Abalone Cove & The Broken Boat
Vickie, Don, Jack, and I launched at Abalone Cove at about 4:00 yesterday.
Surf was about 2 feet with occasional 3 footers. We headed west toward point
for some playing in surf and rocks. We didn't make it.
We were paddling fairly close to shore and only pulling out a ways
occasionally to avoid the rough spots. When rounding Long point Jack and I
were in the lead and closest to shore with Vickie and Don a little behind
and farther out. Jack and I we discussing what a nice day and paddle spot
this was when a set came in, we realized we had paddled into shallow water,
and bad things were going to happen. I was closest to shore.
Jack just squeezed over a 3-4 footer. I hoped to do the same, but got caught
about 2 feet on the wrong side of it. I side surfed very-very fast toward
the rocks. I wanted to be sure that the bottom of my hull was the only thing
that hit the rocks so I really leaned into that wave. I figured I would take
the impact, roll up, then paddle back out. After the first impact the boat
settled and I got into the roll position, but before I could roll I was
swept and violently rotated about 90 deg one way, smashing into more rocks.
I set up again, but before I could roll I was violently washed another
direction smashing into still more rocks. This time the boat never really
did settle and I kept smashing into rocks on both sides. I decided to bail
before something very bad happened.
When I surfaced and collected the boat, I could see my paddle a few meters
away. I decided to swim the boat out first then return for the paddle. I
can't remember why I let go of my paddle, but I'm sure I had a good reason.
The rest went fairly smooth. I swam the boat out, jack towed it out a ways
farther. I went back in and got the paddle, using rocks occasionally to
shield me from the surf. I used the paddle to swim back out and jack gave me
a tow to the boat. Jack told me I wasn't going to like the way my boat
looked. Rather than taking an assist I did a re-entry and roll to get back
in. I didn't need to, I just wanted to recover some dignity before moving on.
I pumped the boat out, but it refilled almost instantly. I reached under the
hull and could feel that my hull was shredded at the chine. We paddled over
to fisherman's access (in the lee of Point Vicente) where we spent the next
hour using a whole role of duct tape to patch the boat. The seam that
connects the two halves of the hull is ruptured for a 2 foot length in the
cockpit area. The chine in completely fractured in the same are for about a
1.5 foot length. There is other damage that is less significant. Amazingly,
it didn't leak all the back to Abalone cove.
Lessons learned:
- I am thanking God that my boat hit the rocks instead of my head. Boats can
be fixed (maybe)
- I was glad to have a farmer John and helmet on.
- I was glad I had duct tape.
- I was glad I wasn't paddling alone.
- Carry a FG repair kit.
- Be careful when rounding a "blind" turn. I should have realized that I
didn't have visibility far enough to avoid getting caught (dumb).
- I should have tried a braking brace instead of just a brace. I may have
been able to pull out of the side surf.
Steve Brown
Submitted on June 25, 2001