learned a lesson today

6) Buy your partner a good fifth of Scotch.

I hope that nip of Fireball did not count!    It did warm me up though.

Wobbler did a great job of keeping his wits about him.  When he went under, I think I was the one that was panicking.  It seemed like he was under the boat way to long (adrenaline speeds up time, I guess).  I was desperately trying to stow my gear so I could jump in if I had to if he was tangled.  It is harder to assist when you have a blind attached to your yak. 

When he popped up, the first thing he said was I am OK and I am not panicking.  This totally relaxed me.  Then it was a matter of getting the Outback flipped over, getting him back on, gathering up gear floating downstream, debriefing our thoughts on what happened/how to prevent it further, and laughing about it .   

One thing to note as well, Wobbler thought he could have maintained his balance and caught himself, but he may have had to place his gun 12 gauge (automatic so a round had been chambered) in a position where it may have been covering me.  He chose to fall in and take the gun with him, and for that I thank him.

One thing that made it difficult was the fact that his Outback took on several gallons of water with all hatches closed.  I believe it was the front hatch that was leaking because they are not the most water tight of designs.

I will reiterate what Wobbler said about the value of good personal protective gear.  He was in the water for about 5 minutes and never got cold.  He was wearing a hunting jacket that fit snug over the top of his PFD.  When we found a place to land about 10 minutes after the incident, he took off the jacket and it was completely dry inside.  A testament to poly garments.  We continued to hunt for several hours and many miles more. 

I have also fallen in the Sandy River (2 weeks ago) far from any launch while getting out of my kayak to take a leak.  I tripped in knee deep water which became shoulder deep water when I fell backwards.  I was very thankful for the immersion gear and the "warm when wet" fleece lined hunting parka I had on over the top of everything.

As for taking the second or thrd shot, the first time Ndogg and I went out, I took a shot behind and over my shoulder and momentarily lost my balance.  Therefore, I had a personal rule in place of no shots over and behind.  Wobbler and I have both agreed that is a good rule to follow. 

So sorry to hear that your new kayak is defective, and that Craig was there to laugh at you. JK 

Seriously though, I'm really glad to hear that you're OK and I second the statement that it's always good to have someone with you.

Those who have never swamped your kayak, it's a good exercise for sure. I've done it many times mostly for fun, but I hope that the muscle-memory will be easier in an emergency when I may not have my whits about me. However, when it's this cold outside I'm not sure I want to be jumping into the Willamette. (frozen poop or not) Anyone need a camera man?

Here is a picture of Wobbler's set-up for those that were wondering of the positioning of the dodger.


Another lesson learned by me was ALWAYS leash your shotgun. It happened about here when we hopped out to see what was beyond the log-jam. (Wobbler post Quakyakin Babtism):


 I was getting out of the yak in some muddy water and the with the transducer up front said 1.5 feet.  Suffice it to say it was a steep bank.  When I slipped in the just above waist deep water, I knocked my shotgun, which had been laying across the cockpit, into the water.  I laughed when I yelled over to Wobbler that it was a good thing my gun was leashed.  However, I quickly noticed my leash still in the boat not attached to anything.  I had forgot to re-leash it after walking along a small stream for a bit after Wobbler's mishap.  Again, I am thankful for my sling which floated up far enough out of the mud for me to find my gun and the dry suit which allowed me to partially (mostly) submerge to grab it.  I also found a tree branch efficiently clears the mud plug out of the barrel and water makes an excellent gun cleaning solvent in a pinch.

Craig did you post the right pic for showing Wobbler's "dodger set-up"

Glad to hear everything worked out well guys!

Great idea but you might want to take it to a local pond or lake.  Less sewage and less chance of the current causing unforeseen issues.

-Spot-

+1.  Strongly recommend practicing while out of current this time of year. 

Craig did you post the right pic for showing Wobbler's "dodger set-up"

Yeah, he is dead center in the picture.   I will try to find one where he isn't blending in to the background quite so well. 

Thanks for sharing. I learned from you shared with us. It's always amazing how fast accidents happen.

Ha ha Baitman! That is a nice ride, I like the Red Ryder BB gun...you'll shoot yer eye out kid!

Scott

  LMAO,,,   congrats,  you're the first person to notice that.   

Craig did you post the right pic for showing Wobbler's "dodger set-up"

Yeah, he is dead center in the picture.   I will try to find one where he isn't blending in to the background quite so well. 

Jim-Dawg, Here is one from today showing the dodger.

Thanks I could just make him out and only when I enlarged the pic.  So I just wasn't sure you posted the right pic or were just giving us old feller's a quick vision check.....