Kayaks and Death Wish

[sailorboy1]

I completely believe kayakers have as much right to be out on the water as anyone else.

But do these guys have some type of death wish? Both days this weekend it was pretty foggy out. Saturday the fog rolled in so hard I pulled out of the channel and dropped the anchor to wait it out.

Both days out of the fog and darkness I came across kayakers in the channel. Would see one and then look around for more as there always seems to be a spread out group. None were wearing anything brightly colored or have any type of light and it was pretty much luck that I saw them at all.

You would think these guys would be a little more concerned about safety and survival.

[Cormorant]

Some powerboaters refer to them as "speed bumps."

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Cormorant

Some powerboaters refer to them as "speed bumps."

I’m embarrassed to admit, that I’m insensitive enough, so as to find that funny. Very funny!

[Simes]

Similar situation over here in the UK.Kayaks out in fog and out at night with no lights.
Often in numbers. I have never heard of any being run over

Simes

[Lodesman]

When I toured the Victoria RCC, the Coast Guardie giving the tour made an offhand remark about kayaks, because they fish a few out each year - he called them "sea coffins."

[MarkJ]

I always think people in sea kayaks must be 'Greenies'.

So I, too, have a lower respect for their welfare.

[S/V Alchemy]

I had an idea for kayaks...I wonder if it would work.

I have no car, just a number of bicycles with various cargo trailers. (Yes, getting sails and batteries on and off the boats builds character and quads.) On the back of the trailers is a five-foot FG stick with a little orange flag on it. This flutters at the eye level, more or less, of car drivers' eyes both day and night. Why not have a slightly taller stick, say six to eight feet, that breaks down like an FG "tent pole" with a little flag and/or blinking LED on it? The "weight aloft" would be minimal, and yet just having that height would make kayaks so much more visible in any conditions.

I have a channel beside my club that is stuffed with kayakers every weekend and I have to practically stand on the cabin top and steer with my ankles to see them all. Not peaceful and not particularly safe.

[Greg S]

We have often seen them, a s described, in groups spread out across the channels and waterways, and the groups seem to be the most clueless. I'm guessing that most often these folks are on a group outing or get together of some sort and are on the water for perhaps the first time. A good blast on the air horn always seems to wake them up and scatter them enough so that we don't run them over, and they always wave to us as we pass.

I guess when we think about the "Credit Card Captains" we think about the big boats, but really, they come in all sizes and personally I think prefer the smaller ones.

[senormechanico]

"Sea Gnats"

[SabreKai]

Originally Posted by GordMay

I’m embarrassed to admit, that I’m insensitive enough, so as to find that funny. Very funny!

Me too. As the tanker and a yacht, so Sabre Dance and a Kayaker. Opps, did we hit something?


Sabre

[Blue Stocking]

Surpassed in incredulity only by kayak FISHING in Great White country.

[smurphny]

Used to paddle my sea kayak sometimes 20 miles offshore, always aware of the dangers. Well designed sea kayaks are amazingly seaworthy. If you can roll 'em you can go anywhere. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. Most sports worth doing involve danger...even sailing. Groups of tree/fish huggers DO tend to get together in groups on rivers and lakes to do this activity as some kind of social behavior. Many, I would guess, are not even aware that they can easily be run down by some moron in a go-fast boat. Out at night in a kayak without a light should qualify for the Darwin Awards.

[scook1]

As I read this thread, an advertisement for Kayaks popped up on screen. Ironic?
Spencer

[hummingway]

Yes, it seems some kayakers think the sailboat will honour their right of way much like some sailors think the power boat will do it for them

They can be awfully hard to see in a big body of water.

Some hobbies are more dangerous then others

YouTube - ‪Shark Expert Attacked While Filming‬‏

[smurphny]

Actually kayaks are not even considered "vessels" in many jurisdictions. This means they have no right of way in any situation. This is something all kayak & canoe paddlers should be aware of. There was a recent ruling on Lake George, NY (the Coney Island of the Adirondacks) that cleared a powerboat of any legal charge for hitting/killing a kayaker because of this lack of legal status.

I actually contacted a Florida shark study expert about the possibility of being attacked while offshore. Wondered if my kayak might just be a large yellow fishing lure. Having done a lot of offshore fishing I was well aware of the big, ugly things that swim around out there. He replied, carry either a heavy blunt object (they don't like being hit on the nose) or something sharp!