Native Ultimate Paddlers - A Cautionary Tale
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 9:11 am
Well, I had some fun on the open Gulf this Tuesday and Thursday and the windcast looked favorable enough to sneak in one more trip this morning. Little did I know that Mexico had declared war on St. Petersburg and had been sending a barrage of small rolling waves all through the night. The Gulf was mirror out beyond them and it would simply be a matter of timing to slip by while they weren't looking.
Apparently, this white boy can't dance. Waited a couple minutes for an opening and jumped in the saddle. Took a couple paddle strokes and immediately saw a small swell slowly growing out in front of me. By the time we got together it had just started to break at the crest. Leaned back to push the bow up, but it punched through the top of the still small wave and the ocean joined me in the cockpit. If you've ever had a gallon of water in an Ultimate, you know how differently it handles. This was more like 20 gallons. Still afloat. Still maneuverable (kinda). Now the options start racing each other.
Punch through and bilge past the breakers
Turn around and abort
Back-paddle and abort
Abandon ship and abort
That's the order they came through my mind and that's the order in which I attempted to rectify the situation. All of this transpired in the space of perhaps 10 seconds as the unstoppable list to Port made the final decision for me.
Aside from the now patently obvious poor decision to launch, everything else went as best as could be expected. My wallet and telephone were in a dry-box which was tethered to the seat. My pliers and lip-grip were properly secured. And I managed to keep both my flyrod and lit cigar out of the drink. I did lose a cup of Joe and my ego is quite seriously bruised.
In all seriousness, it is a lesson well-learned and worth remembering. Please learn from my mistake. These glorified bathtubs are not built for the open Gulf. I hope all you Tarpon Cowboys will rethink your boat of choice. You can mark my words: I will not use this boat at the beach come Tarpon Season. Time to find a sit-on-top in which I can stand.
UT
Apparently, this white boy can't dance. Waited a couple minutes for an opening and jumped in the saddle. Took a couple paddle strokes and immediately saw a small swell slowly growing out in front of me. By the time we got together it had just started to break at the crest. Leaned back to push the bow up, but it punched through the top of the still small wave and the ocean joined me in the cockpit. If you've ever had a gallon of water in an Ultimate, you know how differently it handles. This was more like 20 gallons. Still afloat. Still maneuverable (kinda). Now the options start racing each other.
Punch through and bilge past the breakers
Turn around and abort
Back-paddle and abort
Abandon ship and abort
That's the order they came through my mind and that's the order in which I attempted to rectify the situation. All of this transpired in the space of perhaps 10 seconds as the unstoppable list to Port made the final decision for me.
Aside from the now patently obvious poor decision to launch, everything else went as best as could be expected. My wallet and telephone were in a dry-box which was tethered to the seat. My pliers and lip-grip were properly secured. And I managed to keep both my flyrod and lit cigar out of the drink. I did lose a cup of Joe and my ego is quite seriously bruised.
In all seriousness, it is a lesson well-learned and worth remembering. Please learn from my mistake. These glorified bathtubs are not built for the open Gulf. I hope all you Tarpon Cowboys will rethink your boat of choice. You can mark my words: I will not use this boat at the beach come Tarpon Season. Time to find a sit-on-top in which I can stand.
UT
