All was well until one paddler was grabbed by a pesky, granite, side wall in a narrow slot. I returned to see the paddler holding on to Jen’s rear grab loop as she pulled him away from the cliff. The kayak had one gaping hole and other structural damage to the point it almost sank. It was interesting to watch Jen apply massive amounts of denso tape (nasty British plumbing tape that provides an effective patch) to the hole and had to bind the bow damage with circular wraps of duct tape. The damage was too severe to drain the boat in the normal manner, so several had to pump out the cockpit and forward bulkhead before re-entry. Paddle floats were collected from others to provide additional floatation. All of this was occurring away from a convenient bail out. Subsequent teamwork ensued that required rafted towing and simultaneous monitoring of water levels.

Just when this issue seemed to be stabilized, one member of the group became debilitated with sea sickness. More rafted towing practice ensued for about 6 miles. The wind and chop picked up as the group rounded Point Loma. There was a lot of boat traffic in San Diego Bay and many of the boaters extended their typical courtesies by staying on collision courses and creating nice, large wakes for bracing practice. All paddlers landed with no further problems.

These events show how important it is to have safety equipment, even on a seemingly routine paddle. Although I had my tow belt on and duct tape in my PFD, I forgot where my denso tape and paddle float were. Of course, they were in the last of three hatches searched. I will have all immediately available from now on. Again, it points out how important it is to have accessible safety equipment and ongoing safety training.

Jon Brindle