Kayak Leash?
 

My buddy and I were caught out in some pretty windy conditions the other day. I'm thinking the if either of us had rolled, it's possible that our yaks could have been blown away from us faster than we could swim. I'm thinking that in that type of situation it might have been a good thing to leash our yaks to ourselves. Other than surf launches and landings, does anyone think leashing your yak to yourself is a bad idea? Thanks.

Sounds kind of like free-lining a mackerel, only on a bigger scale ;)

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On a more serious note, if the weather is that rough it might be better to consider fishing someplace a little safer?

As a pilot, I always review weather reports in advance so I don't find myself in a situation where I have to foolishly challenge nature. To a certain extent I feel the same way about being out in the ocean in a kayak.

That includes watching not only wind, currents and rough water reports but also the dew point relative to air temperature. When it's within 4 degrees we should be prepared for the sublimation of fog like we've been seeing in LJ lately. Do you know how to navigate if you can't see anything and get disoriented?

Thinking through various potential emergencies and practicing self-rescue is prudent, to say the least.

I completely agree about closely monitoring the weather. This time, we got fooled. We had been closely checking reports and there was nothing to indicate those level of winds. We were even monitoring conditions while on the water. It was a lesson well-learned.

Leashing yourself to your kayak just doesn't sound all that safe to me. You could get tangled up and become more likely to drown. There are instances where you wouldn't want to be leashed to your kayak. What if a boat was about to hit you and you needed to bail? Maybe an extreme example, but I don't want anything other than my VHF and PFD attached to me; Those are the items I need to get me out of a pinch.

I don't know the answer to this question. I fish by myself a lot so I can see the benefit of having a way to stay connected if you flip. But I also understand the concern about getting tangled, I would hate to have a rope around a foot dragging me along. I know when I was fighting the current the other day in Mission Bay I thought about how fast my boat could drift away. Most people would say don't fish alone but I seem to a lot. At any rate I think about what I would do in different scenarios while I'm out fishing. I hope when the time comes I can put my plans to use successfully. One thing I have is a line on the bow and stern that should give me something to grab even if the yak is out of reach.

i dont fish alone. i have a radio, cell phone in a water proof case and a global beacon strapped to my chest.

anything over 15 knots to include mention of 20 knot gusts etc I'm staying home...I don't have a hobie yet and my yak requires a lot of muscle power to move. Everyone has different physical abilities/strength/endurance but there is a point even an Olympian would be no match for mother nature...or superman.

A few years ago I went out in some pretty sketchy conditions...weather turned bad quick to include wind and current. Played it like a riptide instead of fighting the wind and current I went parallel to the beach to get closer to shore. Took me south a good bit. Once near the breakers but well away from the impact zone I can track back easier than way out in the open ocean fighting all that win d etc. The closer to the shoreline we have cliffs/structure that will help reduce that wind.Just like surfing...all that paddling against the current to stay in the spot. I've surfed some pretty sick conditions during hurricanes etc so I'm pretty comfortable in slop but on a yak your at the peril of mother nature. If you do get stuck in a wind that is unbeatable try the riptide method as long as it's not coming straight from the east...then you are screwed...channel 16.


I have had thoughts about using a leash but I just don't want to get tangled up if I need to boogie

During days when I think I might need some insurance I will pack some churchill bodyboarding fins. They even make smaller versions now that are lighter and more compact and not as big as churchills. I have dakine ankle leashes for these that strap the fins to your ankles.

Give me a pair of fins and I can stay up almost indefinitely and swim to shore if need be.

With all that said the ocean has it's dangers and it's not worth the risk to head out past your abilities. If you don't see anyone out on a kayak and the conditions are questionable don't go.

If the conditions are so rough that said event could occur, maybe it isn't even safe enough to be in a boat. If your kayak filled with water in these "conditions" and you were tied to it, I believe you'd be safer in your PFD without your kayak.

The day started out as expected as far as the winds were concerned. Our return to the launch brought us outside of a protected area where the wind intensity suprized us and we would not have gone out had we known the winds would have been that much higher than the forecasts. We even checked the reports while on the water and they were reporting only 10mph winds. The lesson we learned was to be very aware of what we were actually feeling rather than going by the weather reports which can lag the current conditions. On the plus side, we learned more about our limits.

Dafin
 

Less than 3 lbs. ..float and standard issue for many professional waterman...Hawaii, Australia and U.S. check out their website at dafin.com. Some even prefer them for free diving and less bulky. Just having a pair on me gives me comfort. Besides lifesaving usage body surfers use these even in the biggest surf and swim for hours.

Here is a copy paste from their site

DaFiN is used by thousands of lifeguards and water safety professionals in the United States and around the world. DaFiN is standard issue equipment for the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association. In 2006 DaFiN was endorsed as the ‘Official Swim Fin’ of the United States Lifesaving Association, the premier professional association of beach lifeguards and open water rescuers in the United States. DaFiN has earned its reputation with strong endorsements by the world’s best watermen and was recently featured prominently in the critically acclaimed bodysurfing film ‘Come Hell or High Water’. DaFiN is the #1 choice of lifeguards, bodysurfers, and watermen around the world.

Interesting. Definitely will look into this. Thanks.

I would tie off to my boat if I was jumping in on paddies offshore. Otherwise sounds like a bad idea that could become a terrible idea pretty quickly.

Sounds like the consensus is that leashing yourself to your yak could cause the captain to go down with his ship. But isn't that what a true captain is supposed to do?;)

it's all replaceable stuff that you can find discounted on craigslist if your patient enough. Not worth going under over.

Not worried about losing equipment . All my stuff is from CL, thrift stores, and pawn shops. Worried about me bobbing around in cold water waiting for rescue while drunk boaters zoom around.

Just don't panic and let go of your paddle.

Yes to the leash when needed. I was testing 50lbs trolling motor when I realized I fell it would keep going and going. Hince a leach ( rope) oh and a kill switch. Just keep a small 4 ft rope with clips and make sure to unclip if going in or out of surf that would not be good.

First thing, I never take my pfd off when in water over my head or solo. Second, I carry a personal locator beacon in my pfd pocket this way if I do get separated and the yak gets blown away I can call for help. I also carry a marine radio and try not to go alone. I've tied off a surf leash to the kayak and velcroed it to my ankle when going far offshore solo. Seems to me if I do fall off I have the opportunity to get back to the yak and if things go bad I can always pull off the velcro strap.

You can always hit this guy up for leashes.


http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ighlight=leash

Man that always makes me laugh ! Thanks for the yearly reminder..

I guess he never came back with a version 2.0