Kayaking The Gulf Of Mexico

[TheNiche]

Let me preface this story by saying that this was a really dumb idea and that even though things worked out alright, they didn't have to. I would ask that if someone is tempted to respond with a post that says something along the lines of that "you are dumb," I've already said so. No need to beat a dead horse. I only even bother to share the embarrasing story of my dumbness because I hope that others can learn from my mistakes so as not to repeat them.

The winds were very calm this morning, between 0 and 5 miles per hour. It would've made sense that the Gulf waters would be fairly placid. I've seen them before in conditions like these where they were as calm as a lake. This was not the case, but I had already loaded up all my gear, tied down the kayak, and driven out to the first public beach access point beyond the seawall to put in at the surf before I realized it. I had taken Stewart Road instead of Seawall Blvd., so I didn't have the opportunity to glance out over the water. That would've been mistake #1.

I drove up onto the beach and noticed the heavy surf, extending about a quarter mile out into the Gulf. I considered just driving over to the bay side and kayaking in calmer waters, but apparently wasn't being very smart today. So I loaded up my gear and provisions and launched into the surf, maintaining a perpendicular angle into the waves and keeping my paddle well out of the water when striking one. In spite of the heavy surf, I very easily broke through the breakers and before long was between about 1/3 and 1/2 mile off the beach, in the Gulf of Mexico, bobbing up and down on eight-foot swells. It was easy-going initially. I started making my way up the coast, northbound towards East Beach, my destination, 10 miles away.

My kayak is a remarkably stable craft. I was initially surprised at how stable, actually. I was able to achieve significant forward momentum while oriented parallel with the swells, with no meaningful loss of stability. Still, it was slow going. Gravity was jostling me around pretty thoroughly. Traveling south would've been easier, as I could've caught more waves and surfed them. Having said that, it would've taken some effort to keep from being brought back to land.

Every now and then, I'd see a random whitecapped swell breaking nearby. At this distance from the beach, these typically ride the tops of swells ranging from about 8 to 12 feet (trough to crest) and are themselves about 1.5 to 2 feet of rushing water and foam. I could tell that these were something I didn't want to get caught in, and since I was so far from the beach, there was no background sound of crashing surf, of traffic, or of birds. When a whitecap developed, it was not only highly visible but audible. Generally speaking, they gave me plenty of warning and I was able to maneuver around them, whether by outrunning them or by stopping and reversing.

I was probably an hour and a half into my trip when I began to feel seasick. I've paddled on choppy waters before, even in stormy conditions, but never felt seasick. These massive swells were a different kind of beast, though. I never vomited, but every now and then I'd stop and brace myself to the deck, taking a deep breath before resuming. I was steadily becoming more fatigued, as well. This wasn't flatwater paddling. Alertness was absolutely necessary to dodge the whitecaps, but fatigue and alertness don't go hand in hand.

About three miles up the coast, I was seasick and fatiqued, but the the experience was incomparable to any that I've ever had. It was a human-powered roller coaster. In my head, I was already planning out future trips with friends, because they just had to experience Galveston from this vantage point. There are moments when you're on top of a tall swell that you can see over every other wave between you and the beach. You can see people frolicking about and cars and all of the buildings along Seawall Blvd. I was wishing that I had a camera.

The frequency of large swells was increasing for some reason. I'm still not sure why. Several breakers were narrowly dodged, but one emerged atop a swell too close to me, travelling too fast. I couldn't dodge it. The best alternative was to orient myself perpendicular to the wave. It was a tall one. As I tried to maneuver, I could feel the water being sucked up from under me into the swell. The whitecap was about two feet tall when it struck, but the pitch of the swell was probably around 50 to 60 degrees and it caught me as I was oriented about 45 degrees off of perpendicular. My center of mass is somewhat aft and with my bow pitched high up, then struck by the rushing foamy wall of salt water, I was immediately capsized.

I've put hundreds of miles on my kayak in the brief four months that I've owned it. I've never capsized before. I've read a lot about safety proceedure, looked at diagrams illustrating a safe exit proceedure, and thought the issue through very deliberately and cautiously, but I've never had to do it before. Thankfully...I exited smoothly and came right up to the surface. My glasses and hat were lost to the sea. I righted the kayak, but the cockpit was filled half-way with water. I tried to climb in, several times, but each time another wave knocked me off balance and again capsized it. And each time I'd right it, more gear would spill into the water. With water in it, the kayak wasn't stable anymore. And it was riding very low in the water. The bilge pump was useless. I'd pump for several minutes and make some progress, then get swamped by another wave that I hadn't been able to manuever around. By the time that I was able to sit in the kayak and also affix the spray skirt to the edge of the cockpit, the whole cockpit was completely full. ...but I was upright.

