Catching your boat in the wind! If you win, you get to continue to fish (with your barbie pole)! If not, you swim home.    
Seriously though (well, at least semi-seriously) y'all might want to try that since you'll have properly dressed, seasoned paddlers and close assistance. Assuming you have a little wind, dump, wait a few seconds and see if you can catch the boat. Try to see how long you can wait until the boat is out of reach.  (says the man on the other side of the country where the water is 80 degrees) 

I'll do it!  Who's running the camera? 

When fishing alone in the salt, especially when i'm a long ways from shore, I tether myself to my yak.  I know there is a chance that I will get entangled in the line (but that is what I carry my PFD knife for).  I know there is a chance that if I wasn't tethered to my yak and fell off, I could still swim and catch it.  I also know that there is slim to no chance that I will be able to swim shore from multiple km's away if I can't catch it.  I'm willing to accept the trade-off to ensure I have a chance.

I'll do it!  Who's running the camera? 

I got you, bro!   

Seriously, I think this needs to be done sometime soon.  I want to give it a try to really see for myself how big of a problem this is out on the salt. 

I've not thought of - tethering the back of my PFD to the boat.  This would keep the tether out of my way when fishing, still be easy to reach in an emergency, and still be easy to cut in another sort of  emergency.

Thinking a bit more, a tow belt might be more of what we are looking for.



Goes around your waist with a wide belt and a big quick release ball. Clip the beiner to something behind you or a deck line, and forget about it.

Seems the greatest danger will be embarrassment when I inevitably forget to release myself before walking away from the boat.

Pull the little ball and act like you stretching out the line to dry out.  

Please note: I'm still not completely sold on this idea of tethering. But until I can get some good contrary arguments, I'm getting there.

When fishing alone in the salt, especially when i'm a long ways from shore, I tether myself to my yak.  I know there is a chance that I will get entangled in the line (but that is what I carry my PFD knife for).  I know there is a chance that if I wasn't tethered to my yak and fell off, I could still swim and catch it.  I also know that there is slim to no chance that I will be able to swim shore from multiple km's away if I can't catch it.  I'm willing to accept the trade-off to ensure I have a chance.

BEST point yet in the argument for tethering.

I've seen some guys on other forums use a retractable dog leash. Seems like a good idea if you have concerns about your swim/sprint abilities. Just remember to unclip it before heading back in through the surf zone.

We (my father & I) lost a 12' Avon inflatable once while diving. I was making my way back to it when I noticed an anchor just sitting there on the bottom - cool scored a free anchor, and it was the same kind we already used....... s**t! When I surfaced, our boat was only about 20 yards away, but that is as close as we ever got to it. Fortunately, we were diving in a lagoon, so our boat only blew over to the fringing reef. The only problem was that was about 3/4 mile away. Long story shorter, we got picked up by a glass bottom tourist boat, got a guy to run us out close to the boat and retrieved it. Point is, the wind can blow your boat much faster than you can swim. (Even after I ditched my tank and was swimming in snorkeling gear.)

I'm currently training my kayak to "come" when I whistle at it. 

It's a freaking slow learner......

I used to bring a surf leash with me but now have a throw bag and an extra rod leash that I could use if needed. The only place I have ever tethered myself to the kayak is while sturgeon fishing in the Columbia Estuary.  When the west wind picks up along with the incoming current there is no way you could get back to your yak.  I have a Pro Motion Anchor release that will pop the kayak free from the anchor with any additional drag.

Thigh straps might be a good option.  They would help with avoiding an off shore huli and if you did go over, well your still attached to your ride.

Scott

Thigh straps might be a good option.  They would help with avoiding an off shore huli and if you did go over, well your still attached to your ride.

I dunno about that.  With a SOT, and especially ones as wide as most of us have, rolling it back upright without unstrapping would be nigh on impossible.  So then you're upside down under water and having to figure out how to unstrap when you probably didn't even have a chance to a big breath before going over.

I'd rather have a leash that can cut if necessary if I'm going to have anything at all.

Guess I should of used one of those smiley icons.  You don't have to stay till your upside down. To unstrap you just lower your knees.  The point is that thigh straps give you way more control for bracing and keeping upright.  they are fun to use while playing in the surf. 

So then you're upside down under water and having to figure out how to unstrap when you probably didn't even have a chance to a big breath before going over.

Just straighten your legs and out your go. I don't think I'd use them instead of a tether though (and certainly not in addition to one). They do make surfing a lot more fun though! Make nice carrying straps too (sorta)

Rolling an SOT's does not sound like fun at all.

Too bad nanook isn't still around! I asked this very question a few years back and got lambasted.

This is a concern of mine. Occasionally in the SJs or the strait (or a river or whatever) you find yourself in a very strong current or a washing machine. Not only is it the likliest (how the f is that spelled?) place to go over, its the likliest place you'd be separated from your yak. To me, going in isn't the biggest threat, its getting separated from my kayak!

I fish by myself most of the time, and I use what FFT posted, a quick-release waist tow line. It pays out line with tension, and is 50ft long, so dangerous entanglement is less likely (than it is with a shorter tether).  If I find myself in the very unlikely situation where I need to un-tether from my yak in a hurry, pull the quick release. Plan b, cut the line with the knife   on my pfd. Only situation i can think of where I'd need to do that would be a run-in (or impending run-in) with a PB. Or maybe if my yak was sinking. Unlikely since its jammed full of pool noodles

I untether In the surf.

Not saying I'm right or anything. Just saying it helps me feel a little safer. Nanook disagrees.

Once again, very helpful Rory, I think I actually have the self-feeding rope thingy but wasn't sure what it was, at any rate it is always on my big boat.  You put flotation in your Hull, Right on!  Have been thinking of this for a long time but resisting mainly since I really want to do overnighters and fill it with gear but I can pull the flotation out or reduce it in this event huh? 

I don't do rivers, would like to though.  The day after our last outing the wind blew to kingdom come, I mean 6' whitecaps and I was thinking....this could happen to me, not likely but this is what we plan for right, so 2 miles off shore, and this wind comes up and a 40 minute paddle turns to a 2 hr paddle and who knows where we end up.  As much time as I spend out there I should have this in mind.
I carry enough water and snacks to get me through, an emergency blanket and fire starter to stay warm but not so prepared to swim 2miles.  So Get a big carribeaner or something and hook that self feeding rope to my personage.  Good Plan.

Where did Nanook go?

All this talk about thigh straps has convinced me to install some thigh straps in my adventure, if only to play in the surf!