After setting off we had a bit of a warm up and made our way north along the gorgeous stretch towards our goal. About a third of the way along this stretch there is a waterfall directly into the bay which I have been eyeing up for a possible kayak decent in the summer! The tide was low and a lot more of the beach and rock shelf at the bottom of the cliff was visible so I decided to take a closer look, staying just beyond the point where the waves were breaking and gently paddling backwards so as not to be swept in I duly approached the waterfall and immediate beach area,
As I came to the conclusion that this bay was not as pleasant as first thought and would in fact be unfriendly to a kayaker I was set upon by a wave that had decided to start breaking behind me and was considerably larger than the others. I found myself being swept sideways directly into the bay I had just concluded would be unpleasant! I was rolled by the wave and found myself using my paddle as a roll bar to stop my head impacting on the rocks...
I managed to roll up just in time to be hit by the next wave which, now that I was in the breaking surf was not kind. I swam or staggered onto the beach holding my glasses that had been torn from my face, and my paddle. I had lost my hat and the bow hatch cover. After a couple of expletives I recovered my boat and emptied it, signaling that I was OK to Emily who had witnessed the whole thing from the relative comfort of beyond the break line.
Pictured above: me in calmer waters a few years ago on Loch Sunart, Scotland.
My front hatch had completely gone and the forward compartment filled with water I emptied the whole lot, and watched the sets of waves coming in. The wave surges from some of the bigger waves were now reaching me and the boat and I had to empty it a few time whilst I made a plan of escape.
I set myself up in the shallow outflow of the waterfall, spray deck on, and awaited one of the bigger surges that took me lower down the beach to be picked up by the next surge. I paddled out.
The problem with losing a bow hatch cover is that, as you paddle out of an unfriendly bay with steep waves coming in, the wave will initially break over the boat. The first wave filled the forward hatch causing my kayak to nose dive through the next wave and so on. The effort required to break out of an unfriendly bay in a semi-submerged kayak is considerable. I was knackered, the trip was aborted and we began a slow return.
On my three star training we were told a useful thing to have with you is an air bag, more commonly used in white water kayaks. They can be inserted into a compartment and inflated if you lose the hatch cover, allowing you some very helpful buoyancy. 'That will never happen to me' may have passed through my mind at the time and the idea was dismissed. The other common practice is to attach the hatch covers in some way to your boat.
I have learned my lesson, in a way that is far more effective then any other form of learning (for me at least). One reflection, and with the immediate danger behind me, this was a very beneficial and exciting experience.