During my struggle to regain control of the craft, I had been washed towards the Seawall. I was now stuck in the surf, unable to dodge any of the breakers. I was coming in, whether I wanted to or not. ...and I didn't want to, not here. Without my glasses, I am legally blind. I knew that there were regularly-spaced staircases coming up the Seawall but could only see one, the stairs at 69th Street. Below them were granite boulders. This isn't the best place for anybody to have to land a kayak. I like sandy beaches, not craggy, slippery boulders against which waves are constantly breaking.

I came up on the stairs, trying to maintain my heading with some difficulty. The currents were trying to take me north of them, but I was eventually able to maneuver where I needed to. I'll be very sore tomorrow as the result of this struggle. I oriented the kayak parallel to the rocks and braced for impact. A wave pushed me against them laterally before another lifted me up and dropped me on the first shelf. A fisherman was sitting at the steps. I asked for assistance several times; he refused as many times as I asked. I reached out and grabbed the next granite boulder, awaited the next wave, and pulled myself in as it crested under me. And I did it again, and then once more before exiting the craft and pulling it the rest of the way, out of the Gulf of Mexico. On inspection, the cockpit had flooded to 100% of volume. The bow compartment had flooded to about 50% of capacity. The aft compartment was dry. My bulkheads were remarkably effective, and were probably the only thing preventing the sinking of the boat.

I lost my glasses, a fairly new GPS device, all of my bottled water, some dried fruit, and my Gore Tex hat. The Ziplock bag containing my Blackberry and my wallet did not zip locked, so the phone was damaged beyond repair. The battery electrodes corroded in mere minutes. Despite my losses, this could've gone much worse.

Some lessons for anyone that would dare to take on the Gulf of Mexico in a 14-foot-long human-powered craft:

*Don't go alone.

*Know how to exit your craft underwater.

*Waves can be very random. Expect that the worst can occur in an instant, even on a nice day.

*Tie everything down that is in the cockpit.

*If you don't have bulkheaded compartments (and I do), then do whatever it takes to ensure the bouyancy of your craft.

*If fatigued, get off the water.

*If conditions aren't what you planned for, modify your plans.

[ricco67]

I am giving that "LOOK" that i give my daughter from time to time.

I hope you feel it.

First off, i am glad that you made it through the ordeal with only some minor issues.

secondly, and i don't mean to make light of your episode, but it makes me wonder of some other instances in which people have turned up missing under the same circumstances.

I am going to give you that "LOOK" as long as this thread keeps going.

[TheNiche]

I am giving that "LOOK" that i give my daughter from time to time.

I hope you feel it.

First off, i am glad that you made it through the ordeal with only some minor issues.

secondly, and i don't mean to make light of your episode, but it makes me wonder of some other instances in which people have turned up missing under the same circumstances.

I am going to give you that "LOOK" as long as this thread keeps going.

I told you not to say anything to the effect of that I am dumb; it was the first thing I said. I wore a floatation device and carried a whistle, per Coast Guard regulations. I exited my boat just in the manner prescribed. And I subjected myself to public humiliation because I like to think of myself as being a responsible boater from whom someone (perhaps your daughter) could learn a valuable lesson.

You should thank me for doing the right thing rather than trying to cover up the whole incident. So piss off, Ricco.

[crunchtastic]

You should thank me for doing the right thing rather than trying to cover up the whole incident. So piss off, Ricco.

lol, nice try, but to use an analogy, just because you admit upfront to wrecking the family car doesn't mean mom and dad aren't going to punish you for it. That said, I'm very glad you made it out of there ok.

[TheNiche]

lol, nice try, but to use an analogy, just because you admit upfront to wrecking the family car doesn't mean mom and dad aren't going to punish you for it. That said, I'm very glad you made it out of there ok.

That's a really weak analogy. I was doing some reckless stunt driving, wrecked my own car, was luckily able to walk away scott free, and am now going into classrooms talking to kids about the dangers of doing something so ridiculously stupid...all without there needing to be a court order. It's community service of my own free volition. So piss off, Crunch.

