Kayaking Fog and current

I was fishing the 2012 ORC out of Depoe Bay when the fog rolled in.
The current was strong heading south. I was fishing north of the channel buoy. I keep drifting south to back to the buoy.   The fog was thick. I was hanging around the buoy re-rigging my pole and I notice that I could not see or hear the buoy. On my GPS I could see that I am south of Depoe bay and my speed indicator was showing that I was moving about 1.2 mph south. I was facing north it was around 10 AM and sun was on my right. This would indicate that I was heading north. I could not see land.
I gave a call out on my VHF radio that I was lost in the fog.  IslandHoppa (Aytec) said he would head my way. Pole Pole (Allen) and Noah were talking to me on the radio.
Rawkfish (jeff) told me to head straight into the sun. That would be east. I did do that and the current was so strong that I ended up 3.5 miles south. The thinking is with a current so strong I was not heading north heading straight into the current I need to get closer to shore and work the edge where there is less current.  My concern was getting to close to shore and hitting rocks. My visibility was less than 300 feet most of the time.
IslandHoppa could not locate me. Pole Pole asked if it was time to call the Coast Guard. I told him at first let’s wait 20 minutes. Pole Pole concern was losing radio contact and what would change in 20 minutes. He was correct that noting was getting any better and it could get bad if I was out of radio range.
I made the call to Coast Guard station Depoe Bay with no response. I was out of radio range. Pole Pole relayed the call on Channel 16 to Coast Guard station Depoe Bay. The Coast Guard requested that we stand by for 20 minutes. I found out later they only had one boat manned and it was out to tow a boat that was dead in the water 30 miles out.  After about 20 minutes they called back said they would have 25 foot rescue boat out to me in about 30 minutes.  We switched to channel 22 as working channel.
When I was picked up the Coast Guard gave an on scene report of weather and condition. They said visibility was only 600 feet seas 3 to 5 feet.
The good.
1)   I had GPS and VHF radio
2)   Pole Pole, Rawkfish, Noah and IslandHoppa were on the radio.
3)   I did not panic and called out when I knew that I could not get back to Depoe Bay by myself.
The Bad.
We should have switched to another channel. Other people were talking over us.
Should have called for assistance from a power boat instead of sending IslandHoppa down to get me.
IslandHoppa had a hard time getting back to Depoe Bay.
I looked at my track on my GPS and I was at Cape Foulweather when the Coast Guard picked me up.
This is how I remember the events of the day. Thanks to everyone that helped out. I was never tired or sick. I just could not get my Hobie to move to the north.

Willbd

Here is my GPS track

a wider view of my GPS track

Lots of lessons learned, that's for sure.  I was happy to see that everything ended up ok.  I'm planning on putting together some kind of kayak fishing clinic that will focus primarily on ocean navigation or maybe a combo of ocean fishing and navigation, which will be held at Next Adventure sometime soon.  I will let everyone know when we get things organized. 

Will, Thanks for posting this! Much can and will be learned after what happened to you this year at the ORC.  I know I could have easily fallen victim to a very similar scenario when I started kayak fishing. That day I knew I wouldn't go out without a GPS device that will give me a good map of where I've been and where I'm heading. Now I have two on my kayak all the time...

I'd also say way to keep a level head. Every time I heard you on the radio, you seemed pretty well collected. Way to be on the ball to the rest of the guys out there too. I know many of us assumed that you had an actual GPS device, be it hand=held or a mapping feature on your fish finder and that things were not as bad as they really were.

FWIW, I want to say the first time you gave us your GPS co-ords you were at 44.47.380/124.06.297 (from what I see on your maps and remember hearing over the radio, and knowing how far out I went last year). The second time I heard your co-ords I knew you were at least heading east, but I did not notice that you were also going south.

The elephant in the room would be:

Your GPS isn't worth a damn if you don't know how to navigate with it.  Sure, you have your grid coordinates, so you can call in the coast guard, but resorting to that means you got yourself into a situation you shouldn't have gotten into in the first place.

Not trying to be a dick, but this situation shouldn't be handled with kid gloves, it could have been a lot worse.

Having been turned around in the fog both hunting and in a 24 ft. cabin cruiser, I know the feeling.  It is not fun and can be a serious situation.  Nice job keeping your wits about you, getting on the radio as soon as you knew trouble was brewing and staying calm.  Also kudos to hoppa and everyone else who dropped what they were doing to assist.  Nothing is worth getting home safely.  Again kudos to all involved.  Side note: I also had to troll around East Lake for 3 hours in a snowstorm/whiteout (no compass or GPS) until visibility permitted finding the dock.  I did use the depth finder to stay clear of shore and stay in deeper water.   Glad all of you guys were safe and sound at the end of the day.

The elephant in the room would be:

Your GPS isn't worth a damn if you don't know how to navigate with it.  Sure, you have your grid coordinates, so you can call in the coast guard, but resorting to that means you got yourself into a situation you shouldn't have gotten into in the first place.

Not trying to be a dick, but this situation shouldn't be handled with kid gloves, it could have been a lot worse.

Lee, I could not navigate the current. On my GPS it showed I was heading south. I was pointing north but moving south. I knew this because the sun was to my east.

willbd

We should have switched to another channel. Other people were talking over us.

At one point I asked that everyone keep the channel clear while we worked the situation.  To everyone's credit, they did.

I'm still working through my head what could have gone better.  After a 12 hour drive today, I'm going to sleep on it and respond later.  But I'd like to ask, "what did the Coast Guard say to you about this situation?  How did they think it was handled?"

Thank you for bringing this topic up.  It is healthy for us to talk about it, both the bad and the good.  And like Lee says, if we're to learn, we should be straight forward and honest with our assessments, thoughts, and opinions.

-Allen

When using a gps... wouldn't you just determine the direction of the current... then the direction you want to go from the gps... orient your yak that direction, taking into consideration the current, and continue to paddle/pedal... while continuing to keep an eye on the birds eye view on the gps?  At least this is what I have run through in my head and I am now curious if I have that correctly understood.

For reference, the current outside the protected bay was pushing 2 to 3 mph. 

When using a gps... wouldn't you just determine the direction of the current... then the direction you want to go from the gps... orient your yak that direction, taking into consideration the current, and continue to paddle/pedal... while continuing to keep an eye on the birds eye view on the gps?  At least this is what I have run through in my head and I am now curious if I have that correctly understood.

The GPS shows speed and direction. I had a speed of 0.9 mph pedaling into the current.  I was facing north but i was moving south while pedaling.

Whoa!  That is pretty quick... I've paddled against 2mph... but not for more then 30 min. 

Glad it all worked out for you. Great eye opener and learning experience for all involved.  On a side note I was concerned that Ihop went off into the fog looking for you.  I know his intentions were absolutely top notch and the sentiment is to be commended but a major rule of search and rescue is not to create more victims.  Im not sure if he intended to tow you back with the sail against the current and the wind but I was concerned for his safety and the added level of complexity it might have added to a Coast Guard intervention.  As you were not in immediate distress (not injured etc)  maintaining radio contact/relying info to power boaters and or Coasties who are much better equipped  to assist quickly over longer distances is (and ended up being)  the best method of assisting someone in that situation IMO.

I would say that the current out there was pretty much like one would expect while salmon fishing on the coastal rivers. I didn't realize how fast it was until I saw a crab pot buoy go ripping past me while I stopped to tie on a new leader! Will, so glad you made it back intact!