As for punishment, I may only be 1/8 German by blood, but I'm plenty adept at self-flagellation.

[lockmat]

How'd you make it home without your glasses?

[TheNiche]

How'd you make it home without your glasses?

It took me several minutes of struggling to regain control of the kayak. In that time, waves were pushing me towards the Seawall. I remembered clearly that this section had concrete staircases at regularly spaced intervals, and I by the time I was able to maneuver, one of them was close enough to see. So I tried to keep the boat upright as I maneuvered towards it.

As I'd related in the story, the two fishermen refused to help me land my boat. But after I performed my crash landing on the granite, one of them provided me with his working cell phone, allowing me to call in my location to the person who I had gotten to drop me off in my car earlier that day. Some twenty minutes later, I was picked up.

[Highway6]

fun story..

i would also add to your lessons learned section:

[lockmat]

It took me several minutes of struggling to regain control of the kayak. In that time, waves were pushing me towards the Seawall. I remembered clearly that this section had concrete staircases at regularly spaced intervals, and I by the time I was able to maneuver, one of them was close enough to see. So I tried to keep the boat upright as I maneuvered towards it.

As I'd related in the story, the two fishermen refused to help me land my boat. But after I performed my crash landing on the granite, one of them provided me with his working cell phone, allowing me to call in my location to the person who I had gotten to drop me off in my car earlier that day. Some twenty minutes later, I was picked up.

How did you want the fisherman to help you? I assume you thought they had the ability to, but I guess they thought it was too dangerous for themselves?

[Montrose1100]

I've never thought it would be appealing to kayak in Galveston. I've done it (2 & 3 person), in Destin & Cancun, but the waters were calm past the surf. That and you can only do it in timed fashion, by way of resort or payment by beach venues.

I don't know if I would suggest contacts for this (instead of using glasses), because salt water & contacts can be equally crappy situation. But there are perscription goggle type eye wear you can get for such activites, that can be strapped to your head.

Well, good thing you're ok.

[UrbaNerd]

We still love you, Niche.

Glad you're ok

[TheNiche]

i would also add to your lessons learned section:

I had something similar to that device for my glasses. The hat that I lost also had a drawstring. Niether implement stood up very well to the rush of water. I'd chalk that up to the lesson about tethers to anything that you want to remain in the cockpit. Use accessory rope.

I will add to the learned lessons that a paddle leash is absolutely 100% necessary. I had one with me and it got used. Without it, I'd have really been up the creek, so to speak.

How did you want the fisherman to help you? I assume you thought they had the ability to, but I guess they thought it was too dangerous for themselves?

I had a rope suitable for towing, but was too busy trying to stay upright and maneuver in the surf to get it out and try to throw it to them. I could only stick out my paddle towards them during a calm moment, but they didn't want to grab it and pull me in. They didn't even get up from their spot until I was very much grounded. I suppose they may have thought that the rocks were too slippery, but I didn't have any trouble with traction when I finally got out of the cockpit.

I've never thought it would be appealing to kayak in Galveston. I've done it (2 & 3 person), in Destin & Cancun, but the waters were calm past the surf. That and you can only do it in timed fashion, by way of resort or payment by beach venues.

I don't know if I would suggest contacts for this (instead of using glasses), because salt water & contacts can be equally crappy situation. But there are perscription goggle type eye wear you can get for such activites, that can be strapped to your head.

Well, good thing you're ok.

Don't get me wrong, kayaking the Gulf waters off of Galveston was actually very fun...until I took the spill. It was a human powered rollercoaster ride. I'll definitely be doing it again, only not alone, not on such an ambitious trip plan, and with some modifications to my inventory of equipment.

Goggles would definitely stay on and would keep salt water out of my eyes as well. The problem with the glasses was that the water caught them and pulled them away from my face from behind the lenses. When I have money to spend again, that's a toy I'm definitely going to have to look into.

[Jax]

Sounds like a good day to go surfing in G-Town.

http://www.gtownsurf.com/

[crunchtastic]

That's a really weak analogy. I was doing some reckless stunt driving, wrecked my own car, was luckily able to walk away scott free, and am now going into classrooms talking to kids about the dangers of doing something so ridiculously stupid...all without there needing to be a court order. It's community service of my own free volition. So piss off, Crunch.

As for punishment, I may only be 1/8 German by blood, but I'm plenty adept at self-flagellation.

oh, right. atonement. Happy Easter.